We say goodbye to the Sibold family and experience something very special just before we leave: a rain shower in August. We are assured that this is very unusual and the shower is only short and light. So we leave Onduruqueja in the direction of Omaruru and make rapid progress on the tarmac road. In Omaruru we quickly buy some fresh food and fill up the car with petrol.

From Omaruru we head towards Otjiwarongo, but shortly after Kalkfeld we leave the tarmac road because of the landscape and take the gravel track. There we see some wild animals again, e.g. warthogs, springboks and ostriches. The warthogs in particular seem to be curious creatures, as several of them are right on the side of the road and watch us as we drive past. Shortly before Outjo we come back to the tarmac road and soon reach the small and not very spectacular town. In addition to a petrol station and a few shops, there is also a nice café where we also find a geocache. Incidentally, most shops are closed today as a public holiday, the Herero Memorial Day, is being celebrated.

We reach the Anderson Gate of Etosha National Park early in the afternoon and register there in the African way: lots of lists with lots of data, which will probably disappear unedited as they are all handwritten. The information is, by human standards, as superfluous (vehicle type) as it is inaccurate (address "Munich, Germany"). The rest of the way is short, but takes quite a long time, as we are really lucky with the game sightings. Just behind the gate we see the first springboks and shortly after several giraffes, even with a half-grown foal. And so it continues with zebras and oryx antelopes...

Finally we reach the Okaukuejo camp, where we will spend the next two days. The children jump straight into the pool and we write our names on several lists. Then we enjoy the evening before and after dinner at the artificial waterhole, which is illuminated after dark. Here, in addition to the "standards", we see many giraffes, several elephants and even four rhinos. There are also smaller species romping around here, some of which we only have a partial idea of what they are.

Weather

Weather conditions during the stay: sunny.

Accommodation

Rating: All of the camps within the national park are state-run accommodations run by the conservation authority. Their reputation is accordingly bad and at least Okaukuejo lives up to this. The room is relatively small and the third bed is a mattress on the floor. Although everything is clean, our friends have to move first due to technical problems and then contact the service again. Breakfast is not really enjoyable and is served as a buffet. This also applies to dinner, where at least the freshly roasted meat is delicious. However, the side dishes are on a par with breakfast. All in all, a stay in the park, especially with the waterhole, is highly recommended and a stay in the state camp is a must. If you are a repeat offender, you will certainly get more comfort, service and luxury outside the park for less money.

Rating: This camp is a bit older, but seems much more comfortable than Okaukuejo. This is probably partly due to its smaller size and partly to the motivated service staff. The waterhole also seems more natural, as the seating has been well integrated into the hillside. In terms of the number of animals to observe, however, it cannot compete with Okaukuejo, despite elephants and a rhinoceros.

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