On The Road

A selection of images from The Road - most taken during a recent trip:


The Outjo Maower - this Cool Cat and his Donkeys were nowhere to be seen ...

... he'd probably gone looking for help after suffering a Blowout.


Hmmm, I wonder if I should translate that message?

Ok ... it says "I've got a F#%*ing Reputation" - in other words, he's The Man!


A family of Warthog scramble under a fence, startled by the approach of the car.


Entrance sign at Camp Mara - the Metal Birds depict a species of Parrot endemic to the area.


This Kudu Bull jumped two fences then crossed the road and jumped another ...

... this jumping habit of theirs is especially dangerous at night and results in many road accidents.


Desert Balloon flights - I'd love to go on one but they're way too expensive.


A Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk feeds on roadkill - it has obviously been captured by Researchers at some time - notice the Ring on it's leg.


A Sociable Weavers' Nest forms a Cradle in a desert Tree - makes me feel like singing a Lullaby to them ...


A pair of Bat-eared Foxes warily watch the passing car.


A wreck in the Desert - it looks like the car rolled before catching fire - someones Namibian Vacation in ruins.

Driving on Gravel can be treacherous - especially for the inexperienced.


'World's End' a Guest Farm in the Desert.

'Biltong' is dried meat, similar to American 'Jerky' - Namibia is a Carnivore's Paradise.


A Mad Max type vehicle - it appears to have pumping equipment mounted on the back.


A Cheetah runs away from the Road - it was after Sunset and I only managed a few blurry shots.
Daughter Megan is arriving in Cape Town from London this weekend and I'm fetching her from there - my Internet connection will be sporadic for awhile ...

Take care Friends.

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Mahango Game Park

The Mahangu Game Reserve is in NE Namibia at the start of the Caprivi Strip. The Reserve is located on the Okavango River where the river flows into Botswana's famous Okavango Swamps - it's a tiny reserve and not that well known, even amongst Namibians.


The area is home to many ancient large Baobab Trees.


In Namibia, the Savannah Buffalo is found only in the Caprivi region.

One of the 'Big Five', buffalo have a reputation for being extremely dangerous, especially when wounded.


I think that these beauties are Wattled Cranes - this region is a bird watcher's paradise.


Baby Vervet Monkey - there are a few troops in the reserve, also Baboons.


Bateleur - an Eagle.


A Hippo peers from behind a bush - awesome creatures!


A closer-up shot - just got to love those lips ... :)


A road sign warning to beware of Elephants ...


I told you to beware - this display caused me to flash on a previous Hair-raising encounter with an Elephant.


An African Fish Eagle sits on a branch over the river.


Roan Antelope.


Yellow-billed Egret on a burned tree stump.
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A Jumbo Day In Etosha

I spent two days in Etosha with buddy Stretch - we traveled in his new second-hand Mini-bus Camper which has a cool hatch in the roof, great for Game viewing and photos:


Hand-crafted curios for sale just inside the Namutoni entrance gate.

I was disturbed to also see carved wooden Porcupines covered with real quills - saddened because I know that the animals the quills came from were probably caught in snares and died a torturous death.


We saw many groups of Elephant on day One - the first being these two bulls ambling along the road.

Strangely, on the Second day, a chilly wind was blowing and we didn't see one Jumbo.


Something I've heard about but never seen - people getting out of their cars and walking around at waterholes - despite being given a list of 'Dos and Don'ts' upon entering the Pans and signs at almost every waterhole saying 'Stay In Your Car'.

In one day we came upon four separate groups walking around at waterholes and Stretch, being bolder than me, minced no words when ordering them back into their cars.

For my part, on these occasions, I was disappointed at not getting pics of a Lion Feast ... :)


We encountered two separate pairs of Lion mating.


A Bus-load of Tourists jostle to get a view of the Big Cats doing the Deed.


An Elephant drinking at a waterhole - he surprised us by sticking his trunk through a hole in the ground to get to the water under the ledge ... considering the water level, this shows how long his trunk is.


A Kori Bustard takes off - these heavy birds don't fly very far, just enough to get out of danger.


Black and White.


Young Black-faced Impala drink at a waterhole.


Close-up of an Elephant drinking.

Etosha's Elephants are the largest in Africa but they have the smallest tusks.

Notice how small and worn his tusk is - due to a mineral deficiency in their diet.


A Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk surveys the world from the top of a thorn tree.


A small herd of Elephant approach a waterhole near sunset - the camp gates close precisely at sunset and sadly, it's impossible to linger at a waterhole as the sun goes down.
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More Road-trip Critters In Namibia

More critters seen on Road-trips in Namibia - most of the pics were taken on my last trip from the North:


A desert Dung Beetle with it's find - if I remember correctly this specimen was pulling the dung along, unlike most Dung Beetles I've seen which roll a ball and push it backwards with their hind legs.


En route to Büllsport early in the morning, this African Wild Cat ran across the road ahead of me and sat peering from the grass - it's the first time one has crossed my path.


A blow-up of the big-eared kitty - these wild cats interbreed with domestic cats.


A fuzzy shot of a dishevelled-looking Bat-eared Fox scurrying for the safety of the long grass - another 'first sighting' for me.


An unidentified Bird Of Prey soars above me.


A lone White Horse stands lost in the landscape.


A small herd of Springbuck stop to check me out.


A 90mm long Scorpion near the Orange River - you don't want to get zapped by this specimen - small pincers, fat tail = bad news.


A small herd of Mountain Zebra in he Namib Nauklauft Park. There are two species of Zebra in Namibia, the other being the Plains Zebra, which is found mainly in the Etosha National Park.


Two Zebras, One Ass.


I saw these animal symbols on a touring Camper-home in Grootfontein - it reminds me of the fighter pilots of old who put symbols of their 'kills' on their planes - is this guy trying to say that he's bagged all these beasts with his awesome caravan?


Related Posts:
Animals On The Road
Driving in Namibia - Animals On The Road

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Animals On The Road

Some of the animals I encountered and managed to photograph on my last trip North:


Two Horses graze on the sparse vegetation on the edge of the Namib desert - see the red sand dunes in the background.


A Namaqua Sandgrouse


A gang of Gnus - 'Blou Wildebeest' in Afrikaans.


This is the largest group of Ostriches I've seen.


Their bobbing heads looked too funny as they trotted away - Ostriches are known as 'Omo' in the Owambo language.


A family of Meerkats look ghostly as they peer at me through the dry white grass.


An Oryx - those horns are dangerous - I've heard about a wounded Oryx swatting bullets away with his horns but I'm sure that's a tall story.


Warthogs.


A Baboon scampers away as I try to get a pic. These rascals have been shot at so many times by angry farmers that if you aim anything at them, they scatter.


A fake Zebra at the entrance to a farm - I'm surprised that it hasn't been pock-marked by poachers ...
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