Waterberg Plateau

In the afternoon we arrived at the town Outjo and happily filled our tank which was far away from being empty. Then we decided for the first campsite along the street which was part of a Lodge so we could use the bar, internet and all other amenities and happily took chance of that. The lodge seemed to be the last stop for old-people-buses on their way to Etosha Nationalpark, so we were by far the youngest, but nevermind, we were busy internetting (after being a week off) and playing with the Kudu calf that was running around on the property.

Initially we also wanted to go to Etosha from there, but then we learnt about the Waterberg Plateau, a private game reserve with lots of rare animals, a 2 hours drive south from Outjo. So the next day we went to that reserve and booked a game watching drive for the evening, which was recommended to us. We found it very expensive, but expected to go on the plateau and see rare animals. Unfortunately that was not the case. We drove around in the bushes with 4 other Germans in a typical tourist vehicle and honestly, driving by ourselves through the countryside we’ve seen much more animals than on that guided tour. But okay, they spied out a couple of White Rhinos (brought into the reserve from South Africa, not even real locals!) which we could approach by walking up very close. We just had to give them a minimum distance and they were calm. Once they moved, we had to move as well to keep the distance. They were busy munching in the evening sun and appeared very peaceful. It was exciting to stand so close to them but knowing, that if they wanted, they could easily overrun us. And that was pretty much the highlight of the 3 hours drive. The inevitable springboks and kudus were everywhere of course and also oryx and warthogs could be easily spotted.

The one good thing about this reserve were the walking tracks, a much welcomed opportunity to move the legs instead of the wheels. Even though there was not much to see, as wildlife is more likely to run of when humans without cars approach, we enjoyed the little exercise.
Our pool at the campsite:

 the imported White Rhino