From Cape Town we flew to Walvis Bay, a very nice small town in the Namibian coast built around a shallow bay full of windsurfers. A walk along the shore before meeting our guide produced our first Damara Tern, hundreds of Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Chestnut-banded and White-fronted Plovers, and many other common shorebirds. After meeting Markus at our guesthouse, we drove to several nearby locations along the Namib-Naukluft National Park in search of the endemic Dune Lark (which we found) and Gray's Lark (which we didn't, yet).


Walvis Bay

We passed the famed and so often photographed Dune 7, sadly scarred by the tracks of dozens of quads and motorbikes. Leaving it behind, we had the unexpected sight of a pair of Ostrich with six small chicks in a completely barren desert area; one has to wonder at such a large bird's ability to find food for themselves and their offspring in that environment.

Unfortunately, our rather tight schedule didn't allow for more time around the beautiful dune desert; drives and walks away from the tourist-ridden areas looked very promising.

The evening of our arrival Markus located a pair of the endemic Hartlaub's Francolin on the boulders right behind the lodge, and we found them again at first light next morning. On these and other nearby rocks we also found Rockrunner, Freckled Nightjar, and the first of many Rock Hyrax. At night, we found several Turner's Thick-toed Geckos and a beautiful Velvety Thick-toed Gecko hatchling, apart from an unidentified scorpion.

The hottest parts of the day were spent relaxing around the pool area, where Warthogs were attracted by the fresh grass lawn and birds like Marico Sunbird, Black-chested Prinia and XXX could be seen in the bushes. We had seen our first Namib Rock Agamas at Spitkoppe, but here they were considerably tamer and both males and females allowed closer looks.

Warthogs grazing at the lodge

After our two nights at Ai Aiba we drove north to our next stop, Erongo Wilderness Lodge , a superb tented camp located in a secluded valley, surrounded by imposing granite blocks.

Erongo Wilderness Lodge

During the drive from Ai Aiba we found some interesting desert birds, like the Gray's Lark we had missed around Walvis Bay and, best of all, a pair of Bürchell's Courser on the roadside. Although we would see three more at Etosha, this was one of my favourite sightings in the whole trip.

It was a pity that we only had one night here, as its possibilities seemed endless. The place is a photographer's dream: the lodge's restaurant and bar overlook a close-by rocky outcrop on which there's a small permanent puddle that attracts a wide variety of local birds and mammals.

Small-spotted Genet

During the day, flocks of Rosy-faced Lovebirds visited it regularly, together with Violet-backed Starling, Acacia Pied Barbet, Green-winged Pytilia and many others. The Lovebirds allowed us to witness their unique habit of stacking nesting materials under their feathers in order to carry them to the nest. Rock Hyrax and Dassie Rats joined the birds feeding at the rocks. At night, we had surprises like a Porcupine and a Small-spotted Genet coming to drink.

The open woodland areas surrounding the lodge can be explored on foot. On a long afternoon walk we saw Red-billed and Damara Hornbill among many other birds, and had great views of both adults and a youngster in flight. We also caught a glimpse of a Western Rock Elephent Shrew running across a trail, and were able to locate it underneath a bush.

I was very happy with the views we could snatch through the branches, but later we had the great luck of seeing one right in the open near the lodge's rocky puddle. I don't think I've ever seen any animal running so fast. A pair of rather tame Damara Dikdik lived near the lodge and allowed very close views in the evening.

Rock Hyrax

At night, the lodge's swimming pool was full of colourful Marbled Rubber Frogs (Phrynomantis annectens) calling incessantly and looking like pieces of candy. The pool's permanent water allows them to call year-round, not depending on the rains. Rock Hyrax were common within the camp's grounds, improbably balancing on the thinnest of tree branches.

Our last stop in the Erongo area was Huab Lodge , an extraordinary place by the Huab River surrounded by rolling open woodland and scrub. The unique main lodge building itself would be worth a visit: a huge open thatched roof accommodating several different ambiences, overlooking a waterhole and the woodland along the Huab river. As almost everywhere else during the trip, the food was delicious.

Striped Tree Squirrel

Much of the land surrounding the lodge has been gradually purchased and incorporated to a large reserve, created to protect the local Elephant population and species like Hartmann's Mountain Zebra that survived the onslaught that took place until the 80s by aggravated farmers. Although we just used it as a one-night stop on our way to Etosha, the lodge and the surrounding reserve deserve a much longer stay. The short time we spent there was extremely productive: we found unexpected birds like Madagascar Bee-eater on one of our drives, saw our first Rüpell's Parrots and, best of all, a group of Bare-cheeked Babbler, one of Namibia's most engaging endemic birds.

They live in small family groups that move incessantly along river habitats, making them quite unpredictable, and easy to miss on a short trip. They showed up near the lodge's kitchen building and stayed for a while, noisily looking for scraps. Another nice find near the lodge was the highly localized Striped Tree Squirrel. Reptiles were abundant around the lodge, and we found and a number of interesting day geckos.


Away from the lodge, the delay of the rains and the resulting draught became apparent when we saw a number of Kudu looking starved and dehydrated, with a few dead ones every now and then. Oryx (or Gemsbok), however, looked plump and as equally at home in the arid rocky landscape along the river and the desert plains of Etosha.