Game viewing in Namibia

Hi

I have heard that the wildlife in Namibia is pretty good - but as most of the country appears to be a desert, what type of wildlife can I expect to see and what is the best time of the year for viewing game and what are the best areas.

If I am going to South Africa - how easy is it to hitch to Namibia?

Any advice would be appreciated.

I was there a fortnight ago and in the course of a week, in the desert around Damaraland,and on the Skeleton Coast, saw: giraffe, the desert elephant, ostriches, oryx, springbok, brown backed jackal [hanging around the seal colonies on the Skeleton Coast], wild donkeys, hyena as well as kinds of unusual birds.

On a day trip to Etosha, had 3 separate sightings of lion, black rhino, white rhino, giraffe, zebra, wldebeest, kudu, springbok, oryx - all in profusion. Also myriad sub-endemic birds.
At Etosha,the game has to congregate around the waterholes so you just park and watch them all come to you!
That's why the best time to go is during the dry season - May to early December. you'll see far more game than you imagine possible and in amazing environments.

Our trip was organised by Rainbow Tours, based in London (rainbowtours.co.uk.

The best part was the awesome desert landscapes.

Best wishes,
Roger Diski

I just spent 2 months camping in Namibia and Botswana. Namibia is indeed arid, but the vegetation varies from the sandy fog deserts along the coast to acacia scrub and mopane woodland elsewhere particularly in the north near Etosha. I was also in the Kalahari Desert in and around the Gemsbok (Kalamagadi) Park in Botswana and SA.
There is wildlife everywhere. It is amazing to see ostrich, and springbuck in some of the driest areas. I have spent a lot of time in Kenya and Tanzania and I would say that Etosha has an equivalent amount of wildlife and easy viewing. Obviously, the more arid areas do not have the herds of sprinbok, zebra, giraffe, and impala as the acacia scrub and woodlands that are in the central and eastern parsts of the country. In the Kalahari Gemsbok park there are herds of sprinbok etc in the river bottoms.

I would say that due to the low level of development and negative impacts by humans in Namibia and Botswana that there are more wildlife in these countries than in east africa. Agriculture, development and the huge populations in Kenya and Tanzania have isolated most of the wildlife into the game reserves and parks. So you see very little along the roads, but in Namibia and Botswana it was not uncommon to see wildlife during a drive between towns.
I recommend Etosha and Watersberg Plateau in Namibia for wildlife.