Destinations in Namibia

ETOSHA NATIONAL PARK

area: cca 22.270 km2
location: north Namibia, GPS: 18°56′43″S 15°53′52″E
speciality: excellent game viewing, flocks of flamingoes during the wet season
best time to visit: May - September
accomodation: ETOSHA SAFARI CAMP | ETOSHA SAFARI LODGE

For sheer numbers of game and ease of access, Etosha National Park in northern Namibia is a must - it offers fantastic game viewing opportunities in a unique ecosystem. When was first established in 1907 by von Lindequist, the then governor of German South West Africa, it was the largest game reserve in the world with its 100.000 kms. Today the park is less than a quarter of its original size, but still remains one of the largest in Africa.
Park is surrounded by a strong wire, sometimes electrified fence, which is intended to keep animals in and poachers out. Inside the park there are three resorts: Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni.
A massive mineral pan, meaning "Great White Place", dominates Etosha. The pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. Today, the Etosha Pan rarely has water as it is supplied mostly from rainfall but with high evaporation rates, the water quickly disappears. A San (local tribe) legend about the formation of the pan tells of how a village was raided and everyone but the women slaughtered. One woman was so upset about the death of her family that she cried until her tears formed a massive lake. When the lake dried up nothing was left apart from a huge white pan.
The game viewing in Etosha is excellent. Mighty herds from the interior gather at its water holes, especially giraffe, elephant, zebra, springbok, greater kudu, rare black rhino, roan antelope, red hartebeest and endemic black faced impala. Etosha is also renowned for its lions, as well as leopard and cheetah.
Wildlife: home to 114 mammal species, 340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species, for ex. elephant, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, springbok, oryx, roan antelope,impala, eland, lion, hyaena, jackal, kudu, impala (black-faced), black rhino, leopard, cheetah.