What are the benefits of staying inside of Etosha National Park or is it better to stay outside the park?
The benefit of staying at one of the Namibian Wildlife Resorts accommodation options inside the park (nwr camps) are:
1/ You get to sleep inside the park and experience the sounds of Etosha
which are amazing.
2/ When the gates open in the morning you roll straight out and start
game viewing, no queuing at the gate each morning, equally at night you
can game view right up until sunset(ish).
3/ Most of the camps have night lit waterholes that you can sit at all
night watching the wildlife wander in, this is a particularly good way
to observe the animals in a very relaxed way.
The Benefits of staying outside the park:
1/ There is a lot more choice of style of accommodation available from
luxury to camping, generally offering better value.
2/ During high season (June to September) the NWR camps book up sometimes
far in advance making planning a trip around certain dates difficult.
3/ Facilities and services at the private accommodation options are more
varied and better quality.
Which is best then?
It is a mixed bag I know but the good news is that wherever you sleep you can still enjoy Etoshas wildlife. So, what do I recommend?
For myself if I am going for 4 or more nights I mix it up, generally the first night I am arriving later in the day so I stay outside close to the gate I want to enter early next morning. This way I rest up nicely in a nice room (so I don't have to pack up camping gear in the morning) and treat myself to a meal at the restaurant, next morning I am up early and waiting at the gate for it to open, enjoy an early morning game drive to the NWR Resort where I have booked arriving late morning, check in and set up camp - (I love to camp in Etosha because the night sounds are so beautiful). I then hide from the heat of midday either at the swimming pool with visits to the waterhole viewable from inside the camp to see what's drinking and getting something to eat before heading out for an afternoon drive.
2 or 3 nights camping or in a room inside the park before my final night outside in the direction of my onward journey.
Booking your accommodation in advance
Do you need to book in advance or can you just rock up and see what is available?
If you want a particular camp on a specific night inside Etosha Park you must book in advance, even with the drop in tourist numbers over the last couple of years many dates book up months in advance, all the camps are quite small and the likes of Okaukuejo are very popular and while it is possible to turn up at the gate with no booking it is not recommended, the same applies for the places to stay close to Etosha but outside the park.
Etosha Park gates and waterholes map
