Discovering the joys of camping in Namibia (page 23 of 30)

And camping is only possible in the 3 main camps.

Plus the minimalist ones in Botswana...

And camping is only possible in the 3 big camps.

Plus the minimalist ones in Botswana...

Minimalist... That means...🤔

No barriers, dry toilets, bucket showers, rarely any water...😇

But nothing stops you from taking a shower at Nossob or Twee Rivieren if you pass through there.

No barriers, dry toilets, bucket showers, rarely any water...😇

But nothing stops you from taking a shower at Nossob or Twee Rivieren if you pass by there.

Thanks for the clarification... gonna have to think about that... not sure I'm ready 😏.

Plus ceux minimalistes du Botswana ...

Yeah, it's true I forgot about those (which I don’t know about either)

not sure if I'm ready

Otherwise, you still have all the "hard" campsites, and some are really great 😎 For the booking technique, ask Safrou—she goes there very often and must have a trick or two to share for getting the best spots 🙂🙂

not sure I'm ready

Otherwise, there are all the "permanent" campsites, and some are really great 😎 For the booking technique, ask Safrou—she goes there very often and must have a tip or two to share for getting the best accommodations 🙂🙂

Thanks, Jean Luc! I’ll make sure to ask Anne Marie once our project is in the works 😎

Wednesday, August 14: Etosha Halali / Namutoni

Today is our last day in Etosha. Like yesterday, we’re at the camp gates when they open.

We head west from Halali, with Namutoni—70 km away—as our destination for the evening. A little round bird on the side of the road? A thoroughly ruffled bustard. A Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk perched a bit farther on.





On the plain, herds of wildebeest graze, with the Pan as a backdrop.





Our first stop of the day is the viewpoint over the Pan. The road continues a little onto the dried-up lake. It’s pretty impressive—this vast expanse where absolutely nothing grows. When we arrive, there’s no one around, but little by little, a crowd gathers for photos.







We then follow the edge of the Pan. From a distance, it really looks like the sea on a gray day—just missing the waves. Along the Pan, ostriches peck at the ground, and wildebeest pass by in single file.







On the way to Batia, a large herd of zebras and wildebeest. The watering hole, however, is dry. Some wildebeest are already napping.







We continue along the Pan, crossing Red Hartebeest territory. Lappet-faced Vultures keep watch.

Around a bend in the road, three elephants on the side, a fourth crosses right in front of the cars—there was even an elephant that looked like it had two heads! They’re huge and eating grass right in front of us. That really made our morning!









Okerfontein is pretty, but it’s too bad there aren’t any animals there.



A giraffe by the side of the road keeps us entertained for a little while.





At Kalkheuwel, zebras, impalas, and guinea fowl are waiting for us when we arrive. Three handsome kudu males make an appearance, and a large herd of zebras shows up.

Poor impalas—they don’t have much space left.













Four pachyderms arrive, and the zebras move aside, waiting patiently. No doubt these giants take up a lot of space!









We love seeing these wildlife scenes—we never get tired of them. It’s almost 12:30 PM when we leave the waterhole. It’s already hot (31°C).

The little shade available is already taken.

At Chudob, just a few zebras are around, and some kudus are leaving. The waterhole is nearby and pretty with the reeds in the middle. We leave when the zebras move away.





We arrive at Namutoni at 1 p.m. It was established at the foot of a fort built in the early 1900s.

Like the previous days, we settle in early in the afternoon. The campsites are better—there are trees, so a bit of shade, and some grass, meaning much less dust. As with the other Etosha camps, we notice that most campers arrive before 3 p.m. Some stay there for the rest of the day, while others, like us, leave a little later.







This afternoon, we head north of Namutoni.

We take the direction of Fisher Pan. Just outside, an elephant hurries to grab a drink while the wildebeest are still napping in the shade of the trees.





A family of warthogs—we were surprised we hadn’t run into any yet.





A Zazu tree or Red-billed Hornbill.







An elephant takes a mud bath not far from Twee Palms.



Wildebeest lying on the Pan, a plain of zebras, a herd of springboks. But where are the predators? The pantry is full!

After exploring Fisher Pan, we continue north for a while, but we hardly see any animals—well, actually, none at all—so we turn back.





In the plains near Namutoni, we’re truly amazed by the herds—mostly zebras, but also springboks and wildebeest.





When we arrive near the camp, it’s a little past 5:30 PM, so we still have some time to head south. We see quite a few giraffes in this part of the park and wonder why they’re almost always in groups of four.





At Klein Namutoni, there are nearly 10 vehicles ahead—great, there must be animals around! But despite a nice watering hole, not a single one in sight, not even guinea fowl!



We decide to take the Dik Dik Drive, a small 6 km loop, before heading back—but there’s not a trace of an animal, let alone a dik dik.

We’re at the Waterhole right at sunset.



Meanwhile, an elephant emerges from the reeds and feasts on the lush grass—must be a nice change for him.





Tonight, after dinner, it’s time for a big cleanup. For a first camping trip, we didn’t do too badly with the groceries—there’s practically nothing left from the huge shopping haul we did in Windhoek when we arrived.

The full moon keeps us company on our last night in Etosha.



On the way south here

Hi Isabelle and hello everyone! The ruffled bird must still be a Bustard, then the Lappet-faced Vulture Red-billed Hornbill Dik-diks aren’t easy to find… there’s a trail named after them… silly me, I found some right there and in the camp! Yes, I’ve got some tips for accommodations in Kgalagadi. 😛

Thanks for this travel journal and all these beautiful photos! 🙂

Hello Isabelle and hello everyone The "l'oiseau ébouriffé" must still be a Bustard Then Lappet-faced Vulture Red-billed Hornbill Dik-diks aren’t easy to find… there’s a trail named after them… silly me, I found some there 😏 and in the camp! Yes, I’ve got some tips for accommodations in Kgalagadi. 😛

Thanks for this travel journal and all these beautiful photos 🙂

Hi Anne Marie, and thanks again for the bird names 🙂. We should’ve bought the bird guidebook, but we only got the one for mammals 😉. For the hornbills, we were too into *The Lion King* when our son was little 😉. Yes, we did the Dik-dik Drive, but we didn’t see anything—no dik-diks, no other animals. For accommodations in KTP, I won’t hesitate to ask for your help when the time comes .

Like in all Southern African parks, two strategies:

A- Build your itinerary based on availability, even if it means doing first what you’d planned to do last, and vice versa

B- Take whatever’s left and check the site daily for cancellations to adjust your bookings

For KTP, book a year in advance—even more if traveling between April and November, or year-round for the smaller camps.

Try to snag: Kieliekrankie and Grootkolk 😛 (tough, though!)

Like in all South African parks, two techniques:

A- Build your itinerary based on availability, even if it means doing first what you planned to do last and vice versa

B- Take what’s left and check the site daily for cancellations to adjust your bookings

For KTP, book a year in advance, especially if traveling between April and November, year-round for small camps

Try to get: kieliekrankie and grootkolk 😛 (tough only)

Thanks Agnès, Even though I’m starting to get the hang of Southern Africa’s logistics, I’ll definitely reach out to you and other VF members for your tips. I think we’re on track for a yearly trip to Africa—smart move now .

Try to get: kieliekrankie and grootkolk 😛 (tough only)

And how do you pronounce those? Just reading them is 🏴‍☠️!

And how do you even pronounce that? Just reading it sounds 🏴‍☠️!

Don’t even try—you won’t get it. During my trip, the person at the entrance asked where I was going. She obviously didn’t understand a word, so I showed her the paper, and she said, "Oh, Grootkolk," with the worst accent ever. So yeah, it’s a lost cause.

.. ask me for tips on Kgalagadi reservations—I saved them in "Excel"........

Urikaruus: the cream of the crop

I didn’t really connect with this campsite. 😊

It doesn’t have the charm of the others, I find.

Hi Isabelle,

I just discovered your travel journal today—is there still a little spot for me? I’d love to join in! 😊 Okay, back to reading—I’m sure this journal is going to be amazing.

Myriam

Hi Isabelle,

I just discovered your travel journal today—is there still a little spot for me? I’d love to join in! 😊 Okay, back to reading—I’m sure this journal is going to be great.

Myriam

Welcome, Myriam! But hurry up—this journal’s almost finished, you’re *way* behind! 😄. And you’ve only got two days left before your flight! 😮.