Etosha National Park

Outstanding Experience

Etosha National Park is quite a unique place - we got to see a lot of animals in their natural habitat. One morning when we left very early (6ish) from one of the camps we even saw a leopard perched on a tree, enjoying the scenic view (or maybe eyeing a kudu ...). We can really recommend staying several days in the camps, as there are water holes at each camp and animals do really show up at those. We even saw two rhinos at a waterhole at night (around 9pm) so patience really pays off.

Etosha National Park, with its waterholes, is a wildlife experience, ideal for a self-drive holiday

Etosha is a vast National Park with 4 lodges within the park (Dolomite; Okaukuejo; Halali and Namutoni, travelling west to east) and a handful just outside the gates. The lodges are government-run and are not at the luxury end of accommodation. The largest is Okaukuejo with its iconic illuminated waterhole. In September we found it to be fairly busy: the accommodation, however, was very good with air conditioning. We were close to the camp site and only a short walk to the waterhole. The food is generally fine and the staff were always pleasant and helpful. The only mild criticism would be that the shop is poorly stocked and geared to campers. We could park our 4x4 right outside our chalet door. Most visitors were self-drive but there were a few huge trucks with 12 or so people on the camp site. Those who didn't wish to drive through the Park took advantage of the various guided tours. In terms of service in Etosha in general, one has to be tolerant. The service in the modern-looking restaurant at Halali was hopeless. It is the wildlife, however, that visitors come to see.

There is no point looking for hippos or crocs: there are none. Leopards and cheetahs are more or less impossible to find without a guide but the herds of elephants; zebra; wildebeest and oryx are superb. Solitary male lions and prides are a great sight, let alone rhinos slowly joining giraffes, elephants, jackals and springbok at the waterholes. The oryx, kudu, impala, Hartebeest and hyenas add to the rich tapestry. Driving along the road there are frequent sightings of Pale Chanting Goshawks; bee eaters and eagles (including the Martial Eagle).

A great thing about Etosha is that traffic is light. At the Goas waterhole there two other vehicles where we watched some 200+ zebras and around 80 kudus drinking: an amazing sight. There was a caracal, but I couldn't spot it. One aspect, rarely mentioned, is the silence at a waterhole: to hear the sound of hooves on stones as zebras approach or the splash of water, the snorting, is enchanting. The roar of a lion is something else! At the waterholes it is so marvellous to see the giraffes, elephant and rhino in particular slowly approaching, unhurried. This is especially so at sunset with the sun behind (the best for this Okaukuejo as night driving is forbidden and proximity to accommodation is vital). The illuminated waterhole at Okaukuejo is amazing at night. The hierarchy of 'rights' can be fascinating. Giraffes take a long time to have the confidence to drink but there was no panic as the roar of a lion filled the air: they stood up, faced one direction with ears pricked and slowly moved off as the lions approached.

The scenery in Etosha is nothing spectacular, of course, being fairly flat. The salt pan can be very dramatic with, perhaps, a dozen ostriches crossing the blazing white salt. There are many areas of bush and of light woodland in which one might suddenly come across a herd of 100 or so zebra: this type of vista is as compelling as seeing a herd in the open. To drive for ten minutes seeing little and then to see a male lion under a thorn bush or indeed a rhino is amazing. There is a degree of luck involved, of course as they can easily be missed. The herds of elephants are dramatic. In some areas they are very dark coloured, in others almost white from dust from the salt pan.

Amazingly, there a few small saloon cars around. A 4x4 would be the norm, giving height and ability to cope better with the rougher roads (the roads around the Goas waterhole were very rough but OK in a 4x4). The Park is so dramatic that after a 3 night stay, we stayed outside the eastern gate and re-entered it for another half day. If visiting Namibia and doing 'the circuit' over a fortnight, do finish the trip with Etosha rather than begin it ... leave the (fantastic) country on a high.

Etosha did not disappoint

We stayed in the park for 14 nights and visited all camps. Each camp has it's own highlights, for instance the waterholes in Okaukuejo and Halali or the silence of Onkoshi. There were plenty of sightings every day. Elephants, lions, a leopard, a honey badger, giraffes and other game. We had organized everything on our own and used a rental car for the trip. It's not necessary to hire a guide, just drive from waterhole to waterhole and you will find animals.

Best place on earth to see black rhinos. Okaukuejo waterhole is the best waterhole on earth (saw 3 of 5 big 5, lion, black rhino and elephant). Clear routes. Depends on the time you drive, is hardly to see good sightings. Possibility to see rare sightings like Rock Monitor Lizard.

Etosha : An incredible once in a lifetime experience

I would like to do my best to write of my amazing experience in this wonderful place,
I have always wanted to go to Namibia - I think my first time falling in love with this amazing country was seeing a BBC documentary on the Skeleton coast when I was about 10.
20 years later and I finally went on a safari/trekking tour of the country - Etosha national park was our first stop.
We were in a group of about 10 and all got on very well, I was with a bunch of crazy Italians ! -great fun!
The 1st place we stayed in was called Okaukuejo , it was close to the Etosha pan , we were lucky to get our tents near a fantastic waterhole - that always had animals drinking and was floodlit at night - but this did not disturb the animals.
We went to the waterhole and had a fantastic view of a herd of Elephants drinking, then a group of Giraffe and Zebra came along - I must say it was a very emotional experience.

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This was high afternoon and the temperature must have been in the mid 30's, but there was sheltered seats so it wasn't too bad, later on in the evening with fading temperatures and softer light we went out for a drive around the park - perfect for taking pictures with the low sun.
There was plenty of Springbok to be seen ! (more than 20,000 in Etosha :) ), also plenty of Zebra and some giraffe and then later we were very lucky to see a pride of Lions.

That evening we had an excellent cooked meal eating outside in the cool African night .
We spoke with our guides over dinner and I must say I felt like a kid with him telling us great stories about the wildlife in Namibia.
We were about to go to the Waterhole when we heard the roar of Lions !! - they sounded so close ,
but we were in the safety of the enclosed camp - still it was quite a buzz to hear.
We went to the waterhole and were treated to a multitude of animals drinking - including the Pride of Lions that decided to chase off a few Giraffes, some Rhino came along too and then a few Elephants, it was a totally different experience to see these animals at night and was very happy to have witnessed it.
Coming back to my tent there were some Jackals about !, they were harmless enough as long as you didn't feed them or harass them - also we had to leave our shoes in the tent, as people would wake up in the morning to find them all chewed up !! - the Jackals it seemed aren't so different from our own domesticated dogs!!

That night I went to bed with the sound of Lions calling - pure heaven !!.


Early the next morning (6 am) we had a short breakfast and went on a safari drive , again the light was perfect for taking pictures , we were really lucky to see another pride of lions and then shortly after a pair of Lions crossed right in front of us - I got this fantastic shot :
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We took more drives that day and returned to the campsite in the evening ,where again we went to the waterhole for some night viewing - we saw some Rhino and their young drinking.
Later that night the Lions showed up again and scared some Giraffe away!.
A cocky young male Lion tried to stalk the Rhino - but he was having none of it and soon intimidated the Lion off.

Next day (3rd and last full day in Etosha) We went to the campsite at Namutoni - this was a nice campsite that also had a floodlit waterhole - although it was a lot quieter than the one at Okaukuejo.
Before we arrived we took an early morning drive and were treated to the site of two Cheetah and then a Leopard !! - They were quite far off and I wish I could have gotten better pictures but I didn't expect to see them at all so was very happy.
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Then we saw a Spotted Hyaena !! , this is a very rare sighting in Etosha so was thrilled to see him!!

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The final night we could hear the distant sounds of Hyaena's ! - I never did like this animal before this trip but have learned to appreciate them since.

So an amazing few days were had in Etosha, we left on the 4th morning and continued an incredible journey for almost another 2 weeks across this fascinating country.