Safari Holidays to South Africa and Namibia for independent travellers.
Contact Phone Numbers
0845 838 2450
Local rate in the UK
0800 981 420
Toll free in SA
Other +44 1932 268230
Most visitors to Etosha come on a 'self-drive' basis. There are 2 main gates into the Park - the Andersson Gate to the south, and the Von Lindequist Gate to the east. The gates are open daily from sunrise to sunset. All visitors have to pay an entrance fee.
The main roads leading in from the 2 gates are tarred, but after that all of the roads are gravel, and range from extremely good to badly pot-holed. The speed limit is 60 km/h throughout the Park.
Only the southern edge of the Pan is open to visitors, and there are no roads across the Etosha Pan itself.
A 4WD is not needed to visit Etosha, however a high-clearance vehicle is a good idea as it improves visibility (for looking over bushes and grass) and ground clearance (for puddles).
All roads are accessible by a 2WD saloon car, but do watch out in wet weather that you don't drive through too much deep water and risk getting water in the engine and spark-plugs: you don't want to breakdown in front of lions (trust us - you really don't!)
If you do have a breakdown or a puncture, just stay in your car and wait for help to arrive!
When to Go
The Park is always extremely busy during December and January, which coincides with being both very hot (average temperatures are just over 30°C) and the school holidays. Early booking of accommodation is definitely advised if you want to visit during these months.
January and March are also the wettest months, and the Pan may fill with water if the rainfall is exceptionally heavy.
The Park is incredibly lush and green, and certainly elephant and rhino can be harder to spot, as they seem to 'disappear' into the thickets to feed.
However, there are large herds of zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, gemsbok and springbok on the open grassy plains, and many animals also have their young at this time of year.
The winter months between July and September are the dry season, so the temperatures are cooler and there is little or no rain.
The veld is drier, making for better viewing both in the bush and around the many waterholes, where the animals will more frequently gather to drink.
Spend some time at one of Etosha's waterholes in the dry season and you will see a constant stream of elephants, zebras, wildebeest, gemsbok and other wildlife coming to drink. Lions and black rhino are also frequently seen.
How long should I stay for?
The recommended stay at the Park is at least 3 nights. An ideal scenario is to stay near one gate for a night or 2 and then drive through the Park and stay at near the other gate for a further night or even 2.
This gives you the opportunity to travel right through the Park without doubling back on yourself, and experience new and different game viewing opportunities.
However and whenever you decide to visit Etosha, the memories will stay with you for a very long time.
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