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    Oct '15
    Namibia safari tour slide shows leopard walking through brush at Okonjima reserve
    Our first great leopard sighting at Okonjima before sundowners. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia wildlife safari image of Apex Expeditions travelers photographing resting cheetahs
    Apexers watching Bones, Spud, and Coco beneficiaries of the AfriCat Foundation. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia safari photo of black rhino walking in Etosha National Park
    Our first Black Rhino of the trip gently ambling near a watering hole. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia wildlife safari photo of white ghost elephants of Etosha
    Newbrownii waterhole sets the scene for these incredible white beasts of Etosha National Park. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia wildlife safari image of white elephants of Etosha National Park
    The famous, statuesque, white elephants of Etosha. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia expedition tour image of Himba boy holding a baby
    In Himba culture everyone pitches in to help watch over the babies. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia tour image of Himba woman wearing metal ankle jewelery
    A Himba woman's "purse". © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia expedition photo of Himba woman with mud-covered hair
    The Himba village beauty. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia safari tour image of Twyfelfontein lion and giraffe bushmen engravings
    The Bushman engravings of Twyfelfontein share tales of watering holes, game, and even travels to the sea. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia tour photo of white bark chestnut tree amongst red boulders in Damaraland
    The white bark of the Star Chestnut trees stood in stark contrast to the red boulders near Mowani Mountain Camp. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia expedition image of Welwitschia plant and Apex Expeditions travelers
    This Welwitschia is estimated to be 500-600 years old due to the length and condition of the leaves. © Giovanna Fasanelli
    Namibia wildlife safari tour image of desert elephant dust bathing in Damaraland
    Desert Elephant tracking ended in a superb dust bath finale at a farmer's water reservoir. © Giovanna Fasanelli

    Field Journal: Namibia Safari 2015 from Okonjima to Etosha and Kunene

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    in Africa and Expeditions

    Silly. Just silly awesome. Our Namibia safari has been nothing but amazing with hard-to-believe sightings of everything! The expedition kicked off with spectacular Cheetah and Leopard encounters in the Okonjima reserve, where the AfriCat Foundation has been passionately working to rescue and rehabilitate large carnivores caught in the crossfire of human-predator conflict. If we weren’t enjoying sundowners with the beautiful Leopard known as Shanti watching our every move from 50 yards away, we were walking with the famous trio of rescued Cheetahs (Bones, Spud and Coco), as they chased after escaping warthogs. The pair of floodlit Porcupines and Honey Badgers also delighted, as we marveled at the bizarre forms and behaviour of these rarely encountered nocturnal creatures.

    Etosha National Park put on a truly remarkable show from the very first game drive, where we left Spotted Hyena pups lounging beside their den to watch a handsome Black Rhino amble across the clearing. The sightings continued as we bounced from a mother Cheetah and her two cubs overseeing their fresh Springbok kill, to enjoying the interactions of a thirsty, breeding herd of elephants drinking happily at the waterhole, the babies still learning how to use their trunks! The safari journey across the park the following day yielded breathtaking numbers of Lions, along with another Cheetah family striding across the brutally beautiful Etosha Pan. Observing the statuesque, white bull elephants that dominated Newbrownii waterhole, their massive, ghostly forms caked in flour-white clay powder, was an utterly arresting scene and one so unique to this part of Africa.

    The waterhole of the adjacent Ongava property attracted yet more rhinos, including a wonderful White Rhino mother and her calf that were amicably greeted by a Black Rhino mother and calf. The two families seemed to know one another and, after a few friendly sniffs, they all quenched their thirst together in the silence of the night. It was only after they had moved off that the rarely seen Brown Hyena was able to do the same.

    Our Namibia safari continued into the majestic, geological kingdom of the Kunene region, where desert-adapted elephants roam the ephemeral river beds and Welwitschia plants, some as old as the Bushman rock engravings of Twyfelfontein, lie in messy heaps of tangled leaves upon stony ground. Experiencing the friendly hospitality of the Himbas in their far-away village was a wonderful treat, cameras going wild as we attempted to capture their exotic and enigmatic beauty. Our mountain lodge, Mowani, was something else altogether: nestled amongst giant, granite boulders we gazed out over the stunning landscape, layers of colors and textures that seemed to go on forever. After admiring the incredible ancient engravings of Twyfelfontein we spent the afternoon tracking the resident desert elephants, eventually watching them walk past us as we sipped our cocktails. Following the herd to the waterhole, we watched as they happily vacuumed up the life-giving liquid, taking time to spray the cooling water over their dusty, behemoth forms. Unbelievably, a herd of thirsty cows rushed towards the waterhole and pushed away the elephants into the gathering dusk.

    As we push ever westwards into some of the most remote regions of the Namib desert, we hope to explore the exquisite beauty of the dry Hoanib river and its desert-adapted wildlife, and to continue into the world’s loneliest coastline – the Skeleton Coast itself. Let the good luck continue… Stay tuned for more updates from our Namibia wildlife safari!

    Read more about our Namibia expedition: Namibia Safari

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