Etosha Camps - Halali

Halali is the newest of the camps which was opened in 1967, and is also known as the forest camp. It is situated virtually half way between Namutoni and Okaukuejo amongst shady Mopane trees. The camp has an elevated viewing area over a floodlit water hole which can be accessed from the camp. At night many of the camp visitors take their cameras and drinks and sit for many hours enjoying the game that come to drink.

Accommodation is provided in family chalets, two and four bed bush chalets and double rooms – all have large sliding doors to the outside, so that the visitors can experience and benefit from the peace and tranquillity of the natural surroundings, night sounds and bush experience. The campsite has large stands which are all fairly level, with power and water points.

This camp has all the facilities to make your stay a pleasant and enjoyable experience. From a cafeteria, restaurant, shop, fuel station and the biggest swimming pool to be found in the park.

As this area is fairly well wooded with Mopane trees, game like Kudu, the elusive Black Rhino and Leopard are sightings that you will encounter in the area. A host of different waterholes nearby to the camp means that you do not have to drive far to find the game. Goas and Rietfontein dams being popular waterholes for the game.

Etosha Camps - Namutoni

Namutoni is one of the 3 main Rest Camps found inside the Etosha Game Reserve on the Eastern side of the park. Its name is derived from an Old German Fort that was originally built there. The Fort was recently upgraded and it overlooks the King Nehale waterhole. Visitors can access the roof and enjoy the amazing views out over the Reserve. Inside the Fort are two restaurants, a relaxation lounge, a bar, crafts boutique, curio shop and a bookstore. The Fort is access is for pedestrians only.

Accommodation in Namutoni is catered for by spacious and comfortable Double rooms and Bush Chalets. There is also a Camp-site where the smaller wild animals roam freely, like warthog and the banded mongoose.

The Waterholes that can be found around and close to the Camp have a wide variety of game concentrations. Very close to camp is a waterhole called “Klein Namutoni” which is an artesian spring. Popular with Elephant, Giraffe, Kudu, Gemsbok, Kudu, Black Faced Impala, Zebra. An absolute must is to drive around Dikdik drive where you have a good chance of spotting the tiny and often elusive Damara Dikdik. There are many other waterholes very close to camp which offer their own beauty and variety of wildlife, a photographers dream.

A very pleasant drive is northwards from the camp to the Adonis Plains and waterhole. Here you will find large herds of animals that congregate in the open to protect themselves from attack by predators like lion.

Etosha Animals & Birdlife

Etosha has approximately 114 species of different mammals, which include the beautiful black and white Rhino, as well as the black-faced Impala. Unfortunately this park does not have the Big Five present, as Buffalo are not found in the Park. Likewise there are no hippo, crocodile or monkeys.Due to the large open areas that can be found in the park, you will often notice the animals congregating in large herds which acts as a defence strategy against the relatively high concentration of predators which follow the game. From time to time large concentrations can also be found on the Andoni Plains north of Namutoni.
After good rains when the grasslands flourish, the game concentrate in these places to feed. This causes migratory patterns to vary from year to year, depending upon which area has had good rainfall. At the beginning of the rainy season the animals disappear quickly from the tourist areas, but return gradually after the rains. The rainy season is also the time of year when many young animals can be seen, since it is also the lambing and calving season. The young of jackals, Springbok, Red & Black Hartebeest, Zebra and the felines are often seen, especially near the camps of Okaukuejo and Halali.After the first rains most of the elephant leave the tourist area for the northern and southern part of the park. Some of them even leave the park for areas outside, depending on the availability of water. Game that stick to the plains, like zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, springbok, impala and eland abound in great numbers on the grasslands and congregate at waterholes in the dry season. Herds of fifty elephants are not unusual and often walk right down the middle of the road giving people in cars an incredibly close and thrilling encounter. Lions and hyenas must be searched for, but silver-backed jackals trot around almost oblivious to you. The Oryx, will certainly be seen here along with the impressive curly horned kudu.
Etosha birdlife is amazing to say the least. From the cheeky yellow-billed hornbills whose squawk and loping flight becomes a familiar sight, to the Lilac breasted rollers which are so colourful especially in flight. Eagles and vultures cruise high in the warm air currents or perch on branches with beady eyes alert for those remnants of a kill. In the various camps, you will often encounter the Sociable weavers which mass together in their hundreds, in nests built into the trees. These nests eventually become so heavy that they break the trees. The weaver family then relocates to another tree and rebuilds the nest there.

Etosha - Namibia

Etosha in the northern part of Namibia means 'place of dry water', and it is centred around a huge, flat calcrete depression (or pan) of about 5,000 square kms. The “pan” tends to take on water only during periods where good rainfall is experienced, but for the rest of the time it provides a great, parched, silver-white backdrop of shimmering mirages to an area of semi-arid savannah grassland and thorn scrub. When the “Pan” does have water present, the growth of blue-green algae is stimulated which in turn attracts Flamingo’s in their thousands
Etosha National Park is one of Africa's major wildlife sanctuaries, being proclaimed a game reserve in 1907 and covering an area of more than 22 750sq kms. The Reserve is managed and controlled by the Namibian Wildlife Department with the facilities in the park being managed by the Namibian Wildlife Resorts group. The Reserve operates under a highly 'managed' environment featuring a cluster of man-made water-points around the central pan and its boundary designated by a patrolled electrified fence.
During the drier months of June to November , where water now becomes a scarce commodity, the man-made water-points attract the big game herds, and forms the centrepiece for visitors looking to see the nearly 150 mammal species to found in the Park, including several rare and endangered species such as the black rhino, black-faced impala, tssesebe and gemsbok.
From a Photographer’s point of view, the landscape can create amazing images. Furthermore the visitor does not have to drive huge distances to find the game. Visit a couple of the waterholes, and let the game come to you !!

Popa Falls – Caprivi Strip

Popa Falls are not waterfalls, but a series of rapids that flow between several islands and channels, on the Kavango River. At the Namibia Wildlife Resort of the same name, a series of walkways have been built that allows you to explore and wander onto these Islands to view the rapids. At peak flow the fall is around 3 meters with the river spreading up to a kilometer in width.

A wide variety of wildlife species, including elephant, hippo, buffalo, crocodile, red lechwe, reedbuck, roan and sable antelope, and the elusive Sitatunga antelope can be observed in and around the area.

Other activities include fishing, canoeing, boating, unguided self-drive game tours to the nearby Mahango game reserve, (the area borders the Kavango River, where large numbers of crocodile and hippo can be found) scenery drives, walking trails, etc.

The campsite is small and is run by the Namibian Wildlife Resorts, which also offers 4 sleeper River cabins. In fairly close proximity to the resort are 4 other facilities where the traveller can rest up and explore the area.

Zambezi River near Katimo Mulilo

The Zambezi is Africa’s fourth largest river system which travels through six countries on its journey from central Africa to the Indian Ocean. Its unique value is that it is less developed than others in terms of human settlement and many areas along its banks enjoy protected status.

On the Caprivi Strip in the upper north eastern corner of Namibia lies the town of Katimo Mulilo. This small town is the service centre of the Caprivi Strip which lies directly on the banks of the Zambezi River and offers some attractive lodges and campsites on the river front. It also has an airport, a hospital, some petrol stations and grocery stores, traditional baskets woven from grass, wood carvings, jewellery and clothes.

The abundance of water in the Caprivi sustains a large variety of animal and bird species. Especially numerous are the elephants, though not easily spotted through the dense vegetation. There are no fences, so the animals can roam freely across the borders of the neighbouring countries of Botswana and Zambia. The Chobe National Park in Botswana, bordering the Caprivi in the south, is especially excellent for game viewing.

However the real beauty lies with the River as it flows past on its way to the sea. Here a person can relax and unwind engulfing themselves in the amazing birdlife and tranquil fishing. Almost 70% of the birds in Namibia can be found in this region. A day out on the river, fishing with small fish called “bulldogs” bought from the locals, will assist you in hooking the mighty Tiger fish whose teeth can snap your fingers off in one bite.

After a day in the sun, to sit and enjoy a drink at sunset and watch the sun set over the river, with all your stress being washed away by the passing river, Africa once again reveals its true beauty.

Chapmans Peak Drive – Cape Town (Re-opens)

Chapman’s Peak Drive on the Atlantic Coast between Hout Bay and Noordhoek in the Cape Peninsula is one of the most spectacular marine drives in the world.
Initially constructed during the First World War, this 9km route with its 114 curves skirts Chapman Peak, the 593m high southerly extension of Constantia Berg, and follows the rocky coastline to unfold breathtaking views in both directions. Chapman’s Peak Drive winds its way between Noordhoek and Hout Bay. Situated on the Atlantic Coast, at the south-western tip of South Africa, it is one of the most spectacular marine drives anywhere in the world.
The route starts at the picturesque fishing harbour of Hout Bay and the climb winds steeply up to Chapman's Point, revealing breathtaking views of the sandy bays down below, until the road reaches lower levels again at Noordhoek.
Chapman's Peak Drive was the brain child of Sir Frederic de Waal, the first administrator of the Cape Province. Work on the road began in 1915 after engineers, geologists and surveyors determined the best route along the soft band of shale between the mountain’s granite base and the overlying sandstone. This stretch was blasted into the mountain side and is a masterpiece of road construction. The route was formally opened in 1922.
Rock falls were a constant threat and a series of unfortunate events lead to the closing of Chapman’s Peak Drive in January 2000. The reopening of Chapman’s Peak Drive is the culmination of one of the most innovative road engineering projects ever to be undertaken in South Africa. The upgrading (or rather reconstruction) of Chapman’s Peak Drive is indeed an engineering feat that will for many years be regarded as one of the top road engineering projects in the country.