Namibia's Etosha Pan & Skeleton Coast

Situated along Africa’s most inhospitable coastline, Namibia is a wild and spectacular country of desert landscapes and deep blue skies. The name Namib is a Hottentot word meaning ‘great plains’, epitomised by the magnificent Etosha Pan, whose amazing wildlife spectacles we have all seen so many times on television. To the east of Etosha lies the great Kalahari Desert, whilst to the west is the beautiful Namib Desert which stretches along the full length of the country’s coastline. Namibia is truly vast: three times the size of its colonist, Germany, yet with a population of just two and a half million! Not surprisingly its wildlife has suffered less at the hands of man than in most other African countries, and such endangered species as the Black Rhinoceros still retain a viable toehold.

Namibia’s scenery is varied and full of contrasts. It is a land of towering brickred sand dunes — the tallest on earth — of deep canyons, shimmering plains, high mountains and plateaux, and endless bushland. Along the appropriately named Skeleton Coast — the grave of so many ships — the cold Benguela Current sweeps northward, transporting plankton-rich Antarctic waters into warm subtropical regions. It is this current that has created the Namib Desert, since the Benguela’s low temperature prevents evaporation and assures an incredibly low rainfall in the region. Yet, if the Benguela limits the land-based flora and fauna, its nutrient-packed waters are a haven for fish, seals and seabirds.

Although Namibia was colonised by Germany from 1894, and presents a German flavour and architecture in its towns even today, modern Namibia still boasts the rich indigenous cultures of its tribes — the Bushmen, Himbas, Hereros, Ovambos and Damara. Thus it makes a most interesting country through which to travel, and in which to enjoy unique habitats and a fabulous range of mammal and bird species, many of which are endemic.

Our holiday begins with an overnight stay in Windhoek, Namibia’s capital, from where we will drive to the Namib Naukluft National Park for a stay of two nights. Here the Naukluft Mountains and the world’s highest sand dunes conspire to offer some of the finest scenery in Africa. Amongst them we will find some wonderful walking, such drought-tolerant mammals as Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra, Gemsbok and Springbok, and an excellent range of desert birds, including Black Eagle, Ludwig’s Bustard, Rosy-faced Lovebird, Bokmakierie and Dune Lark.

The long drive to Walvis Bay, at the southern end of the Skeleton Coast, is unique in its utter desolation. We will cross the dry Kuiseb Canyon, the remarkable Moonland, and arid plains where great flocks of Ostrich and herds of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra roam. We will spend three nights in Walvis Bay in order to fully explore the surrounding mudflats, marshes and deserts. The bay holds one of the highest concentrations of waders in southern Africa, and is also home to thousands of Greater and Lesser Flamingoes, White Pelicans, grebes, ducks, gulls, terns and, quite often, vagrant American species into the bargain! If the weather permits, we will also set out to sea for a morning to look for the exciting pelagic species that feed offshore. We will also venture inland in search of the peculiar Welwitschia mirabilis, a remarkable desert plant that lives for as long as 2,000 years!

En route to the spectacular wilderness of Damaraland, we will stop on the Skeleton Coast to look at the Cape Cross fur seal colony and in the beautiful valley of Twyfelfontein to enjoy its wealth of rock art. Damaraland is an unpeopled wilderness of rolling, bush-covered hills and plateaux. Here we will stay in comfortable accommodation and explore this unique environment, hoping for a chance encounter with the region’s Black Rhino, Lion or ‘desert’ Elephant, and some outstanding birding. At night we will have an opportunity to go spotlighting in search of some of the region’s nocturnal mammals such as Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox and Honey Badger.

Covering 22,000 square kilometres, Etosha is one of the finest parks in Africa, and one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on Earth. At its heart is the Etosha saltpan, an enormous shallow depression — over 100 kilometres across — with numerous perennial springs around its edges, which attract large concentrations of birds and mammals. This is one of the last places in the world where Elephant and Black Rhino may both be seen, plus predators such as Lion, Cheetah and Leopard, and antelopes ranging in size from the giant Eland to the diminutive Damara Dik-dik. We will now spend three full days enjoying the best of the park’s wildlife.

We will break our drive back to Windhoek with two nights at Okonjima Nature Reserve, home of the AfriCat Foundation, a conservation body dedicated to the protection of Namibia's carnivores. Our game drives in the reserve will be the perfect end to an unforgettable Namibian experience.