The unusual antelope known as the Oryx holds the title of Namibia's National Animal. Oryx, also known as gemsbok, are gray mammals with black stripes on their bellies and unique patterns on their faces.
One of the best places to see wildlife in Namibia is Etosha National Park, which can be loosely translated as “Great White Place” in the Ovambo language and refers to the huge salt pan. It is the most distinctive feature of the park and can even be seen from space. It is believed that it was formed over 100 million years ago and is 130 km’s long and up to 50 km’s wide in certain places. This means that the pan covers almost a quarter of the entire park! The park spans an area of 22,270 km2.
Etosha National Park is world renowned for the diversity of its wildlife including lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena, elephant, black and white rhino, large herds of giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, springbok, kudu, gemsbok, eland and a multitude of other fascinating species big and small.
Okaukuejo was the first rest camp to open in Etosha and is situated at the western end of the Etosha Pan. The big attraction of the camp is the large, permanent, floodlit waterhole. The source is a water-table spring, but boreholes are used to replenish the waterhole which is available all year round.
As you drive around Etosha, the wildlife ofter appears directly in front of you, crossing your path.
This is my Give Way selection!
Wildlife is abundant in Etosha. Here are some of my favourites
Etosha National Park boasts numerous other waterholes, including both natural springs and fountains and others fed by man-made bore holes.
Numerous birds can also be spotted in Etosha National Park.
Our last stop was at Okonjima Nature Reserve, home of The AfriCat Foundation. The Reserve sprawls over 200 square kilometres of undulating plains, mountainous outcrops, and riverine thickets, and it is here that leopard (Panthera pardus), the most adaptable of all the wild cats, thrive. The private reserve is situated half-way between Namibia’s capital, Windhoek, and the Etosha National Park. Established in 1993, The AfriCat Foundation started off as a sanctuary for Cheetah and Leopard rescued from irate, livestock farmers.
Other animals you can see in addition to those seen across Namibia include White Rhinoceros, Cheetah, Tortoise, Warthog, and a myriad of birds including European and Swallow-tail Bee-eaters, Lappet-faced and White-backed vultures, Monteiro’s Hornbill.
