Ultimate Guide To Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park

If you’re visiting Namibia then Etosha National Park is sure to be on your list, the park offers some of the best game viewing in Southern Africa!

You won’t spend hours trying to spot animals through thick vegetation or driving around aimlessly, just head to the waterholes, sit back and enjoy one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on earth!

The park offers an abundance of wildlife and adventure. Watch Blue wildebeest jostling for position, big cats stalking unsuspecting prey and huge herds of specially adapted desert-elephant moving from one waterhole to the next. If you’re lucky you can spot some of the rarer animals such as the Black Rhino, or perhaps even the elusive Leopard.

What gives Etosha an added edge is the fact that internal camps are constructed around waterholes, giving you unparalleled game viewing throughout the night even after the parks gates are shut.

Location

The Etosha National Park is situated in northwest Namibia and covers an area of 8,600 sq miles, the name Etosha means ”Great White Place” which refers to the large salt pan covering 23 percent of the national park, and is visible from space!

The landscape in the national park is a combination of saline desert, woodlands, savanna and grasslands. It’s not the most beautiful national park, but the exceptional wildlife viewing will soon take your eye away from the barren landscapes.

The Wildlife

Catching the glimmer of a lions eye as it passes inches from the car, watching giraffe, rhino and zebra blissfully drinking from the same waterhole, or elephant bulls as they lock tusks and jostle in a display of raw power — these are just a few of the incredible moments we witnessed on our first day here!

The park is home to 4 of the big 5. There’s no buffalo here and you won’t find any hippos, but you will find 114 different species of mammal as well as 340 species of bird!

Highlights

• Easy game viewing
• Camps situated around waterholes for night-time viewing
• Large herds of elephants
• Good numbers of giraffes
• Large concentrations of Blue Wildebeest, zebra and springbok
• Desert Antelope such as springbok and gemsbok
• Big cats – lions, leopards and cheetahs
• Less common black-faced impala and damara dik dik
• Rare black rhino
• Rare brown hyena
• Great range of bird life

Wildlife Viewing Tips

• Game viewing is great early morning (sunrise) and evening (dusk). The low light is also perfect for photography, bringing out all the detail of the animals.
• Big cats are generally less active during the day when temperatures are hotter and will usually seek the shade of a large tree.
• Big cats can usually be found close by to waterholes, but generally stalk and hunt their prey away from the water.
• Look out for signs of spooked animals, giraffe especially are usually the first animals to spot predators because of their height.
• Vultures circling is usually a good sign that a fresh kill has been made nearby.
• Visit the camps waterholes during the evening, this is when you are more likely to see leopards as well as nocturnal animals such as the Honey Badger.
• Communicate with other road users and share information on wildlife sightings.
• Always pull over on the side of the road where the wildlife sighting is, this will prevent other road users from obscuring your view.

Park Fees

Etosha National Park remains one of the most affordable safari experiences in Southern Africa, and in our opinion it’s great value for money.

Fees

• For foreigners the fee is NAD 80.00 per day
• For foreigners from SADC countries the fee is NAD 60.00 per day
• For Namibians its NAD 30.00 per day
• For children under the age of 16 it’s free

Additional charges apply for each vehicle

• For vehicles with 10 seats or less the charge is NAD 10.00 per day
• For vehicles with 11–25 seats the charge is NAD 40.00 per day

Park Gates

The gate opening and closing times vary throughout the year but are in line with sunrise and sunset.

There are four gates for entering into and exiting the park.

• Anderson’s Gate is at the southern end of the park, the nearest camp is Okaukueju and the gate is connected by a main road, the C38. This is the gate most people use when travelling from Windhoek and the nearest town is Outjo, 114 km’s from the gate.
• Von Lindequist Gate is situated to the east of the park. The nearest camp is Namutoni and the gate is connected by a main road, the B1. The nearest town is Tsumeb, 74 km’s from the gate.
• Galton Gate is in the southwestern end of the park, this is the newest gate and the nearest camp is the Olifantrus Camp.
• King Nehale Gate is situated to the north of the park, the nearest camp is Onkoshi Camp.

Money Saving Tip  Make sure to visit a town before you enter the national park and stock up on necessary supplies, the camps shops have inflated prices and tend to run out of items.

Malaria

The risk of malaria in Etosha is low and virtually non existent in the winter months when water is scarce. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take precautions and it’s wise to take some form of anti–malarial medication to be on the safe side. During our visit we took generic maralone and were both fine without any side–effects, but this can be different for each individual.

It’s always best to visit your GP to discuss your travel plans so they can give you advice and recommend you with appropriate medication.

For additional protection it’s best to wear long pants and long sleeve tops. You can also buy deet spray or mosquito repellent, and citronella bands are good at keeping mosquitoes at bay.

When To Visit Etosha National Park

Etosha is a peak game viewing destination throughout most of the year, but for general game viewing it’s best to visit during the dry season which is May to October. There’s less vegetation and the lack of rain means the animals are concentrated around the last remaining bodies of water.

Road Conditions

The park is well networked, mainly with gravel roads as well as a few dirt tracks, these roads do a good job of connecting the waterholes and main camps. There are however some smaller roads and dirt tracks which are of poor condition and have more frequent and larger potholes.

You can drive between the waterholes and camps in a sedan but it’s not advisable and the journey will be slower and less comfortable than in an SUV or 4WD vehicle.

An SUV or 4WD will make your journey safer, more comfortable and will afford you higher ground clearance for better game viewing.

Tip – Always have a map handy when driving around the park and you can use an offline map such as MAPS.ME or OsmAnd, we found that the HERE WeGo app only showed the roads but not the waterholes.

How To Explore

Nearly all of the camps offer guided safari drives which can be arranged at the camps reception area.

Self drive

If you have entered the park in your own vehicle then this is a great way to explore the park, as long as the vehicle is up to the task of course!

We strongly recommend an SUV or 4wd vehicle for exploring the park on your own. The road conditions vary and the higher ground clearance will afford you more comfort and better views of the wildlife.

Guided game drives

Game drives can be arranged at the main camps inside the park, as well as the many private reserves bordering the national park. Even if you have your own vehicle we think it’s best to mix it up and let someone else do some driving. It will give you chance to relax and enjoy the wildlife, you can learn more about the animals behavior, as well as increase your chances of sightings with an experienced guide.

Where To Stay In Etosha National Park

All camps inside the park are run by the government, Namibia Wildlife Resorts (NWR)

Make sure you plan and your trip and book accommodation in advance, especially in peak season as camps do sell out.

There are three main rest camps inside the national park, Okaukuejo, Namutoni and Halali. These camps offer a range of accommodation from camping to chalets and are well equipped with restaurants, shops, swimming pools and petrol stations.

The three other camps within the park, Dolomite, Onkoshi and Olifantrus offer less choice in the way of accommodation or facilities, but are equally unique in their own right.

Okaukuejo Camp — Main camp, administrative area of the park, chalets, rooms and camping, restaurant, bar, shop, swimming pool, petrol station, floodlit waterhole.

Namutoni Camp — Situated in an old German Fort,  chalets, rooms and camping, restaurants, shop, swimming pool, petrol station, small museum, waterhole and viewpoint.

Dolomite Camp —  west side of camp, less touristic, stunning views, 20 luxury safari tents, shop, bar, restaurant, swimming pool, waterhole, game drives, no camping.

Onkoshi Camp —  Accomodation facing the Etosha Pan, good for sunrise and sunset, 15 chalets in total, shop, bar, restaurant, swimming pool, no camping.

Halali Camp —  Bush chalets, rooms and camping, restaurant, shop, bar, swimming pool, elevated viewpoint overlooking the camps waterhole.

Olifantrus Camp — Camping only (10 campsites), small shop selling light snacks, waterhole with double story hide, good picnic stop for day visitors.

There is also a range of campsites on the outskirts of the national park, some of which are situated within private game reserves. Surprisingly these campsites tend to be cheaper and offer more facilities and comfort than those inside the national park. It’s definitely a trade off though as the camps inside the park have access to waterholes after dark.

Here’s two campsites we can recommend outside the park

Onguma Tamboti — All campsites have private shower and bathroom facilities, electricity and braai areas. There is a swimming pool, restaurant, bar and small store. There is also free WiFi available.

Oppi–Koppi Rest Camp —  All campsites have water and electricity, there is a shared ablution block with clean toilets and hot showers, there is also a restaurant, bar and swimming pool.

Map

Getting To Etosha

Most people tend to hire a vehicle from Windhoek and drive up to Etosha, entering the park via Anderson’s Gate. The drive takes around six hours on well conditioned, paved roads.

There are also some scheduled domestic flights between Eros Airport in Windhoek to Ondangwa which is around 200 km from Etosha’s Namutoni Camp. These flights can be booked through Air Namibia.

Distances

440 km/270 miles from Winhoek to Okaukuejo camp,  5-6 hour drive time.

510 km/316 miles from Swakopmund to Etosha,  6-7 hour drive time.

Park Safety

• Always make note of the emergency contact numbers for the parks before going on safari.
• Never leave your vehicle unless otherwise stated.
• Respect other road users and wildlife, keeping a reasonable distance.
• Stay away from breeding herds of elephants and musting bulls as they can become aggressive.
• Keep a distance from elephants with calf’s and don’t position yourself between the calf and adults.
• If you get a flat tyre stay in the vehicle and contact one of the parks emergency numbers with your location. Do not try to attempt to change the tyre yourself, the park is full of dangerous and well camouflaged animals.

Essential Items To Pack

• A telephoto lens, for getting great wildlife shots
• A shorter focal length lens, if you have two cameras equip one with something like a 70-200 mm lens and the other with a longer telephoto lens.
• Extra batteries and memory cards, you will take a lot of photos!
• A pair of binoculars
• Sunscreen
• Sunglasses
• Deet spray or mosquito repellent
• USB car charger
• Torch and head torches for around the campsites
• Trainers for driving and around the campsites
• Microfibre towel
• Conversion plug, this is a three prong adapter
• First aid kit 

Also looking to go to the Zambezi Region (formally Caprivi Strip) in Namibia? Check out our guide to the area here.