One of Africa's best game reserves, Etosha National Park protects a vast shallow bowl of silvery sand the size of Holland - and its surrounding bush. During the dry season, tens of thousands of animals converge to drink at the waterholes beside this pan.
For most of the year, these waterholes are ideal places just to sit quietly, observing and photographing game from the comfort of your car. Follow the rhythm of the animals: rise at dawn to watch them feed in the cool morning; relax during the midday heat; and venture out again in the late afternoon.
>> Click here for a map of Etosha <<
Much of Etosha's landscape is very open, with huge vistas over the pan, so with patience game can be easy to spot. Most of Africa's big-game species are found here, often in large numbers. These include lion, leopard, cheetah, elephant, black and white rhino, giraffe, zebra (Burchell's and Hartmann's mountain) and many other antelope. Etosha has over 300 species of birds, and a high concentration of lion.
Etosha was designed for visitors to drive themselves around – based at the simple, inexpensive restcamps inside the park. The parks good roads and signposts make this very easy. If you want higher levels of comfort or care than these can offer, or prefer to be guided around Etosha by a professional guide, then you should choose to stay in one of the private camps outside Etosha.
