Start: Madisa Camp
Destination: Etosha National Park
Region: Otjozondjupa
Distance: 280 km to Anderson Gate, 467 km including Etosha National Park
Duration: 3 hours to Etosha Trading Post
Route Profile: Gravel road
Accommodation: Etosha Trading Post
Our Rating: 9/10
Fauna: Antelopes, elephants, yellow-billed hornbills, giraffes, wildebeest, impalas, oryx, baboons, secretary birds, ostriches, birds, wild horses, zebras,...
Shopping: Etosha Trading Post
Food: Muesli, bread, peanut butter, bananas, snacks, pasta with vegetables

Early in the morning, we wake up with the first warm rays of sunshine and leisurely enjoy our breakfast. The anticipation for Etosha National Park, with its rich wildlife, is immense! The salt pan is the park's main feature, visible even from space. Alongside the Sossusvlei dunes, Etosha National Park is the most visited destination in Namibia. What animals will we see today? Maybe lions or even leopards? Etosha is accessible through four gates. Since we are coming from the southwest, we plan to enter through Anderson Gate. Accommodations within Etosha itself are quickly booked, reportedly of lower quality, crowded with tourists, and offering little privacy. However, they do provide the advantage of entering the park earlier in the morning, and illuminated waterholes allow for night-time animal viewing. We have decided to stay at the Etosha Trading Post campsite outside Etosha and booked a pitch for one night a few days ago.

The journey from Madisa Camp to Etosha Park starts on a nasty gravel road, but eventually, we transition onto a long and somewhat monotonous paved road. Just before reaching Etosha Park, we spot the first giraffes in the wild. Beautiful! We drive straight to Anderson Gate and purchase a permit at the office for two days (350 N$/day). Using the offline map from Maps.me, which shows all waterholes and trails, we navigate through the park. There are many other online maps available, and you can also buy maps at the park shop. For those who don’t want to drive themselves, tours are available. However, we are excited to drive ourselves and embark on our safari well-equipped with a telephoto lens and binoculars.

Today, we focus on the western part of the park. Right at the entrance, we see several impalas and zebras. As is customary on a safari, the driver moves slowly while the other person looks out for animals. Our route: Anderson Gate - Okaukuejo - Nateo Waterhole (unfortunately dried up) - back - Fairy Tale Forest - Charl Marais Dam - Ozonjuitjs m’Bari (Waterhole). The road towards Charl Marais Dam is extremely bumpy, full of ruts and potholes, and quite nerve-wracking. We feel almost alone, rarely seeing other vehicles and initially only a few animals. Passing barren bushes, the dreary vegetation in the Fairy Tale Forest gives way to the so-called horseradish trees (Moringa ovalifolia). Then, we are surrounded by yellow grass, enjoying the sight of lone trees that create a beautiful picture in the vastness. We drive to the Ozonjuitjs m’Bari waterhole. What a sight! It's teeming with elephants with young, oryx, zebras, impalas, springboks, and more. We stop and watch the animals. It's a constant coming and going. I could sit here for hours. A beautiful and incredibly impressive moment. We drive further, but since two waterholes are not accessible, we soon turn back towards the gate. Even from the road, we continue to see animals. Giraffes, zebras, oryx, and impalas are everywhere.

At 5:00 PM, we return to Anderson Gate and drive directly to the nearby Etosha Trading Post campsite. The campsite surprises us positively. The main building is a beautifully restored former trading post, now housing the reception and a charming grocery and souvenir shop. We are warmly welcomed and led to our well-maintained pitch (No. A3). In front of it lies a private, illuminated waterhole! Brilliant. The property also features an ice-cold pool where we dip our legs and enjoy the sun. We cook pasta with vegetables in a red wine sauce and eat just 50 meters from the waterhole. It doesn’t take long before Damara dik-diks and four large male kudus appear. What a sight.

Eventually, we grow tired after this eventful day and slip into our sleeping bags. From our camping bed, we can continue to watch the waterhole, and it isn’t long before five more large male kudus and two females show up. With the sounds of wildlife in our ears, we gently drift into a deep sleep. Good night, Namibia...