Namibia (May 2022)

I’ve decided to open my blog sharing my experiences of my last trip, in May 2022. We’ll get to know Namibia, the African country with the lowest human population density, but highly full of amazing wildlife and breathtaking landscapes.

My self-organized trip to this country was all of an adventure. We got a master in tyre changing and gravel road driving! Along ca. 3000 km of driving, we passed through the red dunes of the Kalahari desert to the west side to get pictures of genuine animals within such a scenic landscape as the towering red dunes of the Namib desert. On the coast, we sailed among dozens of Cape fur seals and flamingos; we crossed arid and wilderness areas as Damaraland, between Brandberg and Palmwag, and culminated the trip in Etosha and Okonjima, where the animals did not stop showing up in crowds such as zebras, springboks, wildebeests, kudus, hartebeests or impalas. Ostriches, giraffes, elephants, jackals or black and white rhinos also displayed their charms and, with a little luck, lions, leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas. Nightlife can also be amazing near the waterholes with some helpful guidance.

 

Kalahari desert:

We flew to Windhoek in May. In this month the summer has ended and the rain is unlikely. Low season rates still apply, and a majority of parks can be nice and empty. Wildlife congregates around rivers and waterholes. This year there have been strong rains; in some places the vegetation were still lusher and greener than normal, so it would have been better the dry season, since the water lacks and the vegetation is not so abundant but it did not disappoint at all.

As soon as we landed in Namibia's capital and stocked up on cash, petrol, food and water, we drove south where the huge Kalahari Desert starts. Some warthogs and baboons showed up on the way near Windhoek, but later we did not see anymore on the paved road that leads to Mariental. It was, undoubtedly, the busiest road that we drove during the whole trip.

Once we left the paved road -one of the few in the country- to take the detour to the game ranch recommended to us, the animals started crossing the secondary gravel road a few meters from our car. The first oryxs and springboks began to appear and we had the opportunity to see a giraffe and an ostrich as well. Good thing we had the GPS coordinate address, if not we wouldn’t get our destination.

After passing through the ranch’s main gate, the landscape transformed into beautiful grassy woodland on a red-sand dunes. The place is astonishing. After the first sightings by chance, we arrived on a high so, even if we were very tired, we were keen on lingering the day to get to know the nocturnal activity and we joined a night game drive. It was not the best season to do that due to the tall grasses of the savannah which had become the perfect place to hide for medium-sized animals but we did it anyway. Some wildebeest, scrub hares, springhares, a steenbok and what I thought it was a southern white-faced scops-owl came across. Not a big thing but nevertheless, it was our first night under the superb African night sky and the first time we tasted Raspberry Amarula's shots; meanwhile the guide was explaining the constellations and some direction tips using the southern hemisphere sky. All of that became more than enough to make up for the unexpected cold during the drive in the open-top car.

At a little earlier than sunrise, I was already woken up. From my tent - in the top of our 4x4 Toyota-, I entertained myself watching how noiseless springboks were walking near us to the first dune ahead. I followed them to the top of the dune and it turned out to be a nice place to watch the sun rising. I took my time observing them grazing in the distance -I cannot be as noiseless as them and they perceived my presence quickly- waiting for the rest of my friends to get up. 

With the first sun shining, numerous weavers began to fill the silence of the quiet night and to awaken the day life. After breakfast, we decided to explore the area on foot. The experience of walking out of the roads within the tall grass of the savannah is priceless. Hiking the red dunes, we spotted some blue wildebeest, kudus and other kinds of antelopes. We were able to get close to a sable antelope family -during the lunch time we checked they are not living in Namibia so it was a little shocking- . After that, when I was nosing around a huge weaver nest from below, I spotted two female greater kudus. I walked tiptoeing, preventing a direct approach to pretend I was not interested in them. It worked; I stood for a while just a few meters from them.

In the afternoon, with a ranch’s guide and on a vehicle, we found a few giraffes, white rhinos and even an eland. It was during this drive that we were commented that some animals did not belong to the area and that they had been bought, blowing my high spirit. I innocently thought this camping was just a private area where the existing wildlife was the prior territory’s population was still living there freely. In Namibia you can tell that almost all terrains -at least the area we were passing by- are private since there were fences around all the roads -but there is no any buildings or man-made construction in the whole horizon-. Just in Damaraland and the National Nature Reserves it is not like that. The knowledge that some animals are bought just for tourism became a negative point but it was a nice place anyway.

This ranch also offer a cheetahs feeding activity. Before booking, I was told that these cheetahs are orphaned and rescued animals that cannot be released due to their little chance of survival. It seems reasonable to me but this activity was not running as I imagined. They did not convince me, it is not necessary to include the “feeding time” like a show where they give them meat in a pail, pushing them to run to us and be near the cars… 

Kalahari stop maybe is not the most common for a two-weeks trip in Namibia, but I included it to have some chances to spot meerkats. While approaching the reception we thought we saw one crossing the road but it turned out to be some ground squirrels. Last day we asked the staff if there were some place frequented for the meerkats to try our luck before leaving. We were lucky: it was a colony that lives not far from the reception area. We approached them quietly while they were standing up cutely and vigilantly at all times… but they didn't run away. It was a funny and enjoyable experience to be so close to them and to see the little ones losing their balance over and over again, disturbing the elders. It was the perfect closure to the Kalahari stop before jumping back into the car to our next destination.

Namib Desert:

The Namib, with an extension of 81 000 km², is considered the oldest desert in the world and there is evidence that it already existed during the Tertiary Era, 65 million years ago. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 2013.

Along the way, the breathtaking landscapes are so immense that they make you lose the perception of distance. The vast plain before those mountains that cover the horizon becomes a grazing place for antelopes and ostriches that can be distinguished as literally little spots from a huge distance as well as so close that make you stop the car to wait for them to cross and move away.

The first stop was in the southern-eastern part of this desert, in Sesriem, where the red sand dunes due to rusty iron from the ocean draw a gorgeous and splendid background on which animals as idyllic as oryxs or ostriches can be taken in one-of-a-kind photographs… But let's not fool ourselves: the highlight of this place is far from being the wildlife watching, but hiking and being delighted by the most iconic and scenic dunes of Namibia.

At this moment our odyssey with the tyres began. We jumped off the car after more than 300 km and we noticed that one was punched… We took it out ourselves, we repaired it in the campsite petrol station and we relaxed for the next day. 

The plan was to drive as early as possible to see the sun waking up between the dunes in Sossusvlei. If you stay inside the park you are allowed to drive there one hour before the sunrise -and before the other people- what in high season it is a cool advantage. But we woke up with two unpressured tyres: we missed our advantage. Thanks to a German couple who were neighboring our camp site, we put enough air in the most damaged tyre to reach the petrol station and repaired it again. After almost two hours, and with a little bit of stress, we drove the 60km to Sossusvlei, sighting some animals on the way but without too much time to stop and enjoying them as I would have wished. Of course, we were not so adventurous in that moment to drive the last 4-6 km, where people by themselves usually get clogged with the car due to the amount of sand and the bad condition of the road. Luckily there are shuttles.

The sun was already up and it started to get really hot. But it is “a must” to high the dunes and visit Deadvlei. In this “Valley of Death”, dead acacia trees of one-milion-years old rise from the white pan floor, cracked as dried clay ground. Once it was a river but the sand dunes encroached on the pan, blocking it from reaching the area. The high-toned landscape becomes a special and indelible place. The contrast between the black trees and bleached-white pans, and the rusty-red dunes in the blue sky defines the most well-known and iconic Namibian image.

Beetles roam the area, making you feel clumsy indeed in these lands as they effortlessly move at high speed through the dunes while you leave your breath in every step hiking on the sinking sand. Despite that, dune downhill is really enjoyable! Running and sliding through the red sand from the top becomes much fun and faster than the exhausting hiking under the hard sun.

The trip continues to the coastal side. Along the road, unique landscapes were spreaded in front of us. The most beautiful scenery comes just before the Gaub Pass where huge dry plains of scrub and dirt gives way to a kind of mountainous savannah with excellent views and then, the curving road that leads to the canyon.

 

Sandwich Harbour is one of Namibia’s most unique sites with some of the world's highest dunes descending into the Atlantic Ocean and forming a picturesque lagoon.

Here, the Namib Desert changes its color. The sand is “younger” than in Sossusvlei with white color and small black specks of iron that have not been rusted yet. It is windy almost everyday and this iron gets to be blown until the rusty-red dunes in the Sesriem site. Walking around and driving with a 4x4 is idyllic. I do not recommend doing it on your own, since you can get stuck and moreover the great immensity of the place will make you disoriented. Our driver was a little bit crazy and it was really enjoyable driving up-and-downhill. A jackal and a few Cape fur seals witnessed our presence, as well as some other common antelopes.

Our driver was really nice and helped us to find a new compressor in the city, since the tyres had been becoming a pain in the ass losing pressure at night more than we had wanted and our plug adapter from the compressor to the tyres broke down. It was a mishap, something so common and daily needed in this country seemed to be simply impossible to find and finally we had to buy the whole compressor (luckily the car company would pay for us). 

Walvis Bay and the coastal side:

On the coast, at around 50 km from the iconic point where Namib Desert meets the ocean, there’s Walvis Bay, one of the few towns we stopped; It offers many activities due to the proximity to Sandwich Harbour and the Pelican Point and it is situated on the oldest lagoon in the Namibian coastline. The area attracts large flocks of seabirds including migrant waders, flamingos and pelicans that congregate in the lagoon, which most of the town’s activity focuses around.

In the same town’s promenade, thousands of greater flamingos already overpopulate the beaches as well as the salt flats and the entire coastal area. This kind of flamingo is the most widespread in the world but the immense number of these animals together becomes mind-blowing. Also, a few individuals of lesser flamingos were hidden between the greater ones crowd.

We decided to take a catamaran and enjoy a pleasant morning on board in the direction to the Cape fur seals colony in Pelican Point Peninsule. In the wharf, we were surprised by the visit of a curious and huge seal waiting for the catamaran to sail… Already sailing, this seal got on board trying to get some fish. This represents an insignificant daily diet’s percentage, so it cannot change their behavior or instinct to forage, since it is still necessary for their survival to continue acting as usual. A one-eyed female seal, rescued from the trawling nets of some fishermen, also frequents the sailings and enjoys "surfing" in the wakes caused by the catamaran, although it does not like human proximity and never ever gets on the boats or to the pier. 

Morning started really foggy. Around 9:30 am we arrived at Bird Island, a wooden man-made platform built on a rock in the sea between Walvis Bay and Swakopmund. It is the only place in Namibia where eastern white pelicans breed and where crowned cormorants roost, both species are of conservation concern and listed rare and endangered. Cape cormorants and white-breasted ones are also common in the area. Bird Island also yields guano, which is collected and sold. Hundreds of crowded cormorants were on flight before our arrival. It was a spectacle. Later, we went a little bit closer, but it was too foggy to appreciate the different species that were on the platform.

Just around 10am the sky opened and the day was totally sunny again. We were on our way to Pelican Point but the catamaran crew was told of a humpback whale around, so we changed direction and waited for it to come to the surface and breath. We were lucky to spot the whale and Heaviside and bottlenose dolphins too, despite May is not whale season in this area; nevertheless, it was not good sightings, just lighting-fast appearances, difficult to catch and relich.  The whale turned out to breath around three times and then we led to Pelican Point which is full of Cape fur seals. The coastline of Southern Africa is the only place in the world where you find Cape fur seals. This breeding colony is one of the largest in the world. Males are not usual in this area, just in mating season but females and pups were everywhere. I could stay there for hours watching the little pups playing in the water while females rested on the shore. The negative point… it doesn't smell good!

At snack time, we were visited by a friendly pelican, which pecked who got too close, but it was an excellent moment to check the funny features of this curious bird at such a close distance. The seagulls also decided to follow us for a while, fluttering around to see if anyone would deign to throw some food into the sea.

The plan after the catamaran was to visit Cape Cross where the largest Cape fur seal colony in the world is located, but after listening to the our guide on board’s recommendations, we canceled it. It is far away and it is not very pleasant since an unbearable smell and horrible scenery is found. Many seals and pups are dead because of the overpopulation and they remain in the area, so it becomes an unpleasant and hard experience. Next day, so, we went directly to the Brandberg Mountain.

 

Damaraland: Brandberg and Palmwag

Damaraland is arid and, without any doubt, the most wilderness region we went to. There were no more fences near the road, what means it was not a private area anymore, but just wild. Unfortunately, we didn’t enjoy wildlife at this time of the year. There are specific game drives for desert elephants or rhinos, but at a high price and the sightseeing is not guaranteed at all. In the dry season, the probability of seeing desert elephants and rhinos increases, and the idea of a guided game drive then becomes interesting, since they are not exactly easy to find... unless they decide to visit you by your campsite! -here it is possible too!-.

In May the rainy season has come to an end, but it is the transition to the dry season, so it is not the best to spot wildlife. Earlier than May, this area must be practically inaccessible, but now you can be lucky and, at least, enjoy its beauty. Once again ostriches and antelopes appeared along the roads where the green savannah spreads in front of the high mountains.

We booked a two-hours round walking route deep in the Brandberg Mountain -the highest mountain in Namibia- following the Tsiseb river stream bed. This route goes to the well-known White Lady Paintings, whose details were quite amazing. These 2000 and 5000 years’ old paintings are still preserved because its location in a smooth-sheltered rock panel which protects it from most of the outdoor elements; but not from others human beings: the painting has undergone severe damage for tourists that used to pour water on them to make the colors more visible in their pictures, causing the painting fading. Now it is a protected heritage site of Namibia, and visiting is only permitted with official guides. No wonder.

During the rocky walk to the painting, we spotted some birds, lizards and amphibians – it was the first time I saw water in a stream bed in this country!- and we also sighted the rock dassie for the first time. It seems like a big rat without a tail, but it is actually the elephant’s closest living relative!

We stayed in a campsite by the Ugab river stream -totally dried-. The landscape and nature were totally amazing. Some of us decided to stay in the swimming pool after the hard sun but I decided to walk around and be pleased by the beautiful scenery that the stream river, the savannah pan and the mountains build together.

In Palmwag the landscape is totally different, with little vegetation. The concession is a Nature Reserve where it is possible to spot the black rhino with even a vet sanitary cordon fence as in Etosha to prevent diseases and animals and meat traffic. We drove by ourselves through the rocky and hard roads... the driving became hard and tiring… even dangerous and misleading… The worst part is that we didn't spot any animals…just an oryx and a springbok herd when we were just approaching the exit. Well, we truly watched some common birds; just the new one for us was the Namaqua sandgrouse. It was disappointing but I guess we were just unlucky.

 

It was really hot, maybe even hotter than in the Namib Desert. In the swimming pool of the campsite we could see some more birds, lizards and a tree squirrel. It was good for distraction and it seemed to have more wildlife than in the concession! Once we had the refresh, we realized one tyre was again punched -the rear tyres of our car were quite worn away, that's why they were losing air gradually or punching often… just check it in your trip before the start!-

Once on the road to Etosha, just a few kilometers from Palmwag, we started to see wildlife such as warthogs, a steenbok, springboks or a half way to Etosha, even giraffes… Surely, something jinxed our stay in Palmwag!

 

Etosha National Park: the highlight of the trip

Etosha National Park is unique in Africa. It is one of the most visited places in Namibia and, by far, the best for wildlife on your own. A vast salt pan, completely dry during almost all the year, was once a lake, and it covers almost a quarter of the park - it also can be seen from space-. Etosha boasts numerous waterholes too, including natural and man-made bore holes. There is abundant wildlife that congregates around the waterholes, almost guaranteeing game sightings. At the same time Etosha National Park is one of the most accessible game reserves in Namibia. The most famous and oldest camp is Okaukuejo in the south where we would stay for two nights, before changing to Halali camp, between the southern gate and the eastern one.

Before entering the park by Anderson’s Gate, we were sleeping in a campsite 25km from Okaukuejo. Nothing interesting to do in the area, but it is a proper stopover before the big adventure in Etosha. The anecdote here was bumping into a zebra snake in an aggressive attitude that even spitted in the face of one of us in the bathroom. These snakes spit their venom with great accuracy and it can cause temporary or permanent blindness, but luckily glasses helped us up and our friend just had to wash thoroughly his mouth and face… nothing funny happened…. We asked the staff to come and pick it up. I showed the snake picture and they immediately recognized it. First they were just around the snake, maintaining the distance while I was enjoying the moment. Suddenly, when the snake started to go down through the wall, a rock was thrown violently against it but luckily the guy’s shot accuracy wasn’t good enough. I started to shout “don’t kill it” as much as I could so they found themself on their wits’ end and left to plan a solution. After that, the campsite manager, a German guy, came concerned trying to understand what happened accompanied by a girl with a butterfly net to pick it up. It was not possible anymore, since after the first attempt we lost sight of it. It was the entertainment of the afternoon until we relaxed and proceeded to barbecuing and card playing to regain strength. Next day: Etosha!

Etosha is simply fabulous. An amazing place to see a wide variety of wildlife just doing a self-drive safari. May is not the high season, so despite there was quite a number of people, it was not overly crowded. I strongly recommend doing the safari on your own to decide where to stop and for how long. The official guides do not track any special species to increase the chances to spot those elusive ones. They drive a basic itinerary that you already do by yourself because it is near the campsite. In addition, animal lovers tend to be very generous: if someone spots something interesting nearby, he/she notifies the next car that comes across... It happened to us with the first black rhino we saw and a leopard.

There is no better itinerary since this is wildlife and everything is unpredictable and what you spot in a place can vary just a few minutes later. My recommendation is to drive towards the waterholes at low speed and then stay there for a while. Caution if an animal crosses your path unexpectedly, and remember that if you are driving fast you miss the opportunity to observe many more animals, which may be camouflaged and hidden among the vegetation. Our best luck was in Aus and Nebrownii waterholes - as well as Okaukuejo waterhole, in the very campsite.

In the self-drive safaris during the day, luck multiplied for us in the afternoons, from 3:30 p.m. till sunset, when we were surprised by the less numerous and more elusive species. But in the end, this is a matter of being in the right place, at the right time.

Herds of antelopes here are enormous… We saw springboks and impalas jumping happily, zebras rolling on the ground, elephants bathing, hyenas fishing, lionesses bothering a rhino and giraffes lying in the shade trying to escape the hard sun! Jackals visiting the campsite at night, squirrels that try to steal your food, tens of banded mongooses running through the campsite, etc. Birds such as the kori bustard - the biggest bird that can fly-, red-crested and northern-black korhaan often crossed the road. The marabou storks were sharing the Aus waterhole with the hyenas and we also were able to spot and recognize raptors as the secretary bird, white-backed and cape vultures, African fish eagle and others.

At night, the campsites/lodges close for security and you cannot leave there, unless you book a night drive. Any wildlife tracker enjoys a night out where animal activity does not stop. It is done by vehicles provided with red lights so as not to disturb the animals. First night, we left Okaukuejo and took a route similar to the one that the official guides take during the day, approaching the closest waterholes in the area. Just on the door we saw giraffes crossing. The guide was talking too much and it was obvious that he knew the essential words of the explanations of every animal by heart and he didn't know how to get out of the script. Just a pity. Nevertheless, even if the guiding is not so good, the place offers great moments. The first impressive sighting was two black rhinos with a baby, just drinking from the Nebrownii waterhole. Jackals were surrounding the area as well as a Cape fox. Changing the waterhole, a big white rhino appeared… We saw some more rabbits and jackals during the drive until we came back to Newbronii. This time, a solitary elephant was also there. In the last third of the tour, the red light stopped working and we were left in total darkness in front of the elephant. By running out of “light pollution”, the landscape changed…. the eyesight adjusted to the natural light reflected by the full moon and we were completely silent. The sound of the savannah is indescribable; the howls of the jackals warning each other get into your mind making you stunned. It is possible to feel the water going from the elephant’s trunk to its mouth. And the African sky is just amazing and bewitching… and with the car stopped, it finally stopped being cold. We were not able to properly observe a hyena that appeared by our side, but the experience was worth anyway.

The Okaukuejo waterhole, in the campsite itself, is really famous for wildlife spotting, almost at every time during the day you find antelopes and zebras and at night, the possibility to observe the black rhino is really high. From the lodges, the waterhole is equipped with benches to provide a good experience to the guests and also a floodlight at night. At 5.00 am, two lionesses were drinking and staring at the black rhino they had in front. They seemed to want to confront the rhino but it noticed their presence and left. It was a cool moment in the campsite.

The third and last night in Etosha, we changed campsites to Halali, in the center of the nature park. It is less crowded and allows you to do other areas around it. This area has more vegetation and the animals were more difficult to find, but different ones also abounded. We observed more birds such as the southern yellow-billed hornbill, the lilac breasted roller or the European bee-eater quite often. The campsite waterhole is also not as crowded with species as in Okaukuejo, but it is full of weavers that fly in flocks and that at sunset it is so spectacular and abundant that it is impossible to see anything: a completely different experience. Between Rhino drive and Eland drive we also found a leopard resting on the road and the hartebeests were also more abundant.

Okonjima Nature Reserve:

On the way back, between Etosha and Windhoek, there are several private reserves trying to catch you by selling wildlife experiences. We decided to learn about Okonjima Nature Reserve, since they actively collaborate with the AfriCat Foundation. This private reserve carries out conservation actions for the survival of predators and other endangered and vulnerable species providing a safe, huge and enclosed environment identical to the natural habitat. They also collaborate in research and environmental education projects with AfriCat. As they monitor some animals for the research, tracking them becomes easier and their safaris have frequent leopards, brown hyenas and pangolin sightings.

The place is spectacular… it extends in 22000 ha where the accommodation area only occupies less than 10% of the property. The Natural Reserve is perfectly delimited with fences so that cats and predators are not a problem for guests. The enclosed area of ​​the lodge or campsite already has quite populations of different species such as dik-dik -the smallest antelope in the world-, steenbok -second smallest one-, kudus, oryxs, springboks, mountain zebras -not very common and in threatened status-, common zebras, warthogs, giraffes, etc.

There are some trails that you can do walking by yourself inside the enclosed area. From the reception/restaurant, it is possible to observe some wildlife that frequents the area, such as a family of warthogs or some springboks. Walking by the gravel road in the enclosed area, you can spot kudus and giraffes too and birds such as grey go-away bird, the cape glossy starling or the helmeted guineafowl… in the evening, maybe some jackals show up by the road. 

I recommend walking around the camping area before sunset, quietly and paying attention to any noise since dik-diks and guineafowl are very active. Stand still if you hear them and be patient… they can get used to your presence and get out of the vegetation walking around you. We lived an incredible moment when after tracking them following the sounds between the brushwood along the short connecting paths between campsites, we spotted one, and after staying silent and inactive to observe it, a whole group of 5 or 6 appeared underbrush and continued eating in the open area and surrounding us without caring too much about the photo session and surveillance that we were offering them.

The Natural Reserve where the predators are is not accessible by your own, so booking a guided safari is the best option. They are special-species tracking safaris or some more general. Guides can track some of the species that are being monitored for research, some of them because they have radar collars and others because they have been under close surveillance. Even for other more common species, guides can improvise for you to see those animals you are more interested in if they have recent news about their location or where they are being active that day. They know their predators’ territory too, so these safaris are very profitable to spot unique wildlife. The most famous experience in Okonjima is the leopard tracking. Some individuals in the reserve can be tracked with radar thanks to a collar that locates them over two years, so the chances of spotting one are multiplied... The total population of leopards in the reserve is larger than those monitored so maybe you bump into one new, but because leopards are quite territorial they have roughly controlled how many leopards share each territory.

Also a standard safari can be just spectacular. Again, good guides are really appreciated. Their vast knowledge about their wildlife, their comfort zones or the standard daily activities makes it possible to guarantee good sightseeings and also to have nice conversations with them and learn about almost every species. They know when to shut up and how to do a pleasant explanation without a script - not like Etosha’s guides–. It is often found endangered species such as the mountain zebra, the white rhino, the brown hyena, etc.

My own experience involves a first and last try of a huge male leopard to hunt a young oryx who, after its failure, stretched out under the thorn brush and yawned over and over again until we left tired of waiting for it to do something else; a white rhino drinking in a waterhole and crossing the gravel road in front of us; a herbs of mountain zebras with their colts; a lot of antelopes; a big group of banded mongooses and a brown hyena just before the sunset.

On the night safari I was delighted, being able to observe two different cape porcupines and even an aardvark! They are not frequently seen so I could not be happier! Unfortunately, no good picture exists for those moments... I also asked to see the ground pangolin. My guide was in contact all the afternoon with the guys who were monitoring them for a research before Covid time -the main researcher was an American girl who had to come back to USA before of the pandemic- In the evening they confirmed they had tracked it down so I joined them for a non-trail walking inside the Natural Reserve in the dark -they are mostly nocturnal-. 

The ground pangolins are a much endangered species so observing them is just a luxury. We were walking through the brushwood under the splendid African sky and enjoying the warm and pleasant temperature -in drive safaris you can feel really cold-. The sounds of the animals around were really stunning and the sense of being walking in the dark in the predator zone, escorted by two guys with a stick was completely unique. We were trying to locate the companion -who was with the pangolin to not lose it from his sight- with the help of a walkie-talkie and looking for his lamp light in the sky… after a while I realized that we were walking senselessly. It was hard to pinpoint the companion since his lamp light was impossible to be seen in the sky. That happened due to the large distance between us -pangolin walks continuously vast distances searching for food and this one had moved away too much-, but at least, the pangolin decided to approach a road that the guides already knew so we came back to the car and drove there… Before parking we were already sighting the lamp light so finally we did it! 

We changed our lamp mode to red light and we approached it gently and in silence, maintaining a discreet distance. I could see this pangolin had been monitored before ‘cause it had a radar in one of its scales. It was non-stop walking. It walked on its hind legs and its tail for balance.  I was told that pangolins are among the most critically endangered and illegally trafficked animals in the world… I couldn’t be more upset because of that… They are really vulnerable and unable to defend themselves. We were there for a while, walking beside it. A few times it got close to our feet searching for termites and ants… I think it was an indicator that it was not disturbed by us! It was an idyllic culmination for our stay in Okonjima.

Rescued animals which are not part of the population are released once they are prepared. It has nothing to do with the "farm" of the first stop and I highly recommend a visit: it will be very exciting, educational and stimulating for you and it will help them to continue the projects for wildlife survival. It is a totally ethical and laudable bet… and impossible to regret it!

Driving back to the main gate, once we left behind the enclosed area in the main reserve, we bumped into three cheetahs who were lying down on the road. They quickly went to the roadside long before we got to them, but they stayed close. A female and two beautiful young cheetahs… It was our good goodbye from this incredible place.

Wildlife we spotted:

Mammals:

African lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus),  cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus)​, african wildcat (Felis ocreata namaquana), small spotted wildcat (Felis nigripes), Cape fox (Vulpes chama), black-backed jackal (Lupulella mesomelas), spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea), Plains zebras (Equus quagga), Hartmann’s mountain zebra (Equus zebra hartmannae), sprinkbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), klipspringer (Oreotragus oreotragus), Damara dik-dik (Madoqua kirkii), South African oryx or gemsbok (Oryx gazella), greater kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), black-faced impala (Aepyceros melampus petersi), Angolan giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis angolensis), blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama), Aardvark (Orycteropus afer), ground pangolin (Smutsia temminckii), cape porcupine (Hystrix africaeaustralis), common warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), eland antelope (Taurotragus oryx), chacma baboon (Papio ursinus), small spotted genet (Genetta genetta), African elephant (Loxodonta africana), black rhino (Diceros bicornis), white rhino  (Ceratotherium simum), scrub hare (Lepus saxatilis), South African springhare (Pedetes capensis), slender mongoose (Herpestes sanguineus), banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), yellow mongoose (Cynictis penicillata), dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula),  Cape ground squirrel (Geosciurus inauris), striped tree squirrel (Funisciurus congicus), Damara ground squirrel (Geosciurus princeps), Smith's bush squirrel (Paraxerus cepapi), humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates), Heaviside's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii), black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou)***, sable antelope (Hippotragus niger)***

*** they are not native especies

Birds: 

Cape ostrich (Struthio camelus australis), marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer), northern black korhaan (Afrotis afraoides), kori bustard (Ardeotis kori), Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca), red-billed spurfowl (Pternistis adspersus), southern yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas), helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris), Namaqua sandgrouse (Pterocles namaqua)

Pallid harrier (Circus macrourus), ovambo sparrowhawk (Accipiter ovampensis), tawny eagle (Aquila rapax), palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis), booted eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus), lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos), secretary bird (Sagittarius serpentarius), southern white-faced owl (Ptilopsis granti)

Eastern white pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus), Cape cormorant or Cape shag (Phalacrocorax capensis), white-breasted cormorant (Phalacrocorax lucidus), crowned cormorant (Microcarbo coronatus), ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), common tern (Sterna hirundo), white-fronted sandplover (Charadrius marginatus),  kelp gull (Larus dominicanus), Hartlaub's gull (Chroicocephalus hartlaubii)

Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus), lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor), curlew sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea), sanderling (Calidris alba), grey plover or black-bellied plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Eurasian whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus), grey heron (Ardea cinerea), little egret (Egretta garzetta) 

Temminck's courser (Cursorius temminckii), groundscraper thrush (Turdus litsitsirupa), blacksmith lapwing (Vanellus armatus), lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudatus),  European bee-eater (Merops apiaster), sociable weaver (Philetairus socius), pale-winged starling (Onychognathus nabouroup), grey go-away-bird (Corythaixoides concolor), Cape glossy starling (Lamprotornis nitens),  red-headed finch (Amadina erythrocephala),  cuckoo-finch or parasitic weaver (Anomalospiza imberbis), white-browed sparrow-weaver (Plocepasser mahali), African stonechat (Saxicola torquatus), pink-billed lark (Spizocorys conirostris), black-throated canary (Crithagra atrogularis),  red-billed quelea or red-billed weaver (Quelea quelea), African masked weaver (Ploceus velatus), yellow-crowned bishop (Euplectes afer), tractrac chat (Emarginata tractrac), bokmakierie (Telophorus zeylonus), African red-eyed bulbul or black-fronted bulbul (Pycnonotus nigricans)

Reptiles: 

Zebra snake (Naja nigricincta), (female) Namib rock agama (Agama planiceps), Namaqua sand lizard (Pedioplanis namaquensis), Bibron's Tubercled Gecko (Chondrodactylus bibronii), Damara Skink (Trachylepis damarana), Cape Skink (Trachylepsis capensis), Ovambo Tree skink (Mabuya binotata)

Insects, arthropods and others: 

shield-backed katydid (subfamily Tettigoniinae), armoured ground cricket (Acanthoplus discoidalis), red locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata), African migratory locust (Locusta migratoria migratorioides), praying mantises (mantodea), head-stander beetle (Onymacris unguicularis), fog-basking Namib desert beetle