Game Driving & Viewing
Etosha National Park

Driving and game viewing in Etosha Park

What type of vehicle
When to Game drive
Where to Game drive
General tips for game drives
Game viewing without driving

Do I need a 4x4 vehicle?
No you do not, all of the roads in Etosha are graded gravel roads which you can drive on in a normal sedan car however there are distinct advantages to different vehicles!

Sedans
While you can travel all the roads and get to all the accommodation inside Etosha Park in a normal sedan car there are a few drawbacks that you should plan around:
1/ If you are travelling in a group of four people (or more) it can get very hot and crowded inside a small car as there is not a lot of room to manoeuvre cameras or even stretch (remember you are only allowed out of the car at certain designated spots).
2/ When you spot an animal you want to watch, turn the engine off and enjoy the view but this means no aircon and heat builds up very quickly in a small full car...
3/ Although the roads are passable in a small car they can get corrugated and rough meaning slower speeds and more uncomfortable journeys around the park, also the smaller wheels are more prone to punctures, so drive slowly and carefully.
4/ Visibility is more limited in a small sedan, most sedans sit low to the ground restricting views, especially when the grass grows taller.

On the plus side sedans are cheaper to hire and use less fuel and if there is only two of you one drives while the other sits in the back, so you both get a bit of space and window view of all the wildlife.

Bakkies and 4WDrives

Bakkies/4wd vehicles tend to have more ground clearance so give a better view over the park, often looking over the tall grass so you get to spot more, they also tend to have more spacious cabins offering more space for cameras and snacks.
Also the bigger tyres handle the gravel roads better (but are more difficult to change in case of a puncture).
They do cost more to rent and use more fuel but do give more flexibility.

Minibus/Kombis

If you are 5 or more (but also works for less people) this is the best option as it gives everyone a window seat (although please note on modern minibuses not all the windows open!), they provide an excellent viewing platform and there is space for camera gear and snacks galore.

Ultimately you can enjoy Etosha in any of these vehicles, just plan and prepare for whatever vehicle you have/rent. Most camping equipped rentals in Namibia are Bakkie style and ideal for Etosha.

When to Game drive

You can drive at any time you wish between sunrise and sunset BUT there are best and better times to maximise your enjoyment, all year round Etosha gets hot during the day and just like humans the animals and birds get less energetic as the heat increases so the best times for seeing, photographing and watching the wildlife is the first few hours after dawn and the last few hours before sunset, these are the best times to catch the predators in action and in general the animals are moving around more rather than just standing still gasping in the heat.

So prepare everything the night before and get up and have breakfast before dawn so you can be at the gate waiting for it to open at dawn, then spend 3 to 4 hours game viewing before arriving at one of the camps (Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni), where there is a swimming pool, refreshments, toilet and a cool place to chill for a couple of hours, this is also a good time to chat to other guests to see what they saw and where they saw it to get ideas for your afternoon game drive.
After a nice lunch and a cool drink head back out (leaving plenty time to get to your accommodation before sunset), and game drive through the afternoon, I always have a waterhole in mind close to my accommodation to spend the last hour of the day when photographic light is at its best.

Where to go on your drive

This is a tricky one but also the exciting one, inside Etosha Park the animals are free to go wherever they please, this is what makes Etosha special, at each camp there is a sightings board where people mark what they saw on their drives, go have a look and see what was spotted where, this does not mean you will see that animal when you go there but it does indicate a greater likelihood of seeing that type of animal in that area, animals are territorial and like certain types of terrain so generally remain in the same area (even though that may be a vast area in Etosha!).

As a general guide after checking the sightings board and maybe chatting to other guests that have been on game drives already pick one area and spend your time enjoying whatever you see around there.

General tips for game drives

Etosha is unique in its geography, fauna, flatness, dryness and open landscapes so game driving is quite different to other African National Parks like Kruger, Masai Mara or the Serengeti, it is in fact easier to game drive yourself in Etosha than most parks and the biggest tip I would give you is not to drive too much.

Being a semi desert area with precious little rain and no rivers all the animals need to go to the waterholes to drink, so staking out two or three waterholes in a day will not only allow you to see a lot of animals but see them in action as they approach, drink, interact then leave the waterhole, offering a great experience as well as good photo opportunities.

For the best views as well as good photos try and sit at a waterhole with the sun at your back or at least more to one side (but not looking into the sun), remember the sun rises in the east (Namutoni side) and sets in the west (Okaukuejo side).
So study the map and plan accordingly. I will cover this in a bit more detail on the Etosha photographic page. Oh and by the way ... don't expect the animals to cooperate, the times I have set up at a waterhole, sun nicely positioned behind me scanning with binoculars only to have an elephant, lion or hyena walk right up behind me then show me nothing but is bottom.....

Game viewing from the camps

Etosha is famous for its night lit waterholes that you can stay inside the rest camp (Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni), and watch animals come and go day and night without having to even go out for a drive. This has many benefits, no need to be stuck inside a hot car, go get drinks, food and use the toilet whenever you need, the downside is that you are restricted to one location and need patience.

The waterhole in Okaukuejo is the most popular and the main reason why the camp is always fully booked as the waterhole here is the oldest camp waterhole in Etosha Park and all the animals are comfortable there, it's a great place to see rhino and elephant pretty much every night as well as a lot of other wildlife: lion, leopard, giraffe are commonly seen here as well as most of the plains antelope.

Halali camp waterhole has less variety of wildlife as the terrain is very rocky around this area so you have to be more patient here but you will still see plenty wildlife and it is much quieter with less people staying long at this waterhole. Halail is the quietest of the three camps (despite being at the centre of the best game viewing area of the Etosha) which means it is more peaceful. It is a longer walk from the camp which also puts people off.

Namutoni camp waterhole is the most overlooked of the three, many people stay at Namutoni and don't even go to see it. It is tucked away from all the rest of Namutoni camp making it a long walk to get there and doesn't have the vast view that Okaukuejo has but it still offers some great sightings although not as busy (with animals) as either Okaukuejo or Halali it is actually an artesian well springing up amongst some tall reeds so you don't see much of the waterhole but the animals do track the fence to the waterhole and the viewing area is more on eye level then the other camps giving you an unique view of the animals you do spot, (and making you feel very small when an elephant glides past).