The great white place that is known locally as Etosha National Park. The white place referred to here is the white salt pan covering a huge area in Etosha. At 2.2 million hectares Etosha is big. Not only is it big, but it provides a home to thousands of animals and birds. The whole area is in a pristine state, meaning that although there are managers in the form of wardens and rangers, the area is not interfered with a great deal.

Etosha is the “holy grail” of National parks in Namibia. It is the park that is most visited by locals as well as tourists from abroad. To accommodate visitors, three rest camps are located inside the Park. Okaukeujo (pronounced “Okakwayo”) is the flagship of these. Luxury bungalows, chalets and campsites provide different sorts of accommodation. A swimming pool, restaurant and shop complete the picture. The main attraction in Okaukeujo is the flood lit waterhole. When darkness falls the floodlights are switched on, and visitors are treated with a magnificent spectacle. Game of all sorts and sizes visit the waterhole throughout the night, and provide a live television for visitors. As the game are used to the light, they are not bothered at all.

Namutoni and Halali are the other two rest camps in Etosha. As with most things in life, these camps have a personality of their own. Halali is rustic and the smallest of the three camps. Namutoni with its historical fort is more history orientated.

With a large number of waterholes situated in the Park, game is spread all over. Visitors can easily reach these waterholes, as all of them are linked with a good road system. You do not need a 4×4 vehicle as such, as smaller sedan cars are able to reach most of the waterholes. The waterholes can be visited any time during the day, but the best times will be just after sunrise and just before sunset. Be sure to be close to your destination, as the sun goes down, as the camps close their gates at sunset. This is done to ensure the safety of the visitors within.

Etosha is known for its massive herds of Plains Zebra, Blue wildebeest and Springbuck. Giraffe, Oryx, Red Hartebeest and Eland are some of the bigger antelopes present in Etosha. Also to be seen are most of the predators including Lion, Leopard and cheetah. Smaller predators can be seen during the night at the different waterholes of the camps.

Big game like Elephant and Black Rhino are seen on a daily basis, so there is something for everybody. Etosha is truly a wonderful experience, and definitely one of the “must do” things when in Namibia.



Source by J Alberts

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here