We were up very early this morning to set off at 5 a.m. on the first of two game drives in the Etosha National Park. The park was proclaimed a game reserve in 1907 and covers an area of 22,270 square kiometres.
The park was named after the Etosha Pan, which is located within the park. In Oshivambo, “Etosha” means “Great White Place”. A unique feature of Etosha is this vast salt pan, which temporarily becomes a shallow lagoon after a good rainy season. It had rained the night before our arrival but not enough to flood the pan. It must be a magnificent sight to see.
For the first part of our game drive we travelled in the dark and our guide pointed out animals by using a red light.
The highlight of this morning’s drive were the two pride of lions.
The mammals and birds in my photographs represent only a small amount of what we saw. Truly an amazing experience.
Aardwolf
Lionness
Jackel
Lion
Southern Red-billed Hornbill
Not sure – need to look at my bird book!
Kori Bustard – the heaviest flying bird in Africa
Springbok
Blue Wildebeest
Zebra
Lion cub
Giraffe
Ostrich
Spotted Hyaena
Click below for gallery of photos from this morning:
Martin's Bird Blog & Nature Photos 