Spanning a vast 22 300 km² (8 610 square miles), it consists mostly of grassy plains around a huge salt pan, which becomes a beautiful lake after heavy rains and attracts large flocks of pink candy-floss coloured flamingo.
Etosha hosts a vast array of animals, including the Big Five, as well as giraffes, and rare and unusual species like the black-faced impala, Hartmann’s mountain zebra or the smallest antelope in the world, the Damara dikdik.
Why Visit?
- Etosha holds one of the largest, and perhaps the most stable, population of black rhino in the world.
- Massive colonies of sociable weavers are found where bigger trees occur – see them up close at Okaukuejo rest camp
- Sprookjeswoud, west of Okuakuejo, is a strange place where fantom trees (African Moringa) form a weird looking woodland
- Etosha is a proper game reserve, but due to the lack of rivers, there are no buffalo, crocodiles or hippos found in this park. Primates are also strangely missing (other than the humans)
- The waterhole at Okaukuejo is famous for it’s night time wildlife in the dry season, including frequent visits by black rhino, elephants and lions.
- Flooded pans draw in huge numbers of water birds, including Greater and lesser flamingos and Eastern White Pelicans
- One of the highest densities of giraffe anywhere are found in the area.
- Etosha’s pans are white from lime and salt – and influence the whole region, giving Etosha a white look, unique to any of Africa’s other great game reserves. Etosha means something like ‘White place’
Climate
Summer (October – April)
Min 20˚C/68˚F; Max 40˚C/104˚F
Winter (May – September)
Min 0˚C/32˚F; Max 23˚C/73˚F
Summer is great for birds and game, autumn is for evening walks on dunes. In winter the skies light up and in spring wildlife is born.
years