Etosha National Park is one of Southern Africa's finest and most important Game Reserves. Declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an area of 22 270 square km, it is home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and, surprisingly, one species of fish.
Etosha, meaning "Great White Place", is dominated by a massive mineral pan. The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. Today, the Etosha Pan rarely has water as it is supplied mostly from rainfall but with high evaporation the water quickly disappears.
A San legend about the formation of the pan tells of how a village was raided and everyone but the women slaughtered. One woman was so upset about the death of her family she cried until her tears formed a massive lake. When the lake dried up nothing was left apart from a huge white pan.
The game viewing in Etosha is excellent, the best time being from May to September. Visitors can expect to see many buck species, elephant, giraffe, rhino and lions. More fortunate visitors will see leopard and cheetah. There is a network of roads linking the three campsites and subsidiary roads lead to various waterholes.
There are three rest camps in Etosha; Namutoni, Halali and Okaukuejo. All three camps have floodlit waterholes which allow for excellent night game viewing. The waterhole at Okaukuejo is famous for Rhino and Elephant, while the newer waterhole at Halali is fast attracting more game.
Two excellent private lodges, Mokuti and Ongava, border the park and offer more luxurios accommodation. Both are situated in their own private game reserve and game viewing trips can be organised. Horse riding is available at Ongava Lodge.
The three camps are well maintained and have excellent facilities, each having its own bar, restaurant, shop and swimming pool. The shops are fairly limited and it is best to bring most of your provisions along unless, you intend to have all your meals in the restaurants. As with most places in Namibia cold beer is available at all three rest camps.
18 Day Namibian Extravaganza 16 Day Delta and Dunes Safari 12 Day Namibian Highlights 10 Day Namibian Explorer Safari 7 Day Northern Adventure 7 Day Northern Namibia Safari 6 Day Northern Highlights Safari 3 Day Etosha Safari 2 Day Etosha Shuttle
Etosha National Park is easily visited in a normal car, although the higher vantage point offered by a four wheel drive or mini-bus is advantagous for game viewing.
October, November and December are the hottest months with an average maximum of 32 C. Although temperatures can be much higher. The wet season is from January to March with 70% of the parks annual 358mm rainfall. The night time winter temperatures can reach freezing with the average minimum during July being a chilly 6C.