Okaukeujo Camp

Afternoon game drive

Our first night at Etosha was at the Okaukeujo camp. It was the camp nearest to the Anderson’s Gate through which we had entered the national park. The camp compound seemed like a bustling metropolis compared to the quietness of the surroundings. We checked at the main lobby where there was a queue and also booked ourselves for an afternoon game drive. Then we used the washrooms, freshened up, fortified ourselves with coffee and waited for our driver to take us on the drive.

And what a game drive that was! There were four of us in the vehicle. The other couple, who looked to be older than us in age, had travelled from the UK. I perched myself up at the back. I got hit by the cold wind but I also got the best view. We started our tour with a view of deer, zebras and giraffes, kori bustards and ostriches.

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The first waterhole gave us a ringside view of a herd of elephants drinking water and their interplay with herds of zebras, deer and giraffes who also came along. The antics of the baby elephants reminded one of naughty human kids who put their parents’ patience to test.

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But nature had saved the best for the last. Our driver suddenly his phone and started driving at break neck speed; he arrived at a new waterhole, stopped the car and asked us to be quiet. And then we saw – the golden light of the late afternoon sun lighting up its rust coloured mane, a lion walked majestically towards the waterhole. Our day was made!

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Evening at camp

The rule of Etosha is that the camp gate closes at 6:30pm. We came back to the camp from our afternoon game drive with lots of time to spare and climbed up the tower near the entrance to witness another glorious sunset, this time over the plains of Etosha.

We spent one night at the Okaukeujo Camp. The star attraction of this camp is the Okaukeujo waterhole. We had booked ourselves a waterhole chalet, a small cosy hut which suited our purpose as the famed waterhole of Okaukeujo was right at our doorstep. Dinner was at the main camp building, we walked down from our chalet for the meal, the brisk walk was invigorating after a whole day in the car. The dining area was a big hall with a bustle. We sat on the covered verandah with a warmer to drive away the chill and tucked into the buffet.

Animal parade at night

After dinner we found a place on one of the seats at the edge of the waterhole and watched the show that was unfolding in front. A black backed jackal came, drank water and went away. A pair of giraffes could be seen observing the waterhole from a distance but they seemed content to stay away. Then the rhinos took over the arena. They seemed to be solo performers. No other animal came near as the rhinos trundled up one by one to drink water. No two rhinos came together barring a mother and baby pair of black rhinos. We saw a total of eight rhinos come and go at the waterhole that night.

Early morning in the camp

Morning presented a whole different picture. We had originally planned to go for an early morning game drive but gave up the idea after we sat up late mesmerized by the show of the rhinos. Instead, as the sky started lighting up, I wrapped myself in a thick jacket and walked out of the chalet with my morning cup of tea. And what a feast there was, for my eyes – a group of impalas were at the waterhole, enjoying their drink in the cold crisp morning air.

The next to come in were a group of zebras and then a pack of kudus. As I stood there, the kudus left after they had their fill and one group of zebras was replaced by another as some wildebeest came for their morning drink.

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As the sun rose higher in the sky, the camp revealed itself to be a collection of huts connected by a paved path set amidst gravel. We walked up to the dining area again, this time for breakfast.

Another waterhole

After breakfast, we drove north, about 25km out of the camp, to reach the waterhole named Okondeka. There was almost no water at this waterhole. It was a dusty and barren piece of land seemingly inhabited by wildebeests, impalas and ostriches.

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The wildebeest seem to be a big hurry as they galloped along raising a cloud of dirt in their wake. We killed the car engine and sat quietly watching for a few long minutes, did our photo taking and then drove back to the camp.

We had a cup of coffee each at the camp, took a trip to the washroom and then started on our 120 odd kilometres drive through Etosha to our next stop Namutoni camp.