Thu Aug 06 2026
Mount Etjo
Our last stop before Windhoek. Mount Etjo.
Amazingly, Edie slept well despite spending most of the night on a hard concrete floor! Everybody else was definitely well rested after a night on oversized memory foam mattresses!
We packed up and made our way to the restaurant - as we were in a family chalet, it included breakfast, so we found a seat and gorged ourselves on bacon, sausage, egg, pancakes and cereal!
We checked out and made our way to the park gates and came across a family of warthogs (or bush pigs? We are not quite sure of the difference!).
Back on the road, the first few km were a continuation of the dirt/sand road we had used to approach the park, but we soon turned on to a main road, sealed, fast but still relatively empty.
As we headed towards Mount Etjo, there was wildlife everywhere on the side of the road. We passed family after family of warthogs, then almost came a cropper as a small antelope (possibly a Dik dik?) wandered into the road straight in front of us, but with some heavy braking (not easy when driving a 3 tonne truck) and some aggressive swerving, we were able to avoid it. Unfortunately the same couldn’t be said 5 minutes later for the driver that overtook us at about 150km/h. Just ahead of us, another small dik dik walked out and the driver didn’t spot it until it was too late. The dik dik probably didn’t feel anything, but it was an unpleasant spectacle for us, as we again swerved to avoid the carcass. A few tears later, and we carried on our way to Mount Etjo.
We turned right from the main road onto another dirt track, this time protected by a gate. We drove down it for about 20km, then came to another gate, this time entering the Mount Etjo private reserve. They must have a real problem with poachers as the signage was very ominous. This land was protected by:
- CCTV
- Armed Guards
- Dogs
- Unmanned aerial devices (drones)
- Helicopters
They let us through, and we made our way to the lodge, about 20km further down the road.
We drove through the gates and found an amazing landscape next to a dried river bed. The lodge itself was tranquil and luxurious, with very friendly staff who talked us through all the activities and set up. We were camping about 3km down the track and were not allowed to walk outside the campsite, but the campsite area itself had long walking trails (more on that tomorrow).
We wandered around the grounds of the main lodge to get the lay of the land, and were confronted by a flock of flamingoes! A bit more walking and we came to the pool - a large but very cold pool surrounded by sun loungers. We immediately knew what our afternoon activity would consist of! A bit more exploring and we found a luxurious lounge, and they pointed out the bar, all of which we were free to use, even as campers.
We made our way to the campsite and found a lovely secluded area with a private amenities block, outdoor shower, a firepit with a tall surround to keep the warmth in and the wind out. And a private water hole (with a bunch of Kudu drinking on arrival!). This looked like a great place to spend our last couple of nights in Namibia.
As we had to drive between the campsite and the main lodge/resort, we partially set up camp, had some noodles for lunch then headed back to the pool. We also decided that we would try a slightly unusual activity that evening - Lion feeding! We were a bit unsure, as we didn’t want to feel like we were in a zoo after all the safari drives, but thought it was worth it to see lions in their natural(ish) environment.
We went back to camp, cooked up a nice braai with burgers and massive t-bone steak, then waited for our collection at 21:00 to watch the feed.
The safari truck picked us up and took us back to a track just outside the main lodge. We travelled up it for 10 minutes, then reached a mysterious concrete tunnel/arch. We jumped out and went in to find a dimly lit viewing gallery with bench seats, made entirely of concrete with metal bars for windows. In front of the windows was a large part of a springbok or some similarly sized animal chained to a concrete platform. Intrigued, we listened to the guide who told us that the lions were completely wild and free to roam in their 5000 hectare reserve, and they were free to hunt for themselves, so we may or may not see them feeding on these easy pickings.
We sat there staring at the piece of meat for a good 10 minutes while the guides switched their vehicles on and off and flashed their lights, presumably to get the attention of the lions way off in the distance. The girls saw shadows in the distance of four legged beasts (I didn’t see anything!), then a guide rushed in and said they would be appearing. from the left in the next few seconds.
Sure enough, like a well choreographed display, a male ran in from behind the bunker on the left and started tearing away at the meat. He fed for about 15 minutes, then got up and walked off, at which point two more lions (a lioness and her almost fully grown cub, we think) ran in, one of them taking the dominant position with the meat, and the other obediently sitting there watching it eat. There was some debate whether the feasting lion was the mother or the cub, but it had its fill until rudely interrupted by the big male who was back for more! When he was finished with seconds he got up and walked off and the others never made a repeat appearance at the table, lurking in the shadows, and the show was over!
Whilst it certainly wasn’t like seeing truly wild and free lions, it was actually a much better experience than we expected and we all enjoyed seeing their sheer power and strength at ground level and so close, listening to the meat get torn off the bone and the bones getting cracked and ripped in front of our eyes.