July 29th, 2016

Day 120: Etosha National Park – Day 4

Once again, we wake up before the sunrise on our last day in Etosha. For once, we have a short “commute,” as we head over to the Halali Waterhole in camp, but we were disappointed to see that there are zero animals. We’re starting to suspect that the whole “animals are active at sunrise” thing is a myth.

After a buffet breakfast, we check out and make our way through the eastern side of the park. While the waterholes on this side are supposed to have the most wildlife (according to TripAdvisor), nothing tops what we had seen at Rienfontein, west of Halali. However, we take our time and enjoy the scenery and the animals, before heading out of the park at 2PM to make our way to the next lodge.

After three days of pre-dawn wake-up calls just view empty waterholes, we’re starting to think our time is better spent sleeping in…

 

Since the waterhole is quiet, we decide to check-out and drive on through the park. Some of the snarky comments in the guest book give us a chuckle on the way out.

 

The dry, cracked surface of the Etosha Salt Pan

 

We screech to a halt as Igor spots a huge rhino! There has been some debate as to how close we were: 50 meters? 100 meters? Let’s put it this way, we were close enough that Lindsay did not turn off the engine, and kept the car in drive…just in case…

 

Turns out this rhino is not scary – he’s just chowing down on grass

 

A herd of zebra, chillin’ on the Etosha Salt Pan

 

A majestic Red Hartebeest photo-bombs the zebras

 

Namibian antelope: Impala, Kudu and a female Dik-dik

 

It seems we can’t get enough elephants, nowadays! They are everywhere!

 

Warthogs! We’ve seen these guys several times in the past few days, but they are so shy, they always run away before we can get a picture

 

The Twee Palms Waterhole, near the exit of the park. While very scenic, there wasn’t much activity in the early afternoon, beyond a few warthogs and an Oryx

 

A final giraffe sighting at the Klein Namutomi Waterhole before leaving Etosha for good.

A few short hours outside the park, we reached our home for the evening: Ohange Lodge – a lovely guesthouse run by fifth-generation Dutch-Namibians with beautiful, private cottages set within a tranquil desert garden. They had five friendly dogs (four Jack Russells and a huge Ridgeback), which we showered with attention. Dinner was a delicious steak BBQ under the stars, with a view of the flood-lit waterhole.

There are two types of lodges we’ve come across in our travels: those that encourage one to be social, and those that protect your privacy. While we would always select the later, we often find we enjoy the places that force us to be social. The dinner at Ohange was not only communal seating (Hey! We were paired with yet another German couple!), but the hosts each sat at a table to help break the ice and get conversation flowing. We felt like we were guests at a dinner party, with great company.

 

Our lovely, secluded cabin at the Ohange Lodge

 

“Madame” – a sweet old Jack Russell Terrier who does not wait for permission to jump in guests’ laps. If she wants a cuddle, she gets a cuddle!

 

The Ohange Lodge installed their own waterhole – not only does it have a floodlight at night, but you can see it from the dinner table! Smart.

 

Getting ready for a lovely al fresco dinner, and game viewing!

 

Kudu T-bone steak and South African Shiraz for dinner under the stars! When it gets cold at the end of the meal, our host gives Lindsay an “African seat-warmer”!