NAMIBIA: FROM ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK'S HALALI LODGE BACK TO THE WINDHOEK AIRPORT

As I mentioned in my last post, after a long day of driving more or less east across the length of Etosha National Park, we finally arrived at Halali Lodge. As at our previous lodge, we had a private cabin that was spacious and nicely appointed.

We even had a little patio in the back:

There was an African grey hornbill strutting around by the check-in area, a welcome committee of one:

NAMIBIA: ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK, DAY 2, OKAUKEUJO CAMP TO HALILI CAMP

After a good night's sleep in our Etosha National Park cabin, we got in a line of cars at the gate that were waiting to leave the lodge area and start driving around the national park. Visitors are not allowed outside the lodge fences at night unless they are in a national park vehicle. Our plan was to leave as early as possible, drive around for an hour or two, and then come back for breakfast and to check out before resuming our safari drive.

The gate opened at 7:15 AM, just in time for us to watch a beautiful African sunrise:

Dawn is a great time to see wildlife. Our first sighting was a pair of greater kestrels:

NAMIBIA: ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK, DAY 1, OKAUKUEJO CAMP

We paid our fee of 80 NAD/person/day (about $5.50 each/day), and drove into the park. Within a minute we found ourselves staring at a HUGE parade of elephants, 30 or more, grazing in the trees alongside the road, even crossing the road in front of us and the other 3-4 vehicles stopped there. It was the closest we had ever been to such a large herd. The herd included several babies--big babies, not newborns.

We were so close that it was difficult to get a photo with more than two or three elephants in it, making it hard to communicate the experience of being surrounded by these massive, ponderous beasts.

The bus in front of us gives perspective on how close we were to the herd: