Etosha National Park is one of Africa's major wildlife sanctuaries, being proclaimed a game reserve in 1907 and covering an area of more than 22 750sq kms. Despite being a highly 'managed' environment featuring a cluster of man-made water-points around the central pan and its boundary designated by a patrolled electrified fence, this is indeed one of the most special game parks in Africa. During the drier months of June to November the water points exert a magnetic pull on the big game herds, and forms the centrepiece for visitors looking to see the nearly 150 mammal species to found in the Park, including several rare and endangered species such as the black rhino, black-faced impala, tssesebe and gemsbok.
The game viewing in Etosha National Park is excellent, the best time being from May to September - the cooler months in Namibia. Visitors to the Etosha Area can expect to see elephant, giraffe, rhino, lion and many buck species. Some of the more fortunate visitors will see leopard and cheetah.
There are close on 114 species of mammal in Etosha. They include the black-faced impala - there are no southern impala in the park - and the threatened black and white rhino. There are no buffalo, hippo, crocodile or monkeys.
VEGETATION
Etosha's vegetation varies from dwarf shrub savannah and grasslands, which occur around the pan, to thorn-bush and woodland savannah throughout the park with mopane trees.
The vegetation is primarily arid savanna, shrub and thorn scrub in the west, tending towards tree savanna and broadleaved woodland in the east. Acacia woodland is found throughout the region with Mopane woodland (central) and Combretum woodland (east) dominating patchily within the park's broadleaved savanna belt.