I was guiding an 18-day private safari for a honeymoon with two couples. We traveled around the country for the first 12 days, seeing magnificent vistas and encountering some wildlife. Because my friends were so enthusiastic about Etosha National Park, we decided to spend the next 5 nights there, with a safari every day.
We arrived in the park around midday and set up tent in Olifantsrus for the first night. While on safari, we saw some incredible sights, but this afternoon was without a doubt one of the best of my life. It began with an elephant herd passing in front of us, a tower of giraffes drinking, and a honey badger taking a mud bath in the center, and ended with me stopping at one more waterhole at 5 p.m. before coming back to the camp to watch the sunset from the hide.
One of the reasons I like this region of Etosha is that it is quite quiet, and you may often have a sighting all to yourself. We approached cautiously because there was only one vehicle parked adjacent to the river, and one of my guests exclaimed, “Lioness!” Yes, it was! A lovely lioness sat out in the open, not far from the lake. I quickly noticed another animal drinking at the waterhole, although it appeared to be far smaller than the lioness… An actual leopard!!!
