Etosha Heights, Namibia

Merry Christmas! We were awakened by a passing rainstorm around 5am. We had to get up soon anyways so just stayed up and watched the rain over the plains.

It was still drizzling when we headed to the main lodge for breakfast, so we got to break out our new travel umbrellas we bought for the trip. We were the only guests so just left them to dry in the lodge when we went on safari.

We boarded the safari vehicle and headed out. We heard a lion rumbling in the distance. Drove through the reserve slowly, looking for animal tracks. I actually spotted a large bull elephant in the hills, munching away on branches as thick as my arm.

On the safari we saw lots of giraffes, some including an Angolan giraffe with very different markings than what we’ve seen previously. We also saw lots of bird species, and a turtle.

We returned to the lodge for lunch, and then had a few hours to relax before the afternoon activities. It was the first extended down time we’ve had and I used it to catch up on my blog and pics. We usually build in more down time to relax; however the excursions and safaris have lasted much longer than I expected. We’re still glad we saw what we have, even though it’s been jam packed. Woe is us :)

I skipped out on the afternoon safari so I could hang out at the photography hide. The three of us were driven down to the hide at 4:30pm (there’s predators about, so it’s not safe to walk), and then Heather and Marissa were picked up at 5:30pm for their safari.

I really enjoyed watching the animals from the hide (and got some cool pics too!) The hide windows are at ground level, and the perspective from that angle is great. Got some pics of giraffes drinking which I hadn’t seen before.

It’s easy to get focused on an animal through the lens and miss out on other activity around the watering hole. I almost missed a confusion of guinea fowl right in front of me. I only noticed when they started chatting with each other. I’ve always had trouble getting a good pic of one - they tend to run off at first sight of humans and like poor lighting conditions. Here I was able to get some in focus, with some bokeh to boot.

Also in the hide was Olwen Evans, the photographer who designed the hide for Safarihoek Lodge. She gave me a couple wildlife photography tips, for example that smaller birds love the puddles in the roads after a rain shower, and that low light pics usually look better in b/w.

Later we had our Christmas dinner in the lodge, including a roasted turkey. The staff provided a little entertainment, singing some traditional songs. I really like how Safarihoek promotes the local culture. Yesterday our server had provided click language translations for the menu options. We tried to learn thank-you, and sort of got it, minus the clicks. We really enjoyed our time at this lodge.