ETOSHA IS ONE OF NAMIBIA’S fi nest national parks and offers spectacular game viewing. The park has 86 springs, fountains and waterholes (some natural and some fed by boreholes), where the game tends to concentrate in the dry season. Visitors can expect to see a host of small and large animal species, including elephant, lion, giraffe, rhino and a variety of antelope, including the elusive Damara Dik-Dik, Namibia’s smallest antelope.

Thousands of years ago Etosha Pan would have been a lake fed by the Kunene River but today the pan only holds water after heavy rains. During this time, for a short while, it plays host to flamingos, pelicans and wading birds. The rainy season generally offers excellent birding opportunities with some 340 species present, about a third of which are migratory.

Part of the reason Etosha is so popular is because it offers good facilities and is accessible by sedan. The park has a few points from which to enter or exit but the main ones are: Galton Gate in the southwest, Anderson Gate in the south, Von Lindequist Gate in the east and King Nehale Gate in the northeast. The park is serviced by a good gravel road and it has six camps which offer excellent camping and/or lodging facilities. Olifantsrus is the newest camp in the park, offering just camping. Each camp is unique and has different vegetation which attracts different animals.

When it was proclaimed in 1907, the park was one of the largest reserves in the world, but it has since shrunk in size to an area consisting mainly of Etosha Pan which is 130 km long and 50 km wide. The western section of the park was restricted for many years but now visitors are allowed to use Galton Gate and stay over at Dolomite luxury camp.

There also are reserves just outside Etosha which offer their own game drives and beautiful scenery; for instance, Onguma Private Game Reserve to the east near Namutoni Gate and Ongawa Private Game Reserve to the south near Anderson Gate.

MAJOR ATTRACTIONS:
Etosha National Park;
Onguma and Ongawa Private Game Reserves;
Phantom Forest is a dense stand of Moringa ovalifolia trees, also known as Phantom or Ghost trees;
Lake Guinas and Lake Otjikoto are natural sinkholes formed by collapsing caves;
Tsumeb Craft Market sells traditional arts and crafts from northern Namibia;
The Open-air Museum of Cultural Villages in Tsumeb gives visitors an insight into the lives of various Namibian tribes;
Museums at Outjo and Tsumeb display some of the history of the area;
The Kamanjab rock engravings site is the second largest such site in Namibia.

Petrol costs are from R11.32- R11.38 per litre. (Jul-2015)).

Take note: Garage or Petrol cards will no longer be accepted as a legal tender for purchase of fuel, spares or repairs in Namibia. Cash, Debit and Credit cards are legal payment instruments, but many fuel stations choose NOT to accept Debit and/or Credit cards.

Therefore you are advised to either carry cash or ensure that the filling stations you intend to use will accept your Debit or Credit card. (Feb-2014).

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Etosha National Park