Travel Guide for Etosha National Park

What is Etosha National Park?

Etosha National Park is one of the largest national parks in Africa (at 8,600 square miles) and due to its size, it includes several unique landscapes and is home to a wide variety of amazing wildlife. Etosha is home to 4 of the Big 5 African Game – lion, leopard, black rhinoceros, and African bush elephant, just not the African buffalo. You’ll also find lots of varieties of antelope, zebras, giraffes, and more! This beautiful park has a ton to offer so read on to plan your adventure!

I was lucky enough to experience this amazing park surrounded by friends as we took a weekend trip out to Etosha from our base in Windhoek. Here is what I learned from my visit to Etosha National Park…

Where is Etosha National Park?

Etosha National Park is located in northwestern Namibia. Due to Namibia’s excellently maintained roads and clear signage, Etosha is one of the most easily accessible Safari locations in Africa.

How to Get to Etosha National Park?

Hosea Kutako International Airport is the main international airport and has direct flights from many major cities (like Frankfurt, Paris, Johannesburg, and Cape Town). The easiest way to get to Etosha National Park from the U.S. is to connect through one of those cities and drive the 5 hours north to the park.

There are numerous tour companies that offer direct transport from the airport or the city of Windhoek. Or you can opt to self drive and book a 4x4 truck with a rooftop tent and camp your way through Etosha!

How much does it cost to go to Etosha National Park?

Daily Entrance Fees are currently 80 NAD per adult (only about $6 USD)  and children under 16 years are admitted for free.

Additional costs include your transportation to the park, gas fees if self-driving, Game Drives you may want to do, and your accommodations (camping or lodge stay). Compared to other destinations for safari experiences in Africa, Etosha National Park remains one of the most affordable.

We spent a few hundred dollars each for an adventure-packed weekend and it was well worth it!

How many days do you need in Etosha National Park?

The ideal visit to Etosha National Park is 2 nights and 3 days. With this amount of time, you’re able to do a night Game Drive, a morning Game Drive, visit the famous Etosha Salt Pan, and get in plenty of daytime self-driving to the watering holes and other wildlife viewing spots.

We arrived on a Saturday and stayed through Monday and it was the perfect amount of time!

Where to Stay in Etosha National Park?

Visitors to Etosha National Park have several great options for where and how to stay within the park.

Staying inside the park is key if you want to see lots of wildlife, so we chose to stay at Halali Camp which is located approximately 1 hour inside of Etosha National Park. The best times for wildlife viewing are sunrise and sunset so by staying in the park, you’ll be able to easily catch those tours.

You have the option to camp or stay in rooms at Halali Camp. We opted for the rooms and had a very comfortable stay with comfy beds, AC, and a nice hot shower! Something we loved about Halali Camp is their private watering hole, which is lit up at night and is walkable from Camp (and fenced from wildlife). We were able to watch a Rhino silently enjoy a late night drink, which was certainly one of the highlights of our stay!

You also have the option to stay farther in the park atNamutoni Camp which was where we stopped for lunch one day. It is a nice Camp and located quite deep within the park where wildlife abounds. Another option would be to stay right where you enter the park at Okaukuejo Camp. It’s a nice spot and the shortest drive from the airport. They also offer some rooms with views of the watering hole on site, which sounds amazing!

What to do in Etohsa National Park?

——> The Top 3 Things to do in Etosha National Park:

1. Game Drives (Dawn and Dusk)

   The lodges within Etosha National Park offer guided Game Drives throughout the day. Because the wildlife is most active at dawn and dusk, I’d suggest doing both (maybe not back to back like we did… #NoSleep). We got to see a pride of lions on our dawn drive and some smaller cats and the milky way on our night drive! The guides also have special hours that they’re allowed out in the park when self-driving is not allowed so you get better access.

2. Visit The Etosha Salt Pan

   The Salt pan is a vast salt flat that is at the center of Etosha National Park . Similar to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, the Salt Pan is stunning to see– miles and miles of flat salt with the occasional lone Wildebeest roaming.

3. Wildlife Viewing at Watering Holes

   We did a self-drive tour of Etosha National Park on our full day in the park and it was incredible. While wildlife is more active during dawn and dusk, there is still a lot to see throughout the day! We saw tons of zebra, Springboks, Kudu, Giraffes, Wildebeests, and more while driving north through the park. We stopped off at many watering holes along the way, most of which are located conveniently close to the main roads. It always depends on factors like the migration patterns, amount of water available, etc. but we had the best luck seeing wildlife driving north past Namutoni Camp, where you could also stay if you wanted to be farther in the park.

Where to Eat in Etosha National Park ?

There aren’t many options for food within Etosha National Park itself aside from the Camps (understandably). We opted to pre-pay and include our meals with our stay at Halali Camp. The food was nothing special, but any food is good food after a long day of adventure, so we had no complaints. Dinner consisted of a few options (meat, fish, veg) with some sides. The breakfast was a simple buffet but with the option to order omelets and fried eggs additionally. We were able to purchase alcohol at an additional cost in the evenings too. 

Since you’ll likely be out doing self-driving tours of the park throughout the day, you can stop at one of the other Camps for lunch and find a bit of variety in food options there.

Is Etosha Park Worth It?

Yes, 100%. Etosha National Park is one of the most incredible natural places I’ve ever visited. The abundant wildlife, clear + dark night skies, and stunning salt pan make this destination a must-see in Africa! I hope you can make it someday and adventure through the beautiful Etosha National Park for yourself!