Day 119: Etosha National Park – Day 3
Happy Birthday, to Lindsay! Lindsay got a pre-dawn wake-up call on her Special Day – birthday or not, we had animals to see! We were packed, fed, and on the road well before sunrise, however, the staff at the park entrance apparently didn’t get the memo that today was Lindsay’s birthday. There was a line of about a dozen cars and overlanders waiting to enter before us this morning! Since our day pass had expired at sundown the day before, we had to stop to re-register (twice!), and buy new overnight park passes before exploring the waterholes.
On our way to the Etosha Park entrance at sunrise!
We may be on time, but there’s a hold-up at the gate causing along line. Hey, don’t birthday-girls get priority?!?
Once we got all the park fees settled, we started to make our way towards Halali – the campground in the center of the park where we would be staying the night – hitting a few waterholes along the way. Lindsay really wanted to see a leopard for her birthday, so when the western waterholes didn’t pan out, we bypassed Halali and started to explore new territory in the eastern part of the park. We found some scenic waterholes, but sadly no leopard.
Ostrich and jackals near the Salvadora Waterhole, next to the Etosha Salt Pan
We returned to Rietfontein since we were so successful there the day before. Sure enough, after a little patience, a HUGE herd of zebra showed up…then another…then another! It was like a zebra convention!
They may not be as exciting as predators, but zebras are very sweet to watch – especially when they snuggle!
Before too long, the elephants showed up at Rietfontein again, but without the drama from the day before
Driving along the pan’s edge, exploring new territory on the eastern side of the park
It’s a quiet afternoon, with just a few grazing antelope here and there and another pair of napping lions
Some stray elephant and giraffes wandering the vastness of Namibia’s Etosha National Park
Even though we were staying within the park that night, we still had a 5:30PM curfew, as the gates to the Halali Camp close at sundown as well. However, the silver lining was that each of the park’s three campgrounds are adjacent to waterholes that you can view from within the camp. The waterholes even have floodlights all night long, so you can watch the nocturnal animals that come out for a drink as well! We quickly checked into our cabin (a two-bedroom family suite – nice!), and headed straight for the waterhole to catch the sunset. The place was already busy with three rhinos, who kept picking fights with each other. Then, the elephants showed up…then the lions! It was really cool to see the interactions between all these Big 5 animals. The only disappointment was that Lindsay’s leopard never showed up. Oh well, gotta leave something to look forward to for the rest of the Africa Trip!
A huge crowd has already gathered at the Halali Waterhole for “sundowners” (drinks at sundown)
Unlike the two kissy rhinos the day before, these guys couldn’t seem to get along. We couldn’t figure out who was mad at whom, or why – we think the rhinos were just irrationally attacking anyone who got within their eyesight
Animal activity was not limited to the waterhole, as a pair of hungry Honey Badgers raided the trashcan, and an adorable little African Scops Owl flew back and forth searching for some dinner
After watching elephants for the last few days, we’ve come to the conclusion that they are big bullies! Doesn’t matter who is already at the waterhole, when they come along they walk as if they own the joint. A herd of about a dozen ellies swaggered in at dusk, and chased off all but one ballsy rhino who held his ground, despite the mock charges
The elephants finally decided to leave once the lionesses showed up. The rhino tried to be brave when there were one or two lions, but by the time five show up, he decided he’d had enough to drink!
We could have stayed at the waterhole all night, but Lindsay wanted her birthday dinner! The park had a very tasty buffet including a meat station serving beef and eland tenderloin! Yum! We cracked open the bottle of red we had been carrying since Swakopmund and toasted to Lindsay advancing age…DON’T ASK HOW OLD SHE IS.
Lindsay -Happy Birthday – what a beautiful sunrise! Hope you get to see that “leopard”. It’s really scary those waterholes are not that big for all those animals. Love the Zebra convention…the grazing antelope and those napping lions..and those elephants and giraffes wandering the vastness of Namibia’s Etosha National Park. Thank you for the wonderful experience, I felt like I experienced the interactions between all these Big 5 animals.