Etosha National Park Namibia ….. No visit to Africa would be complete without a drive through a game park to see our favourite animals in their natural surroundings. Etosha National Park occupies 22,000 sq kms (about half the size of Switzerland) in northern Namibia and is home to hundreds of species of animals including several endangered species like the black rhino. We had the chance to be able to drive around on our own in rented 4x4s when the park was all but deserted by tourists and had the opportunity to get so close to these animals.

The highlight was undoubtedly the chance to see a lioness track an impala. We came across the lioness quite close to the road in a prone position downwind of two black-faced impalas which were innocently grazing and getting closer and closer to the big cat. She rose a couple of times to get ready to pounce but they did not get quite close enough. In the end they sensed their danger and scooted away. The lioness, realising that they were not now going to be dinner, ambled off, totally oblivious to our presence no more than ten feet away. When she got to the nearby watering hole, every other beast noticed the arrival of the alpha-predator and skiddaddled or kept undivided attention on the lioness.

Earlier we almost ran over an elephant crossing the road and had a chance to get in front of it as it trampled and munched its way across through the trees. When I stopped the truck and stepped to the rear for a better photos (definitely against the rules) I was less than 20 feet away and stimulated the very clear territorial behaviour of spread ears and shaking head and trunk that definitely said it was time for us to leave.

The black rhinoceros appeared from the trees as we stopped at a watering hole that was mobbed with oryx, springbok, zebra, jackals, impalas, and ostriches. He just kept on coming and presented us with a beautiful view of this elegant monster. We saw thousands of zebra including this mother that was still suckling and protecting this very large offspring. We visited a waterhole at the end of the day and saw a large posse of giraffes that were waiting for a herd of elephants to clear out of the way before they descended to drink.

The day was totally amazing and we saw too many other species to include photos here – spotted hyenas, hartebeste, wildebeste, impala, springbok, ostrich, warthogs, jackals, kudu, steenbok, bustards, secretary birds, mongoose.

What an outrageously fun day.