​Overview – Etosha NP

Anthony Ham
Expert
By Anthony Ham

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including the 'Botswana & Namibia' guide.

Anthony is a renowned Africa expert and author of the 'Botswana & Namibia' Lonely Planet guide.

Anthony is the author of the 'Botswana & Namibia' Lonely Planet guide.

Etosha is Namibia’s most popular park for wildlife watching and is characterized by the vast, saline Etosha Pan. During the Dry season the waterholes around the pan become crowded with large concentrations of animals. Four of the Big Five are present, with only buffalo absent. Etosha’s floodlit waterholes provide a rare opportunity for nighttime wildlife-viewing.

 
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Best Time To Go July to September (Animals come to water)
High Season July to November (The park gets crowded)
Size 22,935km² / 8,855mi²
Altitude 1,061-1,451m / 3,481-4,760ft
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Pros & Cons

  • Exceptional wildlife viewing during the Dry season
  • Floodlit waterholes for night-time viewing
  • Easy self-drive destination
  • Several accommodation options catering to different budgets
  • Wildlife viewing is more difficult during the Wet season
  • Rest camps catering to self-drive visitors make it less exclusive
  • Very hot climate

Etosha NP Safari Reviews

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  • Scenery
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  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
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Wildlife

Wildlife viewing is outstanding in the Dry season (May to October) when animals congregate around the waterholes. Elephants are abundant. Big herds of blue wildebeest, zebra, springbok and gemsbok are often seen drinking together; black rhinos are also commonly seen after dark. Giraffe and eland might join as well. Big cats are spotted at dawn and dusk and black-backed jackal is very common. There are, however, no buffalos, hippos, crocodiles or monkeys.

Scenery

Translated as 'Great White Place', Etosha takes its name from the enormous Etosha Pan – a large silvery-white salt pan that acquires a thin layer of salted water after heavy rains. The water becomes deep enough for the pan to act as a breeding ground for greater and lesser flamingo. It is the artificial waterholes and natural springs, among the grassy plains and mopane woodland that attract most of the wildlife.

Weather & Climate

The semi-desert landscape of Etosha is almost bereft of rainfall during the Dry season (May to October). Temperatures can go as low as 7°C/45°F in the early morning for most of this season; only in September and October does the weather start to get hot. Etosha’s Wet season (November to April) is hot, with nighttime temperatures of around 17°C/63°F.

Best Time To Visit

Animals congregate around Etosha’s centerpiece pan and waterholes in the Dry season (May to October). The plentiful wildlife and generally good weather means the park gets quite crowded at this time. However, while wildlife viewing is more challenging in the wetter months, you’ll get away from the crowds and the scenery is lush.

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Etosha NP Safari Reviews

  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
  • Wildlife
  • Scenery
  • Bush Vibe
  • Birding
Most Helpful Expert Review
Expert
Philip Briggs  –  
South Africa ZA

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

A photographer’s favourite
4/5

The centrepiece of this immense park is Etosha Pan, a 5,000 sq km flat dustbowl, denuded of vegetation, than transforms into a vast shallow lake during the rainy season. The park is at its best, however, in the dry season, when the pan...

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Latest User Review
Phil Atkinson  –  
United Kingdom UK
Reviewed: Oct 4, 2022
5/5

Just an amazing place teeming with wildlife but you had to make the effort too which added to the fun. Plenty of people but it was so big you never really noticed. Reasonable food, drink and accommodation to be had there too within the park...

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