Sounds like a good children's novel doesn't it?
Seeing as our flight to Cape Town via Amsterdam passed directly over Iceland, it would appear our return flight (scheduled for the 28th) will likely be interrupted, delayed, or cancelled. So, we'll be contacting KLM (a short wait on the phone, I'm sure), our trip cancellation insurance provider and Visa to see what we can do - perhaps a re-route through New York or Atlanta? Not sure yet.
We'll keep you posted!
Cheers,
J.
-- Posted From My iPhone
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Etsoha National Park
Etosha National Park – ‘Great White Place of Dry Water’
We entered Etosha through the west gate at Okaukuejo, and we were immediately impressed by the resort. A few years ago, the facility was upgraded and the new lodges, restaurant and facilities are modern, yet beautifully kept in the African construction, decor and theme. The kids were happy to see the large welcoming, swimming pools, and the setting seemed more like a well-heeled resort, than a national park facility.
I had read earlier in a local newspaper, that the Namibian president referred to Etosha as the ‘milk-cow’ of the country, in reference to the revenues it generates, so I presume the upgraded facility attracts many travellers. Thus far, outside of the Easter weekend in South Africa, our travels have been relatively quiet in regards to tourists or crowds and we have heard that the peak season for travelling Namibia is June-September (more of the dry season). This would make sense for regular family travellers who would overlap school holiday months. Namibia is currently at the end of the wet season, and northern Namibia has had a couple of very wet months (if you call 290 mm of rain the whole month alot!). This is great for the farmers, wildlife and local people, but it also means that the wildlife within the parks do not have to come to the waterholes and therefore game viewing can be challenging. Needless to say, we were happy to settle into the resort, hang out at the pool and order a few Savannas (the local yummy cider). John was feeling a bit under the weather, with a cold and some on and off fever, and we were all a bit concerned that it did not escalate to anything more so he rested for the first afternoon. I booked an afternoon game drive with a guide and the kids, to start our Estosha large animal viewing.
Estoha Park is over 22,000 square kilometres, with the western half of the park only available to private tour operators and the eastern section open to the public. It is one of the few parks where you can independently self-drive through the park (as long as you stay in your vehicle and on designated roads). It surrounds the Etosha Pan and a few smaller pans which are historic inland lakes that dried up when the course of the Kunene River was changed by Plutonic movements. The salt deposits created a super-saline pan, which sustains little life and is therefore largely predator free which allows the wildlife to migrate between waterholes during dry season. Arriving in the wet season meant there was some water in the pan and the surrounding grasslands were green, with small flora, acacias and mopane trees. We arrived at the tour bus site a few minutes late, just in time to see our large bus leaving, with the kids running behind chasing the driver. Some things in Africa seem to take a long, slow time, but obviously game drives are punctual. Luckily for us, the reception arranged for a private tour on a 4x4 safari vehicle, so we were off within the half hour. The kids enjoyed the drive and our guide had seven years of knowledge within the park. We saw hundreds of zebras, giraffes, ostrich, springbok, gemsbok, blue wildebeest, blackbacked jackal, side stripped jackal, kudu, impala and we went into the lions den (but no lions). We also saw various different birds of the area, many with interesting and vibrant colours. We heard a lot about the wildlife habitats and interesting facts about their behaviour. Our guide helped us with identification of the various species and was apologetic that at this time there was no big game (elephants, rhinos) and the pans edge. We were pleased with our sightings and shared our findings when we returned back to Okaukeujo.
Namutoni (the eastern resort location in the Park) is equally as nice as Okaukuejo, just a different theme. This resort (which is the eastern most area of Etosha) is based on an old fort for German South Africa, which was established in 1904. There is a raised boardwalk system here and a waterhole, which has a light and viewing area for night watching. It is located near a small Pan, Fisher and is an easy 25 km round the pan for game viewing. We started by going to the water hole at night, where we saw herds a zebra and springbok coming to enjoy a drink at the hole. The next day we ventured out to see if we could spot an elephant, on our drive from Okaukuejo to Namutoni we spotted numerous elephant dung droppings and large broken branches, but no elephants. We had been told that with the amount of water available, the herds had migrated to the interior of the park. These creatures walk over 60 km per day, so at any time it is difficult to predict where they may be. We slowly toured early morning around the Fisher Pan, seeing an abundance of the same animals, and a variety of birds. When all hope had been lost, and I was at the wheel with John resting in the rear, I spotted an elephant trying to hide behind a bush! The majestic creature had his two ears, flapping back and forth behind a large green bush. He appeared to be a larger older male, with his left tusk broken off and moved in a slow, meaning way. Of course, the whole van came to life as we watched the elephant move from behind the bushes to full view, then cross the road 3 m from our van, and over to the water hole to cool down. We were the only car experiencing this wonderful sight in nature, and we all relished in our triumph. We left Estosha with a new appreciation for the animals of the park, and the wonders of the African pans.
We entered Etosha through the west gate at Okaukuejo, and we were immediately impressed by the resort. A few years ago, the facility was upgraded and the new lodges, restaurant and facilities are modern, yet beautifully kept in the African construction, decor and theme. The kids were happy to see the large welcoming, swimming pools, and the setting seemed more like a well-heeled resort, than a national park facility.
I had read earlier in a local newspaper, that the Namibian president referred to Etosha as the ‘milk-cow’ of the country, in reference to the revenues it generates, so I presume the upgraded facility attracts many travellers. Thus far, outside of the Easter weekend in South Africa, our travels have been relatively quiet in regards to tourists or crowds and we have heard that the peak season for travelling Namibia is June-September (more of the dry season). This would make sense for regular family travellers who would overlap school holiday months. Namibia is currently at the end of the wet season, and northern Namibia has had a couple of very wet months (if you call 290 mm of rain the whole month alot!). This is great for the farmers, wildlife and local people, but it also means that the wildlife within the parks do not have to come to the waterholes and therefore game viewing can be challenging. Needless to say, we were happy to settle into the resort, hang out at the pool and order a few Savannas (the local yummy cider). John was feeling a bit under the weather, with a cold and some on and off fever, and we were all a bit concerned that it did not escalate to anything more so he rested for the first afternoon. I booked an afternoon game drive with a guide and the kids, to start our Estosha large animal viewing.
Estoha Park is over 22,000 square kilometres, with the western half of the park only available to private tour operators and the eastern section open to the public. It is one of the few parks where you can independently self-drive through the park (as long as you stay in your vehicle and on designated roads). It surrounds the Etosha Pan and a few smaller pans which are historic inland lakes that dried up when the course of the Kunene River was changed by Plutonic movements. The salt deposits created a super-saline pan, which sustains little life and is therefore largely predator free which allows the wildlife to migrate between waterholes during dry season. Arriving in the wet season meant there was some water in the pan and the surrounding grasslands were green, with small flora, acacias and mopane trees. We arrived at the tour bus site a few minutes late, just in time to see our large bus leaving, with the kids running behind chasing the driver. Some things in Africa seem to take a long, slow time, but obviously game drives are punctual. Luckily for us, the reception arranged for a private tour on a 4x4 safari vehicle, so we were off within the half hour. The kids enjoyed the drive and our guide had seven years of knowledge within the park. We saw hundreds of zebras, giraffes, ostrich, springbok, gemsbok, blue wildebeest, blackbacked jackal, side stripped jackal, kudu, impala and we went into the lions den (but no lions). We also saw various different birds of the area, many with interesting and vibrant colours. We heard a lot about the wildlife habitats and interesting facts about their behaviour. Our guide helped us with identification of the various species and was apologetic that at this time there was no big game (elephants, rhinos) and the pans edge. We were pleased with our sightings and shared our findings when we returned back to Okaukeujo.
wildebeest
The next few days we did self-drive safaris and discovered that the van can serve as an excellent ‘safari vehicle’ with the side door open, fully-decked out with refreshments and lounge areas. Our drives led us to see a leopard (which is a rare sighting in the park) who was strolling down the side of the road, in the heat of the day, then moved off to the side in the long grass. We also sighted 3 cheetas, in the long grass, maybe 10 metres from the van. It was a beautiful sight with their coats blending into the long grasses. They stood in a line, with each one of them on guarding their own direction with their heads turning only slightly as the wind shifted. At the end of one of the days, just before dusk, we drove alongside a small wooded area surrounded by plains. We watched and counted in amazement at all the different animals grazing alongside the wooded area – giraffe, wildebeest, springbok, gemsbok, zebras all intermingled amongst each other. As we slowly pulled away, we sighted one lion, then two, then the whole pride (over 12), all female with one male. We watched as the female hunters prowled along the grassed area, towards a few Wildebeest, that had wondered off from the wooded area. With incredible skill and patience, the female hunters started their approach on the prey, always being cautious of staying downwind. One Wildebeest must have spotted one lion, and suddenly starting making loud grunting and snorting noises, to warn the other which was closer to the pride. The lions did not make any fast motions, and stood their ground. The male never once moved from his spot, and later we learned that this pride would have one kill every 2 days, which all would feed on. Lions in the park prefer the zebras, but a large Wildebeest would also be just fine. It really was an amazing experience to see how these animals interact and exist in their natural habitat, and we all watched the sunset over the pan before rushing off to make the sunset gate closing at Namutoni (at this gate the alarm bells go off and the gate mechanically locks down!).
Namutoni (the eastern resort location in the Park) is equally as nice as Okaukuejo, just a different theme. This resort (which is the eastern most area of Etosha) is based on an old fort for German South Africa, which was established in 1904. There is a raised boardwalk system here and a waterhole, which has a light and viewing area for night watching. It is located near a small Pan, Fisher and is an easy 25 km round the pan for game viewing. We started by going to the water hole at night, where we saw herds a zebra and springbok coming to enjoy a drink at the hole. The next day we ventured out to see if we could spot an elephant, on our drive from Okaukuejo to Namutoni we spotted numerous elephant dung droppings and large broken branches, but no elephants. We had been told that with the amount of water available, the herds had migrated to the interior of the park. These creatures walk over 60 km per day, so at any time it is difficult to predict where they may be. We slowly toured early morning around the Fisher Pan, seeing an abundance of the same animals, and a variety of birds. When all hope had been lost, and I was at the wheel with John resting in the rear, I spotted an elephant trying to hide behind a bush! The majestic creature had his two ears, flapping back and forth behind a large green bush. He appeared to be a larger older male, with his left tusk broken off and moved in a slow, meaning way. Of course, the whole van came to life as we watched the elephant move from behind the bushes to full view, then cross the road 3 m from our van, and over to the water hole to cool down. We were the only car experiencing this wonderful sight in nature, and we all relished in our triumph. We left Estosha with a new appreciation for the animals of the park, and the wonders of the African pans.
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