Etosha safari tours

What Etosha is like

Etosha was declared a game reserve in 1907 and a national park in 1967. The Etosha Pan alone covers about 4,760 square kilometres, almost a quarter of the park. It is usually dry, and fills with water only briefly in the rainy summer. The park has 114 mammal species and about 340 bird species. Lions, leopards, elephants and black rhinos live here. Buffalo do not.

Most of the wildlife viewing happens at waterholes. Some are natural springs and some are fed by boreholes. Animals come to drink, often in large numbers in the dry season, and a patient hour at one waterhole can show you more than a long drive.

Game drives with a driver-guide

On a guided safari you don't have to find the animals yourself. Your driver-guide knows which waterholes to visit at which time of day, reads the tracks and signs, and explains what you are watching. You sit in a private 4x4 safari vehicle with room at the windows, and you set the pace with your guide.

A typical full day with us:

• Leave your lodge around sunrise, when the gates open and animals are most active.
• Drive between waterholes, stopping where there is something to see.
• Picnic lunch in the park.
• Rest through the hottest hours, then a late-afternoon drive.
• Back at your lodge before the gates close at sunset.

An optional night drive is available on our 10 day tour. Sightings can never be promised. What you see depends on the season, the weather and luck.

Best time to visit

The dry season, from about May to October, is usually the best time for game viewing. Water is scarce elsewhere, so animals gather at the waterholes and are easier to see in the open bush. The rainy season runs from about November to March. The park turns green, animals spread out and birds are easy to see, but other wildlife is harder to find. Daytime summer temperatures can reach about 40°C, and winter nights fall to about 10°C. Pack layers.

For more on the weather, see Namibia weather and best time to visit.

How long to stay

We suggest at least two nights, to have one full day in the park without rushing. On the 10 day tour you spend two nights at Etosha. If wildlife is the main reason for your trip, ask us about a longer stay and a second area of the park.

Where you sleep

Our 10 day tour uses these Etosha lodges: Etosha Safari Camp or Onguma Treetop (mid-range), and Ongava Tented Camp or Okaukuejo luxury rooms (luxury). Lodge names depend on availability and are confirmed in your quote. Rest camps inside the park, such as Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni, have floodlit waterholes where you can watch animals after dark.

Weather in Etosha, month by month

Two things stand out. June to August nights are cold, around 6 to 10°C, so dawn game drives need a jacket. October to December is the hottest time, with highs around 35°C.

What to bring

• Layers. Dawn drives in winter are cold, and midday is warm in every season.
• Neutral-coloured clothes, a hat, sunglasses and sun cream.
• Binoculars. A pair each makes waterhole stops more rewarding.
• A camera with a zoom lens. Most photographs are taken from the vehicle.
• Any medicines you need. Etosha lies in northern Namibia, where the US CDC lists malaria transmission in several regions. Ask your doctor or a travel clinic well before you travel whether you need malaria medicine.

Photography at the waterholes

Light is best in the first and last hours of the day, which is when the gates open and when you drive back. Animals often arrive at waterholes in the late afternoon in the dry season. Stay in the vehicle and keep your voice low, so you don't disturb them. Your guide chooses the spot and the angle.

Visit Etosha with White Dove Tours

• Namibia Unveiled, 10 day tour. Windhoek, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland and Etosha, with a full day of game drives. View the tour
• A tour built for you. Want a longer Etosha stay or a shorter trip? Plan your tour