Anyone who goes on safari wants to see the Big Five. But it's worth keeping an eye out for the less popular animals too. For example, in the Namib Desert on a tour with "Living Desert" to see the Little Five. And since you can't do without the Big Five, we take a detour near Etosha National Park and visit the Onguma Forest Camp. There is a photo hide where, with a little luck, you can have close encounters with animals - in our case, a pride of lions came to visit.
Short on time? Here you can go directly to Onguma Forest Camp on the edge of Etosha National Park, including a photo hide and a rendezvous with some lions. |
At first glance, the dune landscape south of Swakopmund in Namibia appears extremely hostile and lifeless. At second glance, too.
It takes very experienced eyes to spot life here. This is where the guides from Living Desert Tour come in, a tour operator founded in the 1990s by Tommy Collard with the aim of promoting understanding of the coastal desert ecosystem.
The search for the Little Five takes four to five hours. These include the Namaqua Chameleon, the Dwarf Puff Adder, the Shovel-Snouted Lizard, the Transparent Palmato Gecko and the White Lady Spider. During the tour you will learn a lot about this fragile area and about the ways evolution has found to ensure survival in this rain-poor area.
For example, there is the scarab beetle that stands on a dune ridge with its rear end upwards in the morning mist and waits until dew drops form on its body and run down to its mouth. The proximity to the sea and the encounter of warm and cold currents and the associated mist make the difference here. The tour is a great experience, especially for children; it's almost like a live biology lesson. Our guide was very attentive to the children and explained things in a simple and easy-to-understand way. And for those who are a little older, it's a rare opportunity to discover life in the Namib Desert. Anyone traveling near Swakopmund in Namibia who is interested in more than just the Big Five should consider this tour.
More information on the Living Desert Tours website |
 The Wild Moments Rating ⭐ to ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ stars How wild was it? ⭐⭐⭐ It is a rare opportunity to get to know some of the inhabitants of the Namib Desert. Without a guide, you would walk past the well-camouflaged creatures without paying attention. The interaction between guide and animal is, however, quite tangible. How high are the chances of success? ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Experienced guides are employed here, and the chance of seeing some of the Little Five is very high. Depending on the time of year, you will see more or fewer animals. How sustainable was it? ⭐⭐⭐ You drive around the dunes in your vehicle, which is not particularly sustainable per se. However, the providers always use the same route, as the coastal desert ecosystem is more sensitive than you would think and a car track can easily be visible for 100 years. I doubt whether the lizards and chameleons enjoy being touched and picked up by the guides. How family-friendly is the activity? ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The tour is very suitable for children, the guides interact with the kids and make biology come alive. It's basically a live biology lesson that doesn't feel like a lesson. How suitable is the activity for wildlife photography? ⭐⭐⭐⭐ It's a good way to photograph animals that most photographers would otherwise have trouble getting in front of their lens. However, some of the animals are literally dug out of the dunes by the guides. If you like things authentic, you won't be happy here. |
Accommodation tip in Swakopmund The Strand Hotel The starting point for the tour is the coastal town of Swakopmund. The Strand Hotel is located right on the sea and has several good restaurants (seafood and grill), a café with sinfully delicious confectionery and its own brewery. In addition, tasteful furnishings and great service. By the way: It is only 1.5 hours by car from Swakopmund to the Cape Cross seal colony . |
From the Little Five to the Big Five in Namibia
In the second part of our trip we were travelling with a 4x4 camper. Of course we also spent a few days in the Etosha National Park. In Etosha we had some beautiful animal encounters, although I would always prefer the national parks in Botswana. The camping sites that are located within the national park are managed by the
Namibian government. They have the advantage that you can stay in the park for longer, but they are rather rustic and simple. At the end of the trip we spent a few nights in the Onguma Game Reserve, which borders directly on the Etosha National Park. I'm not a big fan of these small game parks (Onguma covers 340 square kilometers), of which there are many in southern Africa. Despite their usually respectable size, they remind me a little of zoos. For me, nothing beats national parks that have no fences and where animals can follow their natural migratory movements unhindered, such as the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, which includes areas of Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Angola, including the Chobe National Park and Okavango in Botswana, two of the wildest and most beautiful national parks in southern Africa in my opinion.
Onguma Forest Camp  Despite these reservations, the Onguma Forest Camp is worth a visit. This is partly due to the family atmosphere, with only 11 bungalows nestling harmoniously in a small forest. There are also no fences, and in the morning on the way from the bungalow to the reception you come across kudus, a large antelope species. The kudus seek shelter from predators between the bungalows at night. The restaurant conjures up delicious dishes without attempting to be a Michelin-starred restaurant and offers a view of a waterhole that is well attended. There is also a small pool where you can cool off. Sustainability is also a top priority here. The local  The community should benefit from tourism, not just through the creation of jobs. Because what we travelers see as a fascinating exotic landscape, a local farmer may see as unused land on which nothing can be grown or hunted. Over 10 years ago, the Onguma authorities therefore founded a farm, which has now become a major employer and supplies local markets and supermarkets with vegetables. https://onguma.com/sustainability-on-onguma/ More information at: https://onguma.com/de/onguma-forest-camp-ger/ |
A visit to the photo hide with an unexpected visitor
There is a photo hide in the Onguma area. Such hides are becoming increasingly popular in southern Africa. Instead of driving through the park in a vehicle, you wait until animals approach the waterhole. The hides are built in such a way that you can take photos at eye level. While in Europe such hides are usually equipped with spy glasses (people look out, animals only see a mirror), at the hide in Onguma a window is opened so that you can take photos. I had booked the hide in the hope of being able to take a few passable photos of antelopes or, with luck, elephants. The two rangers who picked us up had a surprise in store for us. During the night a lion - probably a young one - had entered the hide and pulled out a bean bag. Bags like these are used instead of a tripod to stabilize the camera.
Somehow the lion managed to open one of the windows. Ranger Wana said that the lions were still near the hide - and the young lion would not forget that the window can be opened. Access to the hide is via a path lined with a wooden palisade.
On the way to the hide we could see through the gaps in the palisades that the lions were playing with the bean bag. Shortly after we entered the hide the young lions' interest was aroused. They approached curiously, looked into the hide and one of the teen lions tried to open a window with his paw, ranger Wana held it back. Another lion jumped onto the corrugated iron roof. Interestingly we never felt threatened; it was an impressive experience to get so close to these wild animals, especially for us big cat fans. We felt a little uneasy when we had to leave the hide and walk to the vehicle. Wana had checked that the lions were gone, but I was glad that there were no stragglers hanging around on the roof.
Traveling with children in Namibia In my opinion, Namibia is the ideal entry country in southern Africa for self-drivers who are travelling with children. Firstly, kids are welcome everywhere, secondly, health care is good and, with the exception of the north, Namibia is not a malaria risk area; taking emergency medication with you is enough in most cases. But a visit to a tropical doctor is definitely not a bad idea. Namibia generally has a good infrastructure and well-developed roads by African standards (including the dirt roads) and the crime rate is much lower than in South Africa, for example. |
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