Discovering the joys of camping in Namibia (page 19 of 30)

Yeah, there’s so much to discover in Namibia that one, two, or even three extra weeks still wouldn’t be enough 😉. Oh man, I wouldn’t have wanted to be in your shoes with that spider... I’m not a big fan of those either 🙁.

I understand your slight disappointment. I also preferred our leopards in Uganda and KTP, and the cheetah mom with her cub in KTP, to the leopards and cheetahs we saw at Okonjima. But Okonjima was a good option for my parents. Anyway, these private reserves make it possible to see certain animals that are sometimes hard to come across in the wild.

Carmen

Yes, there’s definitely a different appeal to discovering animals on your own, but with our luck, imagine if we didn’t see a single lion at Etosha 😢. We’d be the laughingstock of all the forum members in the Southern Africa section, so we preferred to play it safe 😄😄😄

We also chose to go to Hobatere for the same reasons as you, Isabelle, but we were a lot less lucky with lions! We did end up seeing some, it’s true, but only on the way back when it was already dark. The guide had covered all the spots where they usually go, too... Goes to show, even in private reserves, there’s no guarantee (and thankfully so, really...) But it’s true that overall, the animal encounters on self-drive safaris left a much bigger impression on us than the guided ones.

Hi Sybille,

For the rest, we took our time, but we were really busy: 2 days in the Erongo between Spitzkoppe and Brandberg to visit the different sites at Ameib and the San Living Museum

Is Ameib open again? The lodge and campsite closed after we visited. Ameib was a real favorite for us. We loved Bull's Party and Elephant's Head.

We also camped at Khowarib.

Carmen

Hi Carmen,

We actually drew a lot of inspiration from your first trip to Namibia when planning ours 🙂, except for Caprivi. Ameib has reopened for campers and day visitors for several weeks now; the “chalets” were still under construction when we passed through in early August, but I think it was already possible to book them. Your travel journal really made me want to go to Ameib, and I kept some flexibility in that part of the itinerary hoping it would reopen before we left. But not many people seem to know about it because we were alone at the campsite, at Bull’s Party, and at Elefant’s Head. We only came across one family on the way to Philip’s Cave. I kept in mind the info about the climb to Elefant’s Head (unlike the walk to Epupa...) and it was quite a workout for us, but we have a great memory of it 🙂

Sunday, August 11: Hobatere Lodge / Etosha Olifantrus

We don’t get up too early—we’re only 80 km from Olifantrus, our destination for tonight. It’s not cold this morning, like these past few days, so it promises to be a beautiful day. The waterhole in front of the lodge’s restaurant stayed disappointingly empty.

We leave the lodge before 9 a.m. Along the way, we see zebras, giraffes, and springboks.











Two kilometers later, we arrive at Galton Gate. We pay for five days instead of four to avoid stressing on the last day when leaving the park. Watch out! At this gate, you can’t pay by card, so make sure to bring cash. We’re forced to throw away almost all our plastic bags since they’re banned in the park.



We stop for a long time at the first waterhole, Renostervlei. Oryx, zebras, and springboks come and go. We’re already thrilled—these are the wildlife moments we came to see. It’s amazing to experience these moments.







Before reaching the Jakkals-water waterhole, we spot a herd of elephants, but they’re much too far away.

The same lively scene at this waterhole as the last—we never get tired of it. What a great introduction to Etosha Park! 🙂









We were about to leave when we saw two giraffes in the distance heading toward the waterhole. We decide to stay and wait for them. They take a long time to make up their minds—they’re very cautious because when they drink, they’re extremely vulnerable.

We were so captivated watching the giraffes drink that we didn’t notice a herd of about fifteen elephants until they were already close to us. There were only females with their young and some young males. It was amazing to see all these animals—we stayed for over an hour because there was a constant coming and going. We wondered why the elephants were standing so still. Turns out, the two little ones were lying down, and each was surrounded by four elephants to protect them.









We left after nearly two hours because more giraffes were arriving, and we could’ve stayed even longer. We had a wonderful time at this waterhole—plus, we were alone the entire time we were there. No other cars came to disturb the tranquility of the place.

After about ten kilometers, we stopped at the Okawao waterhole. When we arrived, a group of about ten ostriches was nearby. A few zebras and springboks were drinking, but no other animals were in sight. Waterholes may follow one after another, but they’re never the same.









We continued our journey to Olifantrus, and around 2 PM, we took spot number 6. The electricity and water were shared with spot 5 but located on that site, right across from us. We were too far to plug in the fridge, but we still needed it since it wasn’t cooling well anymore. We asked to switch to spot 7, and it was no problem since the campsite wasn’t full yet.







Next, we went to the Hide. It’s very well set up with two levels—the first gives a high-up view, and the lower level is right at water level. However, there was no water left in the natural part, so the animals had to come all the way to the water in the concrete section, which didn’t make things easy for them. Plus, they could sense our presence so close by and were very skittish.

When we arrived, it was incredible—so many animals: zebras, wildebeests, oryxes, springboks, and a lone male elephant. He seemed to be keeping the other animals from drinking, but as soon as he moved, the zebras and wildebeests came to drink. We still stayed for about an hour to watch them.

The watering holes seem safer than in Kenya ;)

Before 4 PM, we're back on the road to discover other watering holes.

At Nomab, the giraffes are there, along with several dozen vultures quietly drying their wings.







We scan the distance to see if other animals are coming to the waterhole. And oh! Awesome! We spot two lions, but unfortunately, they don’t come our way.



So we decide to head toward them since the road isn’t far. When we arrive, they’re lying about 100 meters from the road. It’s amazing—it’s a couple! We’re so happy, our first lions. Well, apart from lifting their heads from time to time, they’re not very active—our lions are a bit lazy .









We position ourselves to see all three lions at once and wait over an hour for them to move, but they don’t budge—what lazy lions!









Luckily, a giraffe passes by and helps us pass the time!



At 6:15 PM, we have no choice but to head back to camp. Oh well, we’re already thrilled to have seen these three lions. Fortunately, we’re not far since it closes at 6:30 PM.

After dinner and setting up the tent for the night, we head to the Hide to see what the evening has in store. Just three hyenas in the distance, but they don’t dare come drink and leave right away. A little later, a rhinoceros arrives, stays for about fifteen minutes, and leaves.





We head back to bed—tomorrow will be another day 😉.

For our first day in Etosha, we’re truly enchanted—we couldn’t have hoped for more .

More about the lions here

The waterholes seem safer than in Kenya 😉

Yeah, but the lionesses are lurking...

Well, there you go—lions! :)

Etosha is off to a great start...😎 Can't wait for what's next.

Etosha is off to a great start...😎 Can't wait for what's next.

Yes! We were really delighted with this first day 😛. For the rest, we'll have to wait until Monday 😏.

An amazing first day at Etosha. This park is a real Noah's Ark.😊

Your travel journal really made me want to go to Ameib, and I’d kept some flexibility in that part of the itinerary hoping it would reopen before we left. But hardly anyone seems to know about it—we were alone at the campsite, at Bull’s Party, and at Elefant’s Head. We only ran into one family on the way to Philip’s Cave. I’d definitely kept in mind the info about the climb to Elefant’s Head (unlike the hike to Epupa...) and it was a workout for us, but we’ve got great memories of it 🙂.

I’m glad to hear my travel journal is still helping other travelers. You made the right call going to Ameib—if we go back to Namibia, Ameib will be on the list.

Back in 2016, there were also very few people at Ameib. I get the feeling most travelers skip the Erongo Mountains. It’s a shame, because the region is worth the trip.

Carmen

For the next part, you'll have to wait until Monday .

Not cool, :( it's gonna be a long wait. ;)

Have a great weekend, then.☀️☀️☀️

An amazing first day at Etosha. This park is a real Noah's Ark.😊

Yeah, even more at the waterhole... you know, the one with the unpronounceable name 🤪 but that’s for another day 😄

Your travel journal really made me want to go to Ameib, and I’d kept some flexibility for this part of the itinerary in the hope it would reopen before our departure. But hardly anyone seems to know about it, since we were alone at the campsite, at Bull’s Party, and at Elephant’s Head. We only crossed paths with one family on the way to Philip’s Cave. I’d kept the info about the climb to Elephant’s Head in mind (unlike the hike to Epupa...) and it was a workout for us, but we have such great memories of it 🙂

I’m glad to hear my travel journal is still useful to other travelers. You made the right call going to Ameib—if we return to Namibia, Ameib will be on the agenda.

Back in 2016, there were also very few people at Ameib. I get the feeling most travelers skip the Erongo Mountains. It’s a shame, because the region is worth the trip.

Carmen

We’d also wanted to include Ameib in our plans (after reading your journal), but when we booked last July, we couldn’t reserve 😢, so we had to skip the Erongo Mountains 😭. But next time for sure 😊

So many lions, Isabelle! Gorgeous photos 🙂 I need to get used to your new avatar—it’s really fitting 😉

Gotta get used to your new avatar—it’s really well chosen 😉

She even waited to change it!! Diabolical teasing!! 😄

Gotta get used to your new avatar, it’s really well chosen 😉

She even waited to change it!! Diabolical teasing!!

😉[;)