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1. Etosha
National Park- Namibia’s Top Draw Attraction
Namibia is a vastly arid country of
stark rough-hewn beauty. Its most stunning imagery is
that of haunting technicolor landscapes of swirling
orange dunes, shimmering mirages and treacherous dust
devils. The
country is defined by topographical diversity, a vast
wilderness and a climatography that ranges from subtropical
to bone-dry desert. This apparent desolation is deceptive
as plant and animal life, and even man
has adapted to this environment.
Those in the international media unfamiliar
with the charms of Namibia were surprised when Brad
Pitt and Angelina Jolie – one of Hollywood’s
most celebrated couples-, selected the country as the
birthplace of
their child. The child was born in May 2006 in a small
hospital near Swakopmund on the Atlantic coast. The
country is so sparsely populated - 2 persons per square
km that paparazzi have no place to hide.
Namibia sits to the southwest of the
African continent, and was in fact named South West
Africa by unimaginative German colonials. The country
received its present name after independence from South
Africa
in 1990. Germans ran the country from 1884, but after
the First World War, South Africa took over under a
League of Nations mandate. The country borders South
Africa to the south, Botswana and Zambia to the east,
Angola to the North and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Though Namibia occupies some of the
continent’s hottest and driest perches, it fascinates
travellers and especially intrepid adventurers. The
highlights of Namibia for the visitor are: Windhoek
–the county’s
capital and only city; the Namib Desert –the world’s
oldest desolate tract with its spectacular dunes; the
Fish River Canyon –one of Africa’s great natural
gorges; the swampy reserves of the Caprivi Strip; the
Skeleton
Coast –on the ghostly Atlantic desert shores; the
culture and traditions of the people of the land; and
Etosha National Park –a wildlife and wilderness
marvel, that is counted with the best in Africa.
Namibia's top draw is the Etosha National
Park, and which you will not miss on any good value
tour of the country. Etosha nourishes life in abundance
in the seething heat of Namibia’s north. Recorded
inhabitants
of the sanctuary include 114 mammal species, over 340
bird species, 110 reptile species, and swarms of insect
species. Etosha has rich, magical backdrops,andsome
of the best wildlife photographs have been taken here.
Designated a national park in 1907,
Etosha is one of Africa’s largest game reserves,
covering well over 22,000 sq km. Up until 1967, it extended
over 100,000 sq km and was the world’s largest
national park. Etosha can be reached, travelling by
road, 430 km northwards of Windhoek.
Etosha in the Ovambo language means
“the place of dry water”. This particularly
refers to the Etosha saltpan that sits at the heart
of the national park, and after which the park is named.
The pan is a large,
white sandy depression that converts into a shallow
water mass in the rainy season. The rains are not always
faithful- but are most likely to come in summer - between
October and April.
The Etosha Pan resulted from the caprice
of the Kunene River, which thousands of years ago, coursed
through here, forming a lake. With time,
the river changed course, thirsting the pan as thedry
desert heat exerted its toll. Today, except for a short
period in summer, the lake remains a huge saline pan,
which with its haunting mirage effect
only clings to the memory of its abundant past. The
Ovambo’s name for the pan as the ‘place of
dry water’ is evocative and thoroughly descriptive.
The salt-sand lake stretches 130 km
long and 50 km in width, taking up nearly 25 percent
of the entire Etosha National Park. The pan is an important
source of life continuity and in the wet season provides
unique opportunities for game watching. The fleeting
waters of the pan attract large herds of plains game,
which in turn attracts the big cats and other predators
and inevitably the promise of drama. Elephants, giraffes,
rare black rhinos, and thousands of birds –most
visibly flamingos and pelicans, are also in attendance.
Beyond the pan, Etosha is characterised
by vast savannah grasslands, Mopane woodlands, mixed
thorn savannah, dense woods and bushes. There are well
over 30 waterholes in Etosha, which all present the
perfect chance to view wildlife. During the day, most
game drives are centred around the waterholes which
most visitors approach and quietly wait for the animals
to come for a drink in the heat of the day.
The waterholes around the rest camps
are floodlit, providing opportunities for night game
viewing, when it is cooler. Most of the waterholes are
manmade and the park authorities ensure that they do
not run dry. Mans helping hand supplements the rains
and caters for most of the animals water needs all year
round. This simple and clever strategy keeps the animals
within park boundaries, which are tightly fenced off.
It has the benefit of minimising human-wildlife conflict
and has generally been successful.
Etosha National Park has 3 main entry
points: the Andersson Gate in the south, the Von Lindequist
Gate in the east and the Nehale lya Mpingana Gate (King
Nehale Gate) in the northeast. You are allowed to drive
at the edge of the Etosha Pan, but not on inside the
pan itself. The pan is reachable from any of the parks
main entrances, rest camps and private game reserves.
The Andersson gate is the main entrance
to Etosha Park and is the most accessible from Windhoek.
Okaukuejo, 18 km from the gate, is one of three main
rest camps within Etosha, and is the oldest and best
public camp. This is the best place to start your Etosha
safari as there are more wildlife species here than
anywhere else in the park. It is really more of a small
town, and is an excellent place to overnight and restock.
In addition to accommodation, other
facilities include restaurants, swimming pools, a souvenir
shop, motor garage and fuelling station, a leisure centre,
and most convenient of all –a floodlit waterhole
right
at the edge of the camp. The station also houses the
park’s administration centre and the Etosha Ecological
Institute that manages conservation research.
Okaukuejo camp overlooks a waterhole
that is a big puller, for both animals and visitors
alike. The camp has a theatre-like setting around the
waterhole, with a platform of benches from where visitors
sit quietly to
watch the animals drink. At night, the water base is
floodlit and the viewing is phenomenal! The animals
stream in, oblivious of their audience and of the stage
on which they perform. It is the best time for seeing
even the shyest of the game that only come out to drink
when supposedly there are no spectators. In the night
light elusive leopard, rare desert elephants, and the
occasional black rhino are all guests at Okaukuejo’s
flood lit waterhole
Page
2 Information on Etosha National Park
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