Average User Rating
Rating Breakdown
Write a User Review
Andrew Thompson
GB
Visited:
December 2017
Reviewed: Feb 16, 2018
Email Andrew Thompson | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
At the time of my visit at the end of the dry season, Etosha was full of animals, which were easy to see as they were drawn to the many waterholes. Bird watching was also exceptional. The quality and the quantity of the sightings far exceeded my expectation. The place never felt crowded, I always felt safe and the accommodation in the park was quite acceptable.
Nicholas Olesen Photography
DE
Visited:
September 2015
Reviewed: Mar 24, 2016
Email Nicholas Olesen Photography | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dusty landscape teeming with wildlife
I spent several hours each morning and afternoon driving through the park, with a 4x4 rented in Windhoek. The roads are gravel, but are wide and most are well-maintained. I saw five rhinos, seven lions, as well as elephant, zebra, giraffe, springbok, gemsbok, kudu, hartebeest, steenbok, black-faced impala, and several species of birds. I was able to get very close to many of the animals and the size of the park, even though it's fenced,
Read more
meant that there were large areas to explore and it felt like you could really see the animals in their natural habitat.
Jill Scoby
US
Visited:
April 2016
Reviewed: Aug 2, 2016
Email Jill Scoby | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible Animal Encounters In A Wild and Wonderful Country
In April of this year my 76 year old mother and I vacationed in Namibia for three weeks. I chose Namibia because I am a hobbyist photographer and wanted to visit the Namib desert and the Himba tribal lands. Mom came along because she wanted to see African wildlife in their natural habitat.
April was a wonderful time to visit Etosha, because there were many baby animals out and about (we saw baby lion, zebra, giraffe, elephant, warthog, wildebeest, kudu, hartebeest, springbok, impala). The grasses and vegetation were still green, but just turning into gold (the "blonde" season for Namibia) so the beauty of the landscape and the vistas was truly breathtaking at every turn. If you'd like to see some of the photographs, please feel free to visit this site: https://www.flickr.com/photos/jillscoby/
mymaroundtheworld
CH
Visited:
May 2016
Reviewed: Oct 16, 2016
Email mymaroundtheworld | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Experience
Etosha National Park is quite a unique place - we got to see a lot of animals in their natural habitat. One morning when we left very early (6ish) from one of the camps we even saw a leopard perched on a tree, enjoying the scenic view (or maybe eyeing a kudu ...). We can really recommend staying several days in the camps, as there are water holes at each camp and animals do really show up at those. We even saw two rhinos at a waterhole at night (around 9pm) so patience really pays off.
ronmcbride66
GB
Visited:
September 2016
Reviewed: Jan 8, 2017
Email ronmcbride66 | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Etosha National Park, with its waterholes, is a wildlife experience, ideal for a self-drive holiday
Read more
restaurant at Halali was hopeless. It is the wildlife, however, that visitors come to see.There is no point looking for hippos or crocs: there are none. Leopards and cheetahs are more or less impossible to find without a guide but the herds of elephants; zebra; wildebeest and oryx are superb. Solitary male lions and prides are a great sight, let alone rhinos slowly joining giraffes, elephants, jackals and springbok at the waterholes. The oryx, kudu, impala, Hartebeest and hyenas add to the rich tapestry. Driving along the road there are frequent sightings of Pale Chanting Goshawks; bee eaters and eagles (including the Martial Eagle).
A great thing about Etosha is that traffic is light. At the Goas waterhole there two other vehicles where we watched some 200+ zebras and around 80 kudus drinking: an amazing sight. There was a caracal, but I couldn't spot it. One aspect, rarely mentioned, is the silence at a waterhole: to hear the sound of hooves on stones as zebras approach or the splash of water, the snorting, is enchanting. The roar of a lion is something else! At the waterholes it is so marvellous to see the giraffes, elephant and rhino in particular slowly approaching, unhurried. This is especially so at sunset with the sun behind (the best for this Okaukuejo as night driving is forbidden and proximity to accommodation is vital). The illuminated waterhole at Okaukuejo is amazing at night. The hierarchy of 'rights' can be fascinating. Giraffes take a long time to have the confidence to drink but there was no panic as the roar of a lion filled the air: they stood up, faced one direction with ears pricked and slowly moved off as the lions approached.
The scenery in Etosha is nothing spectacular, of course, being fairly flat. The salt pan can be very dramatic with, perhaps, a dozen ostriches crossing the blazing white salt. There are many areas of bush and of light woodland in which one might suddenly come across a herd of 100 or so zebra: this type of vista is as compelling as seeing a herd in the open. To drive for ten minutes seeing little and then to see a male lion under a thorn bush or indeed a rhino is amazing. There is a degree of luck involved, of course as they can easily be missed. The herds of elephants are dramatic. In some areas they are very dark coloured, in others almost white from dust from the salt pan.
Amazingly, there a few small saloon cars around. A 4x4 would be the norm, giving height and ability to cope better with the rougher roads (the roads around the Goas waterhole were very rough but OK in a 4x4). The Park is so dramatic that after a 3 night stay, we stayed outside the eastern gate and re-entered it for another half day. If visiting Namibia and doing 'the circuit' over a fortnight, do finish the trip with Etosha rather than begin it ... leave the (fantastic) country on a high.
Sandra
DE
Visited:
May 2016
Reviewed: Sep 9, 2016
Email Sandra | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Etosha did not disappoint
We stayed in the park for 14 nights and visited all camps. Each camp has it's own highlights, for instance the waterholes in Okaukuejo and Halali or the silence of Onkoshi. There were plenty of sightings every day. Elephants, lions, a leopard, a honey badger, giraffes and other game. We had organized everything on our own and used a rental car for the trip. It's not necessary to hire a guide, just drive from waterhole to waterhole and you will find animals.
Daniel Mac Alister
Visited:
October 2010
Reviewed: Sep 23, 2011
Etosha : An incredible once in a lifetime experience
I have always wanted to go to Namibia - I think my first time falling in love with this amazing country was seeing a BBC documentary on the Skeleton coast when I was about 10.
20 years later and I finally went on a safari/trekking tour of the country - Etosha national park was our first stop.
We were in a group of about 10 and all got on very well, I was with a bunch of crazy Italians ! -great fun!
The 1st place we stayed in was called Okaukuejo , it was close to the Etosha pan , we were lucky to get our tents near a fantastic waterhole - that always had animals drinking and was floodlit at night - but this did not disturb the animals.
We went to the waterhole and had a fantastic view of a herd of Elephants drinking, then a group of Giraffe and Zebra came along - I must say it was a very emotional experience.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1222/5107734397_f53353fdeb_z.jpg
Read more
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1402/5104579263_c360dba96a_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4007/5124386192_230c9a4d6c_z.jpg
This was high afternoon and the temperature must have been in the mid 30's, but there was sheltered seats so it wasn't too bad, later on in the evening with fading temperatures and softer light we went out for a drive around the park - perfect for taking pictures with the low sun.
There was plenty of Springbok to be seen ! (more than 20,000 in Etosha :) ), also plenty of Zebra and some giraffe and then later we were very lucky to see a pride of Lions.
That evening we had an excellent cooked meal eating outside in the cool African night .
We spoke with our guides over dinner and I must say I felt like a kid with him telling us great stories about the wildlife in Namibia.
We were about to go to the Waterhole when we heard the roar of Lions !! - they sounded so close ,
but we were in the safety of the enclosed camp - still it was quite a buzz to hear.
We went to the waterhole and were treated to a multitude of animals drinking - including the Pride of Lions that decided to chase off a few Giraffes, some Rhino came along too and then a few Elephants, it was a totally different experience to see these animals at night and was very happy to have witnessed it.
Coming back to my tent there were some Jackals about !, they were harmless enough as long as you didn't feed them or harass them - also we had to leave our shoes in the tent, as people would wake up in the morning to find them all chewed up !! - the Jackals it seemed aren't so different from our own domesticated dogs!!
That night I went to bed with the sound of Lions calling - pure heaven !!.
Early the next morning (6 am) we had a short breakfast and went on a safari drive , again the light was perfect for taking pictures , we were really lucky to see another pride of lions and then shortly after a pair of Lions crossed right in front of us - I got this fantastic shot :
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1392/5114541203_da8145a3ab_z.jpg
We took more drives that day and returned to the campsite in the evening ,where again we went to the waterhole for some night viewing - we saw some Rhino and their young drinking.
Later that night the Lions showed up again and scared some Giraffe away!.
A cocky young male Lion tried to stalk the Rhino - but he was having none of it and soon intimidated the Lion off.
Next day (3rd and last full day in Etosha) We went to the campsite at Namutoni - this was a nice campsite that also had a floodlit waterhole - although it was a lot quieter than the one at Okaukuejo.
Before we arrived we took an early morning drive and were treated to the site of two Cheetah and then a Leopard !! - They were quite far off and I wish I could have gotten better pictures but I didn't expect to see them at all so was very happy.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4063/5123366220_4a3fa4b54c_z.jpg
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4144/5114450613_129697f5ba_z.jpg
Then we saw a Spotted Hyaena !! , this is a very rare sighting in Etosha so was thrilled to see him!!
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1152/5122710153_3aee8b58bf_z.jpg
The final night we could hear the distant sounds of Hyaena's ! - I never did like this animal before this trip but have learned to appreciate them since.
So an amazing few days were had in Etosha, we left on the 4th morning and continued an incredible journey for almost another 2 weeks across this fascinating country.