Loxodonta Africana is the Latin name for the African elephant. And there are 3,000 of them in the Khaudum National Park, which covers almost 4,000 km2, a tenth of Switzerland. Located in the northeastern part of Namibia, it was founded as a game reserve in 1989 and declared a national park in 2007. The brochure that we received at the entrance on October 4th, 2023 says: «Khaudum is wilderness; Quintessential Kalahari woodland wilderness. Feel it!» We’ve been doing this for two days now.

The park is only accessible to 4×4 vehicles and is so remote that it is rarely visited by travelers – no wonder we belong to this group. At the park entrance I reduced the tire pressure to 1.8 bar while Brigitta paid the entry fee. Once again, we noticed how friendly we were greeted by the rangers. (It’s rare to see such happy and smiling faces in Switzerland!)

We also had every reason to be happy, as we met a large herd of elephants at the first water hole who were losing themselves with their young in and around the water. In September and October, it is hottest here with temperatures around 40° C and the animals are irresistibly drawn to the water. We sat in the shade of the hide for an hour and enjoyed the spectacle that presented itself to us!

PS: If you want to know more about the Loxodonta Africana read here.