Etosha National Park

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Here we are, the last entry of a stunning long week in Namibia. We spent a night in Windhoek as we had to do the Covid test. So drop the big car for a smaller one. Next, drove to play the best golf course in Namibia, I name Omeya. Not cheap compare to South Africa, but beautiful place 30kms South of the capital. Not much to write about a crappy hotel. Dinner may have been in the number one spot by tripadvisor...we did eat way better in Walvis Bay and Swakopmund.



The drive from Walvis Bay from Etosha took us a good 6 hours. Most of the road is actually tar which was not really expected. We crossed very few villages where here you feel really in the middle of nowhere. 10km before reaching Etosha....the Fortuner had the great idea to give us a first experience for me....one of the back tyre exploded while driving at 120km/h....that's something. Good I didn't do anything wrong...and best that some youngsters just stopped behind us to give a hand...trust me, changing the tyre of Fortuner is very very different from changing the Tyre on a huge Fortuner...I owe them big time!



We spent a full day and half in Etosha National Park. Bear in mind, the park is 22,100 square kms. That's 2/3 of of the size of Belgium. So do not even try to thing we saw most of it! Well, on the second day...from sunrise to sunset, I still drove a cool 400kms in a single day!



The reputation of Etosha is being a "dry" national park. This means you are supposed to see slightly less animals than let say Kruger Park in South Africa. This is not really a safari from first time visitors to Africa, even less if you do self-drive. Well....this is not our first...even if for once I'm happy not to do a self drive in a Suzuki Swift!



So the trick is pretty simple....you do drive from water hole to water hole....obvious will you tell me....but you actually drive pretty fast between those keeping a look for the bigger stuff...like the rhinos and few elephants...and at each water hole, you get more attentive for the super active wildlife. Let put it simply,we saw way more than I would have ever expected.



We will for sure be back to Etosha. Next time we may actually stay 2 days and half or even 3 days. This time, we stay at the "Etosha Village"...they have 55 bungalows, only 6-8 of them were occupied the 2 nights we stay there. Not cheap, but pretty efficient and would do the job in term of decent comfort and a good night.



Now the situation at home...well, it's calm. Thanks to the locals...and through what you call "vigilantism"...our little village is safe (but looting and malls burned less than 6kms from home). Petrol and food did run low for few days...but we are well equipped and things are slowly looking better for now. South Africa National anthem is sung using the 11 official languages of the country. So the current situation cannot be explain in 2 lines. Sadly a lot can be told but cannot be written by fear of misunderstanding or misrepresentation. But what I can write is when the current political elite has been looting the country through corruption for over the last 2 decades...you can only expect their owns to do the same when instructed by a former President who has been ordered to jail by the Supreme Court. Sadly for Africa, too often the local elites have kept their own in abject poverty while indulging in revolting corruption. This is the true root of the problem.



The good news is that local communities have rising together. That only a certain group in this country has decided to loot...while the other 5 provinces have kept their composure in such a tough time. South Africans in general will get out of this as a better nation, a more united nation...if only the instigators, the corrupted and the looters are brought to justice...and nobody is sure this will or would ever happen....time will tell....

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