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ctually, you can expect good game viewing in Etosha at any time of the year, but wintertime is exceptional for several reasons. It stopped raining a few months ago, so the veld is dry by now and the game must visit the waterholes to drink, which increases your chances of seeing the big cats that hunt their prey. The summer grass has faded to yellow, and is flattened by countless hooves, making visibility excellent for spotting prey and predators, and all the smaller creatures that delight and surprise and the weather is so pleasant in winter that you could even swim in the pools at the camps!
But let’s pause for a moment to consider. While Namibia is truly a big-cat country, with enough space and uninhabited areas for these magnificent creatures to still roam free, nowhere will you have a better chance of seeing lions, leopards and cheetahs in their natural environment than in Etosha.
You do have a chance of sighting cheetahs on the gravel roads that criss-cross the country. You might even be lucky enough to spot a leopard crossing the road at night, as I have done. On an organised trip, if time and resources allow, you could also gain a glimpse into the lives of the legendary desert lions – an extraordinary opportunity for a few. But for the best value and chances of sightings in winter, Etosha is the place to be.
So where will you find big cats to photograph? All the camps in Etosha are equally good for game viewing most of the year round, so perhaps two nights in each would give you a variety of opportunities and backdrops.
Entering at Anderson’s Gate, first up is Okaukuejo. This area is renowned for good lion sightings, as well as for encountering cheetah.
- At Okaukuejo you can simply sit at the in-camp waterhole after dark and wait for lions to arrive. Needless to say, nothing is ever guaranteed!
- Or you could be out at first light and head north-west past the airstrip, to search the plains for lions. A good place to end up would be Okondeka waterhole, with its resident pride. They move up and down the edge of the pan as well as inland, but often just laze around under the acacia bushes on the left of the road, doing what lions do for about 20 hours a day – rest!
- Ombika waterhole near the Anderson’s Gate and the open plains to the east of this waterhole are a good bet for cheetah early to mid-morning.
- Nebrownii waterhole, just 7 km east of the camp, sometimes has lions, with great early-morning back-lighting and outstanding front lighting in the afternoon. When it’s hot, cubs sometimes take shelter in the culverts close by.
2 Comments
Luck is certainly key. On two visits I have never seen lions near Okendeka or Sueda areas. But was stunned to get loads of females and a few males at Klein Namutoni. Other than that, on first trip saw pair of lions mating near Dolomite and male at Okakuejo waterhole in the evening; one distant leopard from Dolomite. Hope for more on trip next year.
Thanks, for this interesting article Annabelle. Another informative website for Etosha for the dry but rainy season as well can be found here: https://www.besttime2travel.com/etosha