Etosha National Park, Namibia
Plan Your Etosha National Park Trip
Accommodation, gates, wildlife, self-drive routes and safari planning in one specialist Etosha guide.
Choose your Etosha area
Camp gates close at sunset. The side of the park you book decides how much ground you can cover before they do, so the gate matters more here than the lodge.
SouthOkaukuejoAndersson Gate - OkaukuejoFirst-time visitors, and anyone who wants the floodlit waterhole.20 places to stay
EastNamutoniVon Lindequist Gate - NamutoniArrivals from Tsumeb and the east, and the eastern waterhole circuit.9 places to stay
CentralHalaliHalaliBreaking the park in two, and the quietest of the rest camps.2 places to stay
WestDolomiteGalton Gate - DolomiteThe remote western section, reached through Kamanjab rather than Outjo.3 places to stay
NorthKing Nehale / North EtoshaKing Nehale GateThe quiet northern way in, from Ondangwa and Omuthiya rather than the B1.2 places to stay
King Nehale is Etosha's northern gate, opening onto the Andoni plains at the top of the park. It is the quietest way in, and the smallest choice of beds. Read the King Nehale Gate guide.
Planning to stay near Andersson Gate?
Three of the places listed on this site in the Okaukuejo area.
OkaukuejoEtosha Safari Campsite
Welcome to the captivating oasis of Etosha Safari Campsite, a hidden gem nestled near Okaukuejo. Prepare to embark...
OkaukuejoEldorado Lodge
Welcome to the enchanting Eldorado Lodge, a hidden gem nestled near Okaukuejo and just 7.6 km away from...
OkaukuejoOkaukuejo Campsite
Okaukuejo Campsite is a popular camping option within Okaukuejo Rest Camp, located in Etosha National Park, Namibia. The...
All 20 in OkaukuejoSearch all available stays near Okaukuejo
That comparison searches Okaukuejo as a whole for your dates. It is an area search, not a result for any single property listed above.
Find accommodation
165 places to stay, searchable by name and filterable by area and type - without leaving this page. Areas inside the park are marked.
No places match that. Try a shorter search, or clear the filters.
Inside or outside the park?
Neither is automatically the right answer. This is the trade-off that decides most Etosha itineraries, so it is worth two minutes before you book anything.
Stay inside the park
Rest camps run by NWR, behind the gates.
What you gain
- Waterhole access at first light and after dark
- No gate run at the end of the day
- Floodlit waterholes at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni
What you give up
- A small, fixed number of beds - high season books out months ahead
- Less choice of standard, and less space
Where that means
Stay outside the park
Lodges, guest farms and campsites on the gate roads.
What you gain
- Far more choice, and usually better value for the standard
- More room, and more places that suit families
- Easier to book late
What you give up
- A gate run at each end of the day
- You lose part of the best light, morning and evening
Where that means
- Outjo 15
- Tsumeb 16
- Kamanjab 15
- Otjiwarongo 25
Safaris and game drives
You can drive Etosha yourself or go out with a guide. Both work; they suit different trips, and most people end up doing some of each.
Self-drive Etosha
Most visitors drive themselves. The park roads are gravel but manageable - the planning is mostly about which gate, what you are driving, and how far you can realistically get before the gates close.
Decide firstWhich gate?Okaukuejo or Namutoni, and which side fits the trip you are planning.
VehicleWhich vehicle?Small SUV or double-cab, clearance, comfort and luggage.
VehicleTwo-wheel or four-wheel drive?What the park roads actually demand, and when 4WD earns its cost.
DistancesDriving distancesBreaking the drive up from Windhoek, and what a realistic day looks like.
In the parkWaterholes to plan aroundTen practical stops, and how long to wait at each.
Before the gateFuel and suppliesWhere to fill up and shop before you go through the gate.
Essential Etosha guides
The reading that changes an itinerary: when to come, what you will actually see, and where the animals are when the pan is dry.
WildlifeWildlife in EtoshaWhat you can reasonably expect to see, and where.- WaterholesBest waterholesTen practical stops around the pan.
After darkFloodlit waterholesThe case for sleeping inside the gates.
When to goBest time to visitDry season, green season and the trade-off.
When to goMonth by monthWhat each month looks like on the ground.
When to goThe rainy seasonWhy the green season is not the mistake it looks like.- PracticalEtosha FAQsThe questions that come up before every first trip.
- BackgroundPark historyHow Etosha became a park, and why the pan is where it is.
On the way to Etosha
Most of the accommodation listed on this site is not on Etosha's doorstep, and this guide will not pretend otherwise. It is where people actually break the drive - so it is organised by the approach you are driving, not as one long list of lodges.
From Windhoek
The northern B1 through Okahandja and Otjiwarongo - the approach most self-drive trips take.
49 places to stay on this approach
From the east
Tsumeb, Grootfontein and Otavi, for the Von Lindequist Gate and the Caprivi side.
35 places to stay on this approach
From the west
Omaruru, Khorixas and Kamanjab, for Damaraland and the Galton Gate.
53 places to stay on this approach
What else is available near the park
The properties on this site are the ones covered in detail. This map shows what is available around Okaukuejo as a whole for your dates - an area search, not a result for any single property listed here.
About this guide
Etosha Namibia is an independent specialist guide to Etosha National Park. It is not the official site of the park or of Namibia Wildlife Resorts, and it cannot confirm park rules, gate times or rest-camp availability on their behalf - check those with NWR before you travel.
Some links here are affiliate links, and a booking made through one may earn this site a commission at no extra cost to you. That relationship does not decide what is recommended, how areas are described, or which properties are listed.