The Borneo Three do Namibia - September 2023

March 28

Introduction

Some people may recall one of my previous trips, “Sleepless in Borneo” where a group of us had a lovely time hallucinating from sleep deprivation whilst not seeing a clouded leopard. Well three of us who were on that trip decided to plan another trip together, (yes, I know!) and this time I think it was me that suggested Namibia, having read quite an interesting itinerary that Pictus Safaris ran there.

A big draw was of course all the mammals and this time it would not be (for me at least) a single species quest, so I was excited that we had a number of targets to look for. Whilst we were not successful on every front, we did manage to see over 70 species of mammals.

My itinerary was as follows, with the two guys staying on for a further week in the desert and along the coast.

2 nights Erindi Old Traders Lodge

2 nights Okonjima Plains Camp

3 nights at Sikereti camp in Khaudum

1 night fly camping in North Khaudum (Khaudum Camp)

3 nights Ndhovu lodge

1 night Namutoni Rest Camp Etosha

1 night Halali Rest Camp Etosha

2 nights Okaukeujo Rest Camp Etosha

2 nights Dolomite Rest Camp Etosha

1 night Hobatere concession

2 nights Palmwag Lodge (Damaraland)

1 night Cape Cross Lodge

1 night Spitzkoppen Lodge.

All credit for organisation of this tour has to go to Jason, https://wildglobetours.com/ and who, along with Jens, made up our trio of participants. Jason did all the planning, all the negotiations with the lodges, organised all the activities that could be booked in advance and he also organised a hire car. The plan was that we would be using a combination of self-drive activities, with Jason and Jens being the drivers of the group, combined with guided activities for some of the private concessions/lodges.

The only thing left for us to do was to sort out our own flights.

22/9/2023 - Day 0 - In transit

The fun began almost immediately as we all had different flights arranged via Lufthansa. My connection was the earliest at 1330, and we allowed so much extra time that after dropping me off at LHR, I think Ian actually got back home to Norwich before I even departed.

Jason and Jens on the other hand both had quite tight connections. They were due to arrive between 2000 and 2030 and our connection was due to depart at 2155. Whilst I waited in the terminal at Frankfurt a storm of biblical proportions engulfed the airport, pounding it with torrential rain! Well suffice to say this really messed up the guys’ flights!

I was willing them to arrive in time to board, but their flights were getting more and more delayed. As I was starting to board, I knew Jens had landed but Frankfurt is so vast that he did not make it to the gate before they closed it. It didn’t help that they closed it about ten minutes earlier than they were meant to!! Poor Jason had no chance. It was really annoying that I was then sat in the plane on the runway knowing that the guys were right there in the airport unable to get on the flight. But worse still, we were meant to be all going together to pick up the hire car to drive to the first lodge. So I was in a bit of a bind as to what to do. Before departing I made a few urgent enquiries and managed to line up a taxi transfer, whilst the guys urgently tried to rearrange their flights and get a bed for the night.

March 28

23/9/2023 - Day 1 Windhoek to Erindi

I landed at Windhoek at 8am, connected to the wifi to be met with relief as Jason informed me that he had received a very kind offer from Henry Fernandes of Sikereti Camps at Khaudum National Park to take me at no extra charge the approximately 223 kms north to the Erindi Private Game Reserve and that he would be waiting for me in arrivals. Henry was renting us the hire car, a 4x4 Landcruiser 76 and we would also be staying at his camp later in the trip. So I quickly connected with him to thank him and let him know where in the arrivals process I was and then cancelled the other taxi I’d booked.

I changed money and then we grabbed a quick coffee for the journey. I had hoped to purchase a local sim card as well but the network was completely down in Windhoek so we couldn’t get one organised. This would cause us a few issues later in the trip. Henry was great company and he runs a local printing firm as well as managing Sikereti camp. He’s used this to print a little photo book of Khaudum park which of course, given his generosity of spirit, I felt compelled to purchase as a souvenir.

Along the way we encountered a troop of Chacma Baboons, a couple of Warthogs and a few Tawny Eagles on the main road. From the turn off it’s about a 40km drive through the park to the camp. I saw two zebra, a few impala and some giraffe, all of which I would see plenty of later on. I didn’t have my camera unpacked at that point so I didn't take any pictures. We arrived in time for lunch at about 1245 and I said my thanks to Henry. Before he left we discussed that I had a private transfer booked from Sptizkoppen Lodge to Windhoek for my return journey. Henry advised me to cancel it as he would be able to sort me out with a cheaper transfer back, we left the details to be sorted out later on as there was no rush to organise it at that moment. I think Henry found it useful to take me to Erindi as he’d never been to Erindi and so was able to get a flavour of the place before he departed.

I had one of the luxury suites, overlooking the small waterhole. It was a lovely room, although on a trip like this one I really don’t get a lot of time to appreciate it as I’m out most of the time. The bed was, however, very comfortable from what I can remember.

Erindi waterhole by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Lunch was a nice buffet style and the restaurant overlooked a waterhole where there was often something going on. A few waders, including Little Stint and Three-banded Plover, as well as some common bush birds such as Kalahari Scrub Robin, Crimson-breasted Gonolek, and various starlings frequented the bushes around the waterhole as did some skinks. A striped snake slithered across my path, (not identified or photographed as it was too quick but guessing it might have been a striped sand snake), and Hippos and Crocs were there when I arrived. I spent time relaxing around the waterhole until my game drive. I filmed a crocodile that I believe was displaying in the water as the water seemed to be vibrating around it. I was in contact with the guys who had managed to book themselves onto a new flight via Addis which would get them into Windhoek the following morning. So I was hopeful they would join me for the afternoon drive.

P9230090 Crimson-breasted Gonolek by Jo Dale, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2pin6Rj

]Kalahari Scrub-robin[/url] by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P9230204_02 Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P9230227_01 Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P9230353 Red-billed Spurfowl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Purple Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Wild Dog by Jo Dale, on Flickr

As Camp Elephant has now closed, self-driving is no longer allowed at Erindi. Luckily for me this meant that Jason had booked all activities with the lodge and I had a private guide named Carel (pronounced Coral)! The first activity was an afternoon standard guided game drive from 4.30pm to 7.30pm. I was surprised by the weather. I had expected Namibia to be wall to wall sunshine at this time of year but in fact it was very grey and overcast and starting to rain.

We first came across some Angolan Giraffes crossing the road in front of us. Then I was delighted to encounter a pack of 18 African Wild Dogs, one of my favourite African mammals. They were mostly sticking around some quite thick bushes but we were still able to enjoy watching them for a while. I don’t think they were actively hunting, they just seemed to be hanging around the area.

African Wild Dog by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Eventually Carel persuaded me to move on to allow other visitors some time with the dogs, I reluctantly agreed! It seems they try and keep to one car per sighting here to maintain the private feel to the sightings. So we went to look for some other animals. We saw a good range of other game, including Eland, Red Hartebeest, Steenbok, Impala, Springbok, Blue Wildebeest, Gemsbok and Greater Kudu. We passed a Kori Bustard, as well as an old giraffe carcass before we managed to track down a pride of four lions, lazing about. We spent a good amount of the afternoon with them before heading back, on the way into camp we found the wild dogs again, but they quickly moved off into cover.

Blue Wildebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Kori Bustard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Steenbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We returned to the lodge for dinner and then went out again. The evening private guided game drive should have been from 9pm to 12am, although we left as soon as I was done with dinner. Overall though, it was a bit of a washout with the weather deteriorating into strong wind and rain showers. We persevered for a while, sighting Common Genet, Elephants, a brief Bat-eared Fox, a couple of Cape Hares and a nice Spotted Eagle Owl. We also had a Marsh Owl but I didn’t manage to get a photo. It at least gave me a chance to try out my new thermal attachment for my phone, which worked pretty well and certainly impressed Carel.

Cape Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P9231357_01 Spotted Eagle-Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

P9241390 Cape Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sunset at Erindi by Jo Dale, on Flickr

March 28

24/9/2023 - Day 2 Erindi

Bat-eared Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr

With the weather much improved we were out early for our extended morning private game drive from 6.30am to 11.30am. We first spotted a lovely Bat-eared Fox, a few Dassies in a rocky area and then a male White-quilled Bustard AKA Northern Black Korhaan strutting around. Carel knew where a pair of lions had been seen the day before so we made a beeline for them, and sure enough after quite a bit of searching in thick scrub we finally managed to track them down and what a pair they were! One was snoozing away but the other one was posing more nicely for a photo, with the early morning sun setting the edge of his mane ablaze.

Rock Hyrax by Jo Dale, on Flickr

White-quilled Bustard AKA Northern Black Korhaan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Kori Bustard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

After spending some time with the lions we made way for another group and went to try and track down a leopard. En route we found a gorgeous tiny little giraffe calf with its mum. Carel’s skill with the radio-telemetry meant that after some tracking we did manage to locate the female leopard, although she wasn’t easy to locate in the thick bush of this part of Erindi. We were rewarded with a nice sighting of her. She was on the move, patrolling her territory, making use of the local termite mounds to get a bird’s eye view of her surroundings.

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

She was moving with a purpose and the bush was getting thicker and thornier and another couple of cars soon joined us. Given that we felt we’d had the best of the sighting by this point we let her go and moved on to see what else we could find. We came to a more open area where we found Springbok, Waterbuck, Kudu and more giraffes. A pair of Yellow Mongoose were also located foraging by a termite mound. I also had a brief sighting of a slender mongoose.

Springbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Waterbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Greater Kudu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Impala by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Yellow Mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

I should also note that they offer Pangolin tracking here and Carel and other guides did try to locate one for us during our stay. However it was not to be here and, given our next stop was Okonjima, Carel advised not to worry too much about finding one here. After that it was time to get back to the lodge for lunch and some down-time. But it’s hard to have down-time when there’s always something going on at the waterhole at the restaurant and I watched a steady stream of visitors whilst enjoying a couple of ice cold Savannahs. Of note were a herd of Red Lechwe (introduced here beyond their normal range), a beautiful male Sable, Elephants and a whole bunch of hippos which left the water and climbed to the ridge overlooking the waterhole. The scenic backdrop here makes for some lovely photos.

Hippo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Warthogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Red Lechewe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Red-winged Starling by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Nile Crocodile by Jo Dale, on Flickr

lizard sp by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

March 28

We were out again for our afternoon safari, and we didn’t get far before we spotted the Wild Dogs again. This time I was able to spend as much time as I wanted with them, which was most of the afternoon and we were able to follow them as they travelled around the reserve. We didn’t see them hunting, but it was still lovely to see the pack interacting. We were also hoping the guys would make it in time for part of the drive, as we were pretty close to camp. Unfortunately it became clear they were still some miles away and hadn’t yet entered the park by the time the dogs eventually moved into an area where we couldn’t follow.

African WIld Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr

At this point Carel suggested we move on to go and find a family of cheetah, and who could argue with that plan! We got to them in the late afternoon so the golden light was playing on their beautiful spotty coats. The cubs got up and started to play around a termite mound, one of them was noticeably smaller than the others. Mum kept a wary eye out while they frollicked around. As before, we had the best of the sighting and the family moved into thicker scrub as other vehicles arrived. I think at that point we got word that they guys were on their way to the lodge so with it getting towards dinner time we decided to head back to meet them, get an early tea and then get out early for the night drive.

Mole Snake by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sure enough there they were, when we got back and I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief that we were together in time to move on to our next lodge. The guys were naturally itching to get out on a drive, after being a bit gripped off by the success I’d had already, so we ate quickly and were soon out the door again. Before we even left the lodge we stopped for a Pearl-spotted Owlet and then on the drive a small mouse-like thing caught our eye, but it was not a mouse, it was a Bushveld Sengi. We got our first Brown Hyena, too far for photos but I did get some interesting thermal imagery of it. An African Wildcat was hunkered down under a bush and we had a few Springhares bounding around.

Arriving back at the waterhole by our rooms we were surprised to find another Brown Hyena, but I think the hyena was more surprised to find us as he quickly moved away behind a hippo. Of course it was at this moment that I needed to change my camera battery so I missed getting more than a record shot, though I needn’t have worried! A Cape Hare provided interest with a silhouette shout against the waterhole lights. We stayed up for a while in the hope the hyena would return but it was not to be. Black-backed Jackals were also present though none came close enough to photograph and we would not be short of views of those on this trip.

Pearl-spotted Owlet by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Bushveld Sengi - Elephantulus intufi by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Wildcat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Hippo & Brown Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Cape Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr

March 28

The title of your trip report is giving me geographic whiplash. What a productive time for Namibia! The brown hyena were out in force, escorted by a hippo. Nice mole snake among everything else.

March 28

What wonderful sightings so early in your trip. A shame about your companions but good to see you finally met up!

March 29

Sorry that you had such a mixed-up start to your safari, however the early sightings certainly paid off. Love the introductory photo of the brown hyena.

March 29

Thanks all! Yes a rather inauspicious start for my companions that's for sure and I was having kittens waiting for them to arrive, I can tell you that!

March 29

25/9/2023 - Day 3 Erindi to Okonjima

Erindi by Jo Dale, on Flickr

White-browed Sparrow-weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

The guys were keen to see the cheetah family, black wildebeest (which we wouldn’t see elsewhere) and get better views of the wild dogs, so we made those a priority for our morning drive, beginning with the Cheetahs. They were in the same area as before, and again were playing around on the termite mounds, it was such a treat to spend time with this family!

Cheetah by Jo Dale, on Flickr

On our way to look for the wildebeest, we passed some Kopjes where a troop of Chacma Baboons were on the move climbing the rocks and foraging for their breakfast. They were particularly dark individuals, almost black in colour. We also surprised an African wildcat whilst we were checking some high ground for radio signals.

Chacma baboon by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Erindi by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We came out onto an open plain surrounded by red hills where a nice herd of Black Wildebeest were galloping around, making for an impressive vista. Ludwig’s Bustard, Lappet-faced vulture, a Verreaux Eagle Owl and a Common Scimitarbill added some avian interest to the drive.

Black Wildebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Springbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

On the way back towards camp we stopped off at the two male lions that I’d seen before and then paid a brief visit to the wild dogs who were resting by a boma. After the drive we said our goodbyes to our guide and finished packing.

Ludwig's Bustard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

South African Ground Squirrel - Xerus inauris by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Grey-backed Sparrow-lark by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Lappet-feced Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Verreaux's Eagle Owl by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Wild Dogs by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

With a bit of a drive ahead we decided to get lunch at the lodge before we headed out. It should have been a transfer of 158kms to Okonjima Nature Reserve, which was meant to take less than two hours.

March 29

You're off to a great start @kittykat23uk, even with the travel challenges. I have to say I want aware that Lufthansa flies directly into Windhoek, so just that info is very useful for me! I would definitely like to see some of the species you've already shown, and from the tags it seems there might be some other treats to come.

Out of curiosity, what were the temperatures like?

March 29

Thank you, I'd say it was mostly warm, bordering on uncomfortably hot a lot of the time.

Also, re the flights it's branded as lufthansa but was outsourced to discover airlines. I 'discovered' that this airline is such a bunch of cheapskates that they don't include any alcoholic beverages on their complimentary in flight service, despite the flights costing over £1100! What is the world coming to?! 😩😩😩

Edited March 29 by kittykat23uk

March 29

The dogs are so beautiful. I actually love that last one of them all lying down. I also love the lions lounging on their backs. Great sightings and photos!

March 29

Thanks for the pangolin tracking hint at Erindi. "I had expected Namibia to be wall to wall sunshine at this time of year but in fact it was very grey and overcast and starting to rain." On several of my recent trips to Africa and elsewhere in the world, I could have expressed that same sentiment. Fortunately all the animals found the overcast weather amenable per your photos.

March 30

Yes, it was only really that evening that the rai had any impact on my trip and for the rest of our stay the weather was fine.

March 30

Okonjima

Unfortunately we took a wrong turn and ended up exiting the park through the wrong gate, going west instead of north-east, leading to a rather lengthy detour to get to Okonjima. The guys in their rush to get to Erindi also didn’t manage to get a local sim card and none of our phones seemed to work on the Namibian network. Which made navigation a bit tricky as we could see our position on google maps but not plan a route and no one had a physical map either.

We arrived late in the afternoon at Okonjima Plains Camp. The 220km² reserve, Okonjima is the home of the Africat Foundation. AfriCat Foundation is a non-profit organisation set up to conserve and protect Namibia's wildlife – with a focus on carnivores. On the way in we spotted both Plains and Mountain Zebras.

Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Self-driving is not permitted in the reserve. As with Erindi, private activities cannot be booked in advance but Jason had provisionally requested certain activities for us which we reconfirmed on arrival. As a result of the “failure to take a left turn at Albuquerque” we missed our afternoon activity, but we managed to rearrange things to squeeze an alternative activity in on our last morning instead. We did have time for a nighttime activity and opted for the Pangolin tracking experience.

There are also three self-guided hikes of between 4kms and 6kms and trail maps are available at reception. The guys decided to go and do a short hike in the last few hours of the afternoon whilst I opted to relax in our sumptuous “view room” and enjoy the expansive views of Okonjima’s Grasslands with a nice sundowner.

Springbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Dinner was served in the massive restaurant and we were told to wait and relax there whilst the trackers went out to find the pangolins. Soon enough we were called to board the game vehicles. Pangolin tracking proved to be a popular activity with the guests so we shared our sighting of a single female which had been tracked with radio telemetry at Okonjima. To avoid disturbing the pangolin too much the guides used red light only and we were advised not to use our own light on the pangolin. This made photographing it a bit tricky and I have had a go at converting some of the shots into a more pleasing monochrome scheme.

Ground Pangolin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We were able to follow her foraging for a good amount of time, and at certain times the pangolin would come right up to peoples’ feet, sniffing around. But there was definitely a point where she had clearly had enough attention and picked up speed. At which point the guides called time on the activity. Despite the size of the group, it still felt like a very special experience to see this rarely seen and highly endangered mammal.

Edited March 30 by kittykat23uk

March 31

26.09.23 Day 4- Okonjima

Okonjima offers a range of activities, from pangolin tracking, leopard tracking, to regular game drives and visits to the Africat foundation. We opted in the morning to do the leopard tracking. As with Erindi they make use of radio-tracking to find the leopards although there’s still no guarantee that the leopard you are tracking is going to be in an accessible area and it took us a couple of hours to locate one. Before that we came across a pair of Black-backed Jackals feeding on a giraffe carcass, with vultures trying to muscle in on the action.

waterbuck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

White-backed Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Black-backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Lappet-faced & White-backed Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

We located a young male leopard in some dense bush which took quite a lot of effort to bash our way through. But it was well worth the effort as we were able to observe some very playful behaviour as the leopard tossed a dead genet about in an apparent game of catch with himself. I don’t know if the scent of the genet was like some kind of drug like catnip but he was absolutely obsessed with this genet, tossing it into the tree, leaping up to retrieve it, only to throw it and pounce on it to carry it back into the tree again.

African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Once the game got old, the young leopard finally lost interest and headed off for a patrol, stopping once in a while to scent mark a tree, before carrying on. At that point we needed to start making our way back to the lodge. We spotted a few Violet-eared Waxbill & Green-winged Pytilia as well as Grey Go-away birds on the way back.

African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

In front of the restaurant is a waterhole and there was often a pair of Black-backed Jackals prowling around looking for scraps. It also attracted a range of birds including African Hoopoe, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Familiar Chat, Mariqua Flycatcher, weavers, bulbuls to name a few. Mammals included Springbok and Common Duiker.

Great Rufous Sparrow by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Cape Glossy Starling & Lark-like Bunting by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Violet-eared Waxbill & Green-winged Pytilla by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Go-away Bird by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Burchell's Sandgrouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Black-backed Jackal by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Hoopoe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African hoopoe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Mariqua Flycatcher by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Little Swift by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Laughing Dove by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Three-banded Plover by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Black-fronted Bulbul by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Kalahari Scrub-robin by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Familiar Chat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

March 31

After lunch we decided to take a look along the entrance road (since it’s possible to drive at least to the gate and back, and there was a waterhole worth checking out). We found a large herd of magnificent Sable alongside some handsome Gemsbok, so it was worth the drive out. On the way back we also got our first views of a band of banded mongoose.

Springbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Chinspot Batis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Southern Masked Weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Cardinal Woodpecker by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Pale Chanting Goshawk by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sable Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Gemsbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Warthog by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Banded mongoose by Jo Dale, on Flickr

March 31

We got back in time for our afternoon game drive and in this case we opted to try the endangered species drive. This includes looking for some of the rarer carnivores other than leopard. On our way to look for our first target we came across some Namaqua Sandgrouse and Damara Dikdik. We soon got a call that the rangers found us these big guys in a dried up river bed. I think it’s quite well known that Okonjima Game reserve holds a population of this species, and that they are constantly guarded by an anti-poaching team.

Namaqua Sandgrouse by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Damara Dik-dik by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Steenbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Southern White Rhino by Jo Dale, on Flickr

March 31

What I was really hoping for was a Brown Hyena. Our guide got a call from another group to say that one had been spotted, but it was some distance away. We were very keen to go for it and so we made a beeline for that area and I’m so glad we did because we had an amazing experience with this beautiful lady. Apparently a leopard had made a kill but the hyena had chased her off the carcass and was trying to tear it up into smaller pieces - seemingly to try and take some of it away with her. There was speculation as to whether she might have a family to feed. There was no sign of the leopard, and we were able to observe the hyena in perfect light for about an hour. During which time she would return to the carcass several times. She got thirsty eventually and headed off to a nearby waterhole. The water itself did not look particularly inviting in terms of drinking as it seemed very muddy, but that didn’t put her off as she slaked her thirst. After drinking she moved off over the rim of the waterhole and was lost to view.

Brown Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited March 31 by kittykat23uk

March 31

Since it was getting on for late afternoon we needed to start making our way back, but the drive was by no means over and we joined the hunt for a leopard which was making his way through some blocks of dense vegetations, our guide expertly positioned our vehicle to catch his emergence from one block as he crossed a track before disappearing into some thick stuff again. Despite some offroading and bush-bashing we didn’t get anything better than that view.

African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

On the way we still had time to stop off at a Bat-eared Fox den where three individuals were warming up in the last of the afternoon sun, offering some fantastic views. They are such cute little canines!

Bat-eared Fox by Jo Dale, on Flickr

After that we drove up to a lovely viewpoint overlooking the reserve to have sundowners. Jason had been talking earlier about really wanting to see a Dassie Rat, but he’d gone off somewhere whilst the guys were setting up the drinks and nibbles. To my surprise one of the guides pointed out a little rodent sitting on the rocks and declared “oh look there’s a Dassie Rat!” I was like, “oh really.. Where’s Jason?” I looked around, couldn’t see him, “Jason!!! Jason!! Come quickly, DASSIE RAT!!!” I exclaimed. Well I have never seen anyone so excited to see such an unobtrusive little creature but he came running over and was ecstatic to see this little dassie rat. It was quite cute, I’ll admit.

Dassie Rat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Okonjima by Jo Dale, on Flickr

After the Dassie rat had been thoroughly appreciated, we headed back for dinner and then went out again for an evening drive. The highlights were another Brown Hyena, a single Small-spotted (Common) Genet, several Cape Hares and Springhares and two Cape Porcupines, which were initially poor views due to the use of a red filter light, but we did manage to see one of them a bit better when Jason used his own spotlight. Unfortunately all I got was a rear end shot.

Cape Porcupine by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Cape Hare by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Okonjima by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Thermal Scoped Brown Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

March 31

27.09.23- Day 5 - Okonjima to Khaudum

We were meant to be leaving early because it was a long drive to Khaudum National Park which was to be our next stop, however we decided to stick around for a final early morning game drive. It probably wasn’t the wisest move but the guys were really keen to catch up and make the most of our time at this reserve. Creatures of note included a dark morph Gabar Goshawk, Red-billed Duck, Red Hartebeest and we were lucky to locate another leopard, although the views were not as good or prolonged as our first sighting. It was soon time to leave for Khaudum.

Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Scaly weaver by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Gabar Goshawk (dark morph) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Red-billed duck by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Red Hartebeest by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Leopard by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Burchell’s Zebra by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Blesbok by Jo Dale, on Flickr

The transfer is approximately 612 kms east to Khaudum National Park, which is one of the best and least known national parks in Namibia. En route we saw a relatively large herd of Blesbok beyond their natural range on a private reserve between Otjiwarongo and Otavi. We were going with all haste to get to the gate before closing time, being mindful that we did not have a means of contacting the camp and that we were advised the gate would be locked at 1800. Our luck failed when we got our first flat tyre. It was baking hot in the midday sun and no cover to be found. Thankfully a local couple pulled up to assist us and gave us some pointers on how to position the jack safely, which wasn’t in the same position that Henry had advised Jason to use when he picked up the car. They were also able to help by getting a message to Sikereti Camp who were able to hold the gate for us. We also arranged to meet Henry’s brother in the nearest town to the park, Tsumkwe, to refuel for the duration of our stay at Khaudum, as he was in the process of bringing in the game vehicle that we would be using for some of the activities. He was also our host and camp organiser for the time we were there.

Khaudum National Park is located in the far northeastern region of Namibia just to the west of the Caprivi Strip. The park covers an extensive area of 1,483.4 square miles (3,842 sq km). The national park is one of five national parks located in this far northeastern region of the country. The other parks include Bwabwata National Park (our next destinations), Mudumu National park, Mangetti National Park, and Nkasa Lupala National Park.

Khaudum is situated in the Kalahari Desert which is dry between the months of April to November. Hnoma, Cwiba, and Khaudum are three rivers that traverse through the park during the rainy season contributing significantly to the survival of the ecosystem. The park consists of short dry forest and dry acacia trees which are thicker along the riverine areas. The forest around the three dry rivers is characteristic of Kalahari forests. These areas are also thicker with thorn bushes. The riverbeds are often characterised by peaty-bogs thick with reeds and in some cases water lilies. This is the epitome of the African wilderness. The area is remote and unspoiled.

The roads in Khaudum were quite sandy and reminded me a lot of Kgalagadi. Our first sighting was a Black-chested Snake Eagle, but it was already late by the time we got into park and visibility on the way to the camp was generally not great. I assume we didn’t see anything else of note that evening, because I didn’t take many pictures! We got settled in and had dinner in what seemed to be a half-built lodge. It was very spartan and work was still being done on the patio and pool. I’m sure it will look nice once finished. In contrast our rooms were very comfortable permanent safari tents. Images can be seen at https://www.khaudum.com.na/ Henry’s brother, Edwin, invited us to join him in a few after-dinner drinks and we discussed our plans for the next few days, including making arrangements to get the tyre fixed.

Black-chested Snake-eagle by Jo Dale, on Flickr

As mammal watchers, we were hoping to do some night drives in the park as there were a range of nocturnal mammals worth seeing here that would not be encountered elsewhere. The problem was that self-guided night drives are not permitted in Namibian national parks and night drives are not currently offered at Sikereti Camp. Henry had advised Jason that we had been granted special permission for guided night drives of between three to four hours and these were included within the programme and costed for all three nights at Sikereti Camp. However the situation on the ground was somewhat different to that promised (I won’t go into the details, but as a result we did not have a night game drive that evening). To be honest, I quite enjoyed the relaxing night off.

March 31

28.09.23- Day 6 - Khaudum- Sikereti Camp

Out at first light we had a morning with herds of Elephants and Roan at the local waterholes. A stunning male Lion was also pacing around roaring for his brother and a journey of Giraffes were feeding on a ridgeline.

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Roan Antelope by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Lion by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Angolan Giraffe by Jo Dale, on Flickr

I think we arrived back in camp around late morning and as the roads are pretty bumpy I decided to have a break and so I hung around there looking at the local camp birds whilst Jason and Jens decided to go for a quick drive before lunch, promising to be back by 1230. Well 1230 came and went, 1300 came and went, 1330 came and went and it was getting on for 1400 so I decided to have lunch without them. I asked Edwin at what point do we send out a search party, bearing in mind that we still had no cell coverage and that on the day we arrived another couple had got lost in the park and a search ensued to locate them. So I was naturally a bit concerned as we really had no idea where they had gone. Well soon after I’d finished my lunch the guys turned up, apparently having taken a wrong turn. They’d had trouble finding their way around as the roads in the park are all dirt and sand tracks and the elephants have this cute little habit of kicking the little concrete signs around. There is a map but if you get turned around you could be in some trouble as the guys found out. No joke, it was like that maze in “Labyrinth”. But thankfully all was well.

Chinspot Batis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill by Jo Dale, on Flickr

After they’d had a quick lunch, we headed back out again. The park is really quite remote and I don’t think we actually encountered anyone else. The wildlife was much the same as the morning, we added Smith’s Bush Squirrel, White-backed Vultures, Lilac-breasted Roller and Magpie Shrike, more Elephants and Roan, Kudu and so on.

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

White-backed Vulture by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Greater Kudu & Roan by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Greater Kudu by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Smith’s Bush Squirrel - Paraxerus cepapi by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

The moon above Khaudum by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Bush Elephant by Jo Dale, on Flickr

If I remember correctly, Edwin had managed to organise with the authorities for us to check a pump at one of the waterholes (I think it might have been one called “Dusi”) after dark which got us out for a sneaky little night drive, which turned out to be longer than planned because he misplaced the trail from the waterhole back to camp! So we spent a bit of time driving around trying to relocate it and I was beginning to worry if we were even going to make it back to camp that night! The drive turned out to be productive, yielding an as-yet-unidentified Bat, a pride of Lions, an African Wildcat, tons of Springhares, including a pair mating, an Aardwolf, a few Lesser Galagos bounding through the trees, a Spotted Hyena and a Black-backed Jackal feeding on a carcass. I think we eventually got back to camp around 1 AM.

sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Lilac-breasted Roller by Jo Dale, on Flickr

magpie shrike by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Sunset by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Bat sp. by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Lions by Jo Dale, on Flickr

African Wildcat by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Springhare by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Aardwolf by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Lesser Galago (Bushbaby) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Spotted Hyena by Jo Dale, on Flickr

Edited March 31 by kittykat23uk

March 31

Some very cool sightings so far, impressive.

April 1

What wonderful brown hyena sightings! Drinking and everything. Did the Okonjima staff indicate how rare or common it was to see the brown hyena thre? I'm guessing the brown hyena is more frequent than the dassie rat. I'm glad the little guy was "thoroughly appreciated." The leopard activity was also very cool at Okonjima. I love those spring hares. Mating? I see that was your conclusion as well.

Such variety!

Edited April 2 by Atravelynn

April 1

Great report Jo! The brown hyena experience looked awesome!

The Borneo Three do Namibia - September 2023

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