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Etosha National Park
A vast salt pan and waterholes where elephants, rhinos and lions gather in the dry season
A vast salt pan and waterholes where elephants, rhinos and lions gather in the dry season
The pan covers about 4,800km². Viewpoints and roads along its edge give a sense of its size, with mirages in the midday heat.
Photo: Buiobuione, CC BY-SA 4.0
The floodlit waterhole at Okaukuejo camp is one of the best in Africa for night viewing. Rhinos, elephants and lions often come to drink after dark.
Sit quietly; noise scares animals away.
Photo: Christoph Strässler, CC BY-SA 2.0
Etosha protects an important population of the endangered black rhino, often seen at waterholes at dusk and at night.
Photo: Frank Vassen, CC BY 2.0
Etosha’s elephants are often pale with dust from the pan. Herds visit waterholes in the afternoon.
Photo: Giles Laurent, CC BY-SA 4.0
The rest camps (Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni) have restaurants, shops and fuel. Lodges outside the gates serve full meals.
Self-catering visitors should stock up in Outjo or Tsumeb.
Okaukuejo is about 5 hours’ drive from Windhoek on tarred roads, via Outjo. Namutoni in the east is reached via Tsumeb.
Gates open at sunrise and close at sunset; you must be in camp or out of the park by then.
Namibia uses the Namibian dollar (NAD), pegged 1:1 to the South African rand, which is also accepted.
Excludes car hire. Check current fees.
Drive west to east across the park.
Enter at Anderson Gate, visit waterholes and spend the evening at the floodlit waterhole.
Drive along the pan via waterholes to Halali.
Continue to Namutoni’s old fort and nearby waterholes, then exit east.
Stay in your car except at marked spots, and keep to speed limits.
Northern Namibia has a seasonal malaria risk; ask a doctor.
Plan to reach camp before gates close at sunset.
International adults paid about N$280 a day in national parks after the 2026 fee increase, plus a vehicle fee; check current rates.
Quick answers for planning time in Etosha National Park.
About N$280 per international adult a day after the 2026 increase, plus a vehicle fee; check current rates.
Yes. Roads are gravel but suitable for normal cars in the dry season.
Elephants, black rhinos, lions, giraffes, zebras, springbok and many birds.
Okaukuejo’s floodlit waterhole is famous for night viewing.
May to October, the dry season.
Download offline maps; there is no signal on long stretches of road.
Free
English is widely spoken; Afrikaans and German are common too.
Free
Planning a wider trip? Our Namibia travel guide covers getting there, costs, when to go and more.