NAMIBIA - Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is one of the greatest game reserves in the world and offers a feast of opportunities for wildlife spotting. To anyone with an interest in wildlife, this is the real gem of Namibia Etosha can offer excellent game viewing without the masses of tourists that are found in East Africa. The park is 8,600 square miles and has roads passable by any type of vehicle. It is best in the dry season when huge herds of animals seek to quench their thirst in the waterholes. Animals of Etosha include the Yellow Tailed Mongoose (above) and the Bat Eared Fox (below right). At the heart of the park is the Etosha Pan - a giant depression which was perhaps once a lake but which now fills with water only occasionally when the rains are exceptionally heavy. The silvery white sands of Etosha are often referred to as the ‘Land of Dry Water’ with the salt pan covering almost a quarter of the park. There are three camps inside the park (Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni).  The floodlit water hole at Okaukuejo is one of the few places you can get close to a wild Black Rhino (below left). These magnificent animals appear regularly along with the elephants to drink during the evening. Ground squirrels (below) and tree dassies (below right) can also be spotted.

General : Take plenty of film on your trip because it is not always easy to find in the shops. Even the small shop in Etosha only had a few films in fairly obscure formats.  Namibia is the sort of place where you will take far more photographs than you originally intend.

Visiting Etosha : At the waterhole, switch off your engine and stay in your vehicle.  To get a good photograph, you will probably need to stretch out the window (perhaps sitting on the window edge) – just don’t put your foot on the horn while executing this manoeuvre !!