Stay around Etosha
Lodges
Thatched safari lodges, from the rest camps behind the gates to the private reserves along the boundary.
- Lodges listed88
- Inside Etosha4
- Near Etosha / Gate Area22
- En Route62
- Best suited toTravellers who want a proper bed and a restaurant, close to the park.
Is a lodge right for you?
A lodge is the most comfortable way to stay around Etosha: a built room with an en-suite bathroom, a restaurant on site and, at most properties, a pool for the middle of the day. It is also the least self-sufficient - you are not carrying a tent, a cool box or a cooking setup.
Only four lodges are inside the fence, and all four are government rest camps: Okaukuejo, Halali, Namutoni and Dolomite. There are no private lodges inside Etosha. Everything else on this page sits outside the boundary, from a few minutes off a gate to an hour or more away, so the distance a property publishes matters more than the word Etosha in its name.
What you get
- A made-up bed, an en-suite bathroom and a restaurant on site
- Shade and usually a pool for the hours when the park is quiet
- Private lodges often run their own game drives, night drives and walks
What you give up
- The most expensive way to stay around the park
- Outside the gates you lose the first and last hour of light to the drive
- Standards run from basic rest-camp rooms to full luxury, at very different prices
Campsites cost a fraction as much, but you carry and cook everything yourself. Guest farms trade gate proximity for a rural setting and farm activities. Town hotels and guesthouses are cheaper and more practical, but further from the park.
About Etosha lodges
Lodges make up the largest and most varied category of accommodation around Etosha, ranging from simple, comfortable rooms attached to rest camps inside the park to more upmarket private lodges just outside the gates with their own waterholes, swimming pools and guided game drives. They generally suit travellers who want proper beds, en-suite bathrooms and a restaurant on site, as opposed to self-catering campsites, while still keeping you close to the park for early starts. Lodges are found throughout the areas covered on this site, from Okaukuejo and Namutoni inside Etosha itself to private properties around Outjo, Kamanjab and the western Dolomite area, so your choice of lodge often follows from which part of the park you want to explore first. Many privately run lodges offer their own night drives or guided walks in surrounding concessions, which can add sightings you would not get from self-driving alone. When comparing lodges, check how far they are from your preferred gate and whether meals and activities are included, since this varies considerably between properties. See our location guides for Okaukuejo, Namutoni and Dolomite for lodges grouped by area, and our Etosha info page for gate locations.
Choose a lodge by Etosha area
Where you sleep decides which gate you use and how much of the day you spend driving. Start with the part of the park you want, then compare the lodges in it.
SouthOkaukuejoClosest to Andersson Gate and the floodlit waterhole, and the busiest part of the park.14 lodges
CentralHalaliMidway between the southern and eastern gates, with a floodlit waterhole of its own.1 lodge
EastNamutoniThe eastern pans and Von Lindequist Gate, quieter than the south.8 lodges
WestDolomiteThe remote western side of the park, reached through Galton Gate.2 lodges
NorthKing Nehale / North EtoshaThe northern gate, on the route to and from Ondangwa.1 lodge
Gateway towns and stops on the way
- Kamanjab 11
- Khorixas 10
- Outjo 10
- Tsumeb 8
- Otjiwarongo 8
- Omaruru 7
- Otavi 4
- Grootfontein 3
- Kalkfeld / Mount Etjo 1
Browse Etosha lodges
Every lodge covered on this site, with the area it sits in and its distance from the nearest gate where the property publishes one.
88 places listed here.
Kalkfeld / Mount EtjoMount Etjo Safari Lodge
Mount Etjo Safari Lodge is a well-established safari lodge inside the private Okonjati Game Reserve, a working conservation...
TsumebTent Zahir at Zuri Camp
Tent Zahir is one of several individually bookable luxury safari tents at Zuri Camp, a small, privately run...
TsumebTent Kiama at Zuri Camp
Tent Kiama is one of several individually bookable luxury safari tents at Zuri Camp, a small, privately run...
KamanjabOhorongo Safari Lodge
Ohorongo Safari Lodge is a boutique lodge set within the private Ohorongo Private Game Reserve on the C40...
OmaruruAi Aiba – The Rock Painting Lodge
Ai Aiba - The Rock Painting Lodge is dramatically set against imposing granite boulders in the foothills of...
OmaruruOmaruru Game Lodge
Omaruru Game Lodge is set within a private game reserve roughly 15 kilometres north of Omaruru town, in...
KhorixasTsubes Petrified Forest Tented Camp
Tsubes Petrified Forest Tented Camp is a family-run tented camp set roughly 45 kilometres from Khorixas town on...
KhorixasLodge Damaraland
Lodge Damaraland is a striking, contemporary 4-star lodge on the outskirts of Khorixas, combining designer interiors and dramatic...
KhorixasDamara Mopane Lodge
Damara Mopane Lodge is a Gondwana Collection property built in a distinctive semi-circular, labyrinth-style layout of 60 chalets...
KhorixasUgab Terrace Lodge
Ugab Terrace Lodge is perched on the eroded terraces above the Ugab River, roughly midway between Outjo and...
Nothing on this page matches that.
How to choose an Etosha lodge
- DistanceHow far from the gateA lodge an hour from the gate costs you the first and last hour of light every day. Check the distance the property itself publishes before you compare prices.
- PositionInside or outside the fenceOnly the four rest camps are inside. Staying inside buys dawn and dusk at the waterholes; staying outside usually buys a better room for the money.
- What is includedMeals and facilitiesSome lodges are dinner, bed and breakfast; others are room only with a restaurant on site. Check which, and whether there is shade and a pool for the middle of the day.
- ActivitiesGuided drives and private reservesPrivately run lodges often have their own concession, where night drives and guided walks are possible. Neither is allowed inside the national park.
Other ways to stay around Etosha
13 places to stayTented LodgesCanvas rooms under a roof, with lodge comforts.
26 places to stayGuest FarmsWorking Namibian farms that take guests, on the approach roads.
16 places to stayCampsitesPitches inside the fence and on the farms outside it.
29 places to stayGuesthousesSmall owner-run places in the gateway towns.
9 places to stayHotelsConventional town hotels on the routes into the park.
Planning guides
- Where to base yourselfInside vs outside the parkWhat you actually gain by sleeping behind the gates, and what it costs.
When to goBest time to visitHow the dry and wet seasons change the game viewing and the prices.
Getting aroundSelf-drive EtoshaRoads, distances, fuel and the rhythm of a self-driven day in the park.
Start herePlan your Etosha tripThe full planning guide, from gates and routes to how many nights to give it.
Ready to choose a lodge?
The lodges above are the ones written up on this site, each with its own page. The comparison link searches the Okaukuejo area, the destination that returns reliable results for Etosha. It is an area search, not a result for any single property.