Etosha National Park
User Reviews (135)
Namibia Parks
Highly recommended-it doesn't get better than this!
An African Safari Trip had always been high on my bucket list & finally, this Feb. 2015, it became a reality! The trip really started in Cape Town South Africa where a group of us travelled many miles by jeep,saw amazing scenery and wildlife but, it was nothing in comparison to the wildlife we encountered in Namibia's Etosha Park.
When we entered the Park through the Anderson's Gate and immediately saw our first elephant leisurely enjoying a mud bath along with an audience of zebras and giraffes, I knew I was in for a real treat. It was a great welcome to my first Game Park! From then on animal sightings were numerous. From impalas to springboks, to steenboks, warthogs, a variety of foxes, to my favourite gemsboks (oryx) there was never a dull moment.The lonely,solitary wildebeest trekking through the dry scrub towards our jeep,the hyena glaring at us, the black rhino in the distance, really got the adrenaline going. The kudus peeking out of the bush, the juvenile steenbok jumping in front of the vehicle, the vervet monkeys racing across the road were all pleasant surprises. The fact that the animals were in smaller group settings during that time of year was to my advantage when it came to photography.The giraffes in their calm & nonchalant ways were most photogenic and I never tired of photographing the stunning zebras.
The landscape had a surreal feeling to it, interspersed with sparse vegetation, low shrubs and vast salt pans.The low concentration of human activity brought peacefulness to the area and was much appreciated. The few waterholes along the countless roads attracted numerous species of animals and provided us with an excellent vantage point from which to view and photograph game.
The bird life was also prolific.The European Bee-Eater, the Lilac Breasted and European Roller, and the various Weavers were common throughout the park. We also spotted Ostriches, Kori Bustards, Storks, Secretary Birds, various Hornbills, numerous prey birds, and flamingoes amongst many other water fowl.
Our first night was spent at the Halali Camp. We were treated to beautiful spacious accommodations & excellent meals. The Namutoni Camp was our second night's destination. It was equally as lovely a spot, with attractive, clean rooms and once again exceptional food. Staff was always pleasant and friendly.
No complaints really, other than next time around, I would probably omit the night drive as it was not conducive to any decent photography even though it was interesting enough and we got to see a herd of rhinos speeding along the side of us in the bush and others drinking at a water hole.I would definitely extend my stay in the park for a few more days.
Much kudos to two wonderful, professional and most knowledgeable guides who went out of their way to look after our needs and made this adventure so successful! To be in their presence was truly a blessing!
Our last day ended magically ( and of course too quickly as one never wants a beautiful dream to end!) with a glowing sunset and dark thunder clouds looming overhead, announcing a storm on it's way. Last but not least we witness a farewell sighting of two silhouetted giraffes in the far distance momentarily necking and then galloping off like lovers into the coming storm! Luckily, the lack of rain had definitely played in our favour while in the park,but now it would be welcomed!
I must say that never in my wildest dreams did I expect such a rewarding safari expedition. Etosha Park will be embedded into my memory forever!
CA
Email Carolyn | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 Fabulous Days in Ongava / Etosha
My time in Ongava Game Reserve and Etosha was fabulous! Admittedly, this was my first safari so I don't have a point of comparison but I thoroughly enjoyed my experience. At Ongava, I liked how the animals were more integrated into the land so the guides had to do some tracking for us to see them. My favourite were the lions since we got to see them hunt (positively primal), play, play fight and do all sorts of high-flying acrobatics when the mother and cubs greeted. Walking with the white rhino was pretty spectacular too. Etosha itself was very different, with animals congregating more so at the watering holes, so it provided a nice contrast. I enjoyed watching the crashes of zebras run, the springbok males locking horns over the females, the innumerable giraffes of all colours from orange-brown to dark brown, seeing oryx, wildebeest, ostrich, etc... Seeing the pan itself was also pretty spectacular. Facilities-wise, Ongava Tented Lodge was beautifully appointed with fabulous food and it's own watering hole where we were able observe white rhino, black rhino, elephant (they had broken in from Etosha the day I arrived), kudu, etc... daily. It does get quite cold in the evenings so definitely bring warm clothing and treasure the hot water bottle that they leave in your bed in the evenings! For photos of my Namibian adventure, click here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/carolyncheng/sets/72157655744210916 (the animals are at the end of the album).
Etosha always delivers as a safari experience.
This was our second trip to Etosha National Park and like our first encounter, we were blown away by the variety and quantity of wildlife we saw.
We are experienced safari tourists but Etosha drew us back because the freedom of a self drive holiday and the quality of wildlife on offer is pretty near an unbeatable combination for us.
We spent 15 nights in the park and encountered numerous big 5 animals including 8 separate black rhino sightings in one day. We also saw several lions (including watching 6 lion cubs at play for over 2 hours at a waterhole), several cheetah, two leopards and a close up encounter with a magnificent Martial Eagle. But there are just droves of game at or near every waterhole and numerous birds and other creatures to be found between waterholes. The weather and light is also incredible for photography.
To maximise the hours we could spend inside the national park, we stayed at camps within the park's boundary. The lodges are basic but adequately clean. Food at the restaurants is pretty good although vegetarians may struggle to get variety. The new restaurant at Namutomi camp serves excellent food.
If viewing or photographing big game, birds and other wildlife is your aim, then you will have to go a long way to beat Etosha, and all of this against the surreal backdrop of the massive pan.
My trip to Etosha National Park was a completely new experience for me that I enjoyed thoroughly.
From the UK we flew to the capital of Namibia (Windhoek) and hired a car from there. After travelling several hundred kilometres north to Anderson gate on the south part of the park we arrived at ongava lodge. The lodge staff were very welcoming and made our stay very special. The lodge has a total of 34,000 hectares of private land bordering Etosha and several styles of camp to suit people's adventure. On a daily game drive we entered Etosha through Anderson gate and spent several hours at waterholes and open plains watching all types of wildlife such as elephants and lions. After spending multiple hours in the fresh winters sun we returned to the lodge for lunch where we recieved a wide array of local cuisine. A proportion of relaxation time in the afternoon was quickly broken when we embarked a sundowner drive in the ongava reserve. Our very knowledgable guide took us to prime locations to make sure he would fulfil are passion to see a honey badger and secretary bird. After a lovely stay at ongava lodge we set off to the Far East of the park were we stayed at onguma lodge near the town of namutoni. This lodge was very different with a moroccan design. Are lodge like ongava where all separated and at least 50-400 metres from the main building, meaning we had to be driven by a electric car at all times back and forward, besides the mild inconvenience this definetly made our stay very more exciting. The onguma lodge had roughly the same private land and same agenda but the landscape had changed from a baron land to a place where there was many more trees. The trees attracted more wildlife like the higher possibility of seeing leopard and bush babies. After another 4 days in Etosha it was time to leave after an unbelievable stay. throughout my stay in Etosha everything was great, the guides, weather, lodges and wildlife and I can't say enough how much I recommend Etosha national park
DE
Email N.L. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
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.
A very dry, very warm, very dusty desert paradise
My 3-day stay in Etosha National Park was the highlight of my Namibian Trip so there was lots of animal activity around the watering holes, both day and night. The game drives were excellent with knowledgeable guides, excellent cook and comfortable tents. On each game drive there was a variety of animals but on one special day we came upon a large herd of elephants which included bulls and babies. Mingling with this herd were zebra, springbok, kudu and giraffes. but I enjoyed sitting at the watering hole viewing area watching the dramas unfold.
IT
Email mi.G | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unexpected landscape and plenty of wildlife easily reacheable at your own leisure
I stumbled to the Etosha National Park a little by chance as I am usually more interested in landscapes than safaris. Said that...I have being flabbergasted by the park. The nature there is very much different than anything I had seen before and the abundance of wildlife is just stunning. You are left to wander freely in the park, as long as you stick to the indicated roads, and I felt more like landscaping in a very much alive place more than doing a safari looking for this or that animal. I could just enjoy my time going around and wildlife will just be there...literally crossing your road and popping out. And it is peaceful, and quite, and not crowded at all. Not to mention that it is very easy to do on your own with definitely well organized campsites inside the park, indications and roads. Maybe it lacks a little bit the real bush feeling, being so well organized, but you can get that anywhere else in Namibia outside the park just by driving around and stopping to camp wherever you feel like to. I would love to go back there at the end of the rainy season to see how water would transform it, but August was amazing as it was as it felt even magical and eerie in its dryness. As a practical advice, if you plan to do it as a road trip on your own in August as we did, and want to stay inside the park at night, which I strongly advice to do, you should try to book the campsite quite in advance as it seems tour operators get a big chunk of the available places in advance. This means that already in February we had been told by some camps that they had no places available for private travelers. Last but not least, the Halali campsite, which probably is the simpler of the ones inside the park, is probably the one where you want to stop longer if you are looking for a more wild vibe and nature peacefulness. In all we spent 3 days in the park, 2 nights sleeping inside, and all 3 days we saw something different. And we could have spent easily more days there had we had the time. Cheers!
Beautiful landscape, but wildfires
I visited the southwest side through Galton Gate, for a single day, self-driven. Wildfire smoke obscured much of scenery, but we still have great views of zebra, kudu, springbok, vultures, and many other species at the waterholes. The entrance gate could use quite a bit of work in terms of providing maps, guidebooks, and other educational materials. We also visited Dolomite camp just for a look-see - very lovely and quiet.
CH
Email Marcellinissimo | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely great landscape and wildlife
We saw a lot of different game, such as herds of Zebras, Springboks, Orys and lots of Elephants, Giraffes, Hyenas, Lion, Cheetahs and much more. The scenery was amazing, changing a lot from green to brown and green again. The pan is impressive too. We stayed at the Ongave Tented Camp just outside the park.
DE
Email Caro | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
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.
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