What's on in Etosha National Park (Etosha), Namibia through the year

Busy — Festive season in the camps, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Sunrise-to-sunset driving only

  1 Jan – 31 Dec · usuallyClosures

  You may only drive inside the park between sunrise and sunset, and the camp gates lock at sunset with a fine for anyone still out. It cuts the good evening hour shorter than most people plan for. Source ↗

• Nature

  Flamingos on the pan

  15 Jan – 30 Apr · usuallyBirdlife season

  When the pan floods properly, flamingos and pelicans arrive in numbers on water that is bare salt the rest of the year. It does not happen every season and never to a schedule.

Still on: Calving and the zebra move (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), The rains (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually)), Festive season in the camps (15 Dec – 5 Jan (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Flamingos on the pan (15 Jan – 30 Apr (usually)), Calving and the zebra move (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually)), The rains (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in March.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Flamingos on the pan (15 Jan – 30 Apr (usually)), The rains (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Flamingos on the pan (15 Jan – 30 Apr (usually)), The rains (15 Dec – 15 Apr (usually))

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually))

Busy — Dry season at the waterholes, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  Dry season at the waterholes

  1 Jun – 31 Oct · usuallyCrowdedBook early

  The pan bakes hard and every animal in the park has to come to a handful of waterholes. You sit at Okaukuejo or Halali and let the game come to you, which is why the camps inside the fence book out.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually))

Peak crowds — travelers describe it as peak season, Dry season at the waterholes

Nothing new starts in July.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Dry season at the waterholes (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry season at the waterholes, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Dry season at the waterholes (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry season at the waterholes, school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Dry season at the waterholes (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Busy — Dry season at the waterholes, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Hazard

  The heat before the rains

  1 Oct – 10 Dec · usuallyExtreme heat

  October and November are the hard end of the dry season, when the heat builds until the rains break it. Game viewing is at its best and the middle of the day is a matter of endurance. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), Dry season at the waterholes (1 Jun – 31 Oct (usually))

Quiet — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Nature

  Calving and the zebra move

  15 Nov – 28 Feb · usuallyWildlife season

  Zebra and springbok drop their young as the new grass comes up, the plains game shifts west, and the predators go with them. The one stretch when driving beats sitting at a waterhole.

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), The heat before the rains (1 Oct – 10 Dec (usually))

Busy — Festive season in the camps, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Season

  The rains

  15 Dec – 15 Apr · usuallyMonsoon

  The rain scatters the game across the whole park and the gravel roads west of Okaukuejo turn greasy. Grass is high, sightings are thin, and you can have a waterhole to yourself for an afternoon.

• Holiday

  Festive season in the camps

  15 Dec – 5 Jan · usuallyChristmas & New YearCrowdedBook early

  Namibian and South African families take the park over for the festive fortnight and the three old rest camps are reserved a year out. Self-drivers who turn up without a booking get turned away at the gate. Source ↗

Still on: Sunrise-to-sunset driving only (1 Jan – 31 Dec (usually)), The heat before the rains (1 Oct – 10 Dec (usually)), Calving and the zebra move (15 Nov – 28 Feb (usually))