Namibia safaris Home Self Drive Wild at Heart Safari Blog Wildlife of Namibia Mountain Zebra Facts The African Elephant Desert Elephants Cheetahs Honey Badger Black Backed Jackal Springbuck Oryx Meerkat Giraffe Black Rhino Leopard Warthog Blue Wildebeest African Wild Dog Lions Serval African Buffalo Spotted Hyeana Bat Eared Fox Brown Hyena Namibia Etosha National Park Namibia. Swakopmund Namibia Windhoek Namibia Sossusvlei Damaraland Sandwich Harbor The Central Region North East and Caprivi Eastern Region Sand Dunes Sand Namibia General Information About Us Testimonials A Joy To Watch The Desert Elephants Awe inspiring, Graeme England My safari trip in Namibia Africa Namibia is majestic with its Another Namibian adventure The Extra Mile Holiday To Remember prawn and three cheese starter twice Safari in Namibia Contact Us Etosha National Park Tours 3 Days Etosha National Park Mid Range 3 Days Etosha Park Luxury Accommodation 5 Days Etosha Pan Mid Range 5 Days Etosha Safari – Luxury Accommodation Day Trips & Short Excursions Sandwich Harbour The Spitskoppe Messum Crater Namib Naukluft Park Skeleton Coast Namibia Swakopmund Namibia Half-day Trail Popular Safaris Desert Elephants Namibia The Perfect Photo Safari Sanctuaries of a Namibian Safari A Namibia Safari To Remember Safari holidays Jewels of Namibia Jewels of Namibia - Extended African safari Namibia safari holidays Golf Safari Namib Treks & Expeditions Climb Brandberg Namibias highest peak Fish river Canyon Hike Waterberg Namibia Plateau Wilderness The Namib Naukluft Park Namibia Brandberg - Bushman Painting Exploration

Etosha National Park Namibia

The great white place that is Etosha National Park.

The white place referred to here is the vast white salt pan which covers a huge area in Etosha.
At 2, 2 million hectares Etosha is fairly large. Not only is it big, it also provides a
home to thousands of animals and birds.
The whole area is pretty much in a pristine state, meaning that although there are
managers in the form of wardens and rangers, the area has not been interfered
with very much over the years.

Etosha is seen as the “holy grail” of National parks within Namibia. It is the park that is most frequently visited by local people as well as tourists from overseas. To accommodate all of these visitors, three rest camps are located within the boundaries of the Park. Okakeujo is recognised as the flagship of these facilities. Luxury bungalows, chalets and camping sites offer varying types of accommodation. A swimming pool, shop aand also a restaurant complete the picture. The main attraction which draws people to Okakeujo is the waterhole which is floodlit at night. Once darkness falls, the floodlights are switched on, and the visitors are treated to a magnificent spectacle. Game of all sorts and sizes visit the water hole throughout the night, and they provide a live television show for visitors. As the game are accustomed to the light, they are not really bothered by it. It is certainly a "must see" if you are staying at this camp, to sit and observe the activities at the waterhole for a pleasant couple of hours.

The other two camps within the park are Halali and Namutoni, and, in common with many things in life, these camps have their own kind of personality. Rustic, would describe Halali, which happens to be the smallest of the three camps. It also offers the facilities of a swimming pool and a restaurant. The waterhole at Halali is much smaller compared with that at Okakeujo, but you will be pleasantly surprised at some of the game that come to visit here. Namutoni has a kind of historical feeling to it, this being partly due to the historical old fort that is situated there. It is situated on the eastern side of the park, and is quite easily reached by very good tarmac roads. Around Namutoni, the vegetation is quite different compared with most of the rest of Etosha, there is a good deal more woodland and bushveldt here than elsewhere. It's very important to take note of the opening and closing times of the gates in the park. If you arrive after sunset and the gate is closed, you may well be fined by the warden of the area.

Namibia Wildlife Resorts have responsibilty for all three of the camps in the park. It is a semi government company that deals with all the bookings in all of the National Parks and Game Reserves of Namibia. They are also responsible for the other activities that can be arranged, like hiking and game drives. Two such activities are present in Etosha National Park. The one activity is a game drive in an open vehicle, and the other activity is a full moon walk on the salt Pan itself. This of course only takes place during full moon, but is definitely worthwhile if you happen to be there at the right time of the month. Armed rangers will escort you during the walk. It is not a long distance that one walks, but it is truly a surreal experience.

With a large number of waterholes situated in the Park, game is spread all over. Visitors can easily reach these waterholes, as all of them are linked with a good road work system. You do not need a 4x4 vehicle as such, as smaller sedan cars are able to reach most of the waterholes. The waterholes can be visited any time during the day, but good times will be just after sunrise and before sunset. Just be sure to be close to your camp if you stay out late. Most of the waterholes are operated and maintained by staff of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. These waterholes either have windmills, solar installations or diesel engines that ensure that the waterholes are full of water. Each of the different waterholes has names. All the names are in some or other local language like Afrikaans, Herero, Oshiwambo, Hei Kum and English. The names are very interesting and also very descriptive of the different waterholes. Make time to read abut the history of the waterholes, it is time well spent. Several fountains complete the waterhole system in Etosha National Park. These fountains are not maintained at all, and in prolonged drought periods they will have very little or no water.

Elephants in Etosha National Park

Etosha is known for its massive herds of Plains Zebra, Blue wildebeest and Springbuck. Giraffe, Oryx, Red Hartebeest and Eland are some of the bigger antelopes present in Etosha. Kudu, Black faced Impala, Roan and Sable are more species present that can be viewed in the different areas of Etosha. Also to be seen are most of the predators including Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Brown and Spotted Hyena. Smaller predators like Serval, Caracal and African Wildcat can be seen during the nigh at the different waterholes of the camps. The Black Backed Jackal and the Bat Eared fox makes up the last of the predators around.
Other interesting animals include Aardvark, Honey Badger, Damara Dik Dik, Duiker, Steenbuck, Black Wildebeest and monitor lizard.
Birds are ever present and changes in shape and sizes around every corner. From the biggest bird being the Ostrich to the smallest of the bee eaters, there is something for every person. The colour and sound is something to behold.

Big game like Elephant and Black Rhino are seen on a daily basis, so there is something for everybody. Etosha is truly a wonderful experience, and one of the “must do” things when in Namibia.



	Namibia safaris Home Testimonials Contact Us Booking Terms Privacy Policy Site Map	© 2011 Wild at Heart Safaris