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Daniel Mac Alister
Visited:
October 2010
Reviewed: Sep 23, 2011
Etosha : An incredible once in a lifetime experience
I have always wanted to go to Namibia - I think my first time falling in love with this amazing country was seeing a BBC documentary on the Skeleton coast when I was about 10.
20 years later and I finally went on a safari/trekking tour of the country - Etosha national park was our first stop.
We were in a group of about 10 and all got on very well, I was with a bunch of crazy Italians ! -great fun!
The 1st place we stayed in was called Okaukuejo , it was close to the Etosha pan , we were lucky to get our tents near a fantastic waterhole - that always had animals drinking and was floodlit at night - but this did not disturb the animals.
We went to the waterhole and had a fantastic view of a herd of Elephants drinking, then a group of Giraffe and Zebra came along - I must say it was a very emotional experience.
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This was high afternoon and the temperature must have been in the mid 30's, but there was sheltered seats so it wasn't too bad, later on in the evening with fading temperatures and softer light we went out for a drive around the park - perfect for taking pictures with the low sun.
There was plenty of Springbok to be seen ! (more than 20,000 in Etosha :) ), also plenty of Zebra and some giraffe and then later we were very lucky to see a pride of Lions.
That evening we had an excellent cooked meal eating outside in the cool African night .
We spoke with our guides over dinner and I must say I felt like a kid with him telling us great stories about the wildlife in Namibia.
We were about to go to the Waterhole when we heard the roar of Lions !! - they sounded so close ,
but we were in the safety of the enclosed camp - still it was quite a buzz to hear.
We went to the waterhole and were treated to a multitude of animals drinking - including the Pride of Lions that decided to chase off a few Giraffes, some Rhino came along too and then a few Elephants, it was a totally different experience to see these animals at night and was very happy to have witnessed it.
Coming back to my tent there were some Jackals about !, they were harmless enough as long as you didn't feed them or harass them - also we had to leave our shoes in the tent, as people would wake up in the morning to find them all chewed up !! - the Jackals it seemed aren't so different from our own domesticated dogs!!
That night I went to bed with the sound of Lions calling - pure heaven !!.
Early the next morning (6 am) we had a short breakfast and went on a safari drive , again the light was perfect for taking pictures , we were really lucky to see another pride of lions and then shortly after a pair of Lions crossed right in front of us - I got this fantastic shot :
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We took more drives that day and returned to the campsite in the evening ,where again we went to the waterhole for some night viewing - we saw some Rhino and their young drinking.
Later that night the Lions showed up again and scared some Giraffe away!.
A cocky young male Lion tried to stalk the Rhino - but he was having none of it and soon intimidated the Lion off.
Next day (3rd and last full day in Etosha) We went to the campsite at Namutoni - this was a nice campsite that also had a floodlit waterhole - although it was a lot quieter than the one at Okaukuejo.
Before we arrived we took an early morning drive and were treated to the site of two Cheetah and then a Leopard !! - They were quite far off and I wish I could have gotten better pictures but I didn't expect to see them at all so was very happy.
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Then we saw a Spotted Hyaena !! , this is a very rare sighting in Etosha so was thrilled to see him!!
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The final night we could hear the distant sounds of Hyaena's ! - I never did like this animal before this trip but have learned to appreciate them since.
So an amazing few days were had in Etosha, we left on the 4th morning and continued an incredible journey for almost another 2 weeks across this fascinating country.
Jofie Lamprecht
NA
Visited:
May 2011
Reviewed: Sep 7, 2011
Email Jofie Lamprecht | 20-35 years of age
Etosha - The Great White Place
The harshest paradise, supporting an amazing array of life - 4 of the big 5, 5 of the photographers big seven with fantastic wildlife viewing and photographic opportunities with a stark white back ground.
Steffen
Visited:
December 2010
Reviewed: Sep 4, 2011
You can defenitely see the "big 5" here. The scenery on the other hand is relatively unspectacular as it is a dry savanna or bushland.
Betty v.Hoenning
IT
Visited:
February 2009
Reviewed: Sep 4, 2011
Email Betty v.Hoenning | 50-65 years of age
Olga.Bard
IT
Visited:
April 2011
Reviewed: Aug 31, 2011
20-35 years of age
may be aprile is not the best period for see animals. i sow a lot of gazelles and birds but no cats and.
Fabrizio Fenoglio
IT
Visited:
August 2010
Reviewed: Aug 30, 2011
Email Fabrizio Fenoglio | 35-50 years of age
Here the real subject is the wildlife: huge quantity of animals can be spotted. You can have a self drive safari.
Paul B Jones
CA
Visited:
October 2010
Reviewed: Aug 29, 2011
35-50 years of age
Etosha is wonderful, we had amazing encounters with lions and elephants and a host of other animals. The bird-watching is great too. It is flat and dry though, so the beauty is on the austere side. And the accommodations are too comfortable!
Phil Stronge
GB
Visited:
June 2009
Reviewed: Aug 28, 2011
20-35 years of age
Wonderful scenery!
Etosha is a scenic and unique wildlife destination, very different to other parks with little greenery, but beautiful in its own right. There is an abundance of wildlife although the Big Cats are not as common as in other African National Parks. The camps and lodges are all of a good standard and although there are a lot of self drivers it is still very easy to feel like you are on your own in the vastness of the park. Great and highly recommended destination.
Scyv76
LU
Visited:
September 2010
Reviewed: Aug 28, 2011
20-35 years of age
Great wildlife experience but disliked the fact that safaris may even be done with big busses through the park
The experience of Namibia was good, but I prefer the bush as opposed to the Namibian landscape. Likewise I prefer bush photography to water-hole photography. Just a matter of preference.