We left the next morning, to go north to the Hobatere Lodge. We stopped at a gas station in Kamanjab, for its adjacent supermarket. We parked at the side of the building and were immediately approached by people selling trinkets, along with someone who wanted to guard our car. We picked up some snacks in the Spar. Back outside, I quickly used the bathroom. Brittany was nervous about going back to the car because two women had remained there, with large bowls of items they wanted to sell us. Going back toward the car, we reiterated that we weren't interested. I gave a token amount to the "car guard." We got in, and the two women leaned their heads right up to the car window and stared at us. We didn't feel inclined to fill up our tank with gas, so we left.
Two kilometers north of the Galton Gate was the entrance to the Hobatere property. The gate to the grounds had to be opened manually, so Brittany got out, opened it, and then closed it behind me. Just near the entrance, we saw our first pack of zebras. We drove slowly for fifteen kilometers, but did not see any other animals aside from birds.
We had reserved an afternoon game drive, which would begin at 4:00. Meanwhile, Brittany hung out by the pool and rescued a large insect.
I spoke to my parents on the phone, spotted some animals at the watering hole, and then chased around some small lizards for photos. We were the only ones on the game drive. Unfortunately, we saw pretty much no wildlife. We visited a spot that the lions often use as a hunting grounds, filled with bones. We passed a treehouse lodge room near the lion's den, where you could stay with supplies for the night and then be picked up the next day. I would have chosen this treehouse had I known about it. I asked our guide about the lack of animals and he was of his opinion that two hours was just not enough time for a game drive. If it were four hours, it would allow for a more thorough exploration, in case the animals were not close to the lodge. The property is thirty four square miles in size.
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| The only action was at the end, when we saw some running baboons. |
The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast and decided to watch the watering holes at the lodge. Three of the hotel workers were fascinated with Brittany's Fuji Instax self printing photos, similar to the style of polaroid. They had never seen one and were very excited to have their picture taken and then watch it develop in front of them. They went on and on about the photos and how they looked in them
We sat outside and were lucky enough to see a lion, who was growling and walking across the field near the farther of the two watering holes. Additionally, I watched the baboons climb the trees and use the watering hole.
We saw a pack of zebras again as we exited the grounds.
Just down the road from the Lodge exit was the Galton Gate. We stopped, in order to register our five night stay in the park. We spent the rest of the day driving eastward to Okaukuejo Camp, the first of three government camps we would stay in. Originally, the tour provider that I coordinated with had put us in more luxurious camps just outside the park, but that would require entering the park through the gate each day. No thanks!
Although the entirety of Etosha is fenced in, Jeremy pointed out to me that the area is larger than the state of New Jersey. We stopped at as many of the watering holes as time would allow. While driving through the park, I kept two cameras, each attached to a separate lens, on my lap. This was not comfortable, but was necessary.
This is what we saw:
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