August 24th - Day 21

Our lodge was located on the eastern edge of Etosha National Park. We drove about 150 kms through the eastern half of the park. Etosha, meaning Great White Place, is huge. It covers an area of 23,000 square kilometres.

As soon as we entered the park we were immediately struck by the variety of animals. Within a kilometre of the entrance we saw our first large herds. What is truly amazing is how the herds of different animals live side by side. Impala, Sable, Kudu, Sprinbok, Zebra, Giraffe, Wildebeest and many, many more co-exist in seemingly perfect harmony.

Oryx drinking at one of the permanent waterholes in the Etosha Park

Black backed jackal on the prowl near a herd of zebras

One of the prettiest small deer, the duiker

The first pride of lions we saw lay in the shade of some small trees within a few yards of the road. It was wonderful to see the cubs with the female adults.
Each permanent waterhole we came across teemed with life. The birds would fly down in large flocks to drink, whilst giraffes bent down their long necks to reach the water. You simply could never get bored watching.


Wildebeest seemed to spend most of their time resting in the shade of small trees and bushes, like the one above.

Towards the end of our drive in the park we saw our first elephants.


The elephants that live in Etosha are up to 30% larger than in the rest of southern Africa. Apparently this is due to the great abundance of food. Also the population of elephants is under control unlike the vast numbers in the Chobe park in Botswana. As we drove out of the park we came across a sight apparently few people see, a resting giraffe. This one was in the shade of the trees and, like a domestic cat, had folded its front legs underneath itself. You can also see, on the right hand side of the photo, a springbok shading itself from the midday sun

After six hours we exited the park and drove the final 100 kms to our overnight stop in Outjo. For the past four days we have been heading more or less due west. Today we started the long drive south to Cape Town and tomorrow we reach the Atlantic at the feared Skeleton Coast. The first time we will see the sea since we headed inland at Port Elizabeth over two weeks ago.