​Expert Reviews – Waterberg Plateau

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Expert
Mike Unwin   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: October

Mike is an award-winning wildlife writer, former editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.

2 people found this review helpful.

Lost world in miniature
Overall rating
4/5

This relatively small park has a lot going for it. Comprising a high plateau surrounded by rugged escarpment walls, there is something of a ‘Lost World’ field to the topography. Indeed the biggest beasts – including white rhino, buffalo, giraffe, sable, eland and other large herbivores – are to be found up on top, largely courtesy of an extensive restocking and endangered species breeding programme. You can explore the plateau on guided game drives from Bernabe de la Bat rest camp.

I chose to leave the vehicle behind, however, and instead followed a number of excellent hiking trails around the wooded slopes. Among the smaller mammals I encountered were klipspinger, dik dik and large troops of banded mongoose. Leopard tracks were everywhere; indeed most larger predators, except lion, occur in the park – though sightings are rare. This is an excellent place for birders to tick off Namibian specials, and I found Ruppell’s parrot, violet woodhoopoe and Monteiro’s hornbill around the campsite – along with an entertaining colony of ground squirrels. The plateau is also home to Namibia’s only colony of Cape vultures.

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Expert
Emma Gregg   –  
United Kingdom UK
Visited: Multiple times

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

4 people found this review helpful.

A lost world, where antelopes graze
Overall rating
4/5

The Waterberg Plateau is famous for its rare antelopes. The main reason behind the creation of the park in the early 1970s was to set aside a breeding ground for eland, roan and sable. I’m a big fan of antelopes so this, for me, is reason enough to visit, but there are other good reasons too.

Fed by natural springs, the steep-sided sandstone plateau supports a tremendous variety of vegetation including grasses, shrubs and deciduous woodland, making this an excellent place to watch birds. To explore, you can join a guided game drive or set off on a guided or unguided, short or long-distance hike – a rare treat in Namibia.

Near Otjiwarongo, which is within easy reach of the Waterberg, are Namibia’s two most famous carnivore research projects, the Cheetah Conservation Fund at Elands Vreuge Farm and AfriCat at Okonjima, both of which I can highly recommend. They’re both open to visitors by prior arrangement.

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Average Expert Rating

  • 3.3/5
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding

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