The Purple Roller (Coracias naevius), or rufous-crowned roller, is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa. Compared with other rollers its colours are rather dull and its voice rather harsh and grating.
They have a large range throughout southern Africa. I saw this little guy in Etosha NP, Namibia.
I found a couple clips of this beautiful little bird!
Continuing on from Part 1: It’s lunch time and we have now arrived at Halali Rest Camp for a break to eat our packed sandwiches and have a look around, also use clean facilities!
It’s located 9kms down a side road.
We had a drive around first to suss it out and find the best picnic spot.
Plenty of tables here and you can drive right up to them!
Always nice to have a peek at the Tourist Shop!
Opening and closing times are always posted at each gate so we made note that we had to exit the park before 5:30pm.
Not much going on at this time. This is a typical gravel road in the park.
Springbok
Spotted Thick-knee
African Grey Hornbill
Starling
Lilac-breasted Roller
We finally made it to Namutoni Rest Camp and decided to have a look and take advantage of the last facilities before the hotel.
The grounds are very nice here and since it was getting cooler by the time we got there some birds were out and active.
There’s a cool fort here but the shop was closed.
The museum was open, free to enter and had some interesting exhibits about the park.
Even the Go-Away Birds here are friendly and didn’t tell us to go away! They get along with starlings too!
I missed the shot but interesting colour combination on this bird!
Getting close to 5pm and not wanting to miss the curfew, we drove on to the exit gate.
While I normally don’t approve of road-side bird sellers (meaning real birds), these ones are perfectly fine. I even bought a few birds from one of these guys!
Headed down the road to Ondangwa where we would spend the night before continuing on to Kunene River Lodge. Gorgeous sunset!
The Shaft-tailed Whydah or Queen Whydah (Vidua regia) is a small, sparrow-like bird in the genus Vidua. During the breeding season the male has black crown and upper body plumage, golden breast and four elongated black tail shaft feathers with expanded tips. After the breeding season is over, the male sheds its long tail and grows olive brown female-like plumage.
They have a large range over much of southern Africa. I saw several in Etosha NP, in Namibia, especially near Okakuejo Rest Camp.
There weren’t many options for this beautiful and graceful bird on Youtube but I did find one!
Etosha National Park is one of the highlights of any trip to Namibia, whether you are birders or not. It’s very easy to explore the park on your own as the gravel roads are well-maintained, can be done in a sedan car and there are signposts at all intersections.
In the map below, I have highlighted our route for a day trip in yellow. We entered at Anderson Gate, drove through via Okaukuejo, stopped at Halali for lunch, then continued on to Namutoni Gate to exit just before the park closed.
We were up at the crack of dawn to be the first ones inside the gate, an easy 10 minute drive from Eldorado Guest House & Camping.
First in line at Anderson Gate!
Once they opened, we were given a form to fill out and told to pay at the office in Okaukuejo.
Sunrise brought the birds out!
Okaukuejo Rest Camp is in a large complex with an office, restaurant, shops and all kinds of accommodation from tent spaces to cabins. 
Get this map & bird book at the gift shop. I’ll be using it to identify the birds below since we didn’t have a guide with us.
Get down to the watering hole as quickly as possible to catch the early birds and animals.
We saw a lot of these beautiful little birds – Shaft-tailed Whydahs.
These cabins are near the watering hole and there were quite a few tourists hanging out here. We couldn’t get a room here as it was full and here was the evidence.
Cape Turtle Dove
Shaft-tailed Whydahs in flight.
Red-headed Finch
Sociable Weaver
Crimson-breasted Shrike
African Red-eyed Bulbul
Starling
Red-headed Finch
Crowned Lapwing
Oryx
Black-crowned Tchagra
Northern Black Korhaan
Blue Wildebeest
Fork-tailed Drongo
Purple Roller.
There actually isn’t a real toilet here, just pull up a bush!
Ostrich
Blue Crane
Kudu
Oryx
Pied Crow 
All this before lunch! We turned off towards Halali Rest Camp to find a picnic area.
“Follow me to Halali!”
If you can’t actually stay inside the park, this is the next best thing. Eldorado Guest House & Camping is only 8 kms from the Anderson Gate so you can still be one of the first ones in Etosha NP. It’s easy to find, just follow the signs.
When traveling in the bush, always leave a gate the same way you find it. 
With the sun setting rapidly, we were trying to check in while we could still see the property.
Reception and restaurant area.
The garden is very nice.
This is our cabin, I just loved the stonework! 
The private BBQ on the patio.
The stonework was all through the room with a very cool bathroom feature.
For self-caterers, there is a microwave, kettle and fridge.
We didn’t get a chance to swim due to late arrival and early departure but they do have a very nice pool.
For the price we paid (using Orbitz 15% off coupon) this was an amazing bargain so check your online travel agent portals or you can book with them directly. It’s a great place to stay and very convenient to Etosha NP!
As I mentioned before, the only practical way to see Namibia is with your own rental car. In most cases, if you stick to the beaten paths you will be fine with a sedan car so that is what I booked with Hertz. So when we arrived at WDH after the delay of the previous day, we were pleasantly surprised to be upgraded to a Toyota Rav4!
As usual, we did the walk around inspection with photos.
And we were off and running! It was nice to finally be able to drive ourselves, go at our own pace and do what we wanted!
The first part of the trip is from Windhoek to the border of Etosha NP, the blue dot just before Okaukuejo..
This was our grocery stop. No, we did not buy any guns but I thought it was strange to see a gun shop right next to a supermarket!
Most of the trip is on the main highway which was in excellent condition although they did have some road works going on which made us slow down a bit.
We stopped in Outjo to top off the tank, it’s cheaper here than it would be in the park.
And then it was back on the road, headed to our first stop and making it just before sunset.
The Fork-tailed Drongo, also called the Common Drongo, African Drongo, or Savanna drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis), is a species of drongo in the family Dicruridae, which are medium-sized passerine birds of the Old World. It is native to the tropics, subtropics and temperate zones of the Afrotropics.
This cheeky little bird is very common in Africa and you will see them just about everywhere! These photos were taken in Namibia. I have also seen them in Tanzania (everywhere) Kruger in South Africa and South Luangwa in Zambia.
They start out innocent enough.
Some can be friendly.
Others not so much.
Still others are downright devious!
Namibia is a very user-friendly country with fantastic national parks and good roads so it is a great choice for a novice eco-tourist. You can rent a car, drive yourself around or join a birding tour, whatever suits you best! The parks here are much less crowded than those in South Africa but the wildlife is amazing! Birders can look forward to seeking 706 species of which one is endemic.
Namibia’s gateway airport at Windhoek is very small and doesn’t have as many airlines as other safari destinations but careful planners can still use their miles to get here. If you have limited time and finances you will really have to make some tough decisions on how many parks to visit. It really helps if you know what species are your priority. For some people this may be raptors or trying to check off all the endemics. For me it’s always parrots first, then songbirds, then other birds and mammals.
Rosy-faced (aka Peach-faced) Lovebird at Kunene River, Namibia
With so much on offer, you have to do lots of research online to find out your best chances of seeing the species you really want to see. I always check trip reports on Surfbirds and more recently added Cloudbirders to that. Xeno-canto has mapped locations where birders took sound clips of many species so that can pinpoint them even more.
I always check bird sightings on eBird, you can see my full guide on locating bird species .
I also look through trip reports by major birding companies such as Birdquest, VENT, Naturetrek, Rockjumper and more. The trip reports will show you which parks you need to concentrate on. Once you have this, you can start contacting birding tour operators or safari companies that are well-recommended for quotes. If you are traveling on your own, it’s worthwhile to note when the birding groups will be in the area as they will have the best guides already reserved and you may not even find accommodation.
I had 2 definite target birds – Ruppell’s Parrot & Rosy-faced Lovebird. My research revealed that the Lovebirds had a large range all over Namibia and were possible in Etosha NP, the Kunene River area near the Angola border and Omaruru area. Ruppell’s Parrots were being reported at Huab Lodge. Since I was prioritizing parrots knowing that plenty of other bird species would be in the same habitats I chose these locations:
ETOSHA NP:
Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)
Plus it’s the major safari destination in Namibia!
KUNENE RIVER LODGE
Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)
Slim chance for Cinderella Waxbill, a local speciality.
HUAB LODGE
Rüppell’s parrot, Poicephalus rueppellii
OMARURU AREA
Rosy-faced Lovebird (Agapornis roseicollis)
Here is a map showing the locations.
A rental car is essential to visit the national parks in Namibia. The public transport is very limited and only has buses between main cities and minivans linking smaller towns. A few car rental firms to check are Hertz, Avis and Europcar. Use coupon codes that can be found on Flyertalk to get the best deals. In most cases, the roads (even gravel roads) are ok for sedan cars but in some cases you need at least an SUV if not a 4×4. The road from Ruacana to Kunene River Lodge was hard for us in a Toyota Rav4 but we took it slow and made it. A 4×4 would have no trouble at all, don’t try it in a sedan.
Doing a self-drive safari means you have to rely on your own bird spotting and identification skills. I found an excellent book in the gift shop at Okakuejo Rest Camp in Etosha which has pictures of the most commonly seen birds and animals which was a huge help! The book also has maps and helpful info, I’d say get one of these books straight away.
If you stay overnight in some national parks, check with the local rangers about guided day and night drives.
Namibia has many accommodation options for all budgets such as campgrounds, backpackers, budget motels and high-end luxury lodges. As this report progresses you will see examples. Before heading off to the bush, it’s best to stop at a supermarket in Windhoek to stock up on drinks, snacks and food for anything you plan to cook as it will be much cheaper. Always top up the fuel when going through any reasonable sized town.
Good news, visitors from 52 countries do not need a visa to enter Namibia, including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and USA!
There’s a couple things to consider, the weather and potential crowds. I always check the weather on Weather to Travel. Namibian weather was a priority as I knew the places we were visiting would be difficult to reach if it were raining. May is in the dry season and we enjoyed good weather throughout the trip.
If you have “must-see” bird species, always check eBird to make sure the birds are being seen that time of year by other birders.
BOTTOM LINE
Namibia is a great choice for both newbies and experienced birders as the infrastructure is so good for travelers. Everyone speaks English, it’s a safe country, no malaria and you can do it on a budget! There are wonderful birds and animals to be seen, Namibia never disappoints!
Most frequent flier programs place Namibia into the Africa (southern) zone. Most people will arrive here via JNB in South Africa and then get a flight from JNB to WDH. Namibia does have some interesting direct flight options such as Qatar Airways via DOH, an excellent use of AA miles! I already have a blog with my recommendations for which programs to join if you are new to the world of miles and points.
The major gateway city for Namibia is Windhoek (WDH). Once you have been in the miles and points game for awhile, you will get a feel for which airline to use where but if you are just starting out Wikipedia will show you all the airlines that fly into Windhoek. Since it is a small list I can even fit it all into one screen shot!
Comair (British Airways subsidiary) flies from JNB.
Qatar Airways flies from DOH.
Ethiopian flies from Addis Ababa
South African flies from JNB.
KLM flies from AMS.
Air Namibia is the national airline but they don’t partner with anyone so it’s a cash basis only.
Every airline member of the 3 main alliances has it’s own frequent flier program. Examples are in my East Africa post.
AVIOS (BA OR IB)
Many people like to combine South Africa with Namibia if they have the time and money. In this case, Avios can be a great bargain priced at 10,000 Avios but keep an eye on the fuel surcharges as they can sometimes make the redemption a bad deal.
After a relaxing morning at the Intercontinental Lusaka, it was time to go to the airport. About noon, I got an email that the flight was delayed 30 minutes. At this point I wasn’t worried as we would have still made our connection in JNB to WDH. We used the free shuttle and went straight to South African Airways check in where we learned the delay was now an hour. This was cutting it way too close so we went to the Priority Pass Lounge and I got on Twitter and tried to arrange a fast track to make the flight. The Twitter was very unresponsive but when we arrived in JNB I saw that someone had finally replied asking for my phone # so they could call. Too late and I didn’t have a working SIM card, I was just using wifi.
The lounge in Lusaka is very small with a few snacks and drinks available. Normally we wouldn’t have bothered but I needed the wifi and I still had one pass left so I used it.
There are several souvenir shops like this one in Lusaka’s airport.
The departure was pushed back again, now we would be arriving with 20 minutes to run and make the connection.
I was desperate to make it as we had a very nice hotel booked called the Etango Ranch Guest Farm that had bird baths attracting many species so the plan was to spend the morning and then pick up the car and drive to Etosha.
I tried really hard. The minute we boarded, I was asking the FA’s to radio JNB and have people waiting to transfer us to the other plane. They just said to check with the ground crew. Very unhelpful! We weren’t the only ones, there were several people connecting to various places in Europe. Some were as worried as I was, some didn’t care as they were only headed home and didn’t mind a free layover at SA’s expense.
It didn’t help that the plane landed on the tarmac, not at a gate so we had to wait for buses to transfer us to the terminal. I noticed a few planes right next to us, one of these was probably our WDH flight. In retrospect, I should have tried to sneak over, we already had boarding passes and no checked bags.
We ended up having to go through a transit passport control, security and RUN to the gate. The WDH flight was still there! We are not in great physical shape so were breathless and exhausted, almost ready to pass out from the run. In spite of all my attempts to connect to SA staff and have the plane held, the ground staff had no idea we were coming. The gate had barely been closed. I begged them to radio the pilot or FA’s and ask them to let us run out there and board. It would have taken 5 minutes, we had our backpacks and boarding passes. The gate agent did try but the captain (or someone) refused to even give us those 5 minutes. Even though it was the airline’s fault we were late! It was the last flight of the day and there were no connections leaving WDH so no one else would have been inconvenienced by a 5 minute wait.
After being refused the chance to board, we were sent to the transfer desk and waited in a long line of people waiting for re-accommodation. The agent was in a foul mood maybe because there were a lot of people who missed their flights. She rebooked us on the first SA flight which was around 9am. I tried for the 7am Air Namibia flight but she refused and said we were lucky to get the morning flight as we got the last 2 seats, otherwise we would have to wait for the evening flight. She gave us a choice of the airport Protea Hotel or a hotel outside the terminal. Since it was only an overnight, we had no desire to pass through formalities and wait in more lines so took the Protea.
As far as in-airport hotels go, the Protea is actually pretty nice and any other time we would have been happy to have an overnight here. It just didn’t compare to the lodge we already had booked, certainly there were no bird baths! There were showers for humans which we made good use of (after all that running, we needed it) and the bed was comfy. They gave 30 min free internet, time enough to email the Etango Ranch and tell them not to come to the airport to pick us up. They still got to keep the money from our pre-paid room.
We also got vouchers for dinner and breakfast at Mugg & Bean which turned out to have really good food! It was hard to spend the whole dinner voucher as we couldn’t use it for alcohol and the menu was very reasonable. The breakfast one was a bit tighter, I would have preferred to swap them around as we weren’t real hungry that night.
We did get a good sleep after all that frustration and rushing around, we were just exhausted! The flight the next morning was on time and we made it to WDH in time to pick up the rental car since I had allowed for a leisurely breakfast and walk around Etango Ranch.