Etosha National Park Safaris
Etosha is Namibia’s most famous safari park. Big game is abundant here, with it being one of the finest places in Africa to view the Big Five.
When to go to Etosha National Park
Best Time to Go
Namibia’s most famous safari park
One of the best places for the Big Five
Abundant big game
A great destination for all budgets
Namibia’s Must-See Safari Region
Etosha National Park is located in the very north of Namibia. Stretched over 22,000 sq km, the centre of the park is the Etosha Pan, a vast salt pan so large that it can be seen from space. Surrounding the pan, there are pockets of privates nature reserves that protect both the land and the wildlife. This is where many of our favourite lodges are located.
Activities & Wildlife
Etosha is Namibia’s most famous game park and one of Africa’s best destinations for wildlife viewing.
Wildlife safaris
Game drives
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Etosha has serious amounts of game. Travel here in the dry season, and you will find the waterholes home to so many different species at one time that it is truly astonishing. The animals in this arid landscape rely on the park’s many waterholes (some natural, some man-made). In the dry season (May to October) the game viewing around these waterholes is heavily concentrated, making for plenty of predator-prey interactions.
It’s important to note that Etosha was designed as a reserve to explore independently. The road network is superb, with tarmac in places, and is designed to open the park up to self-drive visitors. For this reason it can be very busy in places. Daytime game drives are the only activity permitted within the park. However, night safari, as well as walking safari, are possible in the private reserves bordering the park.
Etosha is the only park in Namibia where you can expect to see similar concentrations of wildlife to those in other classic African safari destinations. Its array of landscapes, from mopane woodland, to open plains and stunning rocky hills are home to over 100 mammal species and 340 types of bird. This park is famous for its vast, white salt pan, which can be seen from space! It creates the famous “white ghost” elephants, which become covered in its powdery dust.
Four of the Big Five can be seen here; there are no buffalo, as they prefer wetter land. Predators include hyena, cheetah, lion, leopard, bat-eared foxes, while the plains game found are wildebeest, kudu, oryx, zebra and impala. The park has a large number of black rhino and they are often found by floodlit waterholes like Okaukuejo.
The vast salt pans, the dramatic sunsets, the open skies… Etosha is a place of raw beauty. Seeing the incredible concentrations of wildlife gather at waterholes feels like stepping into a living documentary!
Talk to someone who’s been there
Real expertise doesn’t come from a few trips to Africa. All our specialists have either been guides, run the camps, or grown up and lived in Africa. That’s over 600 years of genuine safari experience.
Good to Know
01.
Is Etosha good for a classic safari?
Many people believe Etosha cannot compete with the likes of Botswana’s Okavango, Zambia’s Luangwa Valley or Tanzania’s Serengeti. Their argument is simply that this national park does not offer an authentic safari experience. There is certainly something strange about having a Toyota Corolla game-driving next to a fully equipped safari Land Rover! However, this is completely missing the point. Etosha does not attempt to compete with the Serengeti, Luangwa or Okavango – it was designed to be different. Self-driving is the aim of this park, and in all fairness, it is arguably the most productive and accessible safari area. With superb quality of lodges and great infrastructure within the country, this destination is a great option for affordable trips to Africa. For clients wishing to find authenticity, there are a couple of private reserves surrounding the park that suit their preferences – Ongava Reserve or Onguma Reserve tend to satisfy requirements.
02.
When is the best time to travel to Etosha National Park?
Etosha is a classic dry-season dry season reserve, with the weather getting progressively hotter, the later in the year. July – October is peak season for game-viewing. However, Namibia is a stunning destination for much of the year. Extreme heat that hits the country around mid-November and lasts until mid-March, and should not be taken lightly.
03.
What are the best accommodation options?
To gain access to Ongava Private Reserve, we would suggest staying at Ongava Lodge, one of the first luxury lodges in Etosha. Focused originally as a rhino reserve, this is ideal for potentially up-close rhino spotting. Ongave Reserve has a collection of four properties though, so if you’d prefer something even more luxurious, try Little Ongava, or if you are an avid photographer, try Anderssons Camp.
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