Real people · No booking fees · 30+ years in Southern Africa
The complete guide · gates · fees · camps · game drives · what to pack
A giant salt pan at its heart, and around it an arid, flat, vast park that shows you African wildlife like nowhere else. Etosha is the easiest big park in Africa to drive yourself — if you understand three things: how the gates and fees work, why sitting still beats driving far, and where to sleep. This guide is all three, and everything else you'll need.
Is it better to sleep inside Etosha at one of the Namibia Wildlife Resorts camps, or outside at a private lodge? Both work. Here is the honest trade-off.
It's a mixed bag, but the good news is that wherever you sleep you can still enjoy Etosha's wildlife.
What I do myself: for four or more nights I mix it up. The first night I'm usually arriving late in the day, so I stay outside, close to the gate I want to enter through. That way I rest properly in a nice room — no packing up camping gear in the morning — and treat myself to a meal at the restaurant.
Next morning I'm up early and waiting at the gate for it to open. An early game drive gets me to the NWR camp late morning, where I check in and set up camp. I love camping in Etosha; the night sounds are so beautiful. Then I hide from the midday heat at the swimming pool, with trips to the camp waterhole to see what's drinking, before heading out again for an afternoon drive.
Two or three nights camping or in a room inside the park, then a final night outside, in the direction I'm travelling next.
Can you just turn up and see what's available? Not if you have your heart set on a particular camp.
If you want a specific camp on a specific night inside Etosha, you must book in advance. Even with the drop in visitor numbers over the last couple of years, many dates book up months ahead. All the camps are small, and Okaukuejo in particular is very popular. It is possible to turn up at the gate with no booking, but it isn't recommended — and the same applies to the lodges just outside the park.
This happens often enough that we have a routine for it. Here's what we do, in order:
Worth knowing: cancellations do happen, particularly six to eight weeks out. If your heart is set on Okaukuejo it is always worth asking us to keep watching.
Paid at the gate where you first enter. Additional nights can be paid at the resorts inside the park.
| Who | Adults | Children 9–16 |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign visitors | NAD 150 | NAD 100 |
| SADC residents | NAD 100 | NAD 50 |
| Namibian residents | NAD 50 | Free |
| Vehicle | Per day |
|---|---|
| 10 seats or fewer | NAD 50 |
| 11–25 seats | NAD 100 |
| 26–50 seats | NAD 400 |
| 51 seats or more | NAD 700 |
Prices in Namibian Dollars (NAD), pegged 1:1 to the South African Rand. Fees subject to change without notice.
This one is a little fluid — the times change weekly through the year, because they follow sunrise and sunset.
Gates open at sunrise. You must either be out of the park, or inside one of the Namibia Wildlife Resorts camps, by sunset.
Times are posted at each park gate and at the entrance to each camp inside Etosha. It is your responsibility to check them and abide by them, so look carefully before heading out on a game drive.
As a rule of thumb: aim to be back at camp before sunset, not at sunset. Dust, a slow vehicle in front, or a lion on the road will all cost you time you didn't plan for.
A little subjective, because you will see animals all year. In the dry months you see more of them at waterholes; in the wet months they are more active and more interesting.
The grass is low and the waterholes are busy, so this is the best time to see a lot of animals. The pan is dry, the camps are full, and temperatures are at their lowest — though that still means a balmy 26°C to 33°C. Rain is very unlikely. The sun sits at a slightly lower angle, giving lovely morning and evening light for photographers.
Everything books up fast for this period, inside the park and out.
Temperatures soar, sometimes topping 40°C, with averages above 30°C. It is going to be hot. The rains fall over this period and transform Etosha from a dry brown-and-white dusty scene into a flourishing green landscape.
The benefits are real: the animals are much more active, so their behaviour is more interesting to watch. Birdlife increases dramatically as seasonal migrants arrive from around the world, which makes it excellent for birders. And if the rains are good, the giant pan fills with a shallow layer of water and becomes a haven for waterbirds, many of which come to breed.
You will have great game viewing all year, so if your dates are constrained by school holidays and work, go whenever you can — just make sure you go and experience this wonderful place.
If you do have flexibility: the months that best balance weather, crowds and game viewing are May, June, October and November.
Etosha has a very dry savanna desert climate. The annual mean is 24°C. In winter (May to October) nighttime lows sit around 10°C; in summer (November to April) daytime highs often hover around 40°C. Being a desert, the gap between day and night is large. From April to October there is virtually no rain at all; December to March are the wettest months.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average high °C | 34.3 | 33.5 | 31.7 | 31.0 | 29.5 | 27.4 | 27.2 | 30.9 | 35.0 | 37.2 | 35.5 | 34.4 |
| Daily mean °C | 25.5 | 25.7 | 24.0 | 23.2 | 21.4 | 18.6 | 18.0 | 21.3 | 25.3 | 27.5 | 26.6 | 26.0 |
| Average low °C | 18.4 | 19.5 | 18.0 | 16.5 | 13.9 | 10.3 | 9.6 | 12.1 | 15.8 | 18.0 | 18.3 | 18.8 |
| Rainfall mm | 129.5 | 74.9 | 78.2 | 28.8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 2.1 | 25.2 | 79.0 |
Scroll the table sideways on a phone. Figures are long-run averages — any given year will vary.
Do you need a 4x4? No. Every road in Etosha is graded gravel and drivable in a normal sedan. But there are real differences between vehicles.
You can enjoy Etosha in any of these. Just plan around whatever you have. Most camping-equipped rentals in Namibia are bakkie style, which suits Etosha very well.
Etosha is unlike Kruger, the Masai Mara or the Serengeti — flatter, drier, more open. It is in fact easier to game drive yourself here than in almost any park in Africa. And the single biggest tip is this: don't drive too much.
This is semi-desert, with precious little rain and no rivers. Every animal has to come to a waterhole to drink. So staking out two or three waterholes in a day will not only show you a lot of animals, it will show you them in action — approaching, drinking, interacting, leaving. That is a far better experience, and far better photography, than covering ground.
You may drive any time between sunrise and sunset, but there are better and worse hours. Etosha gets hot all year, and just like humans the animals and birds get less energetic as the heat builds. The best times for seeing, watching and photographing wildlife are the first few hours after dawn and the last few before sunset. That's when you catch predators in action, and when animals are moving rather than standing still gasping in the heat.
A good day looks like this: prepare everything the night before. Up and breakfasted before dawn, at the gate as it opens. Three or four hours of game viewing, then arrive at one of the camps — Okaukuejo, Halali or Namutoni — where there's a pool, refreshments, toilets and shade for a couple of hours. That's also the moment to chat to other guests about what they saw and where, which shapes your afternoon. After lunch and a cold drink, head back out, leaving plenty of time to reach your accommodation before sunset. I always have a waterhole in mind near where I'm sleeping, to spend the last hour of the day when the light is at its best.
This is the tricky part, and the exciting one: inside Etosha the animals go wherever they please. That's what makes it special.
At each camp there is a sightings board where people mark what they saw and where. Go and look. It doesn't mean you'll see that animal there, but it does mean a greater likelihood — animals are territorial and favour certain terrain, so they generally stay in the same area, even if that area is vast.
So: check the board, chat to guests who've already been out, then pick one area and spend your time enjoying whatever you find there.
For the best views and photographs, sit at a waterhole with the sun behind you, or at least to one side — never looking into it. Remember the sun rises in the east, the Namutoni side, and sets in the west, the Okaukuejo side. Study the map and plan accordingly.
And don't expect the animals to cooperate. The number of times I've set up at a waterhole, sun nicely behind me, scanning with binoculars — only for an elephant, lion or hyena to walk up behind me and then show me nothing but its bottom.
Etosha is famous for its floodlit waterholes. You can stay inside the rest camp and watch animals come and go, day and night, without going out to drive at all. No sitting in a hot car; drinks, food and a toilet whenever you want. The trade-off is that you're fixed in one place and you need patience.
The most popular waterhole in the park, and the main reason the camp is always fully booked. It is the oldest camp waterhole in Etosha and the animals are entirely comfortable there. A great place to see rhino and elephant almost every night, as well as lion, leopard and giraffe, plus most of the plains antelope.
Less variety, because the terrain here is very rocky, so you need more patience — but you will still see plenty. It is much quieter, with fewer people staying long at the waterhole, and it is the calmest of the three camps despite sitting at the centre of Etosha's best game-viewing area. The longer walk from camp puts people off.
The most overlooked of the three — many people stay at Namutoni and never even go and see it. It's tucked away from the rest of the camp, a long walk, and lacks Okaukuejo's vast view. But it's an artesian well springing up among tall reeds, and the viewing area is closer to eye level with the animals, which gives a unique perspective — and makes you feel very small when an elephant glides past.
With two exceptions — Ombika gate to Okaukuejo, and Von Lindequist gate to Namutoni — every road in Etosha is graded gravel, and conditions vary wildly through the year.
They are always drivable in a normal car, but with varying degrees of comfort. Expect bumpy, corrugated, dusty roads with dips and small rocks along your route. They cannot be described as comfortable.
Drive slowly and leave plenty of time to reach camp or the exit gate, because visibility deteriorates as vehicles — especially buses and larger vehicles — speed back to camp at the end of the day, kicking up clouds of dust that don't settle before the next one arrives.
The limit inside the park is 60 km/h, but realistically that is too fast for game viewing and for some road conditions. Cruise at 40 km/h or less. You'll spot far more, and risk far less damage to your tyres.
Here's the thing inexperienced visitors overlook: stopping. Etosha is very, very dusty, with fine white-grey powder coating everything. So you're toddling along looking for wildlife, someone spots something, you hit the brakes — and the cloud of dust your tyres were kicking up behind you rolls forward and envelops the car. Windows open, it coats everything inside. Even closed, this dust finds its way in.
Getting coated in dust isn't a disaster. What doesn't cope well is camera equipment — modern sensors are so sensitive that a single speck shows up on every photograph, and changing a lens in that moment is a nightmare.
The tip: drive slowly, and when you see something do not brake. Slip into neutral and roll to a stop, then manoeuvre for the best view. Far less dust — and far less likely to spook the animal.
Punctures are common. Lowering your tyre pressure helps. The three main camps all have garages offering basic tyre repair, though not replacement tyres.
Etosha covers over 22,000 square kilometres. Much of it is inaccessible, but the distances between camps and gates are long, so you must manage your driving time. Maps are available at all the camps with distances marked between waterholes and resorts.
Don't calculate journey times at 60 km/h. Use 20 km/h. That sounds absurdly slow, but it allows for observant travel and for stopping to watch. It also disturbs the wildlife less, so you see more. In Etosha you don't need to cover distance — sitting at a waterhole beats driving around, every time.
Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni all have a restaurant serving breakfast and dinner, and a kiosk serving snacks at lunchtime. These are open to all visitors to the camp, even if you aren't staying there.
Onkoshi and Dolomite have restaurants, but only for their own guests. There are no facilities at Olifantsrus.
Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni all have fuel stations, and 95% of the time they have petrol and diesel. There have been rare occasions when they've run dry, so be prepared. Fuel is also available outside the park at Ombika (Anderson) gate and Von Lindequist gate.
Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni each have a small shop selling basic supplies and plenty of cold drinks.
All the resorts inside Etosha are set up to take debit and credit cards. However, they work on a wifi system that occasionally goes down, and rely on mains electricity that occasionally goes off. When either fails, only cash is accepted.
Even though the power and wifi are not your fault, it remains your responsibility to be able to pay. So pay your accommodation in advance, and carry enough cash to cover park fees, meals, drinks, snacks, fuel and any special game drives.
Namibian Dollars or South African Rand only. No foreign exchange is accepted — change your money before you arrive.
Everyone has their own priorities, but here is guidance that will make your trip more comfortable. The general principle is layers, and loose comfortable clothing.
It never gets really cold in Etosha. May to August are the coldest months, with nighttime lows around 10°C, but daytime is still 20°C or more. That said, driving along on a winter morning with the window down feels genuinely cold, so you'll want a jacket for early mornings and evenings.
Remember you'll be sitting in a car with the sun baking down, so even in winter it feels hot by day. Layers are the answer: a t-shirt or close-fitting top, a loose long-sleeved shirt, then a jacket over the top is more than enough for a cold start — peel a layer off as the day heats up. Most people are comfortable in shorts or a skirt all year, and zip-off trousers work well.
It gets toasty, especially inside a car under a blazing sun, and it doesn't really cool down much at night. Cool, loose cotton is what you want. Do remember the sun shines through the windows onto exposed skin, so sun block matters — arms and legs are easy to forget, and sunburnt knees are very uncomfortable.
You won't need winter boots or heavy shoes at any time of year, and many people wear open sandals comfortably all year. Two cautions. The driver should wear something that holds to the foot — not flip flops, which you do not want slipping off among the pedals. And for walking around the camps, especially the camping areas, there are a lot of insects including several that bite, and the occasional snake, so something more solid is wise.
Namibia is a beautiful and photogenic country, with a diverse range of landscapes and wildlife to capture. A few principles that hold everywhere here:
The Etosha-specific issue is dust. Roll to a stop rather than braking, and think hard before changing a lens in the open. See the roads section above, and our full photographing Namibia guide.
Yes, if you want a particular camp on a particular night. Many dates fill months ahead, the camps are small, and Okaukuejo is very popular. The same applies to lodges outside the park.
No. Every road in Etosha is graded gravel and passable in a sedan. A higher vehicle gives better visibility and comfort, but it isn't required.
NAD 150 per foreign adult per 24 hours, NAD 100 per child aged 9 to 16, plus NAD 50 for a normal vehicle. Under-9s are free.
Sunrise to sunset, so the times shift weekly. They're posted at every gate and camp reception. You must be out of the park or inside a camp by sunset.
Usually, but the system depends on wifi and mains power and both fail occasionally. Carry enough Namibian Dollars or Rand to cover fees, fuel and meals.
Yes, at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni, and they have supplies about 95% of the time. Fuel is also available just outside both main gates.
Okaukuejo to Halali is 70 km, Halali to Namutoni 63 km. Plan at 20 km/h, not the 60 km/h speed limit — so Okaukuejo to Namutoni is most of a day's game driving.
We try the neighbouring camp first, then the wider park, then the lodges outside the gate, then a small date shift. There's almost always a way. Ask us.
Section 15 · Tick it off
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The camps are small and they fill early
Okaukuejo, Halali, Namutoni, Onkoshi, Dolomite and Olifantsrus, plus the lodges and campsites at every gate. Tell us your dates and a real person who has sat at these waterholes will build the trip around them — and if your first choice is full, we already know what to try next. No booking fees, ever.
You pay each place's own rate — nothing on top.
We know where the value hides in every region.
First-hand, from people who've watched these waterholes.
Real people, replies usually the same day.