Etosha National Park is a land of contrasts. The first two times I visited it was during the dry season. The salt encrusted pan reflects the heat off its surface creating mirages. One of them is the ‘floating animals’ like these springbok. The heat waves make the pan surface disappear under their hooves and they appear as if floating over the pan.
I decided to return to Etosha during the rainy season. In years of good rainfall, the Pan fills with water attracting water and wading birds like Flamingos. I didn’t see any flamingos this time but the filled pans provided great photo opportunities like this jackal and its reflection.
Black-backed jackal walking across the Etosha Pan during the rainy season
Zoologist and amateur wildlife photographer. She has worked in the field with jackals, wolves, cheetahs & leopards. Due to her habit of dissecting every poo she finds on the trail, her friends refer to her as a poo-logist. Her travel memoir Dual Nature about traveling around Africa with a stranger will be published in 2013.
I just love that top photo. It says hot, dry and far away. My kind of place.
Thanks Jim! One of my favorite places. And yes, it was hot.