Waterberg Plateau Park

Close to the half way mark between Etosha National Park and the capital city of Windhoek, some 300km north of the latter, lies the over 400km2 of the Waterberg Plateu Park, which has a totally different character from all the country’s other parks and reserves. This beautiful plateau rises some 200m up from the flat surrounding terrain, and its steep slopes form a natural barrier for the park’s large animals. A number of waterholes have been established up on the plateau, which also helps to discourage the animals here from seeking grazing elsewhere.

The park is an excellent place to see a range of unusual and rare animals, such as the white and black rhino, roan and sable antelope. There is also a good population of giraffe here and many buffalo, which can only otherwise be seen in Namibia in the country’s north west corner, the Caprivi Strip. Leopards and brown hyena are the districts largest predators, but are only rarely seem, but the rare and very small Damara dik-dik is easy to see here.

The park is also home to Namibia’s only breeding colony of the huge Cape griffon vulture, which like the impressive black Verreaux’s eagle is often seen here together with a generally rich selection of bird species.

It is only possible to go on game drives  in the park’s own vehicles, which should be booked in advance, but there are many fine walks on marked paths around and up on the plateau, from an hour to a number of days in length.

Highlights:

• Both black and white rhinoceros, as well as many buffalo which are otherwise rare in Namibia
• A range of other specialties including the large roan and sable antelopes and the tiny Damara dik-dik
• Excellent walks of various lengths - and many birds

High season: April to October