Three nights on safari in Etosha National Park

Driving around Etosha National Park was probably the part of our trip that we were most looking forward to. You can choose to drive the loop around Namibia in either direction, but we opted to leave Etosha until (almost) last – and were glad we did. 

Whether you’ve been on safari before or not, Etosha is without a doubt one of the most amazing experiences you will have in Namibia. And it was good to have that to look forward to throughout the trip. We also didn’t see huge amounts of wildlife outside of the National Park (although we did encounter girrafes, kudus, plenty of springbok, meerkats, and other animals on the roads). So it made for an extra exciting end to our holiday, getting to see lions, rhinos, and even a leopard, in the wild.

Where we stayed in Etosha

There are so many different ways to experience Etosha, but choosing to self-drive was definitely a good choice. We arrived at Andersson’s Gate in the south west, and were based at nearby Okaukuejo camp for two nights. 

We were lucky enough to have a chalet right next to the waterhole, and right as we arrived, in the mid-afternoon, there were already plenty of animals – including zebras, wildebeest, elephants, giraffes, and jackals – right there in front of our room. 

This is one of the main perks of staying in one of the camps within the National Park. The sites outside the park gates are cheaper, but they do limit your time driving around. We were only in Etosha for 3 nights so we wanted to make the most of our time there. However, if you were spending longer on safari then saving money by staying outside might be more beneficial.

On our first day, we drove around until just before sunset, then headed back to Ojakauejo where we watched the sunset over the waterhole. There, we watched a black rhino and around 40 elephants – including tiny babies – drinking for about an hour. Later that night, we came back after dinner and five black rhinos were drinking round the waterhole. 

This is one of the unique benefits of spending more to stay within Etosha, which definitely made the price worth it for us. And if you’re on a budget, you can camp in tents around set pitches which also come with fire pits for cooking. The food at the National Park lodges is nice, but not cheap. So providing for yourself would be an easy way to cut costs during your stay.

After two nights based at Okakuejo we drove to Halali, which is further into the south side of the park. The waterhole at Halali was a little less busy, and we mostly saw zebras here. But the viewing platform here gives you a great view across the whole waterhole, while keeping people a little further back from the animals.

The best waterholes, and the animals we saw at Etosha

Over four days of driving, we visited Okondeka, Nebrownii, Homob, Olifantsbad, Salvadora, and Reitfontein waterholes. We also visited some others during sunrise and sunset drives organised by Halali lodge. 

Because you can only drive around Etosha National Park during daylight hours, all the camps offer pre-sunrise and post-sunset drives. These are some of your best opportunities to see nocturnal animals and those who hunt in the cooler hours, like lions, leopards, and hyenas.

Our guide was hoping to take us back to Salvadora, where we had seen a lion and a leopard resting near a tree during the day. But there were reports that they had both gone hunting so we focused on closer waterholes instead. 

On our final night in Etosha we did a night drive where we followed a pack of spotted hyenas, a brown hyena which is unusual on the eastern side of the park, and a tiny African wildcat under a tree. We also saw a scrub hare, goshawk, spotted owl, a herd of red hartebeest, black rhinos, and a huge number of zebras.

The next morning was our last in the National Park, so we went on Halali’s morning safari that set off at 6am. Early morning is the best time to see big cats, and we did see a male lion very close up, watching a herd of wildebeest. 

We also saw a rare white rhino and a warthog, which is unusual in Ethosha as the high number of predators mean they tend to stay away. In the mornings you’ll also see a lot of zebras, giraffes, elephants, and various antelopes. 

Throughout our four days in Etosha National Park, we saw:

• Giraffe

• Elephants

• Zebra 

• Black rhino

• Lion

• Jackal

• Mongoose

• Scrub hare

• Rock Hyrax

• Kudu

• Oryx

• Dikdik

• Springbok

• Impala

• Wildebeest

• Red Hartebeest

• Ostrich

• Eagles

• Vultures 

• Hornbills

• Kori bustards

We also went on to spend a night at the Cheetah Conservation Fund, where we saw cheetahs up close.