Etosha Safari Camp

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Quirky excursions

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Etosha Game Drives

Although Etosha is renowned for first class safari self-driving, guided game drives are still likely to provide guests with the best chance of seeing the most abundant and varied wildlife. Guided day and night game drives tend to be included in your stay on the private Ongava Reserve, which boasts significant volumes of big game from lion, cheetah and leopard to rhino, elephant and giraffe. All of these animals are far more likely to let you get close, watch them for extended periods and capture some great photographs if you are within the confines of a vehicle. A guided drive also offers the experience, knowledge and personality of your guide, which can enrich any safari experience, while guides are always like to find a greater number of animals than enthusiastic self-drivers. Within the national park itself, night drives are only possible with a guide from one of the camps inside the park, so even if you are predominantly self-driving Etosha you should always book a night drive to search for nocturnal animals and sample the after dark ambience of the bush.

Etosha Self-Drive Safari

Etosha is arguably second only to South Africa's Kruger National Park as the most renowned self-drive safari destination. There is a well-marked network of good gravel roads and numerous waterholes to stop at for outstanding game viewing, without having to demonstrate the tracking skills of a trained guide. Restcamps within the park are perfectly set up for self-drivers, with maps, convenience stores, refuelling stations and a friendly, communal feel where guests and staff exchange game viewing tips and stories each day. You are not permitted to drive in the park after dark and there are various rules to adhere to, which the restcamps or lodges outside the park can fully brief you on. Other than that, if the thought of driving close to big game such as elephant or rhino is a thrilling rather than a terrifying prospect, there is a rewarding feel to discovering Etosha's rich variety of wildlife under your own steam.

Explore the Wild West

Until very recently Western Etosha was largely unexplored, known only to researchers, park officials and a small number of group itineraries that were permitted to pass through. All this has now changed, as Namibian Wildlife Resorts have opened up a camp in the far west of the park, with exclusive use of the western Galton Gate and a range of game viewing trails on which you will assuredly see no other vehicles! The game here is far less accustomed to humans and there is a tangibly wild feel, with some rare wildlife species to search out including black rhino and black faced impala. The terrain here is very different to that of the well-trodden routes further east, with rugged dolomite formations that give the camp its name and mopane woodland that you might expect to see in Botswana and Zambia. One thing that does chime with the experience further east is a predominance of both natural and artificial water holes, providing a centrepiece for game viewing activities. In a park that is firmly on the tourist map, this is the place to get a true sense of remoteness and explore unspoiled wildlife habitats.

Etosha Waterholes

It isn't unfair to suggest that many regard Etosha game viewing as all about the waterholes, particularly during the dry season. As water sources become scarcer, animals of all shapes and sizes congregate around the more permanent waterholes for much needed refreshment. You can genuinely see families of elephant, lone rhino, jittery antelope, bandy legged giraffe and hungry prides of lion arrive at the same water hole within a couple of hours, and unsurprisingly there are regular kills made within the close vicinity. Self-driving through Etosha, it is easy to hop between various well located waterholes, enjoy a spot of lunch and watch the game come to you. For those enjoying guided game drives in the park, the waterholes will also be a fall-back option for your guide if it's a quiet night in the open. Perhaps most enjoyable of all is to sit with an after dinner drink by a floodlit waterhole at your camp to watch the impressive nocturnal traffic. Okaukuejo waterhole is the most renowned and probably the best, although Halali and Namutoni also have their own very good versions. On the private reserves, Ongava Tented Camp sees serious traffic and the waterhole is very close to the central lodge.

Etosha Rhino Tracking

Namibia is one of Africa's strongest remaining havens for its most high profile endangered species, with black and white rhino both present inside the Etosha National Park and within some of the surrounding private reserves. A number of black rhino have recently been introduced to the Onguma Reserve as part of a conservation project jointly run by Onguma and the Ministry of Environment and Tourism. For guests at the reserve, this means some very exciting rhino based guided activities, including a research drive where a ranger demonstrates various data capture methods and camera traps, while getting you as close to the rhino as possible for photo opportunities. There is also the potential opportunity to track the rhino on foot, although this activity is more guaranteed and extensive within the Ongava Reserve. Here, the less irritable and far more approachable white rhino are the focus, and there are significant numbers in Ongava. With the outstanding rhino experience on offer in the Palmwag area of Damaraland and these two projects on reserves in varying areas outside Etosha, there is the possibility of tailoring an itinerary that is a real rhino lover's dream trip!