Etosha National Park Basics

Features: It is Namibia’s largest national park and one of the largest in Africa. It has a wide variety of landscapes from open salt pans, savanna woodland to waterholes bursting with life.
Wildlife: Predators include lions, cheetahs, , hyenas and leopards with smaller species such as jackals, bat-eared foxes, honey badgers. Some larger mammals include African elephant, white rhino, black rhino, giraffe, oryx.
Park Fees: Adult per day- $10
Opening Time: Sunrise to sunset
Size: 22,270 km2.
Distance: From Windhoek- 553km
Transport: You don’t need a 4x4 to drive this park but it is advisable, as the road surfaces are uneven with bumpy surfaces. The roads and waterholes are well mapped out so it is not difficult to find your way around.
Accommodation: There are lots of options for accommodation near the park from campsites to high end lodges. There are three main camps (Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni) inside the park.
Additional info: There are little stores with basics for snacks at the park entrances, also little petrol pumps to get fuel, make sure to keep your tank filled up as you can go through fuel quickly.

March 2022, a solo trip to Namibia during the rainy season brought me on an adventure to Etosha National Park. It was going to be my first time in a National Park in Africa so I had no idea what to expect. Only going from childhood memories of what I had seen on documentaries. As I drove alone in my 4x4 Toyota Hilux in the heavy rain, it was also my first time travelling alone in quite some time. The nerves were real, after spending a lot of time during the COVID-19 pandemic at home, being out in the world again was scary. Ireland had been in quite a number of lockdowns over the past two years. My anxiety as I drove down the roads of this new country were sky high. It was a big step out of my comfort zone to be here, alone, as a woman, after spending so much time at home. But my drive to see and photograph cheetahs was stronger. My love for these beautiful creatures made me want to be brave. Enough of the self doubt and fear, the task of finding cheetahs during the rainy season without a guide was going to be difficult enough. I had one week to find them.

Now as to why I wanted to find them. Growing up as long as I can remember I had a love for cheetahs. From being a small girl going to the zoo and seeing these beautiful animals for the first time, I fell in love. From than on I would visit them at my local wildlife park often and spend hours around them feeling so at home in their presence. Over the years I had witnessed many cubs born and watched them grow into adults, learning about their different personalities and behaviours. It was cheetahs that inspired me to start photography as I wanted to capture their beauty.

The more I researched cheetahs the more I learned about the reality of their situation in the wild. With a decreasing population and only 7,100 left in the wild I felt I had to do something. I found out about the CCF (Cheetah Conservation Fund) which is a charity based in Namibia dedicated to saving the cheetah in the wild. I started doing charity runs, raising small amounts to donate to their cause and adopted one of their cheetahs. The next step was to go visit their base in Namibia. I took a short trip months before I would return to Namibia to visit Etosha National Park. I spent a few days at the CCF seeing all the active projects that they were working on tirelessly to save the cheetah. Even getting to spend time with the founder Dr.Laurie Marker. This trip inspired me even more to tell the story of the cheetah through my photography. It sparked a fire within me to do more.

The drive to Etosha National Park from Windhoek was the simple part, although not a short journey. Over 418km and over 5 hours of driving. Very good roads, easy to follow directions. The 5 hours passed quickly, taking in the new landscapes I passed on the drive. I was entering the park from the Anderson Gate, the southern end of the park. I had the evening to get a taste of the park, before I would find my accommodation and settle down for the night. As I entered the grand, tall park gates, my excitement grew. I felt like I was entering Jurassic Park, my inner child was cheering.

My first sighting came within minutes of entering the park, a black rhino, grazing on the lush, green grass. Woohoo, my first sighting in the park was a rhino, I was pleased with myself. I watched this gentle giant, quietly grazing on grass for some time. It was just the rhino and me, no other human in sight. I felt fortunate to find this lone rhino and for having these quiet moments to start my adventure in Etosha. Windows rolled down allowing a gentle breeze to cool me down as I drove. I progressed a bit further into the park, the sheer vastness of the landscape that surrounded me was surreal. I had never seen anything like it. As far as my eyes could see was sheer open plains and dramatic, cloudy skies. Dotted with different species in the distance of the open plain. I passed some zebra walking down the road, than shortly after that an ostrich pair and their baby. A magical introduction to the park, I knew I would be in for an amazing week ahead.

The first 2 days passed quickly as I learned the rhythm of life in Etosha National Park. Beautiful sightings of zebra herds with their young (it was baby season). The young foals unsteady on their feet staying close to mom. I saw elephant bulls drinking from a waterhole. Watching the ritualistic like action of spraying water, and their disputes for dominance . Still no big cats though.

The area I had spent the first 3 days was called Okaukuejo. Driving long hours and distances from sunrise to sunset. It was time to move on to an area I had heard to be a hotspot for cheetahs, Namutoni. I drove from Okaukuejo to Namutoni, an area in the eastern part of the park. I left at first light as I knew the journey could take some time, to allow some time for sightings and for the slow driving. Along the way I saw a huge change in the landscape, from flat open salt pans to scattered woodlands to flooded open plains. Dark, threatening clouds filled the skies, with the odd thunder shower. The booming thunder making my car shake. My journey as I i progressed through the park grew even more scenic, flooded plains and green fields with an abundance of plant life. I had to stop many times to take in the beautiful scenery, in awe of the sights I was witnessing.

More than half way through my drive, passed an area of the park called Halali, I saw a herd of springbok running across an open field close to some woodlands. There was a sense of panic in the air, and they were really moving. It was too early in the day for leopards or lions to be hunting. My heart beating as I sped towards the field not wanting to miss the action. I pulled up at the edge of the road, the springbok still running as a herd away from the predator. I scanned through my telephoto lens to see what was chasing them. I was still quite a distance away, not able to get any closer to the scene. The shape, speed and movements appeared to be a cheetah. I took a few shots and zoomed in on my viewfinder to confirm my suspicions. It was a cheetah. It all happened in the blink of an eye and it was over. An unsuccessful hunt and the cheetah retreated back to the dense woodlands.

Wow, I had just witnessed my first glimpse of a cheetah in a national park and it was a hunt, ok I was not close enough to really see it properly or get any decent shots but just knowing that I was close to one excited me. I spent the next hour driving close to the area where the activity had happened in the hope of seeing the cheetah again, no luck. It had gone into the woodlands and was nowhere to be seen. I had to progress towards Namutoni if I wanted to make it there before sunset.

Fast forward a couple of days, it was day 5 in the park, only 2 days left. I had spent the past 2 days driving from dawn to dusk around the areas with reported cheetah sightings (Namutoni keeps a log book with visitors sightings in the main office). It was a lot of driving for someone by themselves, navigating some bumpy and flooded roads, while also trying to scan every area for possible cheetahs.

The long hours of driving in the heat with no amenities in sight, out in the wilderness was becoming a bit tiring. I was feeling the pressure with time running out. Over those past few days I had seen an abundance of wildlife, I had spent time with a pride of 12 lions, flocks of flamingo, small herds of elephants and plenty of game. I was happy that I got a bit of big cat action with the lions. I had observed them from a distance, they were watching a herd of zebra, relaxed, not in too much of a rush to get going.

I parked up at the side of the road closest to them to take a break. They were still pretty far away and looked to be sleeping. I closed my eyes for a few minutes, a little tired after the long days of searching. When I opened my eyes again I saw the 12 lions coming my way, 20 meters away. Not expecting to see 12 lions so close, a moment of panic hit me. My body now fully awake from the shock, I watched them walk around my car, sniffing it with curiosity. How would you feel if you saw 12 lions staring back at you alone in the wilderness?

They decided that on the road near my car was the perfect place to relax for now. Seeing 12 lions, mostly fully grown, in my Toyota Hilux, alone was intimidating to say the least. After a few minutes of observing them I began to relax and enjoy the big cat company. What huge, magnificent creatures, each different and beautiful in their own way. A confident and powerful energy radiating from them. I stayed with them for over an hour and than left them to their family time. Time to go back to my mission to find cheetahs.

Day 6, 6:30am I set out again, another day of searching. The day was passing quickly. Not having any luck and the rain starting to pick up, I was close to calling it a day. Feeling a bit defeated and tired, I said to myself I would give it another 20 minutes and return to camp. I kept driving further into the park, passing some woodlands on my left and open plains on my right. Only a few minutes left before I was about to turn back and I saw something out of the corner of my eye moving. I slowed down my Toyota Hilux and scanned the woodlands to my left.

Two figures appeared through the misty rain, walking along the tree line. I braked to a halt in shock. It was two male cheetahs, walking slowly through the woodlands. I could not believe it. A wave of exhilaration came over me. It took me a few moments to compose myself and reach for my camera. I rolled down my window fully and began to photograph the 2 cheetahs. They walked a few steps and paused, observing their surroundings, repeating this several times giving me plenty opportunities to photograph them. I spent the next 2 glorious hours observing them relaxing and grooming each other. Their close bond obvious from how in sync they had moved and their gentle grooming sessions.

I wondered about their lives as I watched them, were they brothers? How old were they? Had they moved to this area recently or had this been their territory for a long time. Now and than they would peek their heads up and stare at me curiously. As the amber eyes stared back at me it finally hit me. I began to cry feeling overwhelmed with emotion. I had dreamed about this moment for so long, and now it was happening. I was alone in the wild with these two magnificent cheetahs. Something I had worked hard to make happen. It was one of the happiest moments I felt in my life, something that meant so much to me.

As evening approached I had to leave the 2 cheetah males and return back to camp. I pinned their location on my map in the hope I would find them again tomorrow. I felt on a pure high the drive back to camp. I couldn’t stop thinking about my encounter with these two males until I fell asleep that night. Do you remember the last time you felt a moment like that, the anticipation, the feeling of achieving what you dreamed about?

Day 7 I set off early morning with the pink sky full of hope for the final day. It was my last day in Etosha National Park and I was feeling very positive about having another cheetah encounter. I returned the location where I had seen the 2 male cheetahs the previous day, spending time driving around the scanning for any sign of them. Hours went by to no avail. With only a few hours left in the park I started to make my way back to the gate.

Although not wanting to give up I knew I had to start driving back. On my drive I saw a figure sitting on the road in the distance. It was a female cheetah lying on the middle of the road, out in plain sight. Delighted with this close sighting I spent one of my last hours with her, watching her drink from a small puddle on the road. There was something about her that seemed very different from the other 2 cheetahs I encountered. She seemed much more dainty and fragile. I watched as she headed out to the open plains, scanning different areas cautiously until she was out of sight. I felt a slight worry for her seeing her alone in the wide open space, her dainty movements almost seeming unsure.

As I drove out of the gates of Etosha National Park the sun setting behind me, my heart felt fulfilled. I felt very proud of myself for navigating around this wild place and tracking down cheetahs as I set out to do. To dream about a moment for so long and getting to live it and really feel it is truly special. All the research and preparation prior to the trip payed off. I learned some lessons on the trip, be patient, listen to your gut and the signals of nature. Slow down, be in the moment and take it all in. Etosha National Park is an amazing park with such a variety of life and landscape. A place that is definitely worth visiting and a great park for self driving with a great road network. I hope these stories might inspire you to want to visit Etosha National Park and see all that the park has to offer. For now, mission complete. Join me on my next adventure to Kafue National Park in Zambia.

Additional Information and Website Links:

Cheetah Conservation Fund - Cheetah.org - Check out this amazing organisation if you want to learn more about cheetah conservation and see all the work they are doing to save the cheetah
Etosha National Park - etoshanationalpark.org - This is the park website full of information on where to stay and helpful tips to help you plan your journey.
4x4 Car rental company I used in Namibia- 4x4-namibia.rentals - Highly recommend this company, such a lovely family run company. Very fair prices and supply you with everything you need. I will definitely be using them again.
Pack List- triplegend.com - Tips on what to pack prior to your trip and what to leave behind. Very handy list on what you might need out in the wilderness.