Definitely one of the highlights of Namibia for its concentration of animals and vastness of the salt pan. It may not not have the volume of animals of nearby Moremi or Chobe, but being able to self-drive sets it apart from many major safari options in Africa.
I’ve listed below my top tips and the highlights we had from the trip.
Chudop watering hole getting towards dusk
1. Self drive – tours can be great and guides can help with pointing things out, but they’re rarely as fun as doing it on your own and there is something magical about turning up at a watering hole, having it all to yourself and just staying there for as long as you want. The roads are fine (if a little bumpy at times), and the directions very clear.
2. Plan your days carefully and prioritise the early morning and late afternoons – it’s a big park, and gets bloody hot in the middle of the day, so it’s a long tiring day driving all the way in and back, or all the way through. For most people, Etosha is part of a bigger road trip around Namibia so you’ll be passing through at some point. Our approach was to give ourselves a full day to drive through (starting at the south entrance at 7am opening and leaving the east entrance before sunset at 640pm); and then a second day for the morning session, back to chill and have lunch at the hotel, and then back for the late session. We by far preferred the second day, mainly because the early mornings / later afternoons are just so much nicer weather wise and with far more concentrations of animals.
3. You don’t need a 4WD – you may be wondering on this, but let me set this straight. The roads between just about all of the major attractions can be done in a 2WD car. The one exception is the final sand section in Sossusvlei. Is it more comfortable and less noticeable to do in a 4WD? Yes, but its also significantly more expensive. If only doing Etosha, 100% a 2WD is fine.
Stopping on one of the roads and just watching the elephant herd wander by – magical
4. Get a map and ideally one with the photo list of animals – we picked one up at our hotel and really enhanced the experience.
5. Recommended waterholes – you’ll see animals throughout the park but by far the biggest concentrations are at the waterholes (typically artificial bore holes). As a broad rule as well, the waterholes towards the east entrance are better than those at the south entrance. We LOVED Klein Namutoni Fountain, Koinachas, Chudop, Reitfontein, plus the viewing point at Etosha Pan Lookout (all are easy to find on Google Maps).
6. Where to stay – we felt like we super lucked out. For the South, we stayed at Okutala Etosha Lodge which has the most wonderful game reserve with waterhole nearby, including 9 rhinos and just about everything else you got in Etosha. For the East, Mokuti Etosha – high end, 5 star hotel. Yes it’s expensive, but it’s right at the East Entrance which allows you to come back for the chilled out lunch (there is a pool and food is great) rather than the long drive to Tsumeb. Do it.
Hanging out with the giraffes in Okutala Etosha Lodge
7. To see how Etosha fits into a 1-2 week roadtrip for Namibia – have a look at this individual travel entry, Driving through Namibia, for plenty of tips, highlights and showing what to prioritise.