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Published: January 31st 2021
Etosha is Namibia’s Krueger Park. The park is located app. 420km to the North of Windhoek. It is a wide tared road and driving is comfortable and speedy (as we will find out, only for a few national roads you can say that). As soon as one leaves the area of the capital city, traffic density becomes very low. The scenery is one of farmland changing into savannah. We travel on the Central Plateau from 1'700 to 1'100m altitude, the descent not noticeable at all. Passing through towns of Otjiwarongo and Outjo we reached after 5 1/2 hours the Gundawan Safari Lodge. The estate lies at the edge outside of the National Park. A spacious property build on a hill giving the chance to observe the wide terrain from the bungalows verandah. It is rainy season. This makes the game viewing different. Animals do not gather around the water holes, because they can find water pools everywhere. They are generally more active because of the lower temperatures and higher humidity. And, one has to count on rain, usually every later part of the afternoon and throughout the night. The scorching sun and suffocating dust are missing. The brown, reddish appeal of
the soil is replaced with a terrain with more greenish touch. The safaris happen different to Krueger, where everything is focused on early morning or later afternoon. Here you go either 6 h in the morning or 6 h in the afternoon. We chose the morning sessions and we did not regret. It rains really hard second part of the day. The main building was a spacious lodge on the hill with great views and sunsets. In the rainy season, if you are lucky, you get a few glimpses of the sun through clouds, like we did, but not enough to give you that 'wow' feeling. However, what you get standing high up on the main lodge's verandah are the powerful plays of clouds and rain falling on the savannah moistening an area here, one over there, these rain fronts moving around can be active for hours.
Our guide for the outings is called Otto. An interesting name for a native San (bushman tribe). He really understood his trade. First he spoke English and German fluently! He could read the tracks of animals very well. He could imitate several birds and mammals sounds and attracted them with it to
come nearer to the game viewer vehicle. Generally the animals in Etosha are shyer and further away from the visitors than in Krueger. So it was important to have good binoculars. The guides are not allowed to follow them leaving the paths marked for the four-wheelers. Despite the Christmas holidays business is very slow. Apart from some rare French and German guests and us, one encounters only Namibians who came to stay. So we were, again as so often on our journey, alone, with Otto in the car.
The Etosha Pan is a large surface forming part of the Kalahari Basin. It is hollow in the ground in which water may collect or in which a deposit of salt remains after water has evaporated. The 120 km long dry lakebed and its surroundings are the core of the Etosha National Park. The Pan is mostly dry, but after a heavy rain it will acquire a thin layer of water, which is heavily salted by the mineral deposits on the surface, greyish in color. The Pan in the dry season however is shining white made up of dry salt and calc. As said we are here during rainy season and
Welcome traveler
a springbok greeting usso were deprived of that shiny white look. You cant have it all.
Our safari outings were rewarding nevertheless. We observed many small and large animals in their habitat playing with each other, but also threatening each other. The savannah and bush are merciless. Only the strongest survive. Law of nature, or Darwin. The big discussion point for us in this Corona pandemic that is about to destroy the livelihood of millions and compromise the future of the young generation, trying to protect the weak.
Did you know that a springbok can run up to 90 km/h? Besides it has the ability to jump repeated high leaps of up to 2 m? We saw hundreds of springboks grazing peacefully chewing the savannah grass. Once a naughty black jackal wanted to attack a little springbok kitten (it was lunch time). Big mama kicked his ass, chasing him away comprehensively, but injured herself on her leg in the process. As she limped heavily away with her little one, we thought, well probably she will be a steak the next night for lions. And if she dies the little one will be eaten too. Springboks only look after kids of their
own. No mercy in the wilderness.
Did you know that male giraffes reach heights of more than 5 meters, with a long neck of 2.4 m. Female giraffes are up to 1 m shorter than bulls. Bulls weigh up to two tones, while cows can weigh up to 1,100 kg. Eight different spices of giraffes are distinguished; the Angolan type is found in Namibia and also in arid parts of North West of South Africa, whilst the South African or Cape giraffe grazes in the more humid areas of North East South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe. It is taller than its Namibian cousin, we guess because of food availability.
Did you know that Zebra's striping patterns are unique to an individual animal and heritable? These stripes confuse predators. It makes it harder to distinguish individual zebras in a group as well as determining the number in a group. It also makes it difficult to determine an individual's outline when the group flees, reducing the predator's ability to follow a target during a chase. The Plains Zebras (one of the three species distinguished) have been recorded travelling 500 km between Namibia and Botswana, the longest land migration of
mammals in Africa, to find water and grassland. When migrating, they appear to rely on some memory of the locations where foraging conditions were best.
Did you know that the wild roaming Ostrich are omnivores, which means they eat both vegetation and meat. Although they prefer plants, especially roots, seeds and leaves, they also eat locusts, lizards, snakes and rodents. They also eat sand and pebbles, to help grind up their food inside their gizzard, which is a small pouch where food is crushed and ripped up before it reaches the stomach. Contrary to popular belief, ostriches don't bury their heads in the sand, but they do lie down with their heads against the ground when they feel threatened. It only looks like the ostrich has buried its head because its head and neck blend in with the color of the sand. Ostriches fight with their feet. They kick forward because that's the direction in which their legs bend, according to the American Ostrich Association, a solid kick can kill even a lion. Whilst they are of the same species as the farmed brothers, wild ostriches have a very different behavior; they are rather shy when approached. Farmed ostriches
we met on farms in Outdshoorn South Africa, you may remember, are food machines; eating and reproduction is all they are focused on.
Did you know that black rhinos look white because they roll in the calk and salty mud giving them a coat of whitish dust on their bodies. This coat protects the skin from UV and helps to camouflage. White rhinos are called white not because of their color, but because of a misinterpretation of the name given by the Dutch ("wijd", which means broad, referring to the shape of its mouth and lips).
Did you know that African lions live in scattered populations across Sub-Saharan Africa. The lions prefer grassy plains and savannahs, scrub bordering rivers and open woodlands with bushes. They are absent from rainforests and rarely enter closed forest. Lion have been recorded up to an elevation of 3,600 m and close to the snow line on Mount Kenya. Lions love to hang around savannah grasslands with scattered acacia trees, which serve as shade. They are masters in camouflage when lying in the high grass and masters in conserving energy they use for the hunt.
Did you know that Cheetahs hunt unlike
the lion and the leopard, (who hunt at dawn and dusk and especially lions at night), only during the day. This avoids fights between the cat spices for food. Cheetahs can easily be killed by lions and leopards. Male cheetahs are territorial. Several male group together and form communes or coalitions, attracting females. This commune stays then together.
Did you know that the Giant Weaver Bird is only of the size of a sparrow. It may be one of the most interesting birds with unusual habits in the world, because its lifestyle and nest building are unlike to most other birds. They weave one nest for their entire colony as well as for future generations. This is no ordinary nest, it is massive, like a giant apartment block occupied by up to 100 weaver families all year long. Some nests have remained occupied for over 100 years, generation after generation of birds. Nenad calls it the Bird Chinatown.
Did you know that the Blacked-backed Jackal, who can be found mostly in Southern Africa and along the coastal regions of East Africa, is the most lightly built jackal of all three existing spices, but also the most aggressive, being
Springbok
we finally found them known to attack animal prey many times its own weight. Within the pack it has an extreme quarrelsome relationships. So stay clear from this beast, although it looks small like a fox; but its ancestors are wolves.
Did you know Gnus, also known as Blue Wildebeest (Africaans word translated 'wild biest'), are hunted by lion, hyena, African wild dog, cheetah, leopard, and crocodile, which seem to favor the wildebeest over other prey. Gnus however, are very strong, and can inflict considerable injury even to a lion. They have a maximum running speed of around 80 km/h. The primary defensive tactic is herding, where the young animals are protected by the older, larger ones, while the herd runs as a group. Wildebeest often graze in mixed herds with zebra, which gives heightened awareness of potential predators. They are also alert to the warning signals emitted by other animals such as baboons. Gnus compete with domesticated livestock for pasture and are sometimes blamed by farmers for transferring diseases and parasites to their cattle. The great migration in Masai Mara, in East Africa made the Wildebeest legendary.
Did you know Kudus, or in Southern parts of Afrika known as 'Greater Kudu'
Springbok
most common antelope here have big, radar like ears, which help them to spot danger. They are highly alert and hard to approach. When they detect danger they give a hoarse alarm bark, then flee with a distinctive, horse running motion, the male laying back his horns to avoid overhead obstructions. The name kudu comes from the indigenous Khoikhoi language, a bushman tribe of Southern Africa.
Did you know that Oryx are also called the king of the desert for its fantastic adaptability to arid environment. Mainly found in the Western, dry parts of Namibia and South Africa, they are nomads following food and water. Male can reach a height of app 150cm and can weigh up to 250kg. They are harmless elegant animals, food source for large predators. We loved to see them and observe their motions.
Did you know that there are more than 2'500 elephants resident in the Etosha National Park. They migrate around waterholes and feed on regrowth from previously damaged trees. In the dry season they call them "The White Ghosts of Etosha". Because they roll in the white, calk-salty mud of the Etosha Pan, their skin becomes totally white. A similar strategy applied by the rhinos
as we have seen.
Did you know the biggest flying bird of Africa is called Kori Bustard. It is generally uncommon to spot it outside major protected areas. Habitat destruction is a main problem for the species, compounded by bush encroachment due to overgrazing by livestock and agricultural development. The kori bustard is very legendary with native tribes, especially the hunter gatherer communities. It features in dances and songs of the San people of Namibia and Botswana, and paintings of these bustards feature in ancient San rock art. It was associated with royalty in Botswana since they reserved it for their own consumption. Since 2014 it is also the national bird of Botswana.
Did you know that the Ground Squirrel is especially renowned for its tendency to rise up on its hind legs, usually whenever it senses nearby danger, or when it must see over tall grasses. The squirrel then curls its paws flat against its chest and sends a screeching call to warn other family members about the presence of predators. Cape ground squirrels as found in Namibia, live mainly in arid or semiarid areas. They are generally active during the day and do not hibernate. They
Springbok feature
stripe on side of stomach are burrowing animals that dig and live in clusters of burrows averaging around 700 m2 with up to 100 entrances. The burrow serve to protect the squirrel from extreme temperatures at the surface as well as predators. Nevertheless, most of the day is spent feeding at the surface. 'Dust bathing' is one of their favorite past times.
Did you know that Etosha National Park boasts healthy populations of 35 different species of raptor including the rare hooded vulture and cape vulture. Bateleurs, tawny and martial eagles, goshawks, hawk eagles, goshawks, red-necked falcons, greater kestrels, peregrine falcons and secretary birds are a common sight. Nenad had no idea how immensely diverse fauna is. He should have paid more attention in biology class in high school.
Despite the fact that the wide savannas do not allow to come close to animals, we were lucky to spot an amazing variety at reasonable distance. We were very satisfied with this first stop in Namibia, also thanks to Otto, our 'San bushman', who brought us his 'home' so much nearer. He had an ability to make pictures with iPhones through binoculars !!! Quite amazing. We left the Lodge, driving our 4X4 Ford Ranger
off road vehicle towards the wilderness of the Damaraland. Before we grabbed our tent and outdoor camping equipment, we stopped at Dora Nawas, a luxury desert resort, to celebrate New Year.
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