Namibia - July 2019
Day 1 - 3 Okonjima
After an overnight flight (BA and Air Namibia) from Heathrow to Windhoek via Frankfurt, we hired a car and drove the 220k from Windhoek to stay at the Africat Foundation,at Okonjima in the Central Highlands of Namibia. The driving was easy, it took us about 2.5hrs and we arrived in time for lunch. However, prior to leaving Windhoek we had insisted the hire company switch the cars as the one they had given us had rather dodgy looking tyres and we had a long way to go, the new car was delivered to the camp the following day...
We were blown away by the stunning location of the Villa at Okonjima, overlooking its own private waterhole. We had our own personal housekeeper and driver for the duration of our stay and the service was perfect for us, so relaxed but with fantastic attention to detail. It is probably my favourite place to have stayed anywhere in the world. The spectacular view of the waterhole from the terraces and the beautiful rooms were so special without being ostentatious.
Founded in 1991, The AfriCat Foundation is based at Okonjima, a private nature reserve dedicated to conserving wildlife. AfriCat is perfectly situated to conduct ecological research focusing on a variety of rare and endangered species. As Okonjima is an enclosed nature reserve, one component of AfriCat’s research focuses on understanding the ecology of leopard and brown hyaenas living within the reserve, with the ultimate aim of producing informed, sustainable metapopulation management guidelines for these species.
On our previous visits to Africa we had not seen a cheetah so we had planned this trip with the 'Big Cats' very much in mind. Starting off at Okonjima was ideal because we were pretty much guaranteed to see the leopards and they had rescued cheetahs at the AfriCat reserve. It is still really exciting to see a leopard even when they have a tracking collar on, as they are free to roam wherever they wish.
While we were sitting on the terrace at lunchtime, this kudu literally wandered up and peered through the rails at us!!
On our second morning we tracked and found this pair of amazing massive white rhinos with our guide Richard and Fernando whose job it is to look out for poachers in order to protect these endangered animals. Later on in the day in complete contrast to the hippos the little aardwolf peeping out of his burrow was so cute.
Richard our guide using the AfriCat tacking system, to search for the collared leopards
Day 3 - 5 Etosha National park
We set off from Okonjima after a great breakfast and headed North on the 350km journey to our camp near the Namutoni Gate on the Eastern side of Etosha, which although further to drive is on the quieter side of the park. The journey only took 3.5 hours as once we had left the unmade road from Okonjima the roads were virtually straight and in great condition, making driving very easy. One thing that is always worth remembering when driving in Namibia, is that the petrol stations are very few and far between so it is always worth filling up with fuel whenever possible.
A kori bustard!
A pair of black backed jackals and a spotted hyena making the most of the remains of a kudu kill.
We had our first ever proper cheetah siting on our second day in Etosha, it was brilliant, four black dots emerging from the horizon. Nick (Eagle Eye) was the first to spot them, a female cheetah and her three cubs in the far distance..... and to our amazement they slowly but surely meandered towards us, eventually walking across the road right behind us.
The films show them progressively getting closer, beginning with the top left which is the first one where the cheetahs can be clearly identified!
The cheetahs hopped up on this old termite mound to get a better view of the zebras and ostriches at the waterhole, both groups became very nervous once they realised the cheetahs had arrived and bid a hasty retreat after a quick drink!
......a tiny little dik dik
Vultures finishing off the early morning kill
Our camp was in a great position just outside the eastern entrance to the park, the setting was also fabulous with all the tents overlooking this beautiful waterhole.
We came across this black rhino in the afternoon. In Etosha the Rhino horns are removed to protect them from poachers. The photo above shows the pointed lip of the black rhino which is the easiest way to distinguish them from the white rhino whose lip is much squarer.
This film really shows how fantastic it is to sit watching the animals visiting the waterhole. You can't get the same feeling from a photo....
The photo below of the three giraffes at Etosha is one of my favourites, it's as if they were posing especially for it
Day 6 - 7. Two day drive from Etosha to Chobe National park, Botswana
via the Kaprivi strip or "pan handle", Stopping over night at Divindu.
We set off early on the long 1,050km drive from Etosha to Chobe National Park. We stopped after 625km/5.5hrs for an overnight stay at Divindu on the bank of the Okavango River.
The roads were again in great condition and so we were able to make fast progress. The remote villages, often with large distances between them, consisted of a variety of small huts made of wooden sticks with grass roofs, some were corrugated iron, all build by hand with materials gathered locally. Many of these villages do not have running water or electricity, consequently the huts were clustered near water tanks like the one above which would be the only supply of water for the village. We saw numerous villagers carrying containers full of water back to supply their homes, mostly on their heads, but some had bicycles or wheelbarrows. Many of the goats and cattle roam free along the roadside to feed during the day. The villages had small enclosures for the livestock, presumable to protect them from predators at night.
A beautiful setting for our overnight stay at Divindu on the banks of the Okavango River. We spotted a couple of hippos at dawn whilst having our breakfast before setting off on the final 430km/4hr of the journey to Chobe. The drive was easy and gave us a fabulous insight into the real Namibia.
Favourite Beer: Windhoek