All language subtitles for Travel.Quest.With.Bill.Ball.S02E09.CONVERT.1080p.HDTV.H264-CBFM

BILL BALL: When you
think about a desert,

you think hot, dry and lifeless.

Well, one out of three isn't bad.

Deserts are dry

but, in many cases, not always hot

and in no case are they lifeless.

The great Namib Desert covers much of
Africa's coastal country Namibia.

It is a wild, untamed land

with elephants and lions
to photograph,

giant sand dunes to conquer

and great spans of ocean to explore.

Join us today as we drive, hike,
boat and four-by-four across Namibia,

land of the living desert,

on my dual quest to visit one of
the greatest deserts in the world

and to see a unicorn.

Yes, you heard me.

On this quest, I'm going after
the fabled unicorn.

Since I was young,
I had an intense desire

to discover the world around me.

That hasn't changed -
just the level of adventure.

Now every journey has a purpose,

and each time I venture out

to explore new destinations
around the globe,

I am following my travel quest.

Every journey in Namibia
begins in Windhoek -

both the capital and largest city.

There aren't really a lot of
typical tourist attractions

in this fast-growing
centre of commerce,

but at least an afternoon
of sightseeing is warranted.

The 350,000 residents
come from a diverse ethnic mix,

with black Africans
making up the majority.

Second in size are the Afrikaners

that migrated here centuries ago
from the Netherlands,

with Germans, English and several
Asian groups making up the remainder.

Each of these groups have influenced

the culture, history and architecture

of this spotless city.

One of those architectural gems

is the German Lutheran Church,

opened in 1910
during the German colonial period.

Its 70-foot steeple
towered over the city when completed.

The connection with Germany
is not only evident

from its Gothic revival style,

but the stained-glass windows
were gifts

from the then German Emperor
Wilhelm II.

Across from the church
is a stark and contrasting building

that is an expansion of
the Namibian National Museum -

their equivalent of the Smithsonian.

Geopolitics isn't the same
all over the world.

When Namibia needed a new museum,

one country stepped up
to build it for them.

It was North Korea.

So, it created
quite a controversy here.

Of course, the big draw to Namibia
is not the capital city,

but one of the top five
game parks in Africa,

Etosha National Park.

At over 22,000 square kilometres

or 8,500 square miles,

this is one of the largest parks
in the world.

Even more impressive than its size
is its diversity of wildlife -

114 types of mammals
and 340 bird species.

Those are quite impressive numbers
on its own.

But this is no ordinary
national park.

This is one of the driest reserves
in the world...

..getting less than four inches
of rain a year,

concentrated in
only two to three months.

Given that, those wildlife numbers
are even more incredible.

What's more, this is my best chance

to see a unicorn.

Namibia was a German colony
in the 1800s,

and under that strict rule,
the wildlife refuge was established.

It was originally four times bigger,

stretching all the way
to the Skeleton Coast.

Changes in regime
and political considerations

reduced the park
to its present size - still huge,

large enough
to have sustainable populations

of the biggest land mammal on earth.

Animals have to learn to adapt

to the harsh environment to survive,

and none have a bigger challenge

than Africa's giant, the elephant.

Elephants are not built
to live in the desert.

They have to consume
more than 50 gallons of water a day.

That is a tall order

when rain is so infrequent.

Luckily for the pachyderms,

Etosha has been blessed
with many natural springs,

due to its most outstanding feature -

the Pan.

Taking up to about one fourth
of the park is a vast salt pan

that, for most of the year, is a dry,
unvegetated patch of real estate

that stretches for
as far as the eye can see.

But during the brief rainy season,

it fills up and collects the water

that the park's wildlife will live on

for the remainder of the year,

through its low water table.

The park takes its name from the pan.

Etosha means 'the great white place
of dry water'.

At over 1,900 square miles,
this flat depression

supports a salt-loving grass for a
short period after the water recedes,

that is rich in protein.

For the rest of the year,
it looks like this,

just waiting for the annual rains

to bring it back to life.

Elephants are not the only big game
that thrives

in this first-impressions-barren
landmass.

One of the most suited for this
unforgiving reserve is the springbok.

Springbok are small antelope
weighing no more than 100 pounds.

They are fast
and can endure severe droughts

that can last two or more years here.

All parks have special animals

or a mix of animals
that make it unique.

Etosha is no exception.

The black-faced impala
is found only here.

A gene mutation
from the normal common impala

and the isolation
of this population -

there's desert all around Etosha -

has created an anomaly of nature.

Even more remarkable
is seeing the springbok

in the same park as impala.

Impala must drink every day
to survive,

and springbok do not do well
in moist environments.

Etosha has a solution for both -

overall dry arid conditions
for the springbok

and an abundance of waterholes for
the photogenic black-faced impala.

It is those waterholes
that make Etosha, in my estimation,

one of the top five game parks
in Africa.

You could literally spend
the better part of a day

sitting at one of the larger,
more active watering spots

and see much of the wildlife
of this reserve.

The animals seem to come in waves.

Giraffes cautiously approach
the water,

always on the lookout
for their only predator - the lion.

Drinking is their
most vulnerable time.

With their legs widened and their
head lowered to take a quick gulp,

a lion could spring into action.

A lion would rarely, if ever,

try to take on a giraffe
at full attention.

Not only would the giraffe
easily see it coming,

but one well-placed kick
from those giant legs

and it's lights out for the big cat.

Along with the skyscrapers
of the bush,

herds of zebra take a drink.

These male-dominated harems

are aggressive
at these wildlife gathering spots

and take control any time they join
the herds gathering to drink.

The impala, springbok and elephant
can all be found here,

along with countless bird species.

One of those avians
is a spectacle by themselves.

The red-billed quelea are
the most numerous birds in the world,

even more numerous than
the widespread English sparrow.

These birds use their sheer numbers

to fly into the watering spot

to confuse any potential predators.

There are so many moving in unison

that it is nearly impossible
to focus on any one to catch.

As beautiful as their sky ballet is,

these seed-eaters are a scourge
to local farmers,

acting as a feathered locust plague.

Another interesting avian
is the secretary bird.

They look like an eagle
perched on crane's legs.

They use their long legs
to walk through tall grasses

in search of their favourite prey -

snakes, tortoises, mice,
lizards, bird eggs,

and just about anything
that crosses their path.

They are considered endangered,

so this sighting
is even more special.

One day in Etosha
is not nearly enough,

and the day ends
without a single unicorn sighting...

..even after checking out
several waterholes,

where I was told
they can sometimes be spotted.

I know what you're thinking -

that I'm pulling your leg
or maybe off my rocker.

But it was possibly here
that the first unicorn was seen.

Unfortunately, none in sight yet.

The park's vast road system
of well-maintained gravel,

takes you past countless waterholes,

some natural and others man-made.

The man-made holes are larger,
and available year round.

Many of the natural ones are not.

This allows a larger number
of animals to live in the park

without migrating across the country.

For the security of the residents
around Etosha,

a giant fence, over 500 miles long,

keeps the big cats and elephants
safely inside.

So, permanent water is essential.

Not only is the larger number
of animals

good for camera-toting tourists,

but it also adds to
the biologic and genetic diversity.

It also allows big predators,

and the biggest of those - lions -
is our goal this evening.

Before we go lion-hunting,

we have to check in to
our lodging for the night.

Park rules require us
to be off the road by sundown.

When you go to Etosha National Park,

you have a lot of choices
for accommodations.

Outside of each of
the main entrances,

there are several luxury lodges
that are just incredible.

But I like to stay inside the park

and I like to do that because
you're closer to the wildlife.

You can do night drives that you
can't do from the luxury lodges.

And in the morning, when you go out,
you're right there, with the animals.

So, for my money, I'd rather save
a little and stay in the camp

than stay in the luxury lodges,

because I get to see
a lot more wildlife.

It is possible to see lions
in the daylight,

and we have many times before,

but Etosha's scrub and many areas
inaccessible to vehicles

make lion-spotting unpredictable,

except at night.

So, I've hired a ranger-driven
night-drive vehicle

to find the elusive king of beasts.

The ranger night safaris are the only
way to leave the camps after dusk.

Night drives are one of
my favourite safaris,

and I try to arrange one
whenever I can.

Many of Africa's smaller creatures
are nocturnal

and can only be seen by spotlighting.

The ranger uses a high-beam light

to catch the eye glow
of the night animals.

Our first glow of the night,

and it's an antelope.

Day, or diurnal, animals
must see something well at night

to avoid being caught off-guard

and easy prey for a lion
or a leopard.

We even spot a giraffe
eating at night,

even though it's a day animal.

We come across several other

more common nocturnal critters,

from birds like the nightjar
and dikkop,

to scrub hares and jackals.

But nothing prepared me
for the animal

that we were about to come across.

I couldn't believe my eyes.

We found an aardwolf.

If you don't know what that is,
don't feel bad.

Until today,
neither did 99.9% of the world.

They are just that uncommonly seen
and researched.

And, no, they are not
a mad scientist's

mating of a wolf and an aardvark.

Aardwolves are most closely related
to hyenas,

and though that is even a distant...

These dog-size animals are completely
nocturnal and very shy.

So, few, if ever, get to see one.

In my whole career,
I have only seen one before

and that was very far away.

I was so excited
seeing my first aardwolf close up

that I nearly forgot the main purpose
of the drive - lions.

The drive was nearly over

and we had not seen
any sign of lions.

No scat, no paw prints.

We came to one final waterhole
before heading home.

It was empty.

I had not seen an animal-less
water spot the whole day.

This was a very good sign.

A big cat had to be near
to keep other animals away.

Swinging the spotlighting
around the pool of water,

a set of eyes shone
for just a moment.

Focused the light on the area
and got something.

Ah, it wasn't a single lion.

It was a whole pride!

We had finished off the evening
with the grand prize -

a pride of lions.

As we headed back to camp,

I thought this had been
one of my best night drives ever.

We were up early so we could
exit the camp at sunrise.

We had a long drive
to our next destination, Swakopmund,

so we had limited time to find our
second to last big game of interest -

the black rhino.

Black rhinos are, like all
rhino species, exceedingly rare.

Our chances are good here

because Etosha is one of the best
places in the world to see the black.

Even in Etosha, they're hard to find,
despite a stable population.

Poaching has taken a toll here.

Rhinos are hunted for their horns

because the Chinese
mistakenly think

they are a male-enhancement drug,

when, in fact, they are made of the
same materials as our fingernails.

Usually, you must scour the bushes
for a black rhino,

since they are browsers,

meaning they eat twigs and leaves.

Unlike white rhinos,

which eats grass
and holds their heads low,

blacks' heads are upright.

To pick leaves off of bushes,

they use their specially
designed prehensile lip.

To make it harder yet to spot them,

they're smaller than their cousins
and much more shy.

Now, I said they are USUALLY
found in bushes,

where they can be hard to see.

Usual is not how nature operates
in Etosha.

Our rhino is literally standing
by the side of the road.

If I can't get a good picture
of this black rhino,

I should lose
my wildlife photo badge.

The future of black rhinos
rests with mega-parks like Etosha

and the ability to stop poaching.

We are nearing the edge of the park

and I've yet to see a unicorn.

I should probably explain that
the unicorn I'm talking about

is an antelope called the oryx.

There's a good chance the oryx is
the prototype of the unicorn story.

These antelope have
a horse-like profile,

and their two very attractive horns
line up from the side perfectly,

making it look like there's just one.

Voila, a unicorn.

Or at least what some early explorers
thought was a single-horned equine.

Finally, just ahead, a unicorn -

or should I say an oryx? -

one of the most beautiful antelope
in Africa.

And just in the nick of time,

as we're just a few minutes
from the park exit.

We exit the park in the far east side
and begin our southward journey.

This is a day-long drive

that will take us through
Namibia's famous desert,

and my second quest -

to see this landscape up close.

For some people, the big downside
to travelling in Namibia

is the long distances through what
seems like a never-ending desert.

But if you take a moment to just
look at the beauty around you,

you suddenly realise there's a lot
more here than just the desert.

In fact, the sands here include
semi-precious stones,

like garnet and even diamonds.

And the landscape is alive,

if you just spend a moment to look.

We finally arrive in Swakopmund
late afternoon,

just in time to check in to
our hotel, the Atlantic Villas,

before it gets dark.

The town is German-founded

and was originally functioned
as a strategic harbour.

Nearby Walvis Bay
later took the honour,

forcing Swakopmund
to find another identity.

That was when tourism along
the Atlantic Coast was born.

The next morning, it was up early
to begin what we came here for -

our sea and desert adventure.

A short ride to the harbour city
of Walvis Bay and I was psyched.

I've really been
looking forward to this day.

We're gonna go out
in the Walvis Bay,

looking for some of
the abundant wildlife out there.

And then we're gonna go inland
on four-by-four vehicles

through some of the massive
sand dunes found in this area.

This is going to be a real adventure.

Walvis Bay is not only a protected
body of water, but a city as well.

It was the British outpost
within an otherwise German colony

until the end of World War I,

when all of Namibia was put
under the trusteeship of Britain,

who passed it on to their powerful
colony of South Africa.

All three powers protected,
to varying degrees,

this wonderful coastline
and the adjacent desert.

The catamaran glides through the bay

until it reaches a most unusual stop,

an oyster farm.

Oysters are not native
to the Namibian coast,

but an immigrant saw an opportunity
and took the plunge.

Oyster-farming proved very lucrative
and a new industry was born.

Nowadays, several companies

have baskets of these shellfish
dangling from floating markers.

Over 10 million oysters
are floating in the harbour

on any given day,

making it a must-try food
in Walvis Bay.

As we begin to pull away
from the massive oyster beds,

an unexpected guest appears -

one of the African or Cape fur seals.

Fur seals are close relatives

to the sea lions that famously haunt
Pier 39 in San Francisco

or perform in many marine parks.

This fur seal,
like his showbiz cousins,

is easily trained to jump on board
for a fishy treat.

I get caught up
in the excitement as well

and take an opportunity to
introduce myself to our stowaway.

As our friend slips back
into the water,

we catch the first sign
of a fur seal colony nearby,

and it wasn't by seeing
or hearing them.

Fur seal colonies are notorious

for the lingering rotting fish smell.

Along Walvis Bay, there are over
80,000 fur seals in the colony.

That number astounded me
until I learned

that an even larger colony
of over 200,000

exists just a short distance
up the coast, at Cape Cross.

Walvis Bay is not only known
for its immense seal colony,

but also its endemic dolphin species,

the Heaviside dolphins.

These five-and-a-half-foot-long
mini missiles

love to play off the bow

of the many dolphin cruises

that are designed for a better view

of these playful locals.

As we exit the catamaran, there is
one last surprise waiting for us -

a large African pelican,

drawn in by the promise
of leftover fish.

The second part
of our Namibian coast adventure

is going to prove to be
a bit more daring,

and I'm not sure that I'm up to it.

Running for hundreds of miles
along the coast

is the oldest desert,
at 63 million years young,

the Namib.

The dry conditions combined
with the pulverised minerals

of quartz, garnet and even diamonds,

has created one of the most unique
and inhospitable places on Earth.

This starkly beautiful land
is harsh and unforgiving.

Much of the area is under
national park protection.

In fact, the park's borders
parallels the division

that existed between British
Walvis Bay and German Namibia.

Giant dunes rise
across the park's landscape,

creating an unreal look
and atmosphere.

The land may be unforgiving,

but surprisingly,

life exists here and thrives.

Springbok, oryx, hyena and jackal

are key players in this environment.

It is hard to believe that they can
find enough food and water,

but they do.

As yellow as the dunes are,

the birds that live in
the adjacent salt ponds are pink.

Both lesser and greater flamingos
are common near the national park.

60,000-plus of these
popular birds live here.

They get their attractive colour
from the carotene in their diet

of crustaceans, like tiny shrimp,

found in these briny waters.

I've seen a great number
of monuments in the world.

Some are just absolutely incredible,

like the pyramids in Egypt
or the Taj Mahal in India.

But there's only one monument
that you could say

is truly out of this world,

and it's here, in Namibia.

This one-of-a-kind
centre city display

has over 25 huge meteor stones,
artistically arranged.

Most weigh well over 500 pounds,

with some topping 1,200.

Sadly, a few have gone missing

as these iron, nickel space stones

are quite valuable
on the black market.

From giant sand dunes

to immense seal colonies,

elephants, rhinos and lions,

not to forget rare alien rocks

spread across the landscape,

Namibia is a land of adventure

and extremes.

Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) SBS Australia 2023