Namibia/ Etosha National Park

Etosha at sunset

Etosha National Park, in the north of the country, is one of Namibia’s premier game parks and a huge draw for tourists. Crossing from Botswana by overland truck, we were almost immediately at the park boundaries, and, as it is so close to water sources, the park landscape is lush and green despite the country’s reputation (rightfully earned) as being incredibly arid.

Giraffe will only drink when they feel safe; he would not have done so until we left

Etosha is a Big 5 game park–it contains lion, black rhino, leopard, elephant, and Cape buffalo–and by now I’m sure everyone is tired of my descriptions of all of the stunning game parks I’ve been through on this journey. Indeed by the time we arrived I had been through half a dozen game parks, each different in their own right, but essentially variations on the same theme. I love game driving still, and was excited to see how Etosha would differ from the others in the north and east of the continent.

A male ostrich--the female is a lighter brown--and his chicks in the salt pan

Perhaps the greatest difference is not just sheer size–Etosha covers 22,270 square kilometers–but its ecological diversity: one minute can see you driving through densely vegetated bush populated by all manner of antelope species; then you find yourself cruising by a lake full of flamingo; in the next moment you’ve reached a long stretch of dry salt plains. There are a number of game lodges as well; we stayed at the Namutomi Rest Camp, which had gorgeous and comfortable looking rooms. We were at the campsite, very far removed from the actual lodge–if I were there on holiday I wouldn’t have wanted to be near a bunch of rowdy overlanders either.

The lodge offered a night drive at a cost of 600 Rand (cash or cards were accepted by the central office), which I and a handful of others in the group jumped at. It was to be a late drive; departure at around 8pm, and would last until about 11pm. After a long day spent in the truck getting to the campsite my enthusiasm for yet more hours sitting on my butt was minimal, but I couldn’t very well come to a game park and refuse the opportunity to see nocturnal creatures in their element. I was glad I didn’t.

A hyena circles its territory, laying its scent around as a marker

I’d had the opportunity to go on night game drives in South Africa–on my last one, I was lucky to spot a pride of lion in the bush–and thought I knew the procedure: drive around with a spotter, a floodlight, and maybe some drinks. Our ranger guide picked us up and put us in a luxurious open vehicle–leather seats, cloth-lined wind ponchos (it got quite chilly), and promised us beers halfway through the drive. That was where the similarities ended. Once we left the gates of the lodge he killed the headlights and we drove in near total darkness; just as I was about to ask what the story was, he pulled out the spotlight, which had a red lens. I asked why all the precautions; I thought that without any lights we were sure to miss all the game! He explained that bright lights damage the retinas of the animals we were trying to spot; the red light would still pick up the glow of their eyes in the bush, and our conscious’s were safe in knowing we weren’t causing lasting damage.

One of two young male lions we found. The other is literally behind us.

We drove slowly through the bush, and our guide’s trained eyes spotted many nocturnal creatures–many jackal, hyena, and a small spotted Genet: a gorgeous small cat with an exceptionally long tail, right next to the road. Driving past the watering hole our guide spotted something we hadn’t yet seen off in the distance–moving closer we realized we’d found a pair of adolescent male lion, about to start a hunt. Male lion, when they reach a certain age, may be expelled or may leave their pride, so as not to threaten the dominant male. It was likely that these two were brothers and were biding their time together before reaching an age where they could form their own prides. We watched the two of them for some time, cracking beers open in celebration.

Then something truly spectacular happened. Just as we had settled in (as much as you can in an open vehicle with really nothing but the height of the car keeping you away from the beasts) both lions let out deep, deafening roars to each other. We were literally between the two of them, so their calls surrounded us and penetrated us to the very bone. Some of our group squealed in fear, only to laugh later (refer to the video, below, which caught the tail end of the roaring). Our guide told us that this was likely the signal that they would start the hunt soon. Instead of tracking them though, we drove off to try to find other game; and when we returned to that area they were gone.

Exhausted after a long day of driving, I finally succumbed to the desire to close my eyes. I nodded off as we finished the drive through Etosha, being lulled to sleep by the sound of the engine and the surrounding nighttime noises. As the saying goes, another kak day in Africa.*

*(“kak” meaning “shit,” but the phrase is used in irony; usually to be uttered as you’re watching the sun set over the bush, mountain, river, or other natural feature in the African bush. It’s my favorite phrase and I‘ve uttered it countless times on this trip so far.)