Standing on the battlements of Fort Namutoni like a foreign legionnaire guarding Namibia's northern wilderness, the vast open emptiness of the "great white place" stretches as far as the eye can see.
Set amongst long stretches of arid savannah and scattered with waterholes and areas of lush woodland, Etosha National Park in northern Namibia has a huge salt encrusted pan at its centre the size of Holland.
Often perceived as a recent attempt to conserve wildlife, Etosha was actually proclaimed a national park back in March 1907, exactly 100 years ago, and today remains a natural sanctuary teeming with wildlife.
And it's not just Etosha that is celebrating its centenary. The glistening white Beau Geste style Fort Namutoni on the eastern side of the park was rebuilt in 1906 after a fierce uprising. Originally established as a control post for Rinderpest (foot and mouth disease) which broke out in 1896, the current fort dates back to the time when Namibia was German South West Africa, having been used as a police post, army base and even a prisoner of war camp. In fact as homage to its military past, a lone bugler still calls at sunrise and sunset from the fort's north-eastern watch-tower as the Namibian flag flutters overhead in the cool desert breeze. Somewhere below, hidden in Fort Namutoni's lush exotic grounds, garden sprinklers work overtime to the delight of the resident warthog family who revel and roll in the fresh muddy puddles. This elegant colonial fort is now a well preserved national monument providing historic visitor accommodation, and is certainly a rather unexpected and surreal haven as you approach through the surrounding wilderness.
Covering an area of 22,270 square km, the best time to view Etosha's diverse and spectacular wildlife is after the rains, when it's 114 mammal and 340 bird species are drawn to over 30 life-sustaining waterholes.
Because Namibia is one of the few places in southern Africa where it is possible to self-drive safely and easily, a visit to Etosha is very much a 'do-it-yourself' kind of experience. Situated in the north, 435km from the capital city Windhoek on a good tarred road, the gravel roads in the park are well maintained with clear route signs, and we had no problem at all in navigating around the park in a normal (2WD) hire-car.
There are three tourist camps in Etosha at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni, which are about a 2 hour drive from each other, offering a broad range of accommodation from camping, through to chalets and family bungalows. This year the rest camps inside Etosha are about to be refurbished and extended to mark the park's milestone centenary.
Each camp has a restaurant, bar, shop, petrol station and swimming pool, and most importantly an intimate floodlit waterhole, where only a low stone wall separated us from an abundance of Africa's wildlife. Unlike many national parks in southern Africa, it wasn't even necessary to get up at dawn from our warm cosy sleeping bag and drive into the park to search for Etosha's game – if you wait patiently at the waterhole, they'll come to you. However, even the audience for one of Africa's great ringside spectacles need a few props to enjoy the endless procession to the waterholes. I was certainly glad of my thermos, fleece, binoculars and camera when the cast of a thousand appeared at this vast open-air theatre, where the curtain was always up and the action kept rolling.
Convoys of guinea fowl were the first to arrive out of the cool early morning shadows, followed by red hartebeest jostled by herds of boisterous zebras and a harem of graceful spingbok. Tempers soon frayed with all the commotion and a pair of zebra stallions suddenly erupted in a bout of vicious biting and kicking in defence of their mares, and later, male springboks demonstrated their prowess with the clashing and jousting of horns. Throngs of grunting blue wildebeest herded their bleating calves towards the water, and gawky giraffes made an odd sight as they spread their gangly front legs and lowered their towering heads acrobatically to drink. Scanning the bleached calcite horizon paid dividends as lions approached menacingly from the skeletal wasteland like a threatening mirage, inevitably arousing acute neurosis at the waterhole. As they padded ever closer pandemonium broke out and turtle doves, sandgrouse and francolins blasted from the air like an explosion of fireworks and hundreds of hooves kicked up a dust cloud in a stampede to escape.
Best value flights to Namibia Air Namibia operates direct flights from London Gatwick to Windhoek (www.airnamibia.com) three times per week. Economy class fare is currently £430 (including all taxes) until 30th June, excluding Easter period. British Airways (www.ba.com) also flies to Windhoek
Car Hire All major car-hire organisations are located in Windhoek.
When to go The best time to view Etosha's prolific wildlife is from May to September when its dry and the game is concentrated around the waterholes.
What to take Sunscreen, hat, binoculars and camera equipment are essential and something warm to wear in the evenings and mornings like a fleece, when it can be very cool. Malaria is not considered to be prevalent but always check with your doctor before visiting.
Useful information • Advance booking for accommodation at the rest camps is essential on +264 61 285 7200 or email at reservations@nwr.com.na or visit www.nwr.com.na • Namibian tourist information can be found at www.namibiatourism.com.na. • Namibia—The Bradt Travel Guide by Chris McIntyre is the definitive guidebook to Namibia.
Once the waterhole had been claimed, the pride relaxed idly for hours, sometimes hidden behind rocks in an attempt to ambush the unwary in a sudden rush of bodies. Only a large bull elephant was immune from fear as he surged towards the waterhole in an arrogant stately manner, scattering families of gloriously ugly warthogs in alarm as they fled with their curly tales erect like rear antennas.
Interest and tension revived in late afternoon as the intense heat forced the wildlife to drink at Etosha's perilous waterholes in order to survive. Heads turned nervously, ears pricked, noses twitched and bristled, and another unnecessary stampede was only an alarm-call away.
As darkness fell a chill descended, and from somewhere out there the ethereal sound of howling hyenas, crying jackals and trumpeting elephants echoed back hauntingly. Overhead in the cold thin air a pearl-spotted owl hunted around the big spotlights, whilst activity at the waterhole below continued as black rhino materialised eerily from the night. Decimated in other parts of Africa by unremitting poaching, the ghostly pale reflection of their armour plated bodies was mirrored in the still water as these gentle beasts waded between the elephants. The waterhole at Okaukuejo is the most reliable camp to see these magnificent prehistoric warriors and sitting on our bench under the chilled Namibian night sky, we probably saw more black rhino at this waterhole than survive in most other African countries.
As difficult as it was to tear ourselves away from the constant wildlife carnival at the camps' busy waterholes, the largest and most spectacular pool of all lies beyond the low stone-wall. If the rains are good, up to 1 million migratory flamingos make an enticing sight through the steamy heat haze shimmering over the glistening white pan.
The park gates open between dawn and dusk and the 'great white place' is difficult to miss. Not only is the arrival and departure of up to 1,000 flamingos at any one time impressive, so too is the brave leaps and bounds into the pan by their desperate predators, as hyenas, jackals and even lion are attracted by this seasonal avian feast.
One hundred years on, as we sat mesmerised at the waterhole we raised and chinked our beer bottles to Etosha and toasted its history and success. Etosha is still one of the greatest and most exciting wildlife conservation sanctuaries in Africa and long may it continue to thrive.
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