Africa - From Coast to Coast: Witnessing the impact of mankind on the planet in Etosha

Mystical, magical and inspiring. Three words seldom uttered by the gent commuting on the south circular at 0615 when caught up in the days traffic. Why would one choose to describe it in this way in Etosha? A valid question - something which I also struggled to come to terms with. Traffic - a collection of metal objects blocking your path. The only issue is the delay it causes to your day. And, let’s face it - the south circular has some pretty incredible sights to savour. The London eye. The Houses of Parliament. The millennium bridge. Tourists would happily stay fixated on these places - in the same vicinity as the gent who is less than enamoured with his state - stuck in traffic.

Here we were, 0615 the time. The sun resting on the horizon, ready to give power to this expanse. In a similar vein, we found ourselves stuck in traffic. Only this time - the object in our path - a herd of elephant leading their babies to water. As they plod across the road, the engine of our truck muted, smiles beam across both our faces. Springbok watch from a distance, cowering at the feet of these huge mammals. As the time passes and the dust kicks off their dry hooves, a gaggle of safari trucks begin to arrive to savour this awesome moment. A look at the clock and it reads 0640. More time has past than we have ever spent in traffic. But we were in the moment. Aware of our surroundings. Grateful to be in the elephants presence.

As the elephants disappeared into the distant shrubbery - we fired up the truck and continued to drive at a slow pace along the rubble road. Our eyes became fixated on the foreground and the base of the trees. We were eager to spot any sign of movement, to get our next taste of wildlife in their habitat. However, it is alarming how quickly your eyes become fixed on achieving a goal that all else becomes lost. We cannot really tell you how spectacular much of the National Park is. It is troubling, but also a lesson learnt, that when you are focused on one thing, in this case finding animals, it is amazing how you fail to recognise all else in your periphery.

Sure enough, it was not long before we stumbled across another dense population of Zebra. They nervously glanced at us as we drove by, amazed by their delicately finished coats. Every other tree from there on in played home to springbok, impala and zebra. They became the sheep of the park. We became immune to driving past them. No longer did we stop - we were out to see the big guys!

Luckily in this domain, nature is kind to the impatient. It isn’t long before the same family of tree provides shelter to the lionesses and their cubs, seeking a rest from the midday sun. The pack lay silent as the Lion look on from a distance. Unsurprisingly, sightings of springbok, zebra and impala are few and far between in close proximity. These seemingly calm, cuddly beasts play havoc with their neighbours!

As you roll through this flat plain, glistening in the sun, it is hard to think that this was once a vast lake. The land is so dry. Natural water holes bare little resemblance to anything moist and the road signs warning of rivers become rather comical as you dove into another dusty dip in the road. The power of humans to intervene positively, or at least to correct the issues we have created, is evident here. Man made watering holes are deep and provide ample water sources in this 22,000sq km park. It begs the question - what happens in the areas where humans are only interfering negatively with no corrective power. What are wild animals drinking there? What are they eating when all their sources dry up and decease.

Whilst the water holes provide critical sites of sustenance for these animals - they are also unrivalled wildlife watching theatres. Along the parks extensive road network, small slip roads would spit you out at a viewpoint overlooking waterholes - which guarantee you mesmerising encounters. Elephant, giraffe, wilderbeast and zebra wrestle for the cleanest approach to the water. Springboks wait their turn patiently in the wings, whilst birds swoop in and out providing the backing track.

As the sunsets and night draws in, these waterholes play host to a different set of wild animal. Hyenas pay their visit before the endangered Rhino come to call off and see to their thirst. Battles for territory take over as these solitary animals remind each other who is boss on this part of the African continent. As the sky changes colour and the milky way makes its appearance in the night sky, bats fly across the mirrored water. A natural form of meditation provides the perfect recipe to wind down before climbing back into the tent.

One cannot underestimate the power of connecting with nature to remind you of the essential requirement to act and protect this planet. As you pass lion, elephant, rhino - many of which are collared by rangers to protect them from poaching. Poaching by man for the use of medicinal purposes, none of which that carry any evidence of achieving the desired requirements and with ivory worth more than gold in parts of Asia. Why on earth is this still taking place in a world so powerfully connected and with knowledge so readily available?

The struggle persists as you pass multiple species, who look gaunt and lacking the necessary nutriment. It is hardly a surprise, witnessing first hand springbok digging at dead shrubs, starring into the dried up lake which from afar still draws animals in by its water like appearance.

Etosha is a magical place and provided us with unrivalled game viewing. Yet, it is the more important viewing of the degradation of our planet at the hands of the anthropological interventions that will hold most prominent in my memory. As we heat our planet vast swathes of ecosystems become too dry to sustain their inhabitants. Where once thousands of animals roamed free in the water drenched Etosha pan, now they are reliant on man made waterholes to sustain them, with rainfall occurring once every 7 years. With bore holes running dry in the neighbouring Damaraland region - how long before this too is something of the past?

The Rhino, the Elephant the Lion - it isn’t a laughable prospect that they may be referred to as something of the past unless key stakeholders begin to amend their actions and make a change. Nothing is too small a change. The struggle here for these beings is palpable - get here before it is too late, but do your bit in the meantime!

Our top tips and Highlights:

Where to Stay:

We stayed for two nights at the Etosha Safari Camp. This is an awesome little camp site with great facilities just outside the gates of the park - exactly 9km to be precise. They play music in the evenings around a campfire and the pitches offer plug ins and a brai! Staff are super friendly. We loved it here. From here you can access the eastern side of the park relatively easily.

We also spent two nights at Halali which is a pretty basic camp but does give you access to the awesome waterhole at night where we saw rhino and hyena. We would probably say we saw the best ever wildlife experience here so it was definitely worth a stopover. We did the two nights but one would probably suffice.

Inside the park - Namutoni is worth a visit with its huge fort building. The camp here looked quite a bit nicer and they too have a water hole for night viewing.

What to do:

Stop off in one of the port towns before heading deep into the park. A little Etosha map and book will cost you 70 Namibian dollars and is well worth the money. You get a little book to tick off the animals you see and it has a good map to help you navigate around.

You can pick up safari tours here or at your camp but to be honest self driving is the way forward. You get up close and personal, and if like us you are lucky - you will have encounters where it is just you and one of the great animals.

In Halali there is a small hill which gives a nice view across the pan. The walk is 4km and it would be unreal at sunset or sunrise.

Make sure you also stop off at the Etosha lookout viewpoint. The salt flat is incredible and will leave you feeling pretty perplexed as to where all the water has gone..

Do your self drive at sunrise or sunset. You will see everything having a stroll or on the hunt. Far more exciting than in the stifling heat of the mid day, where most animals take to the root of trees to get some much needed shade. Spotting animals at this time becomes somewhat more of a challenge!