Namibia is a land of stunning and often surreal scenery. Amongst all the dry, desert-like scenery, the immense sand dunes, the inhospitable rocky coast, the deep canyons and vast salt pans there is an abundance of wildlife and nowhere more so than in Etosha National Park.
A Unique Landsc
ape:
Etosha National Park has such an unusual habitat it is unlike anywhere else in Africa. The name Etosha actually means “place of dry water”. The park is based in an endless salt pan that stretches further than the eye can see and is so large it can be seen from space. Amazingly enough this arid landscape is home to abundant wildlife that congregates around the watering holes and the saltpans after the rains. During the dry winter months it is easy to see the game concentrated around the watering holes and not many other places can offer guaranteed game viewing like Etosha can. The mix of desert, savannah, bush and salt pans create a huge area of wilderness across Namibia and this space, free from human encroachment, is what enables the wildlife to continue to thrive.
Game Viewing:
The wildlife in Etosha includes some of the most common and some of the rarest wildlife species. The park is home to famous herds of large elephants, the endangered black rhino and even the beautiful but elusive leopard. Lions are happy to call Etosha’s grasslands their home and you can also find plenty of herbivores such as zebra, giraffe, springbok and antelope wandering across the plains. When the salt pans fill up after the rains in the summer they become home to hundreds of pink flamingos. The whole area becomes lush and green and teeming with new life after the summer rains. There are hundreds of other species of birds to be found here including that well-known desert bird, the ostrich.
Accessibility:
Etosha National Park is also one of the most accessible game reserves across the whole of Southern Africa due to the excellent road conditions, signposting, maps and driving distances involved. Self-drive itineraries are the most popular way of visiting and exploring the delights of Namibia and you can include a visit to Etosha as part of that tour. There are lots of rest camps and stopping places including petrol stations and shops and there is a wide range of accommodation on offer. It really is very easy and safe to do and a driving itinerary offers the visitor a great deal of freedom and flexibility. After all you can travel as fast or as slowly as you wish, stopping off where you like and truly exploring this magnificent country at your own pace.
Accommodation:
Accommodation in and around Etosha ranges from basic camping sites to exclusive luxury safari lodges. The three main rest camps (Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni) offer various types of accommodation from camping to little wooden self-catering chalets often overlooking the floodlit waterholes. These are actually in Etosha Park itself. Just outside the park are most of the more luxurious private safari lodges and camps. Based around the two main gates into the park, the Anderson Gate and the Von Lindequist Gates there is a range of superb luxury accommodation with fabulous views, including Ongava Lodge.
If you would like to know more about the individual camps and lodges then please contact our sales team who have been to most of them and would be happy to advise you!
Posted by Ruth Bolton
