Namibia chapter twenty-two
Epupa Falls to Etosha National Park.
At breakfast Daleen asks me which direction I’m heading. I tell her I’m headed south to Etosha by way of Opuwo. She asks if I can take three of her nieces and a nephew with me.
They’re to meet their mother in Opuwo who’s arranging to take them to Angola on holiday. I tell her it’s no problem, though some of them will have to squeeze in the back. She tells me it’s fine; they’re small.
I head back to my cottage and rearrange the car, tossing my bags in the back of the truck. The bed is covered in dust and I imagine what my bags will look like by the time I get to the camp at Etosha.
My passengers are waiting for me at the entrance to the lodge: Annah, Nika, Rina, and Noi ranging in age from 15 to 7. Annah gets into the front seat and her siblings climb into the back. I have a sack of cookies that I’ve been saving in case I' got hungry on the road and I offer it to them. They polish them off in less than fifteen minutes.
The drive to Opuwo is much as it was on the way to Epupa. The day is cool, the early morning light makes everything golden. I pass trips of goats being herded along the side of the road until we reach the hills and then wind our way around the mountains. I ask Annah what she wants to be when she grows up. She tells me she likes school and wants to be an engineer.
There’s a small commotion behind me. I ask Annah if everything is ok back there. She tells me Noi is vomiting. She says it casually, as if there’s nothing wrong. I stop the car and let everyone out and offer them a jug water to clean him up. We sit by the side of the road and wait for him to recover. I tell him to take the time he needs, but he recovers quickly and we climb back into the car. I try to take the curves more slowly going forward.
In Opuwo, Annah tells me I can drop them off at a store just inside the city limits. I pull into a parking lot and help them unload their bags. I give them the rest of my water. Annah gives her siblings some bills and they rush into the store to buy treats. She borrows my phone to call her mother and I wait with them for her to arrive.
Annah tells me they’re ok now, but I don’t feel comfortable leaving them until their mother arrives. I hang out with them in the shade of the store. Their mother arrives shortly and thanks me for taking care of her kids. I tell her it’s my pleasure and hope they have a great trip to Angola.
I stop at the same gas station to refill the car and then head east on the C41 to connect with the C35 headed south. They’re both sealed roads and I’m happy to spend some time navigating smooth, straight surfaces for a change.
Heading south on the C35 I see no signs for Etosha National Park, which I find surprising. Near the park, Google Maps takes me off the highway through a small gate onto a dirt road running alongside a fence. I surmise it’s the edge of the park and assume there’ll be a side entrance down the road, but I’m surprised that this would be an official entrance.
I decide to indulge the GPS for a little while, but when it tells me to turn into the park there’s no entrance through the fence. I stop the car to turn around, spooking a giraffe hiding behind the bush to my left.
I drive back to the main road and try to update the GPS. Unfortunately, the map doesn’t seem to have downloaded and my cell phone plan has expired. I call to top up my internet access and am told I have to do so at a kiosk. I tell the man on the phone that there’s no kiosks nearby. He tells me I can also top up using the internet and I remind him that that’s what I’m currently trying to access. I can practically hear him shrug on the other end of the line.
I decide to continue driving south to see what I might see. Worse comes to worse I will drive to the next town and approach the park from the south. Ironically, “Helpless” from the Hamilton soundtrack comes on the radio.
Passing a small stand by the side of the road I stop to ask for directions. Tjijombo, an elementary school English teacher, is walking out of the shop. He tells me that the eastern gate is about 30 kilometers or so away. In another 10-15 kilometers I’ll reach a checkpoint and can get a better estimate there. I thank him profusely and point the car south.
I reach the meat control checkpoint. An officer tells me that the entrance is 20 kilometers south to the left. He tells me there’s a lodge to one side and the Galton Gate is on the other. I realize then that I should have put the gate entrance into my GPS instead of the lodge.
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I’m exceedingly happy when I reach the entrance to Etosha National Park. I am directed from one hut to another to pay my entrance fee and then get my paperwork checked by a guard. There’s a small gift shop where I pay the fee and I ask if they have maps of the park. The attendant shows me one as part of a larger keepsake and tells me it’s for sale. I ask if I can take a photo of the map. She says yes. It shows the roads and all the watering holes and will prove an invaluable resource over the next few days.
I’ve arrived a little later in the day than I had planned, but it’s not far to the Dolomite Camp, where I’m staying. There’s a strict curfew for driving, but I have a few hours and it’s only an hour to the camp.
Inside the park, I start my drive slowly, scanning the roadside for animals. I’m reminded of my first safari at the Madikwe Game Reserve, and the drive to the lodge. There, I had asked the gate attendant whether I’d see animals in the park. She told me I might see animals on the way to the lodge. And sure enough, after a few minutes, a herd of zebra strode across the road. I could barely contain my excitement.
Now, as I drive towards camp, the first animal I see is a zebra, alone by the side of the road, followed shortly by an impala that races across the road.
I pass a sign pointing to the Klippen watering hole. As much as I’m looking forward to checking into camp and relaxing, I can’t help but indulge in my curiosity. I turn around and follow the sign.
I arrive to find a small herd of elephants slaking their thirst. As I sit and watch, another elephant emerges from the bush to join them. A jackal playfully chases a couple of impala around the watering hole as if it’s a game; they have no hope of actually catching them.
As I linger by the watering hole wildebeest and gemsbok join the elephants, keeping to another section of of the pool. Baby elephants wander from adult to adult, hiding in the shade of their elders as they drink their fill.
It is here I fall completely in love with elephants, realizing that they are my favorite animals. I could sit and watch them all afternoon into the night. I’ve been at the watering hole for about an hour, alone, and I savor the fact that I’m the only one here, the only one fortunate enough to be observing the display of nature before me. Nary another car has approached.
Sated, the elephants pack up and head west, their hulking forms become grey specks moving across the rocky terrain. The watering hole sits quiet, I soon abandon it myself.
I drive back to the main road and towards the camp. I pass trees engulfed in terminte nests and a zebra here and there. Close to camp, I spot a mare; her foal lies on the ground at her feet. They watch me as I slow the car down to take a photo. As soon as I stop the mare walks away; its foal gets to its feet and follows suit.
The parking lot is at the base of a hill. A sign assures me that my arrival has been noted and someone will come to fetch me. The impatient can honk their horns if no one appears.
I don’t have long to wait. Meck appears and picks me up in a golf cart to take me up to reception. The service is perfuntory. I’m checked in and told the breakfast and dinner schedules. I book an 0600 drive the following morning and then Meck comes to drive me to my tent.
The accommodations are fantastic. The tent is perched on the hillside with sweeping views over the plains. I unpack and take a shower and sit on my terrace awaiting the sunset in the company of a a lizard.
Wildebeest gather below and prepare to bed down for the night. And then, as the sun sinks lower, a herd of elephants emerge from the plains and head towards camp. As they cross the road a car stops for them, waiting patiently for them to pass.
I walk out of the tent and follow the path to the last tents on the hill, hoping to find a better viewpoint. I pass a French couple who have spotted the elephants from their tent. They’re heading back to their car to see if they can catch the the elephants at the watering hole at the base of the hill. I debate following them but hesitate and lose my window of opportunity. I content myself with the views from my tent.
At dinner they’re breathless with excitement. Other herds joined at the watering hole along with zebra. At one point their car was surrounded by zebra as they gathered to drink. It’s their first safari and I’m excited for them. It’s been an amazing introduction to the bush.
Dinner is simple but tasty. I sit by the door of the mess tent so I can watch the skies change color. There’s nothing like an African sunset and the ones at Etosha do not disappoint. 🇳🇦
7 June 2024
