Intense wildlife

Etosha is the most prolific location in Namibia for savanna wildlife and therefore tends to feature in most trips, especially for first time visitors.

         Waterholes

During the May-Nov dry season, the wildlife clustering around Etosha’s iconic waterholes is truly phenomenal, more so than anywhere in Africa.

          White elephants

One particularly impressive sighting is herds of huge elephants, eerily painted completely white by the saline dusts of the area.

           Self-drive

 Self-drive in Etosha could not be easier, with the main highway going right up to the gate, whilst finding the animals is simply a case of driving around the various waterholes.

           Lodge options

Etosha has an impressive selection of lodge options, almost all of which are located outside the south and east gates, from where the reserve can be raided.

           Private reserves

The best lodges are set in large private reserves, adjacent to the national park, where, in some cases, safari can be delivered with greater quality and elegance.

            5 to 9 nights

Visits of only 5-9 nights tend to be too short for self-drive trips. It is very possible to combine two or even three remote locations by light aircraft, to make fabulous trips, but these are fundamentally more expensive. It is unlikely that any of these nights would be deployed in the Etosha area, which is simply not good enough to feature in many high-end flying safaris.

           9 to 14 nights

A few high-end flying safaris may stretch to this length, combining four or even five diverse locations. This is the most popular duration for self-drive trips, allowing plenty of time to get around the main locations. Etosha is likely to feature in such trips, since it fits into the natural routing, usually for 2-3 nights.

             15 to 24 nights

The incredibly good value of self-drive trips means that they can often extend to unusually long durations, with more ambitious routes potentially heading all the way up the Caprivi Strip to end at Victoria Falls. Again, Etosha would usually fit into these trips for 2-3 nights, since it lies at a crossroads between the main routes.

The cost of safari in Namibia

The cost of safari in Namibia depends very much on your mode of travel.

Self-drive trips tend to fall in the range USD 150 to 500 per person per night, depending mainly on the lodges that you choose.

Flying safaris are fundamentally and unavoidably more expensive, at USD 600 to 2500 per person per night, depending on your group size and lodge selection.

Private-guided overland expeditions fall somewhere in the middle, at USD 400 to 2000 per person per night, depending mainly on your group size.

We are more than happy to work across this range of prices. The only important thing is that we help you find the very best safari to suit your budget.

If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which lodges do actually deliver elevated levels of service and experience. We will also highlight other subtle ways in which your trip can be raised to another level, including the use of whole camp bookings, private guides and vehicles etc.

If you have a lower budget, then we can help you build superb self-drive safaris, still including great lodges and getting off the beaten track.

Sossusvlei

The famous and enormous red dunes of the Namib Desert may be at the other end of the country to Etosha, but they regularly feature together in trips.

Twyfelfontein

Another stop of the core self-drive route, Twyfelfontein offers desert elephants, superb geology and some remarkable Bushman rock-art sites.

Skeleton Coast North

For more advanced trips, Skeleton Coast North is a forbidden zone, which is difficult and expensive to access, but is sensationally remote and scenic.

The best lodges in Etosha

The Etosha area has around 30 accommodation options. The best of these are situated on private conservancies outside the the south and east gates. There are no genuinely good options inside the national park.

We are able to include any of these properties in your trip. We ones most like to recommend fall into two categories …

Firstly, there are the truly high-end lodges, which are in the very best locations and offer the highest levels of guiding, hospitality and consistency, suitable for demanding guests.

Secondly, there are the relatively good value camps, which are also in excellent locations and also take their guiding very seriously, but which typically offer lower levels of luxury and have the potential to be slightly less consistent in their delivery, suitable for more easy-going guests.

You can always expect absolute honesty from us when describing the various lodges and camps. Our primary motivation is simply to figure out which ones will suit you the best.

Luxury trips

Our luxury trips to Namibia are mainly flying safari, combining lodges which are in prime locations, where high levels of comfort and service are guaranteed. This does not necessarily mean infinity pools and spa facilities, but it does always mean that you will be hosted and guided by the very best people in the country. That is how to truly guarantee the quality of a safari.

Adventure trips

In our adventure trips to Namibia are mainly self-drive. We use a much wider range of lodges, still in fabulous locations and offering authentic safari experiences, but often at considerably lower cost. More strenuous activities, like walking safari, are likely to feature more prominently. These cool, sometimes edgy lodges tend to be best suited to guests who are a little more outdoorsy and forgiving.

When to go on safari in Etosha

The safari areas of Namibia are mostly less seasonal than those in other parts of Africa, since the coastal climate is more-or-less stable year-round. However, there are still seasonal changes that need to taken into account if we are to properly plan a great safari.

When thinking about seasonality it is important to consider the four aspects of weather, wildlife movements, visitor traffic and prices.

Apr-May : Early dry season

The Apr-May period marks a transition from the preceding summer green season and the subsequent winter dry season, with safari conditions generally improving as the weeks pass.

The weather throughout this period should be warm and sunny.

The concerns are more about the residual effects on the landscapes of rain during the previous period. On balance we'd say that May should almost certainly be quite strong, but April is more of a risk.

Temperatures in Etosha during the day average around 28C/82F at this time of year, dropping at night to around 14C/57F and possibly sinking even lower into May as the dry winter conditions start to take hold, especially in the western deserts.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, although can peak over Easter, when traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves amd visiting more remote areas) should be deployed.

Jun-Oct : Winter dry season

The Jun-Oct period covers the main winter dry season, the most popular time for visiting Namibia.

As the seasonal waterholes out in the surrounding hinterlands dry out, the animals become obliged to migrate in towards the permanent waterholes of the Etosha area, clustering together in the densities for which the reserve is renowned. This effect is also true of other wildlife areas like Damaraland North and Twyfelfontein.

Temperatures in Etosha during the early part of this season, Jun-Aug, can be relatively cool, the day time average being around 25C/77F, dropping at night to around 8C/46F. The later part of the season, Sep-Oct should be warmer, at 32C/90F daytime and 16C/61F at night. It can get a great deal cooler at night out in the western deserts.

Visitor traffic is often very heavy through this period, with a first peak in June due to the South African school holidays, followed by the main peak for international visitors Jul-Sep. Traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves and visiting more remote areas) should definitely be deployed.

Nov-Dec : Late dry season

The Nov-Dec period marks a transition from the preceding winter dry season and the subsequent summer green season, with safari conditions more likely to deteriorate as the weeks pass.

The weather throughout this period should be warm and sunny, but with increasing chances of rain.

The concerns are not so much about the weather, but more about the dispersal effects of the arrival of the rains on the animal populations. In our experience conditions usually remain pretty good until the middle of December, but by Christmas there is a good chance things will be changing.

Temperatures in Etosha during the day average around 33C/91F at this time of year, dropping at night only to around 18C/64F. Choosing lodges with air-conditioning might be a good idea at this time. Areas further west tend not to become so hot and humid.

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, all the way up to the middle of December, when the main holiday season kicks in, when traffic avoidance techniques (like staying on private reserves and visiting more remote areas) should be deployed.

Jan-Mar : Summer green season

The Jan-Mar period is the time of year when Namibia usually experiences the bulk of its rainfall and is likely to deliver the weakest wildlife viewing.

The concern is not usually so much the rain itself (the prevailing conditions should remain warm and sunny), but the dispersal effects of the rains on the animal populations. It is possible to spend a whole day inside Etosha and not see a single elephant.

Temperatures in Etosha during the day average around 30C/86F at this time of year, dropping at night only to around 18C/64F. If there are only light rain showers the humidities can rise fast, making for uncomfortable conditions. 

Visitor traffic tends to be relatively light at this time, although may increase a little over the Easter period.

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           Vehicle traffic

Parking up alongside a waterhole in the company of dozens of self-drive sedan cars and giant coaches is, in our minds, the antithesis of a proper safari.

           Restcamps

Accommodation inside the national park is all ex-government restcamps, vast places which are not exactly intimate or sympathetic.

           Road network

The road network in Etosha is appalling, with big main roads. This vast reserve could be so magical, if only it contained a network of smaller one-way tracks.