Etosha National Park: Everything You Need to Know

About Etosha

In the language of the Ovambo tribe, Etosha means ‘great white place’ The area which was later turned into Etosha National Park was discovered in 1851 by Europeans when Charles Andersson and Francis Galton came to the wild region as Explorers.

After a few historical moments which occurred in Etosha, Namibia was later grabbed into great nature chaos. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a severe drought and border war that caused a fire in Nambia, South Africa, and Angola wiped out the majority of the wildlife at that time. Grateful to the brave conservation efforts, most of the park’s most precious wildlife was savored and replenished and now today, Etosha is once again one of the best places in the world to view Africa’s unique wildlife with layers of underlying historical mysteries.

From Waterholes to Etosha Pan, this national park has a lot to offer to its’ visitors and tourists from all around the globe.

THE ENTRANCE

If you have made up your mind to explore this park filled with rich history and wonder of nature in the shape of vast wildlife, let’s help you with exploring it in a better and more accessible way with complete details to make your adventure worth the visit.

Important thing you need to keep in mind before you enter, every visitor has to show proof of identification, either in form of a passport, driver’s license, or ID due to the poaching incidents and security issues. Now, let’s enter the great Etosha National Park;

There are four gates that lead to the entrance of the park, the following are;

Anderson’s Gate is on the southern end of the park and can be reached on the C38 via Outjo. The closest camp is Okaukuejo.

Von Lindequist Gate lies in the east and connects to the B1. Tsumeb is the closest town to this gate and Namutoni Camp is only a short drive from the gate.

Galton Gate lies on the southwestern end of the park.

King Nehale Lya Mpingana Gate is at the northern end of the park and is 48km from the main road to Ondangwa.

Once you enter the park through one of the gates, you have to pay the entrance fees and alas, you can carry on with your safari thrilling adventure.

You can also download Etosha National Park App which can make your visit worth the while by guiding you through the routes, animals, nearby resting stops, and whatnot.

ACCOMMODATION

If you’re a safari lover who prefers staying over for multiple days to explore the wildlife and nature in peace, you can opt for camps and accommodation offered at Etosha National Park.

Etosha has many camps that are equipped and suitable for families. You can experience the nearby waterholes and wildlife which are concentrated around the camps to add on your wildlife adventure but if you’re looking for something a bit more luxurious, I would recommend private game reserves that lie in and adjacent to Etosha. They offer accommodations outside and inside Etosha both for your feasibility. These are Onguma, Ongava and Mushara. All of them offer glorious accommodation with five-star services and planned safari activities like 4x4 game drives, cultural tours and walking safaris.

The adventure doesn’t end here, there’s a lot more to explore like

Etosha Pan & Waterholes

Etosha Pan is as large as a wide-chalk ground which can be seen from space as well which covers 25% of the whole park including the salt pan. Since it’s a habitat for wildlife, especially Flamingos in Namibia, there’s little to no vegetation or greenery in that area except some tolerant soft grass.

The floodlit waterholes in Etosha especially in the nighttime add merrier to the beauty of the park. Etosha has numerous waterholes and each has their own personality. You can experience game sightings and various wildlife animals which are drawn out to drink water at the edge like Elephants and Black Rhino etc. The important thingone needs to keep in mind is that silence is required around the waterholes and check to make sure before heading out that waterholes are open for viewing.

I hope this blog helped you visualize your tour! Visit Etosha website for more details and regulations for a better safari experience.