Etosha National Park: a first-timer's safari guide

Why visit Etosha

Etosha is unusual among great African parks because the landscape is open and the roads are good enough for an ordinary car. You can drive yourself between waterholes, stop when you want and stay at camps inside the park. It is also one of the best places on the continent to see black rhino, especially at night.

The waterholes

The secret of Etosha is patience at the right waterhole. **Okaukuejo**, the main camp in the south, has a floodlit waterhole where rhino, elephants and lions often appear after dark, and many visitors call it the best free wildlife show in Africa. **Halali** in the centre has the Moringa waterhole, set against a rocky hill. **Namutoni** in the east sits beside a restored German fort and the busy Chudop and Klein Namutoni waterholes.

Around the park, **Okondeka** often has lions, **Nebrownii** and **Gemsbokvlakte** attract zebra and springbok, **Rietfontein** and **Goas** are reliable in the dry season, and the **Etosha Lookout** lets you drive a short way onto the pan itself. Ask at each camp's sightings board what has been seen that day.

When to go

June to October is dry and the best time for game viewing, as animals concentrate at waterholes. Days are warm and nights are cold early in the season. From November to April the rains bring green bush, newborn animals and great birdlife, including flamingos on the flooded pan in good years, but animals spread out and are harder to find.

Park rules

Visitors must stay in their vehicles except at designated places, keep to the speed limits and be inside a camp or out of the park by sunset. Gates open at sunrise and close at sunset, with exact times posted. Pay entry fees at the gates and keep your permit for exit. Check current fees and rules with the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism or Namibia Wildlife Resorts.

Where to stay

Inside the park, **Namibia Wildlife Resorts** runs Okaukuejo, Halali, Namutoni, Dolomite Camp in the west and Onkoshi on the pan's edge. These camps book out early for the dry season. Outside the gates are many private lodges, especially near Andersson Gate in the south and Von Lindequist Gate in the east, and the private **Onguma** reserve. Guided drives from these lodges can go into the park at sunrise.

Getting there

Okaukuejo is around five hours' drive north of Windhoek on tarred roads via Otjiwarongo and Outjo. Coming from Damaraland, the western Galton Gate opens up the quieter west of the park. Fill your fuel tank before entering and carry snacks and water, as distances between camps are long.

Tips

Bring binoculars, a long lens and patience. Drive slowly and stop often. Plan your route around two or three waterholes rather than racing between many, and always be back at camp before the gate closes.

Beyond the park

Near the eastern side, **Lake Otjikoto** and the **Hoba Meteorite** make interesting detours, and the **Cheetah Conservation Fund** near Otjiwarongo is a rewarding stop on the drive north from Windhoek. The **Waterberg Plateau**, a few hours south east, has hiking trails and rare antelope, and is a good place to break the journey.