During our seven-year stay in Namibia Rob and I never had the opportunity to visit the Khaudum National Park on the north-eastern side of the country. The reason for this is that the roads in the park are sand, very deep sand, which become treacherously muddy after rains. To enter the Khaudum visitors need a minimum of two 4WD vehicles equipped with enough fuel, food and water to last for at least three days. Caravans and trailers are not permitted. Understandably, this remote and wild park has very few visitors.
Fast forward about nine years and we saw a self-drive guided adventure tour being offered by Kwando Adventures, which included a visit to Khaudum. The beauty of a this kind of tour is that you and fellow travellers drive in convoy with a tour leader, who takes care of all the formalities, like border crossings, park bookings, and campsite selection, as well as providing fabulous dinners. For us, having an experienced tour leader and other travellers meant we had people to rely on for assistance if our vehicle got stuck at any point during the trip. What a pleasure!!
The drive from Tsumkwe to Sikeretti is about 40 km but takes roughly two hours to cover. After deflating our tyres to handle the sand, we set off on our Khaudum adventure. It didn’t take long for the sand road to claim it’s first victim. During our visit at least three vehicles got stuck and had to be rescued, ourselves included. This all added to the fun of the expedition and each rescue became an “event”. Navigating your way through thick sand is a great learning experience for drivers as it takes skill to maintain the correct speed to avoid getting stuck.
The park is home to most of the common animals found in Southern Africa, with enough predators like lions, leopards, wild dogs, cheetahs and hyenas to keep one on high alert in the unfenced campsites. The park boasts a diverse range of antelope species. Among them are those found throughout Namibia, such as oryx, eland, kudu, steenbok, and duiker. However, some more exceptional species can also be spotted, including the swift and nimble tsessebe, as well as sable and roan. Of course, elephants are found in abundance and it is wonderful to watch them interacting at the waterholes while they bathe or drink copious amounts of water.
During the summer, when migratory birds make their way to the park, the area becomes home to an impressive array of more than 320 bird species. The locals that visited our campsite in the early mornings didn’t disappoint.
Unfortunately, during our visit, we missed the thrilling experience of any predators venturing into our campsite. That would have taken our adventure to a whole new level. Still, our time in Khaudum was filled with remarkable moments and treasured memories. I think we can now tick off all the parks in Namibia as having been explored thoroughly.
At least not having the predators in your campsite meant you weren’t lunch. Nice photos and story
Thanks. Most predators are nocturnal so it probably would have been dinner, not lunch.