March 18th 2015: Dolomite Lodge to Okaukuejo, Etosha

The alarm was again set for 5, with the objective of getting out early. The difference today was that we had to bring our entire luggage since we were moving to a new camp further east. As a result we had packed everything up before we went to bed, just leaving out the clothes for the day.

It turned out to be a particularly wise idea. When the alarm went off, it seemed very quiet in our cabin. I soon realized that this was because there was no electricity, and it was still pitch black. Unfortunately there was no flashlight in the cabin to help us out, and so we began by using our smartphones to light things up. Then I remembered my kindle, and turned the backlight up on full while placing it next to the sink. This worked great, and I was happy to find a new use for my kindle. We also made a note to always bring our own flashlight with us on future trips for just this sort of incident.

So, just as we were about to leave the cabin to head down for breakfast, the power came back on. This was a bit of a relief, as it did allow us to properly check the place to ensure we did not forget anything.

Again we were the first down for breakfast. As we finished up, a Dutch couple we had met the previous day came down. They were not happy as they had wanted to get an earlier start, but due to the power cut they had not been able to. Ah well, I guess they didn’t have a kindle…

As we had quite a distance to cover in the reserve today, we had to adopt a much faster pace than the day before. Okay, it is not like you are speeding, but keeping perhaps 40 or 50kmh at times was really necessary. You can really only do this when the landscape becomes a bit more barren though, because you still need to keep looking for animals.

While the growth was still fairly dense, we did manage to spot a group of red hartebeest, as well as a wonderful bee-eater.

With the landscape beginning to get more barren, we came across a waterhole that was quite busy. Other than the usual, there were two huge elephants having a drink. No matter how many times you have seen an elephant, when you can get up close to an African one you never fail to be impressed.

Pushing on, the landscape kept changing, becoming very arid. The temperature was rising, and there were not a lot of animals to be seen, I did spot a small squirrel next to the car, and a fly-catcher having some lunch.

One thing particularly interesting with Etosha in general is that there are quite a lot of waterholes throughout the reserve. Some are man-made, but the best ones for spotting animals are the natural ones. It is just at one of the natural ones that we stop for a bit in order to properly scan the area. The thing is that at this time of the day, most animals are trying to find some shade to hide in. Myriam suddenly sees something lurking underneath a nearby tree, and upon inspection it turns out to be a lion.

She is obviously very lazy at this time, and so we barely manage to get some shots as she raises her head for a bit. After having indicated to another couple that showed up shortly after us where the lion is, we decide to head on over to Okaukuejo, the next camp we will be staying at.

Okaukuejo is the oldest camp in Etosha, and it is very different from the Dolomite Camp we have been staying at. It is a big camp with a proper wall around it, meaning that you must be inside the gate before sundown, and obviously the gate then does not open before sunup. This week this the gate closes at 19:12, and opens the next day at 06:38. At the check-in we see that they do night-drives here, and we sign up for it right away. Since the night drive will leave at 20:00, we then book a table for dinner at 18:30 and then head to our new cabin to settle in and rest a bit.

I had booked this time a luxury cabin in front of the lit waterhole, and the location really does not disappoint. We have a short nap, and then spend the rest of the afternoon checking out the procession of animals coming by the waterhole.

After dinner which was a pretty disappointing buffet, but that did allow us to taste the milk tart we never got on my birthday due to the chocolate cake, we head towards the night-drive jeep to get ready. A young German couple also shows up for the drive, and we have a friendly chat with them. They tell us they really want to see big cats, but are concerned there will be nothing to see on a night drive.

We have done a few game drives in the past, and really enjoy them. Even though it is almost impossible to take any photos, you sometimes get lucky and can get some very interesting action you would never get during the day. Spotting using a lamp, once you get the hang of it, can be quite simple since you learn to look for the eyes that are reflected in the light. It turns out that here they use a red filter over the lamp as it is less disruptive on the animals, something that in the end makes any of my photos all red.

Our guide seems really good as early on he first spots a caracal. I try to take a photo, but it is really too far away. Then we come across an aardwolf. This is a very rare animal related to the hyena, but is a herbivore. Below is the photo I managed to take, but given the poor quality I also copied another one from the web together with a photo of a caracal.

We continue driving, and start to get really cold. These game-drive jeeps are fully open cars, and the night here in the semi-desert is getting quite cold. With the intense heat of the late afternoon, we did underestimate this a bit, even though we did bring along a sweater each. We will have to remember to bring our jackets if we go on any more such drives.

Some two hours go by without us really seeing anything, except for a rabbit, and I think we are all getting quite miserable. The drive should end by 23:00, and since it is past 22:30 by now I am sort of hoping our guide will call it quits and head back to camp. That is when he suddenly stops and goes “Lion…..s!” Just in front of us is a huge pride of lions!

We sit still in the car as we see lion after lion stroll by just next to us. It is an awesome experience, and we estimate from counting that there must be at least 18 lions in all, probably more. We see two males, one quite young but with a beautiful mane. Then there are 5 females which are then followed by a never ending flow of young lions ranging from “teenagers” to two cubs just a couple of months old. They are all playing like kids do, and all this just a couple of meters from us. It is an extremely emotional moment, and one of those you will never forget, but can’t quite explain either. I feel my eyes start to cloud up a bit from the emotion, and then it is finally time to go as we must head back to camp.

It is something like 23:30 when we finally make it back, and we head to our cabin exhausted. While I am in the bathroom, Myriam suddenly shouts from the balcony that there is a rhino at the waterhole! I think she is kidding, but she insists and come out to see the rhino too! Just amazing, but I am truly exhausted, and figure I need to get some sleep before we get up again at 5 the next morning, but I am also too excited to sleep. So, we spend a bit more time on our balcony looking at the photos and videos of the evening, as the buzz slowly wears off.

March 17th 2015: Dolomite Lodge, Etosha

Under normal circumstances, I don’t really like to get up very early. However there is something magical about getting up before the sun when you are on a safari. So, when the alarm goes off at 5, we don’t have any problem getting up. The adrenaline gets you going, and after a wake-up shower, we are sitting on our deck over-looking the savannah sipping a mug of coffee as the sky begins to lighten up. You can hear the sounds of the animals, but everything around you is still. It is also nice to feel some cool air on you, before the intense heat of the day.

We make our way down to the breakfast buffet at 6, expecting to see a few other people as eager as us. It turns out we are the first, and by the time we are done, nobody else has shown up. Breakfast is good though, and we fill up to be sure we last for a while. There is just the practical issue of not wanting to have too much coffee, as once out in the game reserve there are no toilets, and you can’t leave the car…

Having checked the map of the area we are in the night before, I decide to head straight for a water hole that is right next to the camp. There is not a lot of wildlife as we approach, but there are 4 black-backed jackals (that we later learn to call bbj’s). In previous trips to Africa we have seen jackals, but they have always been pretty rare. Here in Etosha we will find that they are quite common, but they are just so cute. We also see a kori bustard, the heaviest flying bird in the world.

We decide not to hang around for too long here, and instead keep driving slowly further in to the reserve. The growth next to the road is quite thick, and driving and spotting at the same time is not particularly simple. Progress is slow, but then this is by far the best way to spot the more rare wildlife.

We come across some more common wildlife, such as a lone springbok and a blue wildebeest. Although these may be common, together with the zebras, they so much form the basis for the African savannah, and are quite beautiful. Well, perhaps not the wildebeest…

Having already seen one yesterday, we again come across the stunning lilac breasted roller. This is probably the most beautiful bird in the world. Not quite beautiful, but always fun to see, we come across a small family of warthogs. Shortly after this spotting, I notice just next to the car an unusual yellow mongoose.

At the next waterhole, there is a bit more wildlife at this time. The usual suspects are there, and we see more springboks and also the emblem of Namibia; the oryx.

A stunning goshawk is spotted in a tree just next to us, and he poses patiently for us.

Time is moving on, and we decide to head back to camp for lunch and then a nap to make up for the sleep we didn’t get during the night. On the way, we get to spot the diminutive steenbok as well as an impressive kudu. Arriving back to the camp near noon, we were surprised to meet a couple that were just then going out. Seriously, if you want to go on a safari, you don’t sleep in!

There is fish on the menu for lunch, and it is obviously fried. We ask if they can pan-fry it with as little oil as possible, and they do their best for us. It turns out quite good, and a great change from all the meat. With our bellies full, we head back to the welcoming bed for a well needed nap.

After getting up, and grabbing our gear and water, we head back out. This time we decide to head back towards the gate we arrived through the previous day, given that some have seen lions in that area. With the afternoon being well advanced, it may just be the right time to see them as they begin to prepare for their dinner hunt.

It turns out we really have no luck. There is actually very little to see all through this drive. However, I do spot a magnificent black rhino in the distance, and we feel that this rare sighting makes up for it.

Getting back to camp, we decide to skip trekking all the way to our cabin before dinner, and instead sit down in the lounge for a cold drink, and then watch yet another incredible sunset. Tomorrow we will begin by heading east and towards the main part of Etosha.

March 16th 2015: Mowani Mountain Camp to Dolomite Lodge, Etosha

We get up early, something that has already become a habit here. With the cooler morning temperature, it is nice to walk down to breakfast with the sun rising and lighting up the rocks around us.

After breakfast, coming out of the shower, I get the surprise of a small cake with a candle from Myriam to celebrate my birthday. There is even a present she has hidden from me until then, and life just feels so good.

No news from Avis this morning either, so we pack our stuff in to our Toyota, pick up our picnic lunches from reception, and set off for Etosha.

The Monkey Mountain

We first make our way to Khorixas. On the way there, we pass by numerous places with petrified forests, but we decide not to waste any time to stop for this. Instead we roll on until we reach the paved roads traversing Khorixas. There is a service station here as well, but as I know we will pass another town in about 100km also having a service station, I decide to push on as I still have well over 600km of range in the car.

It is nice to get a short break from the gravel road, but this does not last for long as we turn back on to the C35 heading for Kamanjab. The landscape quickly begins to change as we head north, and we are clearly out of the desert by now. The fact that we are still in the wet summer season is obvious as it is very green all around us.

Kamanjab is really nothing of interest, other than the fact there is a service station. We fill up the car, and empty our bladders pretty quickly. The lingering guys looking to sell stuff are not particularly reassuring in their demeanor, and so we are happy to be on our way out of the village.

The road is now again properly paved, and should remain so until we reach the Etosha National Park. Since we are a bit hungry, we pull over in the shade of a small rest area to check out our picnic boxes. Two chicken wraps each, a peach and a power bar proves to be far too much food. So, we have a wrap each, and also the peaches that are delicious. No need to spend any unnecessary time here though as we are both far too excited about getting to the park.

With the help of the paved road, progress is swift, and we quickly find ourselves at the Galton Gate to enter the park. Getting the entry formalities done, we are disappointed to find out that they do not have any maps of the park available. Luckily I had printed one out before leaving, so we are not going in blind. Besides, the way to the Dolomite Lodge is well indicated, and there are not so many road options at this side of the park.

Time to get in to game drive mode! I click the seatbelt behind the seat so as to not be bothered by, and with my camera placed in my lap, and Myriam ready with her camera and binoculars, we set of at the customary snail pace so as to not miss a thing.

The landscape in this part of the park makes animal spotting tricky. Being near the end of the wet season, grass has grown tall, and there are trees everywhere. This does not stop us as we soon come across our first giraffe and zebras. I soon spot what I mistakenly take for a lilac breasted roller, and it turns out to be a purple roller. Almost as beautiful, but slightly less colourful.

After a while we do begin to grow a bit restless, and the journey so far is taking its toll. I decide to speed up a little bit so as to get to our camp for the next two nights. It is hot and dusty with the windows down, so when we see the camp on the hillside we are relieved.

We discover pretty much right away the main problem with this camp. It is up on a hillside, and you have to walk up there! We reluctantly tread up the steep hill, and arrive at the reception. Getting our room, we are happy to learn that our cabin is the first one, so at least we have the shortest distance to walk. Still, a fair bit to go. We are also informed that since this camp is not fenced in, we are not to walk around the camp after dark due to the risk of meeting wild animals.

A big quad helps us go get our luggage (yes, we empty the car fully yet again) and bring it to our cabin. Driving down to the car we cross paths with a group of Germans we had seen a bit earlier in the park, and that we had overtaken. They tell us they just saw a group of lions just before getting to the camp, and we get quite a bit frustrated for having missed this. Ah well, there will no doubt be others in the days to come.

As we get to our cabin, we are blown away! It is a sort of permanent tent set on a wood deck. The deck has a plunge pool and some lounge chairs, all overlooking the savannah. Simply stunning, and that plunge pool looks so inviting in the heat. So, we dump our bags, pull on our swimsuits and get in the cool water to wash of the dust. There is a heaven!

With time having gone by, there is not enough left for a late afternoon drive, and instead we go down to the bar for a drink. Here we bump in to an American couple from New Mexico who arrived just after us, and who tell us they also saw the lions just before getting to the camp. Pretty frustrating to say the least, but the cold beer still tastes just great!

Dinner is a delicious oryx steak perfectly cooked, and we are happy to find that the cooking at this place seems to be okay. Then, as it is time for dessert, and I am wondering what the milk tart proposed on the menu will taste like, I hear singing coming from the kitchen. The whole crew shows up singing a local version of happy birthday for me, and bring in a huge chocolate cake! I know I should have expected Myriam to prepare something for me, but out here I really thought it wouldn't be possible. No matter, I am as happy as I can possibly be, and have had my birthday celebrated in the perfect place together with the love of my life.

The cake is huge, and so I cut it in just the right amount of slices so that all the guests get a piece. They are all strangers to me, but I guess they will have a story to tell when they get back home.

Quite exhausted, we are finally driven back to our cabin for some well needed sleep. It is hot though and not really easy to sleep, and we are getting up at 5 the next morning so as to be out in the park as early as possible. Still, we do manage.