Etosha National Park is one of the largest game reserves in the world. This vast area of bush, savannah and salt pan is also one of the world’s best wildlife-viewing sites. The Etosha Pan is a 5,000 sq km depression visible from space, and the surrounding bush. In the dry season, the silvery-white salt pan is a place of shimmering mirages; in years of heavy rainfall, the pan becomes a lake, attracting huge flocks of flamingos. In the dry season, thousands of animals congregate at the waterholes around the pan including various antelope, giraffe, zebra, elephant, cheetah and leopard. Etosha has a high concentration of lion, one of the largest remaining populations of black rhino and 340 bird species. ‘Specials’ include Hartlaub's francolin, Rüppell's parrot and White-tailed shrike.
There is a good selection of accommodation in and around the national park, all of which works well as a base for an Etosha holiday. You can choose to stay at one of the lodges which border the park such as Ongava or Mushara , or stay at one of the rest camps within it. The three rest camps in Etosha – Okaukuejo, Namutoni and Halali – have been extensively upgraded.