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Why visit Etosha National Park?
Etosha National Park is a wildlife safari and photographer’s dream. Here, Africa’s quintessential creatures assemble in numbers that boggle the mind.
In the late dry season, huge herds and attendant big cats and other predators congregate around the many water sources, queuing to quench their thirst. When the rains arrive, the area is transformed, attracting a plethora of birdlife - including thousands of flamingos - who come to take advantage of ideal feeding conditions.
Etosha's salt pan
The national park is named after Etosha Pan – an enormous 4,760km² salt pan - visible from space - which makes up nearly a quarter of the national park. The desiccated and bleached soils of the pan are dry for most, if not all, of the year. The word 'Etosha’ is said to have originated from the Ndonga word for “great white place”, an accurate description of the chalky and desolate landscape.
The original human inhabitants of Etosha were the Hai//om Bushmen, and they have their own legend about the history of the pan. According to their mythology, there was once a small village at the centre of the pan that was raided by a rival tribe. All of the village inhabitants were slaughtered but for one woman, who was so grief-stricken that her tears created an enormous, salty lake. The lake dried eventually, but the salt of her tears remained. The likely scientific explanation for the formation of the endorheic basin is that tectonic shifts redirected the flow of the Kunene River, and the lake dried up over time - probably around the same time as the formation of the Okavango Delta.
These days, the pan is fed only by a network of smaller rivers, which can turn it into a giant shallow lake during the latter part of the rainy season, January to March, attracting large numbers of flamingos and other waterbirds.
Surrounding the pan are grasslands, with mopane and acacia woodland.
READ MORE about Etosha National Park.
Etosha quick facts & tips
Etosha covers a vast 22,000km² (2,2 million hectares)
Photography during the dry months of June to October can be extraordinary, with the high density of wildlife around waterholes against a backdrop of crystal-clear blue skies and dust kicked up by hooves, creating dramatic images.
The best way to maximise the Etosha safari experience is to wait at a waterhole for the wildlife to come to you.
What wildlife can I expect to see in Etosha National Park?
Visitors can search for elephant, black and white rhino, lion, leopard, cheetah, brown and spotted hyena, giraffe, and a host of antelope (including the near-endemic black-faced impala), minuscule Damara dik-dik and both plains and mountain zebra.
Almost 400 bird species inhabit this arid landscape, including Namibian specials such as bare-cheeked babbler, violet wood-hope, Carp’s tit, Monterio’s hornbill, rockrunner and Rüppel’s parrot.
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Etosha FAQs
The climate in Etosha is the same as in most of Southern Africa: a cool, dry season from April to October (with September and October becoming warm to hot) and a hot, rainy season from November to March, with January to March having the highest rainfall. Temperatures range from 8-25 Celsius during the cooler dry months, increasing in September and October and 20-35 Celsius from November to March during the rains.
Wildlife viewings are best during the dry months, when vegetation is thinner and animals are forced to visit waterholes to drink, making their appearance more predictable. Once the rains begin, many animals scatter into the remote interior in pursuit of fresh surface water and better browsing/grazing - and the predators follow - resulting in a drop-off in wildlife sightings.
There are two things that you need to understand to get the most from your Etosha visit:
Waterholes
The best way to experience Etosha during the dry winter season is to reach a waterhole or natural spring as early as possible in the morning and stay until late morning. Once the seasonal water from the rainy season has dried up, the animals are obliged to visit these water sources - ensuring remarkable wildlife spectacles that few places in Africa can match. From large numbers of antelope gathered in one place to giraffes stooping to drink, giant ‘white ghost’ elephants caked in chalk dust and big cats waiting patiently to ambush their prey as they come to drink.
Crowds
Etosha, like many national parks in Africa, is intended for use by self-driving tourists, and most accommodation is in the form of campsites and self-catering chalets. This means it can get crowded during local school holidays and during the prime safari season from June to September. The best way to avoid crowds as far as possible is to stay at one of the private game reserves bordering Etosha and to visit the Etosha waterholes every morning.
Peak season bookings require 12–18 months advance planning. Trips outside of peak season can be arranged 6–9 months ahead, with better rates and availability.
Safaris to lodges in private reserves bordering Etosha typically cost from US$700 per person, per night, depending on the level of accommodation and activities. Our packages offer excellent value with transparent pricing.
Our safari prices typically include accommodation, all meals and described activities, park fees, experienced guides, airport transfers and 24/7 support from our team. Specific inclusions vary by package – contact us for detailed itineraries.
You only make your first payment when you book your Etosha holiday. Your second (last) payment is about 90 days before you travel.
We have been handcrafting experiential safaris since 1991. Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early/late or a few kilometres off course, and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity?
Booking through a respected tour operator with many years of experience means that all you need to focus on is helping us design your safari and then having a superb vacation. The rest - all the nitty-gritty detail and admin is done while you relax. Our 24/7 concierges take care of problems such as flight changes and missed flights, last-minute road transfer and lodge changes due to unexpected events, and itinerary changes requested by you.
Remember that you will not save money by attempting to book and manage your own safari, but you will inherit mistakes and problems that arise.
Yes, your money is safe. Your payments go into a third-party TRUST ACCOUNT - protecting them in the unlikely event of a financial setback on our part. Also, we are members of SATSA who attest to our integrity, legal compliance and financial stability. See what travellers say about us.
YES, by booking your safari with Africa Geographic, you make a significant difference because:
We donate a portion of every safari sold to selected conservation efforts at ground level
Your safari supports our conservation publishing efforts, which educate the world about Africa's incredible biodiversity and the local people who protect it
Our chosen lodges support local community initiatives, ensuring that tourism benefits the nearby villages directly. They also adhere to strict environmental practices, such as limited vehicle numbers and sustainable camp operations, which help protect the ecosystem
YOUR safari choice does make a difference - thank you!
Start planning your Etosha holiday
Our travel experts will craft a no-obligation itinerary just for you. We have crafted over 5,000 safaris since 1991. Your personal details are protected; we only use this information to contact you.
Why choose us to craft your safari?
Handcrafted experiential safaris since 1991.
Travel in Africa is about knowing when and where to go, and with whom. A few weeks too early/late or a few kilometres off course, and you could miss the greatest show on Earth. And wouldn’t that be a pity?
Trust & Safety
Guest payments go into a third-party TRUST ACCOUNT - protecting them in the unlikely event of a financial setback on our part. Also, we are members of SATSA who attest to our integrity, legal compliance and financial stability.
Make a difference
We donate a portion of the revenue from every safari sold to carefully selected conservation projects that make a significant difference at ground level.
YOUR safari choice does make a difference - thank you!