Etosha National Park

Okaukuejo waterhole, Etosha © Judith Duk

Etosha National Park, 'great white place of dry water', is a vast area of shimmering mirages and saline desert, savannah and scrubby woodlands situated 270 miles (435km) north of Windhoek. Its unique landscape is characterised by an immense flat white saltpan, a shallow depression that is dry for the greater part of the year, but fed by moisture from perennial springs on the fringes. The pan covers about 25 percent of the park.

Once a vast lake, the pan was fed by the Kunene River, which changed its course thousands of years ago, leaving a dry hollow of salt and cracked clay, which only fills up for a short while after heavy rain. The temporary water supply attracts thousands of water birds, including flocks of pink flamingos, during the rainy season, but the best time for viewing animals in Etosha is the cool, dry season, between May and September.

The salinity and rich mineral content of the pan attracts a huge diversity of animal and bird life to the park making it an excellent place for game viewing, with the expanse of the white desert an extraordinary backdrop. Etosha has a network of roads linking its three rest camps - Namutoni, Halali and Okaukuejo - all of which have floodlit waterholes allowing for superb night game viewing. Visitors can expect to see many species of antelope, wildebeest, zebra, lion, giraffe, and Africa's tallest elephants. Several of the animal species are endangered, including the black rhino. There are also opportunities to see leopard and cheetah around the many waterholes scattered throughout the park.