Etosha National Park

For those who wish to see wildlife on their Namibian journey, the Etosha National Park is a must visit destination. It is the most popular national park in Namibia and can provide fantastic wildlife moments to those who explore it.

On an Etosha safari it is common to encounter large numbers of elephant, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest as well as a host of antelope species including springbok, oryx, kudu and impala. The predator that is most often seen and heard is the lion. Etosha’s apex predator is most active just after dusk or in the early hours of the morning. Harder to spot are leopard and cheetah, though both are present in the park.

Every animal has a story to tell and nowhere is this truer than in the Etosha. For example, when you look carefully you will discover that there are two different species of zebra living in the Etosha National Park. You can find the common plains zebra as well as the Hartmann’s mountain zebra, the latter of which is by far the rarer of the two. The Hartmann’s mountain zebra has adapted to survive in rocky and mountainous areas and it is regularly sighted in the western Etosha.

Birders can look forward to 340 species of birds on their Namibia safari in Etosha National Park. A third of these species are migratory and the most popular is probably the European bee-eater. The 35 raptor different species include several types of vultures, as well as eight species of owl. Larger birds found in the park are ostrich and the world’s heaviest flying bird, the kori bustard.

The secret to the success of the Etosha is its many waterholes, most of which provide water throughout the year to the thirsty animals. These include both natural fountains and springs as well as artificial boreholes. It is quite common to witness multiple animal species, even predator and prey alike, sharing a waterhole simultaneously and this has the makings of a tremendous wildlife spectacle. Famous waterholes in the Etosha include Nebrownii, Okaukuejo, Rietfontein, Goas, Kalkheuwel and Namutoni.

The huge Etosha Salt Pan is certainly also worth a visit. At 130 km long and up to 50 km wide in places, it is comfortably the largest salt pan in Africa and is the park’s most distinctive and dramatic feature, visible even from space. It is so quiet you can hear your thoughts and so vast that your eyes can gaze over the flat landscape all the way unto the horizon. During periods of heavy rain, the Etosha salt pan can fill with water and flamingos flock to this temporary lake to harvest on the blue and green algae which form, creating an oasis in middle of this otherwise dry environment.

Etosha is malaria free in the dry winter months, but most international health organizations still advise on taking some form of prophylaxis during this time as well as during the wetter summer months, roughly from December to April. The best game viewing is in the dry season, roughly from June to October, where daytime temperatures are cooler (but still pleasantly warm). The green season can get very hot, but it is also the better season for birders.

The park is entirely accessible to two-wheel drive vehicles and offers plenty of accommodation options, both camping and lodging, inside the park and near the park’s entrance gates. You can explore Etosha on a self-drive safari or a guided tour. The lodges inside the park are state-run and give you the opportunity to go on guided night games, whilst the accommodations outside of the park’s boundary often are more intimate and charming.

The Etosha National Park offers you a safari experience unlike any other. By exploring this immense wildlife sanctuary, you can get a fantastic insight into the lives of the many animals who play an important part in Namibia’s greater ecosystem. Even if you have visited the Etosha before, it remains a fantastic national park to revisit as you will never know what it has in store for you this time around.