Date of Entry: November 9th 2016
Date of Writing: March 24th 2017
We wake up early and after a quick breakfast we waste no time hitting the road in Peter Tosh, hungry for more of the wonders that Etosha National Park holds for us. Yesterday was mind blowing, a day I will remember forever. Today will end up being much the same and not just because it was the that Donald Trump was somehow elected President. This is something we monitor throughout the morning with my in and out Data, everyone desperately hoping for a shift to the democrats which as we all know now was not to be.
Our first photo of the day is a really bad one but I include it because it’s the only time I’ve ever seen this animal and we didn’t stop for photos frustratingly. The blurry thing in the middle is the ferocious and much famed Honey Badger.
We drive on but before long we do come to a stop as Honary point out a massive bird, I believe it’s the biggest flying bird in Africa and it’s name is just awesome. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you: The Cory Bastard.
After saying goodbye to our feathered friend we drive on, still enjoying the relative coolness of the early morning and then a cry goes up and we get our first lion of the day. It’s a good ways off but the way this male paces calmly across the open savannah is something to behold and we spend a few minutes watching in awe and once again thank the zoom on my camera.
Eventually we stop again, Peter Tosh never providing a simple smooth halt, but off to our left are some red haartebeest a species we didn’t get a good look at yesterday or anywhere else so far so I snap some photos of these quick but thick antelope species. There horns aren’t long and tall but they are thick and hold a very interesting shape.
We drive on and come pretty close to running over a pair of lions. The youngish male and female Lion are startled out of there foreplay but Blessing stops in time and they just glance at us for a while before wandering off maybe 5 meters from the road and getting back to business. Lions aren’t so different from us, though sadly it never leeds to full on sex, just some cuddling and kissing right under our noses. It’s incredible to watch and I snap lots of photos and even a video.
Eventually we drive on and leave these nervous lovers to there business. I’m sure within a few minutes they were… well you can imagine. It doesn’t take long before we find something else to stop Peter Tosh in his tracks. A huge rhino roaming behind some sparse foliage to our left. This is the first timeI’ve seen an African Rhino, though there was that amazing time I hung out with a wild juvenile rhino in Nepal while on the back of an elephant (which I have very mixed feelings about). This rhino is huge though and the horn is on a whole other level. I’m instantly struck by both it’s size and it’s strange mixture of clumsiness and grace. I could have watched for hours.
Eventually though we keep going because when you’re on a safari you just never know what’s around the next corner. Soon enough we’ve found another Cory Bastard, some ostriches and a big group of zebras and wildabeest as well, and a hornbill too. The wildabeest and Zebras often use each other to detect predators like lions and one group has better vision and the other a better sense of smell.
We don’t have to go far though before we find a small pack of lionesses clearly trying to get a hunt started for the aforementioned Zebra’s and Wildabeest, a few of them hiding in the scrub and one slightly wounded limping along to join the other lionesses. Sadly the prey seem to know they’re being watched and don’t advance into the trap. Would have been pretty cold.
As we realize the hunt is never going to really happen we eventually drive on and find the biggest group of Ostriches I’ve seen yet. They really are baffling birds, especially having seen the babies. Where on earth do those legs,necks and eyes come from.
As the day starts to heat up we head out to the giant salt pan that takes up the majority of Etosha Park and I’m again reminded of the Uyuni salt flats, so Trig and I take some more photos using my giraffe purchased from the himba tribe. By now we know that Trump has been declared the winner of the election, so it’s nice to have some fun and try to forget the world has changed like this. Of course all the animals and incredible scenes before my eyes certainly are helping me cope.
We’re called back to the truck as the heat is getting absurd and drive on to find some Zebras at the waterhole. Some of them getting a bit rowdy with the others.
We drive on for a few minutes before pulling up at a small savanah near the edge of the salt plan, in the distance to the side of a single tree something fascinating is happen. We see a lioness with a dead wildebeest in it’s maw. She is desperately trying to drag this massive beast into the shade of the tree where she can feast. But the corpse is heavy, and it’s painfully hot outside. This is no small feat, and even be more difficult than the kill itself which we have sadly missed. We watch for a long while and while she makes progress there’s still a long distance to cover before the carcass will reach the shade of the tree. Still she’s exhausted, dead on her paws, and so retreats to the shade to recover a bit of strength, keeping a close eye on her prize. Check it out.
As we drive on we quickly come to a Rhino relaxing and desperately trying to escape the midday heat by lounging in a mix of mud and water. He seems exhausted but it’s cool to see one close up.
We drive on a while longer and quickly find another mating pair of lions, partially obscured by shrubs making it hard to grab a great picture, but I do the best I can.
We continue on to a barren part of Etosha and find the single waterhole in the area. There we find a single massive elephant and various antelope species enjoying the relative solitude and the refreshment of some good old fashioned H2O.
We don’t stay long though as we’re overdue for lunch and making camp where yesterday we saw near 100 elephants.Needless to say I’m excited to get there and hungry too.
We get there and make camp then I’m straight over to the waterhole. Sadly it’s not like it was yesterday, but that’s not to say it’s not amazing. We find 4 giraffes taking a drink, which seems something of an ordeal. There’s also lots of Oryx and Zebras around. So it’s still an amazing place, but not quite what it was yesterday.
Back at the campsite we eat lunch and Honory offers those who want to to take an afternoon ride, while others can chill in the campsite sit at the pool or bar and kick back. Guess which option I chose, along with only 4 others?
Yeah, I’m back on Peter Tosh, planning to take full advantage of my days on safari. At first we don’t see much as it’s absurdly hot but we do spot a pair of lions claiming what little shade they can. As well as a giraffe carcass being cooked into oblivion by the afternoon sun.
As it starts to cool down and the animals start to come out to play again as we spot giraffes, jackals, beautiful landscapes, and even a beautiful male lion and some females hidden in the brush starting a hunt.
We’re at the edge of our seats for about 10 minutes waiting for an animal to wander into the prides trap but it never happens and we have to head back to get back into the campsite before they shut there gates.
Back at camp I head straight to the water hole and find only a few scavengers, a big vulture eventually having a go at one of the charming little jackals.
The waterhole observation area gets a little more crowded as the sun starts to sink towards the horizon, painting the sky an incredible multi coloured mosaic. It’s a truly impressive sunset and just one more step towards making this waterhole one of my favourite places I’ve ever seen in the vast and beautiful world.
I do go back to eat dinner but then it’s back to the waterhole for some nocturnal viewing to round out my last major day in Etosha, this incredible wildlife paradise in the north of Namibia. It’s crazy difficult to take any good photos but I manage a few in the few hours I spend watching as a group of 14 giraffes take turn drinking as well as a mother and baby rhino taking advantage of the dimly lit waterhole. Eventually I wander back to my tent and pass out into a deep sleep. Etosha has given me two days that I will always remember and will count among the best days of my life, even if we now have a small handed ego maniac sexist racist president in the united states.
