Namibia has been amazing so far! Starting with Etosha, we've been seeing some of the best wildlife since coming to Africa. Seeing as this is the last national park we're going to be visiting, we were all pretty ecstatic when it turned out to be so great. We spent two full days in the park, with many game drives, including one night drive. We drove through night in a small Land Rover with a giant red floodlight. We saw Hyenas and Rhinos, as well as Spring Hares and Dik Diks, which were unique since they are entirely nocturnal animals. It was quite a sureal experience to be out in the dark while the Hyenas were prowling around.
In Etosha we were lucky to see many groups of Lions as well as a single Leapord!!! which was actually quite a big deal for us as it was the last of the African "Big Five" (Lion, Elephant, Black Rhino, Cape Buffalo, and Leapard) on our list of animals to see. In the evening on our last night in the park, we had an absolutely incredible expereince. Each of the camps in Etosha is set up near to a watering hole, where the animals will come to drink. In the evening the area is lit by floodlights so that it is possible to see the animals. The watering holes are know for being particularly active in the evening as that is when most animals come to drink. When we first got to the watering hole there was very little activity, except for an extensive hominid variety. After only a few minutes of silence, two Hyenas appeared from the bush and walked down to drink. For about 5 minutes they remained at the pool as well all looked on. This would have been reward enough; however, the best was yet to come! No sooner had the Hyenas left than a single Elephant emerged from the brush and walked slowly down to the pool. A few seconds later a second appeared, then another, and another, until no less than 20 elephants had gathered around the pool. The group had an incredible family dynamic with one matriarchal female and a number of younger female mothers who were followed closely by there toddlers. Not even at the Elephant Orphanage in Nairobe had we seen such infant Elephants. They were so playful and entirely adorable. It was an absolute highlight!
Jackals
Lions
Yes Devon, these guys are doing what you think they are doing!Zebras
Giraffes
Oryx
(Not only are these guys beautiful, but they are also TASTY!)
Other DLCs (Deer-Like Creatures)
A common safari term used to indentify ambiguous types of Antelope.
Springbok
Greater Kudu
More Springbok
Impala
Greater Kudu
Impala and Greater Kudu
2 comments:
So we took the kids at camp to African Lion Safari last week. I was thinking how similar my pictures look to yours - the lions, zebras, giraffes, etc...well, as long as you disregard the fences that were all around the animals....lol....and except for the fact that the background was Cambridge, Ontario; not Africa!
Oh well, at least I got to pretend I was in Africa for the day!
Lovin' your blog!
Jules
P.S. I'm impressed that you've been getting internet while travelling all around Africa!
haha...deer-like creatures...that's great. So how do you actually tell the difference between all the DLCs - they looked pretty similar to me in the pictures?
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