The Etosha National Park in northern Namibia is always worth a trip. We’ve probably crossed it from west to east, or vice versa, half a dozen times in the last four years. But every time it is a fascinating experience. Same this time!

We knew it was raining in the north. And if it rains in Namibia, the landscape is green within a week. The grass is sprouting and Mahangu, a type of millet, is growing in the fields so quickly that you can almost watch it. It is an impressive spectacle every time the sky is covered with heavy, black rain clouds. Then it begins to rumble, the first lightning flash through the night-black sky and thunder rumbles. And then the floodgates open.

The ground is rock hard and so dry that it cannot absorb rainwater at first. So, it flows wherever it can. It fills ditches and gullies; it fills the dry clay pools in which the elephants love to wallow. And it fills the riviere that fills the reservoirs. Yes, the rainy season is a beautiful time for the country and its people. The children can often be seen standing in the rain and laughing – it almost looks as if they are having fun in the shower…

PS: If you want to know more about Etosha National Park, read here.