Namibia and Botswana

Namibia

When my parents came to Namibia some 20 years ago, they searched and searched for the desert elephants but never found them. This time, however, we had the best of luck. When looking for them, we were in the wild, not a park or nature reserve. Dad spotted a bull right away. We followed him around for quite a bit, in awe. After scouring the foliage and horizon for any signs of more, our tour guide, Mark, had a gut feeling about a certain patch of trees. Sure enough, there were a dozen stunning desert elephants hidden behind the trees. They had a teeny tiny baby which was always guarded by its older relatives.

First elephant we saw! (Desert Elephant)

Desert Elephant

Desert elephant family

Our last experience with the desert elephants was as we were driving back towards our camp for the night, another bull elephant, different from the one before, walked right up to our car and hit the hood with his trunk. We were all flooded with amazement and a hint of nervousness, but after he told us who was boss, he went on his way.

The boulders, outside showers and tents of our first safari lodge in Damaraland reminded us a bit of the Flinstones. It was the perfect way to start off the safari.

Our first morning in Etosha Park, we practically had our noses pressed against the windows watching the zebras, springbok and giraffes go by. They turned out to be fairly common during our 8-day safari, but it doesn’t make them any less astonishing.

That first day in Etosha Park got even better when we got the surprise of watching three lion cubs right before sunset.

In another section of Etosha, we had the thrill of seeing two white rhinos chase each other. In the distance, there were lions devouring a carcass. We sat and waited for them to leave their meal and cross right in front of us before driving on.

Jackal

Ostrich

We spent the evening searching for elusive leopards but found lots of giraffes instead.

Near the border or Botswana, we took a breakfast boat ride to see monkeys and hippos.

On our last game drive with Mark, we saw the funny dung beetles (one hit dad in the face while we were driving with the roof open!), kudu, warthogs and tons of African elephants.

Warthog

Safari vehicle

Kudu

Dung beetle

Botswana

Mark said goodbye to us in Namibia before we made our way over to Botswana. On our last game drive early the next morning, we saw a huge male lion who was initially hidden thanks to camouflage and the long grasses around him. Then, gracing us with his presence, he lifted his head and yawned.

Impala

That evening, on the Chobe River we saw tons of hippos, elephants, crocodiles, aquatic antelope and buffalo.

Between all these animal sightings, we talked to other visitors from all over the world (including right near our home town). We took a risk going on safari during the rainy season, but as you can see, we found plenty of game! We had a fantastic, fun and educational time. So glad we did it!

Next up—Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe!