Small Birds at Ongava Game Reserve

Lilac-breasted Roller

 

Red-billed Quelea? (A weaver?)

Animals at the Water Hole, Andersson's Lodge at Ongava

In Etosha we stayed at the exceptional Andersson's Lodge at the Ongava Research Center. Just beyond the well-hidden fence separating the lodge from the animals is a water hole, which almost always attracted a few animals. 

Impala

Impala

Impala and zebra

Kudus, female and male

Kudus and Zebras

 

From the Skeleton Coast to Etosha

Perhaps the two most iconic regions in Namibia, for wilderness and wildlife, are the Skeleton Coast and Etosha. Here's how it looked to fly between them in a small Beechcraft. Otherworldly.

Giraffe Drinking

Back at our Hoanib Valley Camp, I watched a (probably young) giraffe slowly configure itself to drink. This is a vulnerable position, so the giraffe checks its surroundings carefully.

Himba Women and Children

 

Himba Village

As an important part of our day trip in a safari vehicle from the Hoanib Valley Camp, we visited a Himba (San tribe) village where the tribal ways of life have been largely unchanged for centuries. The men do farming, while the women stay home with the kids (and sell beadwork jewelery to tourists). Today and tomorrow are views of these two aspects of Himba life.

Fairy Circle

 Frequently along the roads in Namibia, one will see bare, circular patches of dirt - typically 2 to 10 yards in diameter - in the grass. There has been much speculation about causes, the most recent explanation being a new species of Euphorbia. (Google it.) While in our experience most bare circles come in clusters, here in the Hoanib Valley was a single fairy circle, nicely positioned in front of the distant hills.

Hoanib Valley Springboks

 And for every Namibian giraffe, there are probably a dozen springboks.

Hoanib Valley Giraffes

In contrast to yesterday's post noting the paucity of vultures, there are frequent sightings of giraffes in most parts of Namibia that we've visited.

Hoanib Valley Vultures

Considering how many dead animals must be lying on the ground in the vast Namibian wildernesses, it is surprising that these are the first (and only) vultures we've seen in a week of touring.

Morning at Hoanib Valley Camp

 Before setting off on an early morning drive.

First Views Near Hoanib Valley Camp

In the late afternoon of our long flight to Hoanib Valley Camp, our guide gave us a brief introduction to the environment.  Much more to come in the next couple of days.

Hoanib Valley Creatures

We saw a few ostriches in the brush as we were driving from the Hoanib Valley landing strip to the Camp. We also passed the desiccated and partially demolished remains of a steer, which our guide informed us had been there for about 3 1/2 years! Very dry territory.

Flying North to Hoanib Valley

 We flew north in Namibia from the airstrip near Shipwreck Lodge to Hoanib Valley Camp. The landscape over which we passed was some of the most vividly contoured and colored we had seen.

Jackals Fight Brown Hyena for Seal Carcass on Skeleton Coast

As we drove back along the Skeleton Coast from Shipwreck Lodge to the landing strip where we would fly to our next Namibian destination, we came upon a remarkable sight on the beach where seals haul out (see posts of August 2 and 3): a bunch of jackals fighting a large brown hyena for a seal carcass. The hyena won, but not without a struggle.

(The collar on the hyena indicates that it is being tracked in a wildlife study.)

Late Afternoon Vista

 Stunning view and superb light on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia.