The Great White Place- Etosha

11 days—Western, Southern, Central, Eastern and Northern parts of Etosha National Park. Primary focus is wildlife during this tour.

$5850-6500 USD

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Safari summary

This tour focuses on one of the renowned national parks in Namibia, Etosha National Park. This is ideal for wildlife photographers, birders and naturalists. Etosha National Park is a 22 270 km2 park with 114 mammal species and over 350 bird species. This semi-arid park is dominated by a 4800 km2 salt pan and several smaller salt pans. It is topographically flat with small hills around Halali Camp. Mammals include Black and White Rhinoceros, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African elephant, Plains and Hartmann’s Mountain Zebras, Southern Giraffe subs. angolensis, Eland, Gemsbok, African Wild Cat, Spotted and Brown Hyaena among other animals. It is quite unique in its own way as the concentration and diversity around waterholes in the dry season in magnificent, giving one a chance to see animal dramas unfolding as they make turns to quench their thirst. We will cover a wide range of vegetation types ranging from the pans, northwestern Kalahari woodlands, grass and dwarf shrub lands to cuvelai drainage systems implying higher chances of wildlife encounter.

About this tour

	Tour type	Custom, tailor-made, private
	Main focus	Game drives
	Activity level	Easy activity
	Best months	All months
	Countries	Namibia
	Parks	Etosha

Fine details

Safari highlights

Bird watching—with professional guide
Photography safari—with professional guide
Self-drive safari

What’s included?

Accommodation
Airport transfers
Meals
Park fees
Private vehicle and driver

What’s not included?

Alcoholic beverages
All drinks
Hot air balloons
Internal flights
International flights
Laundry
Premium alcoholic beverages
Spa treatments
Visas

Itinerary

Windhoek- Arrival

Your specialist guide will pick you up from the airport and transfer you to the capital city of Namibia, Windhoek. Depending on the time of arrival, you may explore the city on your own at your own pace, or your guide will take you around the township before discussing what the whole trip entails at a dinner table.

Hilton Hotel Windhoek

Private Game Reserve- Sophienhof

Your guide will pick you up from the hotel and head towards the north-western Namibia. Our destination is a private game farm where you will taste wildlife in a closed ecosystem. We will embark on an afternoon game drive around the private reserve. Optional activities include rhino safari, farm and bicycle safari with a local guide, hiking and electric motorcycle safari with a local guide as well.

Sophienhof Lodge

Western Etosha National Park

Etosha

After breakfast, we will drive to the western part of the Etosha National Park. This pristine and less visited part of the park is characterized by dolomite hills and flat plains which allows great wildlife viewing. The wildlife has developed without human disturbance and rare species such as black rhino and black-faced impala have established themselves in the area. This biome is a migratory route boundary between desert adapted and savanna wildlife. We will embark on an afternoon game drive.

Dolomite Camp

Western Etosha National Park

Etosha

We will embark on both morning and afternoon game drives, exploring waterholes in this rather arid habitat. Besides encountering normal wildlife, chances of getting to see escapees from the national park to neighboring concessions are high. Sightings of either Elephants or Lions leaving the park through an effort made boundary fence are there. There are high chances of seeing near endemic mammals like the Hartmann’s Mountain Zebra as they occur in abundance in this part of the park.

Dolomite Camp

Southern Etosha National Park

Etosha

Today, we have a whole day game drive from the western to the southern part of the Etosha National Park. We will be visiting mostly waterholes all day long. We will drive through some savanna shrubland and mopane woodlands as we make our way to the south of the park. There is a renowned flood-lit waterhole which is accessible any time of the day at our accommodation in this part of the park.

Okaukuejo camp

Southern Etosha National Park

Etosha

We have a more relaxed day of a little later breakfast before exploring the southern side of the park. Besides abundance of mammals, they are good chances of seeing bird species like Southern Pied and Bare-cheeked Babblers, Sociable Weaver, Crimson-breasted Shrike, Violet-eared Waxbill, Red-headed and Cut-throat Finches, Namaqua, Double-banded and Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Pygmy and Lanner Falcons, Pink-billed, Sabota and Spike-heeled Larks among other specials.

Okaukuejo camp

Central Etosha National Park

Etosha

We will continue with our Etosha exploration towards the only small hills in a rather flat area. There are chances of encountering the elusive Leopard around this area. We have a chance to have a great view of the salt pan, which covers 23% of the park’s surface area. Being a semi-arid area, the park is mainly dependent artificial waterholes and a small number of natural contact springs. Animals tend to be more concentrated around these waterholes.

Halali Camp

Eastern Etosha National Park

Etosha

After breakfast, let us explore the relatively higher rainfall part of the park, with more natural contact springs. Our journey takes us through Acacia nebrownii shrubland and a combination of Mopane and Purple pod Terminalia woodlands. There are more natural contact springs around this area hence higher wildlife density.

Namutoni Camp

Northern Etosha National Park

Etosha

We will start an early morning game drive on the eastern part of Etosha, break for lunch, swimming pool or siesta around noon. We will then go back in the park for an afternoon game drive and continue searching for wildlife the northern parts of the park. For enthusiastic birders, during the rainy season the eastern part of the park may yield, Blue Crane, Great Crested and Black-necked Grebes. Carp’s Tit, Barred Wren-Warbler are among other specials birds to Etosha.

Namutoni Camp

Windhoek past AfriCat Foundation

On our way to Windhoek, we will go past the AfriCat Foundation for a day visit. Founded in 1993 and located on a 22000-hectare Okonjima Private Game Reserve, the foundation is primarily dedicated to conservation of large carnivores. We will visit the center and learn more about Namibia’s carnivores and their fight for survival and the Human-Wildlife Conflict challenges that face both man and carnivore. We get a chance to see the ambassador cheetahs during this tour.

Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek