Buffet breakfast at 7 am, bags in the car before 8 am.
The bad news – we have another long drive ahead of us.
The good news? It’s through Etosha National Park.
While our tour includes game drives from our guide, Ewald, we haven’t made use of them – instead preferring to do game drives with the local guides whenever possible. We prefer both open-air safari vehicles and the local guides’ informal network that allow them to rapidly exchange wildlife locations.
But the question remains – was this a good idea? Would we have been better off to simply have gone on game drives with our guide Ewald, and saved ourselves the extra cost and hassle of the local game drives?
Today’s drive should help answer that question.
Ewald clears through the front gate to Etosha in short order, and then we swing by our first watering hole where we spot an elderly giraffe – likely the same one as we saw yesterday.
We can’t do this for every watering hole, however, so we ask that Ewald stick to the main roads as much as possible. Not fair to our game drive comparison, we realize, but if Ewald does manage to find some wildlife it will be all the more impressive.
A few cars cluster at the side of the road, and we spot the bum of the black rhino we saw yesterday. He’s much further back this time, though, so we decide not to wait him out.
We carry on a ways, then stop another watering hole where we spot an Egyptian goose:
And some more zebra:
Ostriches are everywhere, including in the road:
And we manage to spot some red hartebeest, which we hadn’t seen previously:
We also detour briefly to view the salt pan:
Animals come from all around to get salt and other essential minerals. It can fill with up to a metre and a half of water in the wet season.
Then we spot another rhino – this one from a distance, in a meadow:
Not sure whether it’s a black rhino or a white rhino. Someone who’s an expert in rhino ears may be able to weigh in. The rhino raises its head briefly but I don’t manage to get the shot. Ah, well. So glad we had yesterday’s sighting.
We continue to spot large groups of animals, including these wildebeest:
And flamingos! They’re extremely far out, so look more like an impressionist painting than a photo:
I’ll be investing in a proper 600 mm lens for our next trip.
The sun is quite hot, so there’s an interesting distortion effect on long range shots:
We then reach Etosha’s east gate, where we spot a whole mob of mongooses:
We’re ahead of schedule, so we make another brief diversion to visit another watering hole. There are a lot of zebra:
Including some young:
And also a lilac-breasted roller:
But no cats. That’s fine with us, though – any game drive that includes giraffe, zebra, antelope, rhinos, flamingos and mongoose is exceptional in my books.
And the verdict? I think Ewald knows the watering holes of Etosha very well, and would have done a fantastic job of the game drives. That said, we’re still glad we’ve booked in for multiple local drives – especially since we saw lions and jackals yesterday with Etosha Safari Lodge.
Roughly five hours after we set out, we reach Onguma the Fort. It’s a stunning property:
One of several on the Onguma grounds, which are roughly twice the size of Sabi Sands.
There’s an artificial watering hole in front of the lodge, and animals regularly come by for a quick drink:
Lunchtime. My wife has a Caesar salad:
I have the chicken breast with fried rice:
I think it has pickled cabbage – there’s a lovely crunch to it.
And the kids have plain pasta:
I don’t usually photograph the pasta, but they’re excited that their plain pasta actually arrives plain so here we go.
There’s also a brownie for dessert:
Off to our rooms, which continue the fort motif:
There’s a huge deck with plush seating and a hot tub, again with a view of the watering hole. The hot tub is wood fired so guests are asked to call ahead 30 minutes in advance.
The property is unfenced, so we need to be driven between our respective rooms and the lodge – not just at night, but also during the day. It’s a pain, but there’s nothing to be done about it. At least the drivers are mostly prompt.
Back to the lodge for a swim in their pool:
My daughter and I do another scenic tour of the pool, and I dunk her head under the waterfall. There are leaves and bits of flowers in the pool, and we sweep them into the skimmer. She gets up into the upper pool and experiments with sending larger and larger waves over the top of the waterfall to see whether she can splash me.
Another lovely afternoon – one for the books.
Eventually she gets cold, and heads to a lounge chair where she can wrap herself up like a mummy in pool towels and I can experience the joy of having (reasonably) fast internet for the first time in three days. Onguma has put out some cakes and snacks for teatime, so I help myself to a bit of apricot cake and make myself a cappuccino.
Back to the room to pack up, and then we’re off for our sundowner drive – which turns out to be private. Lucky us!
On the way, we spot a giraffe outside our window:
This watering hole is quite special:
Our guide Iskia shows us a nearby herd of impala, and explains that these impala – black faced impala – are endemic to northern Namibia and southern Angola:
They have metatarsal glands on their hind legs that they use to communicate with one another, particularly when being chased by predators.
We spot some giraffes, including a juvenile:
And some kudu, which prove difficult to photograph as always.
Then a call comes in – another guide has spotted a cheetah!
We race along, but find ourselves temporarily slowed as a bush chicken – guinea fowl – gets in front of the vehicle. It runs and runs and runs but refuses to dash back into the bushes. Eventually there’s a wider shoulder and it makes its exit before promptly collapsing on the ground. I’m always surprised at how reluctant these creatures are to go into the bush!
The race continues, and eventually we spot it – our cheetah:
The vehicles stay on the roads here, so this is about as close as we get.
But then another call comes through – a second cheetah has been spotted. And a third.
We arrive in time to watch the drama play out. A female cheetah lies beside a termite mound:
While another female cheetah stalks over her way.
They do not seem to be friendly with one another. The first cheetah sits up.
The second cheetah stalks closer:
The first cheetah starts to look concerned:
Deservedly so:
Concern increases:
And then takes off into the bushes.
The second cheetah scents the air, clearly smelling the first.
She leaves her scent on the termite mound:
And then follows the other cheetah into the bushes.
It only lasted a few minutes, but it was incredible watching a cheetah turf war play out in real time. Every bit as exciting as the leopards!
Which we then go off in search of, but without success.
We do spot the elusive male kudu:
And a spotted thick-knees:
Plus a vulture:
And our daughter finds a freshwater terrapin!
That was a tough one – well spotted indeed.
The light is fading, so our guide drives to an open spot and sets up for sundowners.
The sky is stunning:
And the array of snacks and drinks is remarkably extensive:
We let out a collective exhale after another fantastic game drive, and wonder briefly if we should try for another tomorrow. We decide to inquire further when we get back to the lodge.
Dinnertime – with quite the presentation:
I swing by Reception on the way in, and ask about a game drive for tomorrow. They agree to look into it.
We chat with Ewald about delaying our departure, but we have another long drive – so we would only be able to push back by perhaps 30 minutes if we want to ensure we’re at Okinjima Plains Camp in time to see the cheetahs being fed. This means we’d need to go on a private game drive.
Back to Reception to ask about a private game drive specifically – but the pricing would be approximately USD$450, which is a lot for a two-and-a-half hour drive. Plus it’s becoming increasingly clear that we would all benefit from a sleep-in tomorrow. So we reluctantly decide to pass.
Not for the first time – nor for the last, I suspect – we lament Namibia’s breakneck pace. Yes, it was shoehorned in to replace our cancelled G Adventures trip. No, there wasn’t any other way to make this circuit without multiple single-night stops.
But I would have loved one more night at Onguma the Fort – and two more game drives to go with it.
There’s nothing to be done – except to make a mental note never to book another trip in which we have fewer than three nights in a single location.
With the question of tomorrow settled, it’s time for dinner. We start with a citrus salad (not photographed), and then move on to a cheese and puff pastry tart:
We’ve finally found something my Nikon Z7ii is terrible at – late night food photos.
Followed by grilled rack of lamb:
And a chocolate volcano cake for dessert:
One last night sky photo, taken from the table:
And we are off to bed. Tomorrow is the last long leg of driving through Namibia – and we shall be grateful when the ground stops moving beneath our feet.