Dear Readers, after Damaraland we headed east to Etosha National Park – we had four nights here, the first two in the Okaukuejo government-run lodge in the west. Etosha means ‘great white place’ and the 22,000 square kilometres of the place are centred on a massive shallow lake, over 100 kilometres across. it’s usually dry, but on the first night here we had the second enormous storm of the holiday, signalling the start of the wet season.

Sky before the storm at Etosha

What an amazing storm this was! Every time you thought it couldn’t rain any harder, it did. But this was just as well, because a few weeks earlier a charcoal fire on the outskirts of the park had started a fire that raged across a third of the park. You could still smell the burning in the air, but the plants were already starting to grow back, and everywhere there were baby animals and pregnant females, all hoping to feed on the fresh green vegetation.

The lodge here was fine – a bit more basic than some of the others, but perfectly adequate. And close to the restaurant you could sit and watch the masked weaver birds constructing their nests.

There is also an impressive waterhole where you can sit and watch the comings and goings. Naturally, we went to bed ten minutes before a pair of rhino turned up, but no one could complain about the sheer range of animals that we saw.

This lovely placid male elephant paid us very little attention: he’d been bathing in the mud which turned him pale grey.

There were lots of Plains Zebra….

…and the inevitable springbok. Oh, and these guys – there was a group of five young males. The springboks were on to them, though….

Later in the day we found a lioness with some very curious cubs. The female had been collared (part of the lion research project here).

The ground squirrels had already had their babies….

Oh, and here are some more springboks…

What a wonderful day this was – some people suggest that it’s better to visit Southern Africa before the rains start, as the animals are forced to use the remaining bodies of water, making it easier to find them. Well, I’m much happier to see the wildlife looking a bit more relaxed and happy, even if it does make them a little bit harder to find. It makes the sightings so much more special, and it’s a joy to see the animals able to drink to their hearts’ content. There is a feeling of relief in the air, and I loved it. Plus, as we’ll see tomorrow, the rains bring all sorts of plants to life.