Etosha National Park

My first safari experience

I really enjoyed my trip to Etosha National Park in August last year. We stayed at Mokuti Etosha Lodge which was such a nice place to come back to, relax and enjoy great food after the excitement of a day spent in the park. The breakfast was particularly good, the staff was extremely friendly and helpful (a very noticable difference to some other experiences I've had with the Namibian 'service' culture... I guess it's because there are mostly tourists at the lodge that they've received more/better training?) and the beds were very comfortable. The lodge is located right next to one of the entrances and not far from Namutoni. On our way there we spotted the first animals. We later saw (among others) lots of giraffes, gnus, elephants, zebras (with foals, so cute), and what we believed to be the ears of a couple of lions taking a nap in the bushes.
As it was only mid-August i.e. spring was just beginning, the temperatures were still a bit unsteady. For the first half of our first day, I was wearing jeans and a scarf as well as a thick woollen jumper on top of my (long-sleeved) blouse and still felt cold. However, in the afternoon it became so hot that I took everything off again and basically ended up wearing just my vest as a top. It may have been just me though, as everyone else seemed just fine with the temperatures, but I would definitely recommend wearing/bringing some extra layers of clothing that you can take off or put on when necessary. Other than that I think normal (non-flashy) clothes work just fine as you're not allowed to leave your vehicle anyway.

If you like driving through beautiful scenery and spotting wildlife, Ethosa is the place to be!

We spend a couple of beautiful days at Ethosa national park. Starting near namutoni, we first discovered the very eastern part of the park, spotting a great variety of colorful birding and wildlife at fisher's pan. On our second day we drove through the park to okaukuejo, taking as many loops as possible and exploring different areas of the park. We were especially fascinated by the great variety of landscapes and the animals which inhabit it. Seeing elefants, giraffes, zebras and other animals so closely is just amazing and in my opinion you will never get sick of it....unfortunately we didn't spot any cats, it might be different if you don't choose to do a self drive but book a safari because many guides know special areas in which lions, leopards and cheetahs live.
Nevertheless we had a great time. A personal highlight was the water whole at okaukuejo, where you can just sit and watch wild animals in their natural habitat - an amazing opportunity for unique moments. I'd recommend Ethosa to anyone visiting Namibia.

Magical - so many animals!

We did a 4-day self-driving safari in a VW Polo rental car in Etosha and loved it. So many animals!! We felt so far away from our usual European life, in such a different, magical world.

The lodges are nice and give you quite some space inside and outside, the food there is pretty good, and the waterholes directly at the camps are amazing, especially at Halali and Okaukuejo. So many animals at almost all times of day at Okaukuejo and Klein-Namutoni (1 km from the camp), and great lion and rhino action at Halali's Moringa water hole at sunset. Most roads in Etosha are easy to navigate even in a Polo.

Very much worth the 5 h drive north from Windhoek on excellent roads!

Etosha National Park is fantastic - we spent 13 hours driving ourselves through the park from sunrise to sundown, saw all kinds of amazing animals, at a total price of roughly $10 US.

At the waterholes in particular we had some great animal viewing.

We very much enjoyed our time in Etosha National Park. The park was easy to get around in, and the people we met were kind and courteous. Animal viewing was terrific. Although we didn't see the numbers of animals we've seen elsewhere in Africa, the dry climate and associated waterholes made for some great, concentrated sightings, with some unique poses. We highly recommend this park as an animal viewing destination.

Etosha is wonderfull !

I stayed 2 days in Etosha national park including 2 nights at one of the campings. It was wonderfull, we saw a lot of animal, elephants, girafes, lion, ... the waterhole at the camping was one of my favorite places in Namibia !

Abundance of wildlife in a vast arid landscape - a unique setting for a nature lover.

The Etosha National Park remains one of the largest natural habitats with a large variety of animals and birds. The scenery is unique with the Etosha Pan (dried lake) to the north and variety of habitats along the southern shoreline. Sunny weather through most of the year provides travelers (and particularly photographers) with great viewing opportunities. Luxury accommodation to basic camping facilities are available. Opportunity to self drive and pace ones trip is an added bonus.

This is one of Africa's iconic game parks

Etosha is one of Southern Africa's iconic game parks. Namibia is a very safe country to visit, the main tarred roads are good although the dirt roads need caution and preferably a four wheel drive. The wildlife is easy to see with a good selection of mammals, the bird life is exceptional so it is worth self driving around the park and taking one's time to look at them all. There are excellent bird books and apps for smart phones to help identify them all. The landscape is generally flat and arid with very little dense vegetation making game viewing easy. The southern hemisphere spring around September is a good time to visit, the weather is warm during the day and the nights are cool, it rarely rains at this time of the year. Accomodation is good, clean and comfortable with a choice of camping and various levels of chalet depending on the budget. It does need to be booked well in advance as it is a very popular destination. The camps all have WiFi and cell phone coverage. The main camps serve barbecues and buffet food which is freshly prepared and good quality. Food allergies and sensitivities can be catered for. A choice of game meats is available with South African wines and local beers. The camps have well maintained swimming pools for cooling off in the afternoons. The staff are all friendly and helpful, and the guides are knowlegeable if you choose to go on night drives etc. The highlight for me was the birding, 132 species seen in 14 days and some award winning photos to bring back!

Don't expect too many animals during the wet season

In general, Etosha seems to be a great park to go to. The facilities were good, camping was fun and the scenery is just lovely. As we went there in the wet season of February, Etosha was very green, with plenty of water everywhere, so finding animals was very hard, even for our nice and very experienced guides. We did end up with a few sightings though, highlighted by a young leopard, who was drinking some water in the middle of the road. We saw plenty of giraffes, ostriches and springbok, but the rhinos were unfortunately hiding! It was fun to spot birds and also smaller animals like honey badgers, even though hard when the car was moving. I can definitely recommend going there, but would personally try again in dry season!

An absolutely wonderful park to visit and enjoy the fantastic wildlife up close.

This is my second visit to Etosha, the first was in November 2007 and I can definitely say it is unlikely to be my last. The landscape, sunsets, guides, variety of birds and mammals all make for an amazing experience. If you have never been to a wildlife park in Africa this one should be one you must visit.