Playing it by the book

Curious to see what we'd find at the little dot on the map titled Sprokieswoud (translated from Afrikaans as 'Ghostly Forest'), Kev and I skipped breakfast to make the 90km trek to the other side of Etosha. Stopping in Okaukuejo on the way, I finally picked up a guide book (a bit late considering this is our last day here) which gives you a chart of the animals you're likely to see at each waterhole. Although we've been doing quite well on our own so far, I highly recommend picking up one of these, especially if you're eager to hunt down the big 5 (which is actually not possible since there are no buffalo in Etosha). For a tiny book, it's a bit expensive at R100 (although not quite as bad as the R600 the lady tried to charge me before I pointed out her error), but while it's already falling apart, so far it's proven to be invaluable. Thanks to it, we know that the gnarled phantom trees were mangled by the elephants feeding on them. This is the only place in the world that they grow on a plain, an unexplained phenomenon, as normally the Moringa trees find protection on rocky hillsides. Only in a country of grasslands and desert dunes could this loose collection of trees pass as a forest. As they're situated in lion territory, leaving the car to get more interesting pictures of them is out of the question (the nearby picnic area is enclosed by a rather formidable fence), which was a bit unfortunate.

Our verdict: unless you've got little else to do, are very interested in weird botanical features, and are staying at the nearest rest camp, rather just get a postcard. At least the drive there is a scenic one, with the usual herds scattered about. Instead of heading straight back to Okaukuejo for lunch as planned, we followed the guide book's suggestion to check out a far-flung waterhole on the way, which is the only spot where water can be found in the area during winter 'and at this time is frequented by thousands of animals.' This was no exaggeration, we soon discovered, offering Kevin ample photo opportunities of game set against the white salty backdrop. We even spotted a poor little mouse scurrying away from a cape fox.

The book also includes little write-ups about the animals (although no mention is made of Kev's little 'crocodiles' that we saw two more of today), so we read about the ground squirrel as we passed dozens of them foraging along the side of the road. The book clearly warns that travellers shouldn't feed them because they then learn to wait in the road for vehicles and could get run over accidentally by bird watchers with their eyes in the air. Clearly, few take heed of this notice because, as we stopped to film the little critters having lunch, they came right up to the wheels of our bakkie hoping for tidbits. We had to wait for them to lose interest before driving off to ensure we didn't unnecessarily create roadkill and end up feeding the jackals instead.

Arriving 30 minutes too early for lunch, we decided to check out the Okaukuejo watering hole. To our amazement, the pool was very busy, with zebra and springbuck coming and going. Some gemsbok (which kev keeps referring to as oryx, highlighting our very different cultural backgrounds) decided to go in for a dip, making for interesting pictures. We wondered why they choose to live in the desert when they appear to love water so much. Some warthog, which the book claims are unlikely to stop by, had a quick drink as well. By contrast, a herd of kudu cautiously took their time, with the four male buck keeping a sharp eye out for trouble. They needn't have worried about the two jackals pacing back and forth, however, as they did little other than occasionally frighten the zebra out of the water. Two of the black and white striped youngsters got a bit bored, so they began fighting with each other. It appears that, to win the game, one needs to force the other's head down, creating a lot of dust and squeeky yapping sounds. I think we'll easily be able to spend the rest of the afternoon here before heading back to our camp.

The book says Halali waterhole is the best spot to wait for a leopard, and pulling an all nighter practically assures a sighting. I doubt I'll be able to convince my husband to try that, especially since we have a full day of driving ahead of us tomorrow. But maybe if I ask nicely, we can get up early and see if one comes by after a nocternal hunt. I've given kev enough late mornings so far, I think.