Three weeks of Nature / Wildlife watching in Namibia

I can help a little with Etosha and Lüderitz. 2WD is fine for Etosha, and that park alone will give you ample opportunity to photograph elephants, ostriches, rhinos, lions, plains and, I think, mountain zebras, and probably cheetahs too (I've seen them there). I don't think I've seen a single secretary bird on two visits there, and I'm not sure about mountain zebras. Tons of gemsbok and other wonders, though.

I'm not sure six days isn't too long for one park--it's entirely up to you, and I wish I lived a lot closer myself. But you may want to spend just one night at Namutoni and three at Okaukuejo.

I liked Lüderitz town itself and saw seals near there too. It may not be worth a drive in itself--I was on my way back to Cape Town.

Edited by: chriskean1

6 days in Etosha is fine or some may say, too long - especially given the charges : you don't say whether or not you are camping.

2x4 cars are fine for 95% of your likely route - 4x4 is really only necessary for serious off-road driving and the last few Ks down to Sususvlei - there is usually a shuttle that will take you the final part through the soft sand.

However, there is anyways a big debate on here whether 2x4 or 4x4 is appropriate. I laso go for 4x4 as they are tougher for the good but bouncy gravel roads and they give a higher position for game viewing.

Game viewing is always down to luck - you may be lucky enough to see Desert Eles wandering through your camp in places like White Lady but who knows !

A couple of places that are my favourite to visit are :
- Eppua Falls : right up on the Angolan border
- Nakluft NP campsite : a great small site with signposted walks into the hills.

In the past I've used ATI as a source of information and booking of accommodation, vehicles etc : always been very happy. There is also The Cardboard Box that offers a similar service.

http://asmithsramblings.blogspot.com/</a>

On Etosha, the gravel roads are well maintain so 2 wheels should be fine. 6 days would be too much for me but may not be for you depending on your interest.

On Brandberg/Twyfelfontein, the road is gravel and not flat or straight as in Etosha. With luck, you may run into desert elephants here.

On Cape Cross seal reserve: It is flat tar road between Swakopmund and Cape Cross, so 2 wheels should be fine. The reserve is on the coast so anytime there should be fine though my guess is it could get foggy by late afternoon. So best probably best visit in the morning. The seals are smelly so not sure if you want to be around them for more than 1 hour.

Not certain if it worths a trip to Lüderitz for penguins or not. The road there from Swakopmund can be rough. If you do hit Cape Town on this trip, see penguins there either at Betty's Bay (R$10) or Boulders Beach(R$40). (See my Cape Town picture set if you want to see what Betty's Bay penguins look like.)

Sossusvlei is beautiful. Hopefully you'll land a right guide who can give you history of the place as well as explain to you about desert life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngadventure/sets/72157625578378522/

6 days in Etosha will not be too long. There last September we saw lion every day over 10 days from one side of the park to the other! We also saw cheetah hunting which was a first in several visits. The roads were NOT maintained then in many cases and our two wheel drive was exceptionally uncomfortable as the corrugations were very deep in places. Hopefully that situation has been rectified but given it will be the dry season you could find the same circumstances. If you can afford the extra expense I would get at the least a car with higher clearance and good suspension. Two days at each camp is good but I wouldn't pay the prices for the chalets unless you are treating yourselves - I would camp (even then the prices are steep). The camp shops are pretty hopeless so stock up well beforehand. Have seen several secretary birds on each visit usually out on open plains. Rhino mainly at night at the waterholes at Okaukuejo and Halali (often 2 or 3 at a time!) but occasionnally during the day also. Ostriches quite common in Etosha too.

Thank you all for your very helpful answers!

I have two more short questions for now:

Is it nessecary to book campsites in advance ( we will probably bring our own tent )? We will probably know the exact time three months prior to the trip, and I read that accomodation must be booked a very long time in advance.

How is the malariarisk in dry season? I once contracted malaria ( in Uganda ) and I don't EVER want to have that experience again!

Again, thank you very much!

I think if you book your campsites as soon as you know your dates then you have peace of mind. Don't bother trying to book through Namibia Wildlife Resorts themselves, they are very inefficient - use a booking agency ie namibweb or namibiareservations on the net. Malaria risk is lower in dry season but take your meds anyway :)

We went on the nature drive out of the lodge at Twyfelfontein and saw dessert elephants. They say it is about 50/50 on that drive.

I have only been to Namibia once, and we rented a 4x4. That said, I cannot imagine the discomfort of some of the roads in a 2 wd. I know people do it, but some of the roads were not well graded and were quite rough. In Etosha there were a couple of roads to water holes that were very deeply rutted. I know I was glad to have the 4x4.

I would say a 4x4 is a must at the Brandberg, for seeing wildlife, driving down dry river beds & across the Tafelkop & stunning views plus the Welwitchia Mirabilis prehistoric plant.