The Etosha Pan is the biggest tourist attraction in Namibia! The white salt pan dominates the park, roughly 130km long and up to 50km wide. This white chalky expanse, along with all the waterholes and wildlife, creates the unique atmosphere that is the Etosha Pan today. The Etosha Pan is a unique game viewing experience. It is an easy Park to navigate if you are on a self-drive vacation. There are luxury accommodation options just outside the park, in private concessions, and game drives can be done in these private concessions, as well as in Etosha Park.

The park is packed with a variety of African safari wildlife and then also animals specially adapted to the harsh conditions. Here you can spot cheetah on the vast open plains, lions lazing under the hot sun, elephants, plenty of plains game and desert specialties like the springbok and striking gemsbok.

The pan is usually dry but occasionally fills with water in the summer months. It then attracts pelicans and flamingos, creating a shimmering, beautiful sight! The Etosha Pan is open throughout the year but the dry summer months are the best time for game viewing. The landscape is arid and bare, the animals congregate around the scare water sources and some magical wildlife moments are usually on the cards!

There are local lodges that are run within the park gates, however game drives are only allowed during daylight hours. We have some excellent recommendations situated just outside the Park – the Ongava Reserve run by Wilderness Safaris on the western side of the Park, and the Onguma Reserve on the Eastern side of the park. If you are not sure how to plan your itinerary our consultants have been there and driven the routes. We have some great recommended itineraries which we have put together.

CHAT TO OUR SAFARI EXPERT!

Lise Kargaard

+1 646-968-0661

About "Etosha"

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Located a mere stone's throw from Etosha National Park, Andersson's Camp boasts sweeping views of waterholes, luxuriously appointed accommodation and an eco-sensitive attitude. As a premier wildlife destination, which is roughly the size of Switzerland, Etosha is a must on every visitor to Namibia's itinerary - with large herds of wild animals concentrating near the many waterholes in these African plains. Read More

From$1150

Set on the crest of a hill in the exclusive Ongava Game Reserve, this premium lodge has breathtaking views of both Ongava and the nearby Etosha National Park - with a wide range of wildlife, including lion and rhino, literally on the lodge's doorstep. Pristine and utterly private, five-star luxury comes standard at Little Ongava, and everything from morning and afternoon drives to spot-lit night drives in open 4x4 vehicles are on offer. Read More

As one of the Wilderness Collection's coveted Vintage camps, Ongava Tented Camp enjoys a picture-perfect location and provides a completely original African wildlife experience in the heart of Namibia's most prominent wildlife hotspot. Tucked into a hidden valley in the Ongava Game Reserve (and on Etosha's doorstep) the mainstays of this unique establishment are absolute privacy, supreme luxury and unrivalled game-viewing opportunities. Read More

From$638

Known as the original luxury game lodge near Etosha, Ongava Lodge is perched on top of a small kopje (rocky outcrop), bordering the southern side of the park, while also being part of the private and exclusive Ongava Game Reserve - a wildlife utopia in its own right, with plains teeming with springbok, gemsbok, blue wildebeest, eland and giraffe, to name but a few. Read More

Surrounded by more than 20 hectares of magnificent plains and protected wilderness and wildlife, Onguma Game Reserve has pride of place in Namibia's central region, and as it borders the eastern side of Etosha - particularly Fisher's Pan - the nature reserve positively teems with a variety of some of Africa's most celebrated animal species, from kudu, giraffe and oryx and zebra to predators like lion, cheetah and leopard. Read More

They say dynamite comes in small packages, and the fact that Onguma Tree Top camp is incredibly small just adds to the sense of unspoilt remoteness that is part and parcel of this camp's unique African allure. Built on wooden stilts among indigenous trees, the views here are unrivalled and the nearby waterhole is a hotspot for all kinds of wild animals. Read More

From$60

Okaukuejo is the administrative centre of Etosha National Park and its main attraction is the large, floodlit waterhole that has been dubbed the best place to observe black rhino in the wild. The camp is also home to the Etosha Ecological Institute - the research facility responsible for the conservation of the park's vast range of wildlife and natural habitat. Read More

From$105

Set in the heart of what is possibly Etosha's best game-viewing area - right next to the Etosha Pan - Onkoshi Camp combines all the elements that have made African safaris sought-after experiences. From its proximity to the pan to pristine privacy with ample lashings of luxury, this unique camp is the ultimate way to experience Namibia's fauna and flora firsthand. Read More

Desert Rhino Camp blends into its semi-desert environment in Namibia’s vast 5 000km² Palmwag concession, located between Etosha National Park and the skeleton coast. This camp is also home to Africa’s largest population of black rhino, found outside of a national park. Operated in close conjunction with the local community and the Save The Rhino Trust, this reserve has the core aim of preserving the desert-adapted black rhino, and is one of only two places on earth where you may get to see these rare creatures. Here you will find just 8 luxury safari tents, assuring you of exclusive wildlife experiences in the heart of the Namibian wilderness. Read More