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| Hillview with Windhoek in the distant valley |
Windhoek might be the only big city in the middle of Namibia, but as soon as you are out of the city limits, you encounter the bush wildlife.
As a matter of fact, on the western side of town, past the Township of Katutura, there exists a huge
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| A giraffe |
territory, which has become a national park. There is no public transportation getting there, so you need to arrange a tour with a local agent in order to be able to visit the park. As there are no predators in this area, there is a great number of animals living there free and protected. It is close to Windhoek [about 25km] and is truly worth visiting as you can be assured to come across its wildlife. The best time is to get there in the early morning as many of the animals prefer to be around at this time of day.
The first time I went there, it was a disappointment because we were denied access due to the fact there was a hunt. (Sadly, I learned that this is the only National Park where hunting is allowed at times. I would have thought that any such activity would have been banned!).
So, I had to rebook the trip in order to be able to go on a 6km-hike with a tour guide. We were only
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| An Ostrich |
three to do this morning program lasting about 3 hours. It was quite an interesting walk as our guide commented on all aspects of wildlife in the hills above Windhoek that could be seen from time to time in the distance. Besides encountering different game species like the mountain zebras, oryxes or springboks, we saw many different species of rare birds, in particular, many hornbills.
But on the way to the park headquarters (you need to hold an official authorization), I also saw many different animals: a giraffe, a group of warthogs, many Springboks, a colony of blue wildebeest, guinea fowls, and even an ostrich that seemed to have adopted living near the headquarter facilities.
Christian Sorand
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| On the park trail |
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