Windhoek, Spitzkoppe & Erongo

We departed London for Johannesburg with 14 eager and excited teenage lads - in fact a rather younger group than on our 'usual' NHS expeditions overseas. We successfully met up with Rainer in Jo'burg, and flew on to Windhoek with him, arriving (without Will's bag...) less than 24 hours after first meeting in Winchester.

New clothes for Will purchased, we headed for Chameleon Backpackers downtown, and a quick couple of hours birding at Avis Dam - lots of familiar African species, plus some good new ones like Barred Wren-warbler, Acacia Pied Barbet and Marico Flycatcher, plus our no.2 target bird - Rockrunner. Dinner was a huge meat feast (for most) at Joe's Beerhouse, the Jaegermeister drinking capital of southern Africa.

Up and away with Koos, our local driver, and a fairly long drive to the amazing rock formations of Spitzkoppe, a series of massive granite exfoliation domes (a.k.a. 'inselbergs') isolated on the very edge of the Namib desert.

Despite the hot midday conditions, we scored well, seeing various lizards, Rock Hyrax, Violet Wood-hoopoe, Rosy-face Lovebird, Dusky Sunbird, Carp's Tit, Karoo Long-billed Lark, Tractrac Chat, various Korhaans and best of all, the highly localised (very) near endemic, Herero Chat. Add in Quiver Trees and Pachypodia, and this was a great start to the trip.

We arrived at the sensational Erongo Wilderness Lodge just on dark, and settled in for two nights of tented luxury, and great food. The animals clearly like it too - from the dining room we had great views of Sengi (=Elephant Shrew), Dassie Rat, Rock Hyrax, Black Mongoose, Small-spotted Genet and Cape Porcupine!

By day, the same spot was superb for birds, drawing in stacks of Lovebirds, plus Great Sparrow, Hartlaub's Spurfowl (a mega speciality of Erongo), Green-winged Pytilia and more besides. Around the camp, we saw a Verreaux's Eagle nest, plus Barn Owl, Freckled Nightjar, Ashy Tit, Pale-winged Starling, the superb White-tailed Shrike and lots more.

On our full day around Erongo, accompanied by Stephen Lowe, a chance-met former Secretary of the NHS (!), we visited a section of dry river bed near Umaruru, turning up Rueppell's Parrot, Pied Babbler and Crimson-breasted Shrike and Violet Wood-hoopoe (again).

Undaunted by an overnight robbery from one of the tents, we reluctantly left arid central Namibia behind, and headed north on the long, flat, but dusty drive to Etosha National Park. Just shy of the gate, we stopped at Toshari Lodge for a drinks stop (Alasdair at this point feeling like death....) and to tick off the highly local Bare-faced Babbler at one of its more reliable sites. Mission accomplished - now on to the big stuff!