The Happy Cruisers Go to South Africa: Etosha National Park

We left Okonjima and the AfriCat Foundation and headed north through Otjiwarongo and Outjo to Etosha National Park, not just one of the world's last great wildernesses, but a great place for escaping to another realm where nature and beasts reign supreme.

The park takes its name from Etosha Pan - a "Great White Place of Dry Water". The 6,000 square kilometer calcrete depression occupying the heart of the park was once a large shallow inland lake but relentless changes in climate caused it to evaporate rapidly leaving in its wake, brittle barren salt-encrusted clay.

The Etosha Basin had its beginnings about 600 million years ago during the mountain-building stages in the ancient supercontinent of Gondwanaland. Today the most distinctive surface feature of that basin is the Etosha Pan, also the most conspicuous landform in the park. About 300 million years ago, when Namibia was situated at the South Pole, the area now occupied by the pan lay submerged under a massive glacier for about 20 million years. The glacier was many kilometers thick and its weight compressed the land. When Gondwanaland drifted northwards it melted, leaving the huge depression that became the Etosha Basin of today.

White Clay of Etosha Pan

Drainage channels contribute seasonal run-off into the pan and along with local rainfall we experienced areas with shallow water that created some spectacular views.

Early morning colors

Four Ostrich crossing the Pan.

A lone tree near a fresh water spring.

We entered the park at the Andersson Gate and spent the first night at the Okaukuejo (Okowkooyo) Camp. Etosha is home to large herds of zebra, oryx and wildebeest and the hunting place of lion, leopard and cheetah. It is also a stomping ground for elephants and giraffe as well as sanctuary for one of the world's most endangered mammals - the black rhino.

It was raining regularly while we were in the park so the vast numbers of animals we were prepared to see at the Okaukuejo water hole were not present. But we were fortunate to see giraffe, wildebeest, springbok, jackal and guinea fowl each taking their turn at the water's edge.

Summer downpour near Okaukuejo Water Hole.

Giraffes doing YOGA!

Surreal lighting at sunset.

A Black Rhino in the water hole after dark.

The next day we set out after a hearty bush breakfast with Kalima and Chris enroute to our next camp spot at Halali.

Some of the wildlife we encountered on the way:

I love photographing Zebra! They always look great in their stripes.

A young Steppe Eagle not quite sure about what to do with a Black Momba snake.

Lappet Faced and White Back Vultures picking the remains of a buffalo.

A curious young Springbok.

Giraffe out for a morning stroll.

Halali Camp is a very nice spot with a clean swimming pool which was most welcome in the 90 degree heat. We met an Australian couple Kirsty and Gareth - The Aussie Overlanders - at Halali who were having trouble with their vehicle. Kalima, with his mechanical skill helped them out and we invited them to join us for dinner. We learned that they were traveling for a year throughout Africa writing articles for an Australian 4X4 magazine. One of the most wonderful things about this trip has been the variety of interesting people we have met along the way. Like the French man who dives with (no cage) and photographs Great White Sharks, or the fun loving couple, Margo and Victor, we met from Dublin who we instantly took a liking to, or the photojournalist from France with the Russian girlfriend who could not speak English. These are just a few examples of the human paths we have crossed - every bit as amazing as the animals.

We only saw one elephant the entire time we were in the park while driving in the vicinity of Halali Camp. They had plenty to drink after the heavy rains and did not need to visit the waterholes. The herds stayed in the bush away from humans. This guy, however, was standing in the middle of Rhino Drive (see map above) and had no intention of moving out of our way. We waited for 25 minutes!! We finally got him to move when Marius turned the Cruiser around and backed up toward him. We figured we could drive faster in a forward direction away from the gigantic beast than we could back up if we were facing him and he decided to charge. He finally moved reluctantly to the side of the road after Marius yelled out the window and asked him nicely in Afrikaans to step aside. However, later we both agreed that it was most likely the diesel fumes from the Cruiser's back end that convinced him to move on. We saw him an hour later on a different road heading in a new direction.

Namutomi, our third camp in Etosha, was originally called Omutjamatinda in the Herero language to describe the "strong water coming from a raised place". The waterhole at Namutomi camp was home base for Europeans explorers when they first discovered Etosha Pan in 1851. Namutomi is the site of a fort that was built in 1903, destroyed by the Owambo people in 1904 and rebuilt in 1906 as the command post for the German garrison patrolling the area.

Planning the route at Namutomi.

Near the Namutomi camp we found another pair of lion brothers (the first were in the Kgalagadi) who had just finished devouring their kill made the night before. We watched them for almost two hours, as well as those waiting for the lions to leave so they could get their fair share - including jackals, hyenas and vultures.

After a big meal there is alot of yawning, rolling over and drinking while keeping an eye out for those who would love a chance to steal a bite of the leftovers.