Chobe National Park 21 – 25 October

Chobe, like Kaudum, is not fenced but you are only allowed out of your vehicle at designated areas. On the way to our first campsite, Ihaha, we saw herds of impala, lone elephants as well as parades of them, a Spotted Hyena resting in the grass, a pair of massive kudu bulls looking down at us from the top of a rock face, hippo’s wallowing in the water, crocodiles sunbathing on the banks of the river, warthogs snuffling the ground and more and more elephants. There were elephants everywhere. We couldn’t drive down one road because it was blocked by them and they weren’t moving.

Both mornings at Ihaha we woke up to buffalo grazing just downstream from our campsite. On our second day we saw a bloat of hippos snoozing on the beach just down from the road. We also saw a lion, two lionesses and two cubs lounging by the road, a troop of well over 100 baboons with lots of cute little babies (even smaller than Marlin from N/a an ku se) and a parade of 70+ elephants that got as close as 2m from us (we were in the Land Rover of course). At one point we had three of the large bulls coming straight at us. That was very freaky. That night, while eating dinner, we got to watch a hippo make its way back up stream.

We spent the next two nights at Savute (Sa-vu-te). While driving there we saw a baby leopard (our first in daylight) sitting beside the road. Its mum must have been further back in the bush with a kill as there were vultures everywhere waiting for the leftovers.

Down at Savute there were heaps of enormous bull elephants. They were a motley bunch. One had ripped ears, another had a missing tusk, and others had broken or worn down tusks. The bathrooms at the campsite had elephant proof walls built around the outside of them and the water taps at the campsites were in a concrete block. You had to put your hand trough some PVC pipe in the side to get to the tap. There were also squirrels, mongeese and birds poking around our site looking for food. I was freaked out the first night by the noise of something trying to get at our rubbish. It ended up being a honey badger.

The next day we went for a drive to see some 3000 year old Bushman art and after that we stopped at a baobab tree to stretch our legs and collect some fire wood. While we were there a pack of eight wild dogs ran past only a few meters away.

Kaudum National Park 14-16 October

We spent two nights in Kaudum. It is not fenced like Etosha so the animals can come and go as they like, including into the campsite, and you are allowed out of your car. Unfortunately it had rained in the last couple of days so the animals can get water from places other than the waterholes near the roads with hides.

Mornings were spent doing school work and hanging out then in the afternoons we would drive to a waterhole and wait for the animals to come. On our first afternoon we saw a herd of 30+ elephants. I was standing at the Land Rover getting snacks, of course, when then came running over the hill towards the waterhole. They would have been no further than 15m from me. Just after they arrived 6 roan antelope were hanging back waiting for their turn at the waterhole and later on a hyena was lurking about.

During the second afternoon at a different waterhole I saw a lone wildebeest, some warthogs (they’re just like Pumba in the Lion King, except for the talking bit), a parade (Is it obvious we’ve been learning the collective nouns for animals? My favourites are a bloat of hippopotami and a crash of rhinoceroses) of 20+ elephants and another hyena lurking (because that’s what they do) around.

That night I heard hyena howling, a couple elephants that sounded like they were eating next to the tents, and growling from an unidentified animal that was a tad close for my comfort.

Nhoma Camp, Bushmanland 11-14 October

We spent three nights at Nhoma Camp. I had my own tent, which was very comfortable and just a tad roomier than the tent Tana and I sleep in on the roof of the Land Rover.

We had own guide, Burtress, who came with us to the Bushmen’s camp and when we went hunting with the Bushmen. He translated what they were saying and explained what was happening.

On our first afternoon at the Bushman Camp some women were making beads from ostrich shell, others were stringing glass beads for decoration, some men were playing Mancarla with marbles and holes in the sand, kids were playing knuckle bones and a horse game where it seemed you’d drawn the short straw if you were the horse. The horse had a bridle made of sting that was constantly yanked on and the rider had a small tree branch whip that was used very generously on the horse. After dinner we went back to the Bushmen’s camp and watched them do the Elephant Dance. The women sang and clapped while three of the men stood in front of them jiggling and chanting until they went into a trance. The rest of the Bushmen were sitting

watching and the dancers moved between them and the singers. When the dancers walked through the other Bushmen they placed their hand on their heads to see if the needed healing. When a dancer found someone who needed healing they touched them and chanted. Supposedly, the dancers are talking to

their ancestors. It was pretty amazing to watch.

Playing a game like paper, scissors, rock, but based on porcupine hunting moves.

We got to go out with the Bushman hunters twice. The first morning we didn’t see any animals but they did find a tree with honey in the trunk. They cut down the tree and collected some honey. From the way they were shoveling honey and pollen into their mouths it seemed that that was just as good as finding an animal. They also showed us how to make a snare to catch a bird, using a plant and some sticks, and which plant had a bulb full of water under it (it tasted like bitter potato juice). So if I get lost in the bush in Namibia I can survive on birds and funky tasting water.
The second day we went to another area to track porcupine. They found a lot of tracks but no porcupine. On the way out and on the way back they shot two separate steenbok with their poison arrows and Glenn and I went back later that night to follow them while they tracked the steenbok. Glenn went with one lot and I went with the other. This time I didn’t have the guide so it was me and two Bushmen who didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Afrikaans or San (of the four clicks they make I can only make the horse giddy-up sound, and not in the middle of words like they do). I tried my hardest not to stand on the tracks, which I couldn’t see anyway – even when they pointed them out to me – and they were good at letting me know when to stay and when to follow with gestures. Neither group had any luck finding our steenbok, but I did get to add to the scratches on my legs from the thorn bushes that are everywhere.
During our second afternoon visiting the camp our Bushmen hunters showed us how they make their arrows from a piece of wire, spring hare tail, sticks and poison. We also watched the women playing a skipping game – this was done, like everything else, with a baby tied to their backs.

Etosha National Park 5 - 11 Oct

We spent six nights in the park, two at each camp. Within our first 15 minutes of arriving in the park we were taking photos of zebra. It was all very exciting – at that stage we didn’t realize that later that day and for the rest of the week it would become “it’s just another zebra”. On our way to the first water hole we also came across a lion and lioness hanging out by the side of the road and had to wait while they crossed. We thought the first water hole we parked at was pretty fantastic. There were zebra, gemsbok, springbok and impala wandering around, fighting (two zebra), and hanging out about 50m from the car… and then we arrived at the next waterhole to find even more (hundreds) of the same again as well as wildebeest. After several waterholes and heaps of photos we checked into the camp. All of the camps had a swimming pool so that ended up being the place we spent the hottest part of the day and Zane and I did school work in between swims. Each camp also has its own water hole that you could walk to, at any time, day or night, and there was always some sort of low fence or barricade between you and the animals. If they really wanted to get to our side I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem for them. The jackals at the first camp used to jump up over the fence and wander amongst us.

Highlights of Etosha
The parade of 53 elephants that came to the camp water hole – there were continuous lines of them coming in from the bush.

The first family of giraffes we saw - before that it had only been one or two. Giraffes are very nervous drinkers and it can be frustratingly slow waiting for them to lean down to drink. There were several nearly there moments before they finally reached the water, without jumping back up.

Four black rhinos having a grunt off one night at the camp water hole – they would stand nearly nose to nose, bare their teeth and make this hideous noise that sounded like it came from the pit of their stomach. We only ever saw the rhinos at night so I didn’t get any decent photos of them.

A pride of lions just hanging out in the grass – there were at least three cubs, a couple of lionesses and a big daddy lion.

Seeing a lion kill – after watching the lion family for a while we drove over to another water hole close by. One of the lionesses strolled over to the water hole and jumped into the reeds between two parts of the water. She only waited about 15 minutes before zebra, springbok and wildebeest came to drink right beside her. She waited for them to settle in then she pounced. She jumped out of the reeds and chased and caught a wildebeest. Then we got to watch as she held it down with her jaws clamped around its neck for about 10 minutes, before dragging it under a tree to have a feast.

Night safari – we saw a cheetah and two cubs, right by the side of the road and they had two springbok hanging in a tree. The guide used a red spotlight so it wouldn’t disturb the animals. We also got to see four hyena stalking springbok. They didn’t get them but they did get within a couple of meters.