Etosha Trading Post

The stay

Camping, fuel, tyres and a shop — in one place

Etosha Trading Post sits on the C38, six and a half kilometres from the park’s main entrance at Okaukuejo. The camping is genuinely good — eight private sites built from local stone, well separated, each with its own bathroom and a grass patch to pitch on, looking towards a waterhole.

Four larger group sites take up to twenty-five people each, with shared ablutions separated for men and women. A swimming pool is shared between all the sites.

What makes it unusual is everything else on the property: a fuel station with diesel, petrol and a tyre workshop, and a shop stocking groceries, fresh bread, farm-style takeaways, ice, toiletries and a large curio deck. On this road, that combination is worth a detour on its own.

What to do

Why stay at Etosha Trading Post?

Six and a half kilometres from the Andersson Gate at Okaukuejo, which puts it among the closest camping to the park’s main entrance. Gates open at sunrise and the waterholes are busiest at dawn, so that short run is worth real money.

The individual sites each have their own bathroom — not a shared block — and are built from local stone, set apart from each other, looking towards a waterhole. Guests consistently describe them as clean, private and well spaced.

What genuinely separates this place from every other campsite near Etosha is everything else on the property: a fuel station with 50ppm diesel, petrol and a tyre workshop, and a properly stocked shop with groceries, fresh pies, farm-style takeaways, ice, cold drinks, toiletries and a large curio deck. Namibia is hard on tyres and long on distances between shops.

Staying inside the park still buys a floodlit waterhole after dark — Okaukuejo is the answer for that and we will say so. But this is the practical base, and plenty of people book a night here simply to restock and get a wheel sorted before carrying on.

Before you book

• Bring your own tent and camping gear — sites are serviced, not set up
• Individual sites have private bathrooms; the group sites share
• The buffet restaurant is not on site. It is at Etosha Village, 5.5 km down the road with the turn-off at 4 km, and is open to Trading Post guests
• The shop does sell farm-style takeaway meals, fresh pies and snacks on site
• Activities are booked at the Adventure Centre at Etosha Village
• Damaged tyres cannot be replaced here, only repaired — carry a usable spare
• The swimming pool is shared between the campsites
• Park entry fees are payable separately at the gate

The service station and shop

• 50ppm diesel, petrol and motor oil
• Tyre workshop for repairs
• Public restrooms
• Groceries, fresh produce and freshly baked bread
• Farm-style takeaway meals, fresh pies and snacks
• Ice and cold drinks
• Toiletries
• Large curio deck for gifts and keepsakes

Getting into the park

• Self-drive days — the Andersson Gate is 6.5 km away and park roads suit a normal car
• Morning guided game drive into Etosha
• Full-day guided game drive
• Sundowner drive to a secluded deck
• Sunrise guided walk
• Stargazing sessions
• Boma dinner at Etosha Village

Things to see

• The waterhole on the property, viewed from the campsites
• Sunsets over the Etosha plains
• Elephant, lion, giraffe, zebra and springbok in the park
• Black rhino, which Etosha is one of the better places in Africa to see

Facilities

• Fuel station and tyre workshop
• Well-stocked shop with a large curio deck
• Farm-style takeaway meals
• Swimming pool shared between the campsites
• Safe parking and public restrooms
• Buffet restaurant and Adventure Centre at Etosha Village, 5.5 km away

If you would rather not camp

• Etosha Village — stone-built units under the mopane, same group, same road
• Etosha Village Camping — more campsites, also with private ablutions
• Okaukuejo — inside the park, for the floodlit waterhole

Getting there

• On the C38, 6.5 km from the Andersson Gate at Okaukuejo
• Southern Etosha — the park’s main entrance
• Tar road to the gate; a normal car is fine