All 3 in 3 days here: ~50%
Etosha National Park
🇳🇦 Namibia
Southern Africa, Namibia 933 spp. recorded
Etosha National Park is a wildlife reserve in northern Namibia featuring an open tropical savanna landscape dominated by sparse acacia scrub and a massive salt pan. Visitors travel along flat gravel tracks that wind through wide plains and around natural water sources.
-18.965° S 16.568° E
🦜 Nature
434 Species sighted
80,009 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Dec Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 616 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 5 in 3 days here: ~20%
Recent sightings in Etosha National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
63Jan
55Feb
46Mar
53Apr
44May
45Jun
52Jul
54Aug
58Sep
58Oct
62Nov
69Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Okaukuejo Camp
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Namutoni Camp
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Halali Camp
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
High
Typical stay
4+
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 589
🐒 Mammals 153
🦎 Reptiles 167
🐸 Amphibians 24
933 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
36 Threatened 16 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
4.9
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
75% 📊
Coverage (234 species at ≥5% of 933 in the inventory)
25% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (9 mammal, 3 bird)
50% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
150 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
34 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
41 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.4
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Medium Medium
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We saw towers of giraffe – Southern giraffes, differently marked from those in Kenya and Tanzania, dazzles of zebra and herds of springbok and impala as well as ostriches, kudu, oryx and, in the whole three days just two elephants.
We spent three days looking for the leopard but only saw gemsbok, giraffes, zebras, rhinos, flamingos, and various antelope species.
Etosha National Park vs Kruger National Park In both parks, we’ve seen incredible sightings, but the abundance in Etosha was way more impressive as sometimes you’ll see elephants, giraffes, zebras, and even rhinos drinking at the same waterhole.
We could see endless numbers of giraffes, wildebeest, herds of elephants, at our own pace, without battling for a spot or scaring the animals away (we bought binoculars at Windhoek) Etosha salt pan lookout near Halali was especially other-worldly.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Etosha National Park?
933 species
Etosha National Park has 933 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Fork-tailed Drongo (about 80%), Cape Turtle Dove (about 80%), Blacksmith Lapwing (about 80%), Plains Zebra (about 80%) and African Bush Elephant (about 80%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Kalahari Tree Skink (about 40%); among amphibians, Power's Toad (about 10%).
When is the best time to visit Etosha National Park for wildlife?
February, July–September and November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 60% in May.
Can you see an African Bush Elephant in Etosha National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report an African Bush Elephant sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 594 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is March and June–November (about 80%).
Can you see a Lion in Etosha National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Lion sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 369 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is February and October–November (about 80%).
Can you see a Black Rhinoceros in Etosha National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Black Rhinoceros sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 352 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is November (about 80%).
Can you see a Plains Zebra in Etosha National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Plains Zebra sighting in Etosha National Park on a given day, based on 734 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June to March (about 80%).
Where in Etosha National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Okaukuejo Camp
The richest sighting zone is around Okaukuejo Camp, followed by Goas and Namutoni Camp, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Etosha National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Etosha National Park rates 4.8/5: 31st of 316 parks worldwide and 22nd in Africa. 51 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
-1574_-_Flickr_-_Ragnhild_%26_Neil_Crawford.jpg/330px-Kalahari_tree_skink%2C_Kalahari_boomskink_(Trachylepis_spilogaster)-1574_-_Flickr_-_Ragnhild_%26_Neil_Crawford.jpg)
