As we drive along highway C40, from the Rhino Camp parking lot towards Etosha National Park, we see small villages. Houses spread out, one or two small shops or bars, dusty yards and very few people about in the heat. This is the real Africa to us.
Also along this highway we come across this sign…..
So we start looking hard for elephants. The elephants are elusive, but guess what crosses the road right in front of us? A giraffe! A giraffe!!
We are staying tonight at the Hobatere Lodge, a 16 km drive on a dirt road. The drive is easy co pared to what we were travelling looking for black rhinos. The lodge is a step down from the swanky places we have been staying. Boy, a person can get spoiled really fast! The best part about this lodge is that it has two watering holes easily viewed from the lodge.
After supper, once it had turned dark, we went to the viewing platform to see if there were any animals at either watering hole. A very nervous jackal made his way to the close one and drank deeply. He is very skitterish and keeps looking around between lapping up water.
He takes off and then Murray spots movement at the far watering hole. Holy Cow! It’s lions! There is a male and about six females and one youngster. They also drink deeply and then sit for a rest before padding regally into the bush. This is a great start to our self-drive safari inside Etosha National Park.