NAMIBIA - Andersson's Camp, Etosha/Ongava Game Reserve

Located in central-northern Namibia, Etosha National Park takes its name from the world famous Etosha Pan - one of the many large salt pans formed by the wind in this flat region.

Etosha National Park is Namibia's premier wildlife destination and is almost the size of Switzerland. Large herds of plains game concentrate around the waterholes in the dry season, whilst the sporadic rain that falls during the summer months produces a profusion of new life - with pronking baby springbok and comical young wildebeest.

Etosha means 'great white place' in the local language, appropriately derived from the blinding white salt bleached earth that stretches over 70 miles east to west and 34 miles north to south (covering over 3,000 square miles). Etosha National Park itself covers a vast area of over 12 400 square miles, protecting an amazing diversity of fauna and flora.

The Etosha Pan is a parched wasteland most of the time, but occasionally a few rivers and the unpredictable heavy summer rains can fill the pan. After particularly good rains, Etosha Pan can attract over a million flamingos to its salty waters. The salty nature of this environment does not support much vegetation, but its edges give way to a surprising variety of vegetation types.

A low row of dolomite hills, evocatively called the Ondundozonanandana Range, provide relief to the flat surroundings and harbour populations of the endemic Anchieta's dwarf python and the local subspecies of rock hyrax.

The Ongava Game Reserve was formed in 1991, when shareholders of Ongava converted four unproductive cattle ranches into a highly productive 30,000 hectare private game reserve which is now a haven to large concentrations of wildlife. The boundary is unfenced, allowing wildlife to move between the Ongava Game Reserve and the Etosha National Park.

Andersson's Camp takes its name from Charles Andersson, the Swedish explorer who first 'discovered' the Etosha Pan with Sir Francis Galton in 1851. The camp is located in the Ongava Game Reserve, on the southern boundary of Etosha National Park. Game viewing is very good here all year round.

 

ACCOMMODATION:

Andersson's was an old farmstead which has been tastefully rebuilt, with the farmhouse now forming the main area of the camp. 20 tented guest rooms extend outward from the main area, built on raised decks, each with an en-suite bathroom, double-door entrance and verandah. The camp is a model of eco-sensitive lodging and provides an authentic, safe and down-to-earth experience for small groups, families and independent travellers to Etosha National Park. Energy-saving initiatives include solar-heated water for showers, while throughout the camp most of the natural vegetation has been retained.

ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE:

Most general game is present in the Ongava Game Reserve as well as within Etosha National Park. Game includes springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, Burchell's zebra, Hartmann's mountain zebra, waterbuck, red hartebeest, giraffe, eland and the endemic black-faced impala.

Elephant and lion frequently move between the Park and the Reserve, as do both black and white rhino.

From Andersson's Camp, guests can also visit numerous springs and pans in search of lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, red hartebeest, black-faced impala, black rhino and white rhino. The plains game is always in sight: wildebeest, zebra and springbok.

Birdlife around Andersson's Camp within the Ongava Game Reserve is prolific, with over 340 species to be seen - amongst them 10 of Namibia's 14 endemic bird species. The Sociable Weaver and its enormous communal nests fascinate visitors. Miniature Pygmy Falcons and the brilliantly coloured Crimson-breasted Shrike (Namibia's national bird) are sought-after by birders. Ostrich, the immense Kori Bustard and raptors like Greater Kestrel, Lanner Falcon and Pale Chanting Goshawk are found in abundance.