Etosha National Park

A self-drive safari park beside a vast white salt pan, where floodlit waterholes at night can show black rhino, lions and elephants in the same frame.

Etosha National Park lies in northern Namibia and covers about 22,000 sq km. At its centre is a white salt pan of roughly 4,800 sq km, surrounded by savanna and bushland dotted with dozens of natural springs and artificial waterholes, making it one of Africa’s best parks for self-drive wildlife viewing. Visits are usually split among three main camps: Okaukuejo in the southwest (near the southern Andersson’s Gate, where the floodlit waterhole often shows black rhino at night), Halali in the centre (the Moringa waterhole and a pan viewpoint), and Namutoni in the east (a white German-style fort, the Chudop and Klein Namutoni waterholes, and Fischer’s Pan). Olifantsrus, further west, sees few visitors. North and south of the park are private reserves such as Ongava and Onguma, where you can track rhino on foot and go on night drives. Best season: the dry season from May to October, when animals gather at waterholes; in the rainy season from November to April the landscape is green and there are many young animals, but wildlife is dispersed and it is hotter. Getting there: about 5 hours’ drive from Windhoek on the B1 to the southern gate. Roads inside the park are gravel but passable by an ordinary car, with a 60 km/h speed limit; gates open at sunrise and close at sunset. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights, crossing the park from west to east. Notes: you may not leave your vehicle except at camps and designated spots; park entry is charged per person per day plus a vehicle fee; in peak season, camp accommodation must be booked months ahead on the NWR website; there is a malaria risk in the rainy season.

Top sights

• Etosha National Park – A national park built around a vast white salt pan. Self-driving between waterholes lets you watch elephants, rhinos and lions. At the Okau…
• Okaukuejo Waterhole – The most famous floodlit waterhole in Etosha, right beside the camp wall. At night, black rhinos, elephants and lions often come to drink i…
• Etosha Lookout – The only place in the park where you can drive your car out onto the salt pan. Stretching in all directions is a vast white salt crust, and…
• Halali Camp & Moringa Waterhole – Halali camp in the middle of the park: the floodlit Moringa waterhole at the foot of a rocky hill is quieter than Okaukuejo, with a chance…
• Okondeka Waterhole – A natural waterhole on the edge of the salt pan north of Okaukuejo, where lion prides often ambush wildebeest, zebra and springbok on the o…
• Nebrownii Waterhole – An artificial waterhole east of Okaukuejo where hundreds of zebra and springbok gather in the dry season, and which is also a drinking spot…
• Olifantsbad Waterhole – A waterhole southeast of Okaukuejo whose name means “elephant bath,” where herds come to drink and bathe, with a picnic area nearby
• Sprokieswoud (Haunted Forest) – A strange forest of twisted Moringa trees west of Okaukuejo, whose trunks look like upturned roots and which is nicknamed the “Haunted Fore…
• Fort Namutoni – A white German colonial fort in the eastern camp, built in the early 20th century, now a camp and viewpoint where you can climb the walls f…
• Fischer's Pan – A small salt pan northeast of Namutoni; after the rains it fills with water and attracts flamingos and pelicans, and the loop road offers a…
• Chudob Waterhole – One of the most popular waterholes near Namutoni, where in the dry season giraffes, zebra, elephants and impala often drink at the same time
• Klein Namutoni Waterhole – A small waterhole just a few kilometers from Namutoni camp, very quick to reach, where lions, elephants and giraffes often appear, a must-v…
• Dik-Dik Drive – A small bush loop near Namutoni to see the Damara dik-dik, one of the world's smallest antelopes; the whole loop takes only 20 to 30 minutes
• Olifantsrus Hide – A two-story viewing hide at a camp in the western part of the park, where you can watch elephants and rhinos drink from behind glass at clo…
• Ongava Private Game Reserve – A private reserve right next to Etosha's southern gate, famous for tracking black and white rhinos on foot; guests at the luxury lodges can…
• Onguma Game Reserve – A private reserve just outside Etosha's eastern gate, bordering Fischer's Pan, with several lodges by waterholes offering night drives and…

Where to eat

• Okaukuejo Camp Restaurant – The restaurant at the main western camp in Etosha, a few steps from the famous floodlit waterhole. Non-guests are welco…

Itineraries

• Namibia Classic Self-Drive Loop – A counter-clockwise loop covering dunes, the coast, rock petroglyphs, and Etosha, bringing together the best of Namibia…
• Kaokoland Himba & Kunene 4x4 Route – Drive north by 4x4 through Damaraland, Sesfontein, and Epupa Falls, ending with a traverse of Etosha from the west gate.
• Windhoek to Victoria Falls Overland Loop – Cross from Namibia along the Okavango River to the Delta and Chobe, ending at Victoria Falls.