While hiking the Sossusvlei Desert was amazing, and we loved kayaking with seals in Swakopmund, the main reason we traveled to Namibia was to see the animals in Etosha National Park. The wildlife refuge is 8,600 square miles and is home to elephants, lions, leopards, giraffes, zebras, antelope, and, well, you get the picture – lots of animals! It’s also a self-drive park, meaning you can take your own car into the park and drive wherever the road leads you (tours are also available should you prefer).
Because the park is so large we decided to explore it over a total of three days, one dedicated to the western portion, one to driving across the park, and one dedicated to the eastern portion. This turned out to be the right approach – at least for us – as we found much better lion sightings on the western side and amazing elephant, giraffe, and hyena sightings to the east.
Spitzkoppe
Our journey to Etosha started in Swakopmund and took us by Spitzkoppe, which was a last-minute addition to our itinerary. A German couple we met along our travels asked us if we were going there, and we told them we’d never even heard of it. They showed us pictures of huge granite peaks and amazing rock formations rising out of a red desert, and we quickly decided it was a stop we needed to add.
The Spitzkoppe Nature Reserve sits about two hours from Swakopmund, mostly en route to Etosha. The rock formations are well worth the detour and we had lots of fun climbing them and taking pictures. If we’d had more time we would have loved to spend the night camping here, which we saw a few other people doing. The park also offers climbing and hiking activities.
Etosha: West Side
From Spitzkoppe, it was about a 3.5 hour drive to our accommodations near Etosha. We had hoped to stay inside the park, but rooms sell out well in advance and there were no openings on this end of the park for our trip dates. Note that all lodging within the park is managed by Namibia Wildlife Resorts, and the booking process takes place mainly via email (availability can’t be seen online).
Since we couldn’t stay inside the park on the west side, we decided to stay about an hour away at the Okutala Etosha Lodge, which we really enjoyed. The rooms are nice, but the best part is that the open-air dining room looks over a large watering hole that’s often filled with animals including rhinos, zebras, and giraffes. Who doesn’t want to have happy hour while watching baby rhinos play?! The only drawback is that the watering hole is man-made and the lodge puts out food to attract the animals. It’s not exactly a “wild” experience, but if you go in knowing that it’s still a lot of fun.
After a good dinner and restful sleep, we woke REALLY EARLY to make the hour’s drive into the park at the Okaukuejo entrance, which opens at sunrise. We immediately went north to the Okondeka watering hole, where we’d been told we had the best chance of seeing lions. And boy did we! We had perfect sightings of six – 2 males, 2 females, and 2 cubs, and could see the rest of the pride in the distance. Watching a lion walk in front of your car is a pretty crazy and amazing experience, and was exactly what we had come to Namibia for. Check!
We spent the rest of the day exploring the watering holes on the east side of the park and had the best luck at Nebrownii, where we saw a huge mixture of animals including zebras, antelope, and ostrich. At the Aus watering hole we saw a large herd of elephants, including a baby elephant that trumpeted (SO COOL!).
Etosha: West to East
For our second day in the park we again entered through the Okaukuejo entrance, this time heading east, hitting as many watering holes along the way as we could. We started by going back to Nebrownii, since we’d had such good sightings there, and were fortunate to see a large variety of animals there – including an elephant this time. Watching the interactions between species was fascinating, especially watching how the other animals reacted to the elephant (he’s definitely higher up on the pecking order than most).
Other notable sightings included a male lion shading himself at the Salvadora watering hole, three hyenas at the Goas hole, and four giraffes drinking at the Springbokfontein hole (by the way seeing a giraffe bending down to drink is pretty funny!). We also almost had a run in with a giraffe along our drive, which was both exhilarating and a little scary. Giraffes spook easily, and this one ran alongside and then in front of our car. When I looked out the window I realized the top of our RAV-4 was at the bottom of this giraffe’s belly, and only about two feet away. They’re huge!
We finished our day at Namutoni Camp, on the east side of the park, about 85 miles from where we entered at Okaukejo. We had been able to reserve a chalet inside the park at Namutoni, which also offers double rooms and campsites (those were sold out by the time we made our reservations, about three months ahead of time). The camp includes a restaurant (make your reservations earlier in the day for dinner), grocery store, and a couple of small tourist shops and was a nice play to spend two nights.
Etosha: East Side
For our final full day inside the park we explored its eastern end, where we saw lots of elephants, zebras, giraffes, and antelope. Our best sightings were at the Bartia watering hole (elephants and zebras), Grook Okevi (giraffes), and Tsumcor (elephants and giraffes together). By the end of the day we felt like we’d seen just about everything, though we were slightly bummed not to have seen a rhino or leopard.
We had read that the night game drives offered by the park were a great experience, so we booked one for our last night. After seeing so many animals, we wondered if it was really worth the price (about $55 per person), but figured it would be fun to encounter the wildlife at night, which the park doesn’t allow you to do on your own (the park closes to traffic at sunset).
All I can say is that I’m really glad we booked that game drive. We were able to see a couple of rhinos, including a baby about 5 days old. We also had two leopard sightings – a special treat as leopards are known to be the hardest of the “big 5” to spot in the wild. Additionally, we saw two large herds of elephants playing at a watering hole, spraying each other with water. Oh, and did I mention the stars? It was truly spectacular and probably the best $55 we’ve ever spent.
Tips for Visiting Etosha National Park
A few tips to make your visit a success:
- Go during the dry season (generally May – October). We went at the very end of October / beginning of November when it’s the dryest, and were rewarded with great sightings because the animals have to go to watering holes in order to drink. During the rainy season lots of little “watering holes” pop up throughout the desert, so the big watering holes aren’t a necessity for the animals.
- Book your lodging as far in advance as possible, and stay inside the park at least one night if you can.
- Only visitors staying inside the park can book a sunrise or night game ride, so keep that in mind.
- The park opens at sunrise and closes at sunset. If you’re not staying in the park, you must leave before sunset.
- Be sure to get a map of the park before you get there (sold at most tourist shops and gas stations throughout Namibia), as they’re often sold out inside the park.
- As with everywhere in Namibia, bring lots of water. It’s really, really hot.
- While it’s possible to self-drive in a car, it sure was nice to have an SUV on all of those dirt roads.
- Lastly, do NOT get out of your car unless you are in a protected area. Not only can the wildlife be extremely dangerous but you also risk hefty fines!
Have any questions? Let us know, we’re happy to help!
Up next: South Africa (again) and the end of our journey.