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Write a User ReviewWild Elephant Wilderness
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wild, and we want to keep it like that." Personally, I couldn't agree more ... If you are enamoured by elephants and relish exploring untamed Africa, Khaudum certainly won't disappoint.
Well Off the Beaten Track, on the Trail of Elephants and Wild Dogs
Close to the Botswana border, the landscape here is an open patchwork of thinly vegetated savannah. It may be part of the Kalahari, but it’s surprisingly green after the rains, and a certain amount of underground water remains all year round.
While in general the park infrastructure is rudimentary, there are hides overlooking the permanent waterholes. Hang out here for a while and you’re likely to see some of the elephants that pass through in large numbers as they travel between Namibia and Botswana. You may also have the chance
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to watch roan antelopes, hartebeest and tsessebes. I find predators rather hard to see here as there’s plenty of cover, but hyenas, lions and leopards are present and if you’re lucky, you may see wild dogs, which are more numerous here than anywhere else in Namibia.Khaudum: Predators in the Wilderness
Khaudum won’t be for everyone. Safari infrastructure is almost nonexistent, restricted to two barely maintained wilderness campsites. The trails here are also sandy and heavy-going, and the park authorities require a minimum of two vehicles per convoy for those visiting the park. But for those with off-road travel experience and who love adventure, the rewards are many. Nowhere else in Namibia is there that same sense of remote wilderness that you get in Khaudum – the sense of silence, the infinity of stars undimmed by lights, the absence of other vehicles. In some ways, this is a return to the old safari ways, to the days of do-it-yourself safari experiences that led to total immersion in the African wild. It’s a vast park and so wildlife can be elusive, but it remains one of the best places in Namibia for lions outside of Etosha, while African wild dogs are also a highlight here. There’s terrific bird-watching (over 300 species), as well as elephant, kudu, gemsbok and fleet-footed tsessebe.