Wildlife in Etosha National Park Namibia 04 january 200727 November 2007
The park is home to a vast array of wildlife - over 110 mammal species, over 300 species of birds, and more than a dozen reptile species.
The amount of wildlife you see will depend on when you visit. During the rainy season and for some time afterwards, there may be water on the Pan, and lots of small pools may form around the park. This means wildlife is less dependant on the permanent waterholes, and as such are less likely to visit them. During the dry season these temporary water sources dry up and animals become dependant once again on the permanent water holes, and tend to remain fairly close to them, and this becomes more pronounced as the rainy season approaches again and water is more and more scarce. With game such as springbok, wildebeest, impala and zebra congregating around the waterholes, this acts as a magnet for the predators so sightings of Lion and other predators are better. August and September are good months for game viewing but are when the park is busiest with tourists.
For the best wildlife viewing, you have to arrange your day to fit in with the times when the animals are most active. This means when staying at one of the rest camps, you should set the alarm for before dawn ! This means you can be dressed and ready to set off as soon as the camp gates are unlocked and opened at dawn. This is the best time to see wildlife as most of them are active at this time. After a game viewing session, its a good idea to head back for a quick breakfast before another game drive in the morning. There tends to be little activity during the middle of the day due to the heat, so this is a good time to relax, have a short sleep, or remain at one of the rest camp waterholes. Then a final game drive in the afternoon as the temperature starts to drop is a good idea as the animals start getting more active as sunset approaches. At night, visiting the rest camp’s floodlit waterhole is another chance to get good game sightings - most of the sightings I have had of rhino in Etosha have been at the rest camp waterholes (Halali and Okaukuejo).
One Response to “Wildlife in Etosha National Park Namibia”
Etosha National Park Namibia Says:
November 27th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
[…] « Cape Cross Seal Colony Wildlife in Etosha National Park Namibia […]
Leave a Reply