By Roxanne Reid
Namibia Wildlife Resorts upped its prices by monstrous amounts in 2007. Since then we’ve avoided Etosha National Park’s Okaukuejo camp. At around N$2000-3000 per night for the two of us in a waterfront chalet, it’s way beyond our budget. Camping costs N$420 a night for two, but we’ve never liked Okaukuejo’s campsite. Until now.
Namibia Wildlife Resorts upped its prices by monstrous amounts in 2007. Since then we’ve avoided Etosha National Park’s Okaukuejo camp. At around N$2000-3000 per night for the two of us in a waterfront chalet, it’s way beyond our budget. Camping costs N$420 a night for two, but we’ve never liked Okaukuejo’s campsite. Until now.
For years before 2007 we stayed in what were then simple waterfront chalets – for about the same as you now have to pay to camp. But, much as we enjoyed hours watching game at Okaukuejo’s floodlit waterhole, we’d always looked at the campsite and thought, ‘Poor buggers, glad it’s not us.’
For one thing, the campsite is huge. For another, there’s not much shade – and I’m a serious lover of shade.
For one thing, the campsite is huge. For another, there’s not much shade – and I’m a serious lover of shade.
The luxury waterfront chalets give the best views of the waterhole, but you need deep pockets
Okaukuejo's water tower is a popular place for watching the sunset
But this year, we decided to be brave … and we discovered that the Okaukuejo campsite wasn’t nearly as bad as we’d thought.
Yes, some of the campsites were stark and naked, entirely without shade in the baking sun, but they tended to be allocated to single nighters. (Sites are allocated by the park, so there's no bickering among visitors.)
We were staying three nights and were lucky enough to bag a site down a cul de sac that led to only four sites so it was quiet, not many people stirring the dust as they drove by.
It also had a winter-sparse acacia tree that gave shade at midday and some shade in the afternoon, though we had to pick up our chairs and follow it. We even had laid on entertainment in the form of a huge sociable weaver’s nest. Those chatty little birds came and went, building on to their apartment block, telling each other the day’s news.
Yes, some of the campsites were stark and naked, entirely without shade in the baking sun, but they tended to be allocated to single nighters. (Sites are allocated by the park, so there's no bickering among visitors.)
We were staying three nights and were lucky enough to bag a site down a cul de sac that led to only four sites so it was quiet, not many people stirring the dust as they drove by.
It also had a winter-sparse acacia tree that gave shade at midday and some shade in the afternoon, though we had to pick up our chairs and follow it. We even had laid on entertainment in the form of a huge sociable weaver’s nest. Those chatty little birds came and went, building on to their apartment block, telling each other the day’s news.
Our camp site was along the fence next to an access/exit route for animal visitors to Okaukuejo's floodlit waterhole, so we had elephants and other animals walking past beyond the fence just 50 metres from our site.
I especially enjoyed a breeding herd with little calves hurrying by at sunset after their evening drinks. It was magic, particularly because we didn’t have to share them with a whole crowd of twittering Chinese or loud-mouthed Americans, just with our nearest neighbours, a quiet German couple who seemed to ‘get’ why this was such a privilege.
I especially enjoyed a breeding herd with little calves hurrying by at sunset after their evening drinks. It was magic, particularly because we didn’t have to share them with a whole crowd of twittering Chinese or loud-mouthed Americans, just with our nearest neighbours, a quiet German couple who seemed to ‘get’ why this was such a privilege.
Okaukuejo waterhole
As we remembered from the ‘old days’ before 2007, the Okaukuejo waterhole produced sightings of elephant and black rhino almost every evening, daily sunset choruses from flocks of double-banded sandgrouse, even a lion in the dead of night.
Other good waterholes in easy reach
The main reason we decided to brave the campsite at Okaukuejo was to be in easy reach of the many good waterholes in the area. Although this time we missed the lions that are often seen at Okondeka to the north, there was plenty of plains game and the smallest cuddly-toy giraffe. The fuzzy little horn tufts on top of its head didn’t even reach as high as the top of mom’s tail; it could probably have stood underneath her tummy for some shade with just the tiniest kink in its neck.
The main reason we decided to brave the campsite at Okaukuejo was to be in easy reach of the many good waterholes in the area. Although this time we missed the lions that are often seen at Okondeka to the north, there was plenty of plains game and the smallest cuddly-toy giraffe. The fuzzy little horn tufts on top of its head didn’t even reach as high as the top of mom’s tail; it could probably have stood underneath her tummy for some shade with just the tiniest kink in its neck.
At Nebrowni we found a maned lion installed for all to see, so we knew there wouldn’t be much game there for a while. Some foreign tourists were out of their car to photograph it, obviously thinking they were in a zoo. A tracker told me once that if you’re standing right in the doorway of your car, 50m from a lion that decides to mount a charge, you won’t have time to get inside before he zaps you. That’s how fast they are; that’s how stupid tourists can be.
Stupid people breaking park rules
Further afield at Aus we watched 20 kudu, three of the bulls with magnificent horns. We found a herd of red hartebeest at Olifantsbad, which was looking really overgrazed in this year of low rainfall, much like a post-bomb Hiroshima landscape. Gemsbokvlakte was awash with zebra, gemsbok, wildebeest and springbok, and a sprinkling of jackals.
By the time we got back to Nebrowni, the lion had moved on and there were at least 800 animals thronging the area around the waterhole: springbok, impala, gemsbok having a battle of the horns (they really are the grumpiest of all antelope!) kudu, wildebeest, zebra, a few giraffe, and three massive bull elephants strolling up the road to join them.
It was a scene of such magnificence it took our breath away. If you think the days of massive herds of game are gone forever, think again and come to Nebrowni near Okaukuejo in Etosha to find them.
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12 of the best waterholes at Etosha National Park, Namibia
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za.
12 of the best waterholes at Etosha National Park, Namibia
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za.
