How Many Watering Holes Does The Etosha National Park Have, And What Can You See There?

Etosha National Park boasts 38 watering holes in total, each with its own characteristics and cast of animals. Some can be dry for years on end, but there is almost always enough water to go round.

The best watering hole in Etosha, and arguably anywhere in the world for game viewing, is the Okaukuejo watering hole. It lies right next door to the Okaukuejo Rest Camp and the national park's headquarters. From behind a game-proof fence, visitors can see all of Africa's icon animals up close including lions, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, zebra and more antelope that you can brandish a camera lens at. And because the watering hold is floodlit all night, you needn't miss any of the action.

Many of the watering holes have their own signature animals. For example, Andoni, the most northerly of the watering holes, is a paradise for bird watchers, while Olifantsbad is a haven not only for elephants, but also for antelope and lion.

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Etosha National Park is the crown jewel of Namibia. It is unique among game reserves in that, due to good roads, you can take your own vehicle, versus relying on a hired guide and transport.

Although it is comprised of hundreds of square miles of parkland, Etosha is actually fenced -- which means the animals therein do not migrate. This creates an unnatural, year-round concentration of game -- and great viewing opportunities.

This also means that many, many animals gather at the relatively few, manmade or human-maintained watering holes.

The nighttime viewing station at the back of the Okaukejo Campground was one of the most exciting wildlife-viewing experiences I have ever had. Animals drift in and out of the foodlights, rather like a play in which you have now idea what the next "scene" will be.
We saw a group of she-elephants with young calves, and hyenas. But the best was a rhino mom and her baby.

In three days in the park, we also saw a leopard, myriad giraffe, "camp ground pest" banded mongoose, two jackal species, countless zebra and impala, kudus, red hartebeests, gemsboks, several lion prides, warthogs, and squirrels. The most unusual mammal species was an ard wolf -- only the second that our "old Africa hand" guide had ever seen.

Birds spotted included flamingoes, marabou storks, Egyptian goose, secret arybird, two vulture species, hornbills, lilac-breasted rollers, francolins, pied and black crows, and wood hoopoes.

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