Etosha National Park
A salt pan you can see from space, and waterholes where elephants, lions and rhinos turn up in the dry season: what to know before you go.
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In short
Etosha is Namibia’s best-known national park: 22,935 km² of savanna around a 4,730 km² salt pan in the north of the country. You see the most wildlife in the dry season, when the animals come to the waterholes. You drive yourself on gravel roads, sleep in the camps inside the park and must be in camp between sunset and sunrise.
Fact file
Etosha in figures
- Area
- 22,935 km², slightly larger than Wales
- Etosha Pan
- 4,730 km², about a fifth of the park
- Protected since
- 1907, national park since 1967
- Species
- 114 mammal species, more than 340 bird species
- Gates
- Andersson (south), Von Lindequist (east), King Nehale (northeast), Galton (southwest)
- Open
- From sunrise to sunset
- Fees
- N$280 per adult per day, N$60 per vehicle (as of April 2026)
When to go
When Etosha is at its best
The scarcer the water, the more animals at the waterholes: Etosha is at its strongest from July to October. October averages 34 °C, and 66 % of the annual rain falls from January to March.
Dry season: May – October
Wildlife at the waterholes: July – October
Cool nights around 11 °C: June – August
Hot days, 32 °C and more: September – December
Rainy season, green plains: December – April
Young springbok and zebra: December – March
In wet years: water in the pan, flamingos: January – April
Month by month: the best time to visit Namibia →
Waterholes & camps
Where you wait and where you sleep
You stay in the camps inside the park or in lodges outside the gates. Three camps have a waterhole that is floodlit at night — after sunset you sit there and wait to see who comes to drink.
South
Okaukuejo
The main camp, 17 km past Andersson Gate. The waterhole right by the camp is floodlit at night.
Centre
Halali
Between Okaukuejo and Namutoni, with its own floodlit waterhole.
East
Namutoni
Near Von Lindequist Gate, around the old fort. The King Nehale waterhole is floodlit at night.
On the pan
Onkoshi
A small camp right on the edge of the pan, looking out over the white expanse.
West
Olifantsrus
A campsite with a two-storey hide above a waterhole.
West
Galton Gate
The west has only been open to visitors since about 2014 — quieter, hillier, and home to Hartmann’s mountain zebra too.
Wildlife
What you can see
Etosha counts 114 mammal species. On a good day you see many of them at a single waterhole — but none of them comes to order.
The black-faced impala lives only in northwestern Namibia and southern Angola, and a large share of it in Etosha. How many black rhinos live in the park is not published, to protect them.
Park rules
What applies in Etosha
The rules are strict and apply to everyone — guides included.
- 01
Sunrise to sunset
The gates open at sunrise and close at sunset. If you are not staying in a camp, you must be out of the park by then.
- 02
Stay in the vehicle
You may only get out in the camps and at the fenced rest areas.
- 03
60 km/h
The speed limit in the park. On gravel and with animals by the road you drive slower anyway.
- 04
Sleep only in the camps
Overnight stays are only allowed in the camps, not anywhere else in the park.
Sources: Namibian Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism (MEFT), Namibia Wildlife Resorts (park rules), fee schedule Government Notice 115/2026. As of 13 November 2026. Climate values as in the best-time guide.
Journeys
Two of our Namibia journeys end with game drives in Etosha, in rental 4x4s behind our guide vehicles. Park fees are included in the price.
Journeys with Etosha
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Frequently asked
Questions about Etosha
When is the best time to visit Etosha?
In the dry season from May to October, strongest from July to October. Then water is only left at springs and boreholes, and the animals come to the waterholes. In the rainy season the plains are green and there are young springbok and zebra, but the animals spread across the whole park.
How big is Etosha National Park?
22,935 km², slightly larger than Wales. The salt pan alone measures 4,730 km², about a fifth of the park. Etosha was first protected as a game reserve in 1907, when it was many times larger than today, and has been a national park since 1967.
How much is the entrance fee for Etosha?
Since 1 April 2026, adults aged 16 and over from outside southern Africa pay N$280 per day, children aged 9 to 15 pay N$180 and children up to 8 nothing. On top come N$60 per vehicle per day (up to 10 seats). Park fees are included on our journeys.
Can you self-drive in Etosha?
Yes, Etosha is made for self-drivers: the roads between the waterholes are gravel and the camps are inside the park. You may only get out in the camps and at fenced rest areas, and the speed limit is 60 km/h.
Where do you stay in Etosha?
In the camps inside the park — Okaukuejo, Halali, Namutoni, Onkoshi, Olifantsrus and others in the west — or in lodges outside the gates. Between sunset and sunrise you must be in a camp or outside the park.
Are there rhinos in Etosha?
Yes, black and white rhinos. Etosha is one of the most important areas for the black rhino, and the exact number is not published to protect them. Your best chances are in the evening at the floodlit waterholes of the camps.
Is there water in the Etosha Pan?
Only in wet years. Then rivers from the north fill the pan a few centimetres deep, and flamingos come to breed — they only succeed in about one year in nine.
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