Although Etosha means ‘place of dry water’, the Park is innovatively set up with watering holes that provide great game viewing opportunities as high concentrations of animals gather to drink. As planned, we arrived early enough to end the day with an game drive. We set off into the depths of the park in search of elephants, lions, gemsbok, and many other species. At sunset we raced back to camp for an amazing South African dinner called bunny chow (a hollowed out loaf of bread filled with yummy curry). After dinner a few in the group went on a night drive to catch the animals in the moonlight. The highlight was an incredible sighting of a large group of black rhino drinking at one of the water holes.
After another early rise to catch the sunrise, we set off across the park. We sought respite from the midday heat in the middle of the park and stopped for a bite to eat in a restaurant and cooled off with a swim in the pool. Refreshed, and with the worst of the mid-day heat abating we headed out for the afternoon game drive. The highlight of the day was stopping at the saltpan to make the most of the vast flat surface and take more great photos.
On our second night inside Etosha National Park we stayed at Okaukuejo – a beautiful campsite on the edge of another waterhole. We really got lucky as at sunset we caught a large herd of elephants, including young babies, marching in for a drink. After dinner we raced back to the viewing site at the waterhole – which is lit up with large floodlight – to catch the end of a lion kill and a more black rhinos drinking at the waters edge. This is a truly magical place.