Four days in the Etosha National Park

Namibia was one of the first and is one of the few countries that has nature conservation enshrined in its constitution. One result of this is the many nature reserves and state national parks. The Etosha National Park is one of the few fixed points on our tour and we have already organized our stay there from home. In the most wildlife-rich national park in southern Africa, which covers an area larger than the state of Hesse, there are only a few state camps and they are quickly booked out. The private safari camps are more luxurious, but they are all located outside the national park and require additional long drives. We are lucky and get a twin room at the coveted Halali Camp. Halali was the first camp in the national park in the early 1960s and its name says it all...hunting has come to an end here. The camp is popular because of its illuminated waterhole, where you can observe animals day and night from a hill.

Already on the 80 kilometers from the park entrance to our camp, we see so many animals, springboks, wildebeests, zebras, and even giraffes, that we are afraid that we will get bored here in the next few days. Our room is unexpectedly nice and has everything you need with a functioning shower, air conditioning, and refrigerator at day temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius. Our fears were unfounded, we didn't get bored for a second. Twice we were able to watch herds of elephants at the waterhole at night, once even together with six rhinoceroses. Every day we went on safari in the huge park and every day brought a new highlight. We saw huge herds of zebras moving across the savanna and observed the power struggles of the dominant males. We were able to watch giraffes drinking at a hidden waterhole. We saw a lioness wandering through a huge herd of animals and causing a lot of excitement, and the next day we could even admire a whole pride of lions and fascinatedly watch them gut an killed giraffe. Once we encountered three cheetahs, another time we discovered sleeping hyenas. And again and again we saw wildebeests, springboks, ostriches, oryx antelopes, ibexes, waterbucks, and much more. And all of this in the unique surroundings of the Etosha Pan, an endless plain of salt and clay where nothing grows except for a few lichens. This time, we will forego many words and instead show many photos. Enjoy looking at them.