Wildlife Consultant- Estelle Somers in Namibia May 2007
Estelle recently returned from a five day educational trip in Namibia. The Namibia Tourist Board hosted the trip, which was focused mainly on the Waterberg Plateau and Etosha National Park. Estelle's report also gives details of other locations visited such as the Africat Foundation and the Aabadi Bush camp...
After a comfortable overnight flight with Air Namibia, I arrived directly into Windhoek airport at 7.45am - this felt very civilised, as there was no time difference. We were greeted by our guide and driver and immediately set off on the four hour drive to our first stop, which was the Africat Foundation at Okonjima. The drive was via tarmac roads across the Namibian bush. I was immediately struck by the clear blue sky, the never-ending bush and most of all by the vast amount of space around me. During the journey I was surprised to already be spotting warthog and various antelope species grazing by the roadside.
On arrival at the Africat Foundation, we were greeted by Tristan and seated under the cool shade of the thatched dining area overlooking the waterhole at the Bush Camp. Africat is a non-profit organisation which focuses on the long-term conservation of Namibia's large carnivores especially cheetah and leopards. Visits to the foundation can be made for just one night however having seen the facilities, I would personally prefer a two night stay so as to fully appreciate the accommodation and activities on offer.
The eight African style chalets at the Bush Camp are well spaced and have open fronts with great views of the bush. They are all traditionally decorated and make a lovely place to soak up the true feel of Namibia. The pool at the camp was most inviting, unfortunately time was not on our side and I was most envious of the other guests relaxing in the sunshine! Our main focus was on the facilities at the Bush camp, however accommodation is also available within the Main camp, Bush Suite or Bush Villa.
Depending on the length of time you spend at the camp, you can take part in various activities such as radio tracking of the leopards and visiting the Cheetah Project. The only cats that are allowed close contact with humans are those that will not be able to be rehabilitated to the wild, most viewing is therefore during game drives or at the nights hides.
After lunch we made our way to the Waterberg Plateau. The drive took a further hour and a half during which time the scenery and colours gradually changed from dusty yellow soils and silvery grey bush to deep red soils and darker green bush. The plateau could be seen far off in the distance rising out of the landscape with a perfectly flat tabletop appearance.
On arrival we checked into the Bernabe De La Bat Rest Camp, which was to be our home for the night. It is run by Namibia Wildlife Resorts and has recently been updated and redecorated. The rooms are not luxurious but are in good clean and comfortable condition. They all have en suite bathrooms and are set in a picturesque location on the slopes of the plateau. The restaurant and bar are inside an old German police station, which made for an interesting venue and the swimming pool looked rather refreshing although slightly worryingly shaded!
The Waterberg Plateau is made from sandstone; it is 250m high and was formed 180 million years ago. The reserve that is now on the plateau was originally set up for Eland but is now also home to Roan, Sable, Kudu, giraffe, White Rhino and leopard. There are over 200 species of bird including Black Eagles and Namibia's only breeding colony of Cape Vultures.
Following a restful nights sleep we were woken before sunrise to join our first game drive, the air was completely still and quite chilly. As soon as our open topped vehicle got on its way I realised just how glad I was that I had remembered my hat, coat and gloves which had seemed so unnecessary in yesterdays sunshine!
It was about 20 minutes before we reached the track leading to the top of the plateau, during this time the morning sun rose and the plateau took on an orange glow. As we crept up the narrow track to the top of the plateau the full beauty of the surrounding scenery came into sight. After stopping to admire the view we continued along the bumpy tracks in search of wildlife. Our first spot of the day was some Rock Dassie huddling together on the rocks trying to soak up the warmth from the morning sun. We then stopped at two watering holes where we saw Kudu and Roan. The only other spot of the morning was a lone Giraffe. The bush is very thick on top of the plateau and so the animals have lots of places to hide and can be quite difficult to spot. Game viewing is not the only attraction of the area though, the scenery is beautiful and there are numerous walking trails (guided or unguided) of varying length (one to four days) that can be taken.
Our next stop was to be the Etosha National Park, after another drive of about three hours we made an overnight stop at Mokuti Lodge, which is a quarter of a mile from the Van Linderquist Gate. The lovely grounds of this four star property border Etosha and are grazed by the resident Bontebok antelope. The 106 thatched rooms and the main lodge areas are all well presented and of a high standard. There are two swimming pools within the grounds and game drives can be arranged via the lodge if required.
The defining feature of the park is the huge Etosha Pan, which fills with water during the wet season and turns to a dusty silvery white pan during the dry season. The roads are all navigable in a 2WD vehicle and the park is designed for self-drive visitors.
I visited Etosha at the end of May, which is when the area has begun to dry up, and when the skies become bluer and the nights become cooler. Photography is normally good at this time as it is still fairly green but the skies are clear and it is not too dusty. The game viewing is also good as the drier weather draws the animals out to drink at the waterholes.
Etosha was set up as a national park in September 1907 and is therefore just about to celebrate its 100th anniversary. Consequently Namibia Wildlife Resorts are currently undertaking a refurbishment of all three accommodations in the park. We visited all of the properties and although they are not yet fully refurbished, I was impressed by the standard of the example rooms that we saw. Each property has its own watering hole - for me the one that stood out the most was at Okaukejo, it was very scenic and at sunset we were joined by rhino and elephant.
Despite being on a tight schedule and only stopping at a couple of waterholes, our game viewing was very successful. I lost count of the number of antelope species we saw and was impressed by the variety of other animals seen. Just a few of the highlights were lion, jackal, giraffe, elephant and rhino.
When we left Etosha we made our way back towards Windhoek and to our final stop, which was Aabadi Bush Camp. This bushman camp has only been opened for a year and a half. It is 130km from Windhoek and offers visitors the chance to spend some time with the traditional San/Bushman. Everything is run by Namibian people and is really traditional - we were accommodated in thatched rondavels made by the bushman - they offered two stretcher beds and an open air bathroom and gave a real back to basics bush feel but were clean and comfortable. Dinner was spent round the campfire chatting to the owner of the camp who gave us an insight into the life the San people lead. The next morning we accompanied the San people on a three hour bush walk, with the help of an interpreter we learnt about tracking and hunting skills, medicinal plants, making fire and eating from the bush. After having our final breakfast in the bush we headed back to Windhoek where we spent our final day before travelling home.
In summary Namibia is a vast and varied country, I will definitely return as there is so much more to see and I have merely scratched the surface so far!
For details of our Namibia holidays, please Click Here