Etosha State Park

Etosha State Park

This past weekend was spent traveling Etosha State park.  Etosha is a state reserve that covers 220,000 square kilometers of Namibia!  This reserve is home to the big five (lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalos such as wildebeest, and leopards) and many forms of antelope, browsers, and grazers.  It has terrain that ranges from tall and lush trees and bushes to the Etosha Pan, which is completely barren as far as the eye can see.  The drive was long and the road was bumpy but I saw some of the most amazing wildlife, beautiful scenery and amazing sunsets I have seen so far.  I took as many pictures as possible to share with you all but the pictures in no way can do the real image justice.  During our drive across the park we visited AfriCat (A reserve for rehabilitating cheetahs,) REST (The Rare and Endangered Species Trust,) The Mushara Bushman Camp (Where we slept in quazi-tents out in the bush of Africa,) Dolomite Camp (Where we stayed in cabins on top of a ridge that overlooked the countryside,) and many more amazing places.  I got to see a lion only 5 feet away from my car window, an endangered pangolin, (AKA the cutest little artichoke I’ve ever seen <3) watering holes with drinking rhinos, flamingos, and antelope of many kinds, as well as some of the most colorful and beautiful birds I have ever seen!

I could continue talking about the beauty of this place, but instead I’ll just let you look at the pictures and see for yourself.

Missing all of you back home and I hope all is well!  Enjoy the pictures and feel free to ask me questions if any arise! <3

This is the view from the main lodge at AfriCat, the Cheetah Rehabilitation Center and Game Reserve.

A Cheetah at AfriCat!!! They are so beautiful, but surprisingly, very lazy.

This is the view outside my cabin at Dolomite Camp, it was such a beautiful sunset!  Although I couldn't capture it in a picture, there was lightning striking in the clouds on the left only making the view even more surreal.

A Rhino drinking from a watering hole in Etosha!

We saw so many Zebras!  There are two types of Zebras in Namibia; The Plains Zebras and the Mountain Zebras.  These are a group of Plains Zebras, you can tell by the faint grey stripe in the white stripes of their coats.

This is a pangolin.  I had never heard of such a creature before I came to visit REST.  They are endangered because they are hunted for their scales just as the rhino is hunted for it's horn.  I feel so lucky to have seen and been so close to such an amazing, and frankly, adorable animal. <3

Tell me this isn't one of the most beautiful landscapes you have ever seen.  I could have stayed and enjoyed this view for hours.

A roaming Hyena!!!  I heard some while we were staying at camp one night, they may be cool to look at during the day, but they produce quite an eerie sound come nightfall.

This lion was in arms reach... I didn't test this theory but it made quite the pretty picture. :)

I know you have seen giraffes in pictures already but they are just so beautiful and I still can't get over seeing them roaming around everywhere!