We spent our final two
days in Damaraland at the Grootberg Lodge.
The lodge is spectacularly situated on the edge of a large plateau, with
views (and a precipitous drop) into the valley below.
The entrance to Grootberg
is perched at the top of the Grootberg pass.
It was quite the accomplishment for our Nissan to make it to the top of
the pass, but there was more! Turning in
at the sign for the lodge, we saw a steep dirt road winding up to the top of the
plateau. As we pondered whether this was
a suitable road for the car, a man rushed out of a small hut waving frantically
at us. After a short discussion, we
quickly realized that the road to the hotel was only for 4x4s and we needed to
leave the Nissan at the foot of the hill.
Climbing to the top in one of the lodge’s Land Cruisers,
it was clear that our SUV never would have made it.
Grootberg is owned by the =Khoadi-//Hoas Conservancy, which is comprised of
members of the local community. If you’re wondering what the unusual symbols in the conservancy’s name mean, they represent different clicks. The local dialect is part of the family of languages that incorporates clicks and other sounds into its phonetics.
The
conservancy encompasses a vast swath of land, not just the lodge. On our drive to Grootberg, we had stopped the
car to see a few friendly giraffes. We
were a bit surprised when a local pulled over to ask how we were enjoying the
sight – he noted that he owned the giraffes.
We puzzled over this giraffe ownership for the rest of our drive, as
they seemed to be wild. However, this
assertion was repeated to us as we were checking in – the receptionist noted
that as a member of the conservancy, he was an owner of the lodge, the land,
and the animals roaming through it. We
learned that the poaching and encroachment by farms had seriously depleted
the animal populations in the area. The
conservancy has replenished the stocks of animals and created an environment
for more animals to return to the area. Since
it’s a community venture, everyone feels that the animals are “theirs” and they
take responsibility for them. Click here to learn more!
Not surprisingly, one of
the most heavily poached animals in the area was the black rhino. One of Grootberg’s main activities is rhino
tracking, which we were eager to experience.
We had seen white rhinos in Kruger and Hluhluwe, but no black rhinos,
which are more widespread, but typically more elusive. The conservancy reintroduced black rhinos to
the area and there are now 13, each roaming the large territory on its own. The conservancy members keep track of their
resident rhinos and protect them from poachers.
Like many things on our
trip, the possibility of spotting a black rhino made it worth waking up before
5 am. At least Namibian daylight savings
means that the sun has been rising a bit later.
With no sign of the sunrise and the full moon lighting up the sky
instead, we set off in an open-air Land Cruiser with three other couples. We
were told that rhino tracking could be quite consuming, and might take all
day. We took a circuitous, winding route
into the valley below us, bumping our way along the narrow track amidst thorn
trees, and over dry riverbeds and large chunks of basalt. As the sky gradually became lighter, we could
see the lodge in the distance, perched on the edge of the plateau. Although no rhinos were immediately sighted,
we did find some extremely photogenic giraffes at the top of one of the passes.
Soon enough, our guides
pointed out both rhino tracks and droppings.
Giorgio, also a rhino tracking expert, pointed out the signature circle
that rhinos use to mark their territory.
Coming to a halt, one of the guides told us there was a rhino on the
hill in the distance. After spending a
significant amount of time peering through our binoculars, we finally spotted
it. We are always amazed by the guides’
uncanny ability to spot animals at a distance without binoculars. Rhinos, for example, tend to blend in with
the rocks and black rhinos browse in areas with trees, which often block them
from view. Our version of "Where's Waldo" can be found below, try to find the rhino!
Along with our German traveling companions, we gathered around our guide for rhino tracking instructions. We quickly came to the conclusion that
Raymond, our guide from the Napi Trail in Kruger, would not approve of the
proposed rhino tracking expedition. For
one thing, not a single guide was carrying a rifle just in case. Furthermore, we did not receive an intense
lecture insisting that we stay close together no matter what. Finally, our group was quite large – four
guides and 16 tourists.
Regardless of safety, we began to troop en masse toward the rhino.
Rhinos have quite good hearing (but poor eyesight) and we must have sounded
like a herd of elephants. No one else
got the memo that it’s better to be silent while on foot tracking big game.
Nearing the rhino, the
guides gestured for us to stop and get a better view. Eventually, even the stragglers, for whom
walking at a leisurely pace over a few rocks was too much of a workout, joined
us. We later learned that we were
watching Elizabeth, one of the first two rhinos reintroduced to the area. (The other is Hans Otto.) Elizabeth was unimpressed with us and slowly
traversed the steep hillside in the opposite direction. We were happy that she did not decide to
charge directly at us instead (like the rhinos in Kruger).
The guides told us that it
usually takes several more hours on foot to find a rhino and we had been lucky
to spot one from the car. With our
tracking complete, the guides took us on a game drive through a large swath of
the conservancy.
We have just finished
exploring Etosha National Park and are on our way east to Botswana via the
Caprivi Strip. More updates soon!
#stephandgio
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