Is Etosha National Park Overrated? Our Honest Experience

Etosha National Park is one of Namibia’s most famous safari destinations, known for its vast salt pan, iconic waterholes, and easy self-drive access.

But does it live up to the hype?

After our extensive self-drive trip through Southern Africa—including South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia — we were eager to see if Etosha delivered.

Here’s our honest take—what we loved, what disappointed us, and whether we’d recommend it.

Etosha Self-Drive Map

Etosha National Park Overview

Etosha spans over 22,000 square kilometres in northern Namibia and is known for its vast salt pan, attracting various wildlife. It is on the tentative list with UNESCO, which compares it to the similar salt pan at Makgadikgadi Pans in Botswana.

Unlike other African parks, where lush landscapes provide a scenic backdrop, Etosha’s arid, open terrain means animals congregate around waterholes, making it a unique safari experience.

Self-driving is the most popular way to explore Etosha. While guided tours are available, having your own vehicle offers flexibility, allowing you to move at your own pace and linger at sightings.

In our opinion, a self-drive is the best way to explore Etosha.

Our Video Taster of Etosha

Would We Recommend Etosha?

If it’s your first African safari, you’ll likely be thrilled by Etosha’s wildlife and unique waterhole game viewing. But for seasoned safari-goers who’ve experienced Botswana’s Okavango Delta or South Africa’s Kruger National Park, Etosha may feel underwhelming.

This is mainly because most sightings are at the waterholes rather than you getting pleasant surprises as you drive through the park.

The Letdowns: Why Etosha Disappointed Us

While Etosha had its moments, it wasn’t the highlight of our trip. Here’s why:

• Long, uneventful drives: Unlike parks with dense bush, Etosha’s flat landscape means little to see between waterholes.
• Tourist behaviour: As the wildlife is congregated at the waterholes, so are the visitors. It can sometimes be tricky to get a spot. We recommend setting off early for your wildlife viewing.
• Etosha Campsites: Many people are cramped into the campsites, so you can feel on top of each other.
• Comparison to Botswana & Kruger: Having experienced incredible game drives elsewhere, Etosha felt underwhelming in comparison.

Had we started our safaris here, we might have been more impressed.

Tips to Make the Most of Your Visit:

• Go in the dry season (June–October) when wildlife is concentrated at waterholes.
• Stay at Namutoni Camp for a better camping experience.
• Be patient—sightings can be hit or miss.
• Manage expectations—Etosha isn’t a lush safari paradise but a unique, arid ecosystem.

Exploring Etosha’s Campsites: Our Experience

Choosing the right campsite in Etosha National Park can make all the difference to your safari experience. During our stay, we explored several camps, each offering unique highlights:

• Olifantsrus Camp – A quieter, more rustic option with a waterhole hide.
• Okaukuejo Camp – The busiest camp, famous for its floodlit waterhole, where we spotted black rhinos at dusk.
• Halali Camp – Offers a bar and pool, but it was noisier than expected. The Moringa Waterhole in the camp is a highlight.
• Namutoni Camp – Our favourite campsite, with spacious grassy sites and a fantastic waterhole nearby, where we saw a black rhino chase an impala.

If you’re entering Etosha via Galton Gate, consider staying just outside the park to maximize your time inside. We stayed at Hobatere Roadside Camp, which was a budget-friendly option.

By arriving at the gate early in the morning, we made the most of our park fees rather than paying for a short afternoon visit. This strategy works well for those wanting to maximize game drives without rushing.

Read on for our full experience at each campsite, plus tips on what to expect.

Olifantsrus Camp

Olifantsrus Camp is basic, but we could choose our campsite, which was a bonus.

The hide overlooking the waterhole is two stories – the top being open, which was helpful. Still, the bottom story was covered in bird droppings, making it difficult to see through the glass and unsuitable for safari photography!

Okaukuejo Camp

Okaukuejo Camp was the busiest camp we stayed at in Etosha, with a popular waterhole often visited by rhinos. We saw a couple of black rhinos here as it started to get dark, and the reflection of the giraffes at sunset made for great shots.

The floodlit waterhole really is the attraction here, and it got very busy at dusk with onlookers enjoying drinks, and despite the noise, the black rhinos still made an appearance.

Ozonjuitji m’Bari Waterhole

About an hour’s drive from camp is one of our favourite waterholes, Ozonjuitji m’Bari. Here, we saw hundreds of animals milling around, as well as a lion pride.

We arrived at first light and watched as the younger pride members frolicked around. One played with a plastic bottle, becoming very possessive of its catch! It’s a shame that someone didn’t pay more attention to not dropping their litter.

You can watch the lions playing like little kitties here.

Halali Camp

The Halali Camp offers a swimming pool and a bar that stays open late, but wifi is expensive, and the camp was noisy while we were there.

Its saving grace is the Moringa Waterhole, which is a rocky mound set near the camp, and you look down towards the small waterhole.

Driving between Okaukuejo Camp and Halali, you pass the vast expanse of the Etosha pan on your left, and a few waterholes, such as Salvadora and Charitsaub, are worth stopping at.

Namutoni Camp

We thought that Namutoni was the best of the campsites we tried, with grassed areas and spacious sites. Arrive early for the best spots.

This camp also has a great waterhole nearby, meaning you can hang out until almost sunset and then race back to the camp before the gates close. We saw an incredible black rhino here just before dusk chasing an impala. (See video above).

At the waterhole, we also saw spotted hyenas, giraffes and wildebeest. Driving around the area, we spotted a leopard, but it moved into the bush, and we couldn’t get a clear shot.

On our return to camp, we spotted the tiny Damara dik-dik, one of the smallest antelopes you’ll ever see!

Self-Driving in Etosha: What You Need to Know

Entrance Fees & Permits

• You’ll pay park fees at the entrance gates (Galton Gate for us) or at Okaukuejo Camp.
• Despite a sign stating no plastic bags were allowed in the park, we were only asked whether we had any firearms or drones.

Road Conditions & Best Routes

• Roads are gravel but generally well-maintained. However, long stretches between waterholes can feel monotonous.
• Wildlife sightings are concentrated around the waterholes rather than along the roads.

Time of Year to Self-Drive Etosha

Etosha in the Dry Season

We drove through Etosha in early May, right at the change of seasons. The landscape was already drying out, but some greenery still lingered. Waterholes became more crucial for wildlife and the animals gathered at these key spots.

The dry season (May to October) is peak wildlife-viewing time. With limited water sources, animals stick close to waterholes, making sightings much easier.

Big herds of elephants, zebras, and antelope become a common sight, while lions and other predators tend to lurk nearby, waiting for the perfect hunting opportunity.

For the best experience, plan your drives around the main waterholes. The trade-off in the dry season? More vehicles and dust—especially as you head into the peak months of July and August.

But if your goal is to see as much wildlife as possible with minimal effort, the dry season is hard to beat.

Etosha in the Rainy Season

Visiting Etosha in the wet season (November to April) would be an entirely different experience from the dry months. It’s a fantastic season for birdwatching, though, with flamingos and other migratory birds flocking to the Etosha Pan.

With water available throughout the park, animals don’t need to gather at the waterholes as much, so spotting wildlife can take a bit more effort.

Elephants are often found in the eastern parts of the park, while lions and other predators tend to stick to the roadsides, especially in the early morning and late afternoon.

If you stay inside the park, you’ll still have the advantage of early starts and late finishes when animals are most active.

Camps like Halali and Okaukuejo can offer nighttime waterhole sightings, though they’re a bit more hit-and-miss than the dry season.

Final Thoughts – Is Etosha Worth It?

Namibia offers fewer wildlife parks than Botswana, but it makes up for it with jaw-dropping landscapes—Sossusvlei’s dunes, rugged coastlines, and vast desert plains.

Some of our favourite experiences were tracking desert elephants, learning about Himba culture, and taking an unforgettable Sandwich Harbour desert tour.

But when it comes to wildlife, Etosha fell short. Unlike Botswana’s immersive safari experience, Etosha felt more controlled—waterhole game viewing instead of true wilderness.

After leaving, we headed north to the Zambezi Region (formerly the Caprivi Strip), and Namibia redeemed itself there.

We found paradise on the banks of the Cubango River (which becomes the Okavango in Botswana), where we camped at Ndhovu Safari Lodge. Hippos grunted from the water, and just across the river in Bwabwata National Park, we watched wildlife roam—without even leaving camp!

So, is Etosha worth visiting? It depends. If you love self-drive safaris with concentrated game viewing at waterholes, it’s a great choice. But if you expect endless wildlife encounters like in Kruger or the Okavango, you might leave disappointed—like we did.

Would we return? Probably not. But we’re glad we experienced it.

What about you? Have you been to Etosha? Let us know in the comments!