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Waterberg
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Hints for Waterberg and the vicinity The Waterberg vicinity is the ideal point at which to break the journey to or from Etosha. Elusive, rare and endangered species such as the black and white rhino and the sable and roan antelope may be seen in the park. This means that they are there, but you should count yourself very lucky if you see them. The tiny dik-dik antelope are so cute that they give Bambi a run for his money. Baboons are not your friends. Stay away from them. This is a good place to watch birds. Endangered Cape griffin vulture breeding pairs live in the cliffs surrounding the park. The walk from the Waterberg restaurant back to the camp leaves the machines at your local gym standing. |
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“The most common walk is from the camp up along the cliff face to the edge of the plateau. The most difficult is probably the walk up the steep hill from the restaurant to the camp, especially after a good meal.”
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| Nature's
answer to Hannibal Lecter considers the next move. Photo courtesy of Izak Beirowski at stock.xchng |
The route between Etosha and Windhoek is too long to drive comfortably in one day, unless you are a long distance trucker or a Namibian. Don’t worry. The long stretch gives you a really good excuse to break the journey with a visit to the Waterberg area.
The main feature of the Waterberg area is a large, high plateau that juts out of the generally flat area that surrounds it. This is the core of one of Namibia’s most interesting national parks, the Waterberg Plateau Park. Although it doesn’t have the vast game numbers of the Etosha or the long views of the Namib, what it does have is rare and endangered species!
The species that have been relocated, at least those with which it differentiates itself from Etosha, are black and white rhino, roan and sable antelope and the Cape griffon vulture. This is what you will arrive hoping to see.
Most of the sensible marketing literature describes the rhinos and antelope of the park as ‘elusive’. What they actually mean is that the rare and endangered species have adapted to their status by avoiding contact with their most immediate threat, humans. What they also mean is that you don’t have a very good chance of seeing these creatures, and you have been warned. The situation is not helped by the very dense bush that is common to the area.
In other words, if you want luck, go and spend money in a casino and sooner or later you will win something. If you want real luck, spend a lot of time on game drives in the Waterberg Plateau Park and perhaps you will see one of the ‘elusive’ species.
You have a fair chance of seeing on of the Cape vulture breeding pairs though. They live in the cliffs that surround the plateau and are fed at the ‘vulture restaurant’ on top of the plateau. As a point of interest, the area is excellent for bird watching. It is home to about 200 species. A very good hide has been constructed on top of the plateau for purposes of watching birds, game and testing your endurance abilities when you need to sneeze or cough but know that you really shouldn’t.
Although the black and white rhino and the roan and sable antelopes stubbornly cling to their elusive status, you will have a chance to see a couple of other species up close. In the early mornings, you can get a look at a tiny species of antelope known as the dik-dik. The dik-dik is so cute that it makes Bambi look like an unshaven transvestite in a Miss World contest. So revered is it that a number of Namibian cultures treat killing one of the creatures with banishment from the community and other severe penalties.
Another species well known to the area but far less cute, except to the uninitiated, is the baboon. Troops of baboons often overrun the camp in search of food. Wise travelers make for the bungalows or their cars, ensure that all the doors and windows are closed and wait for the baboons to move along.
In case you harbour any warm feelings towards the baboons, they are nature’s version of Hannibal Lecter, only more gregarious, far stronger, less cultured and less picky about what they eat. I cannot think of a traveler who has been attacked by a baboon in the Waterberg, however keep well away from them.
Other ‘look-but-don’t-touch’ species that can be seen up close in the camp are leguans, otherwise known as monitor lizards, and porcupines.
The park has a number of strenuous walks for anyone who has enough energy. The most common walk is from the camp up along the cliff face to the edge of the plateau. The most difficult is probably the walk up the steep hill from the restaurant to the camp, especially after a good meal. It can take forever. There are also guided and unguided hikes lasting a couple of days.
The park has some historical interest as well. At the turn of the twentieth century, it was the scene of lethal clashes between German colonialists and local Herero tribes. As you sit and eat in the restaurant, meditate on the fact that a little over a hundred years ago, German troops fired out of the building on advancing Herero warriors. The graves of the German troops, functionaries and settlers are within a few minutes walking distance of the restaurant.
Spurred on by the tourism trade that the park draws to the area, a number of farms in the vicinity have developed operations that are centered around tourism and conservation in particular. In a smart move that, like the Waterberg Plateau Park, doesn’t compete with Etosha, they concentrate on the big cats, particularly lion and cheetah.
Don’t rush the drive to or from Etosha. Break the journey. The Waterberg has something to show you, if only the place where the ‘elusive’ black and white rhino and roan and sable antelope are hidden.