Our plan from Namutoni is simple: drive west and stop at all waterholes close to the road as we make our way to Dolomite Camp, the rest camp in Etosha that is our accomodation for the night. Even before the first waterhole we see a pair of jackals sleeping near the road and a wildebeest who suddenly gets agitated and starts running randomly.
The first waterhole where we stop is Chudop. It has an incredible mix of antelopes mostly springbok but there are also a few giraffes wandering about and a few jackals.
There are also a few beautiful oryx and unfortunately quite a few tourists both from Onguma and Namutoni so after taking in the view we move on.
The road through the Eastern part of Etosha is in great shape and a joy to drive as it passes through changing habitats with the majority being savanna with hip height grass.
We do not have to go far to meet our first elephant for the day who is eating right next to the road with quite a few cars stopped to take pictures. We also stop and take pictures but after a few minutes of watching him eat we decide to move on.
This was a good decision as we find more elephants further down the road and also wildebeest and zebras.
At almost every turn we see some animals mostly springbok and zebras. Most of them are almost tame and we can take good photos especially of the zebras.
The centerpiece of Etosha, geologically, is the Etosha Pan. This is a large mostly dry salt lake that receives water only in the rainy season. At that point the animals are more difficult to see as they do not have to rely on the waterholes and can drink water from many other sources which makes wildlife viewing more difficult. There are also a few places here where you can exit the car and walk around and we really enjoy doing that.
Of course we are here in the dry season so we are treated with views of the vast expanse of the pan vegetationless and featureless – it feels almost like you are on a different planet. We have seen something similar in the US in Death Valley however here especially with the light fog you cannot see the other side.
It is allowed to walk on the pan and we do that to have a feeling of the area, quite interesting. Even with it being so bleak we still observe a few zebras that appear to be resting on the salt pan.
And then we move toward Okaukuejo Rest Camp with lots of stops along the way both for animals near the road and for waterholes. We see lots and lots of elephants both in groups and single. We notice some of them playing around and other taking a bath and others just eating and doing elephanty things.
Of course there are also many antelopes, besides the springbok we find a few hartebeests in the area, they are quite fun to observe.
But still the highlight here are the elephants. We didn’t imagine there could we so many of them and that the dry vegetation can sustain these huge mammals.
Far of the road we also notice our first ostriches first just one and then suddenly as if the floodgates have opened we see ostriches everywhere. And a Black Korhaan, which is quite a beautiful and fearless little bird.
There are also a few more elephants, of course, springboks, oryx and zebras visible as we continue down the road. It feels like we are in one of the nature documentaries and we feel quite blessed to be able to witness this spectacle.
And then in the afternoon we arrive at the Okaukuejo Rest Camp where we buy some provisions and again fill up the gas as there is no gas further in the park. And then it is time to explore the wild side, a part of Etosha that few see as part of it is open only to people sleeping at the Dolomite Camp.
