"The beauty of nature in its wild state " a Etosha National Park Travel Page by Bigjones

Etosha National Park is one of the biggest game reserves in Africa : it covers 22 270 km², which is more or less like Switzerland. Declared a National Park in 1907, it’s home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and - they say - one species of fish but after many inquiries, I’m still wondering where it hides and what it is. If you know something about that fish, please share your knowledge with me ;-)

The name Etosha, which means "Great White Place" in the Herero language, is taken from the vast white Etosha pan. It’s a massive mineral pan (5000 km²) remaining from a large inland lake. But it’s the surrounding bushes and grassland that provide habitat for wildlife.

Etosha National Park was for me the most impressive experience in Namibia. I’d never been on a game drive before and I’d never thought we could see so many animals and go so close to them. We were particularly lucky because at the end of the rainy season, animals have enough water and don’t need to move to the permanent waterholes, which makes them difficult to spot. But finally, I think we didn’t miss many except the leopards. The most exciting moments were during the night at the restcamp when we could hear the surrounding animals such as the jackals, the loud birds, the roaring lions and the laughing hyenas.

There are three rest camps in Etosha National Park : Namutoni, Halali and Okaukuejo. They are all well-maintained and have excellent facilities such as bars, shops, swimming-pools, showers, power points and fire places. We spent two nights in Namutoni, one afternoon in Halali and one night in Okaukuejo. This last camp is the most visited, probably because the waterhole is well situated and more often crowded with animals than the others. The viewing can be so good that some people end up staying there all night. Each camp has a perimeter fence, so it’s safe at any time of the day or night. But I have to say that after seeing jackals and warthogs in the camp, I was a bit sceptical about that ;-)