The word Etosha can be translated as "Great White Place". A massive mineral pan dominates the Etosha Park, Namibia. The Etosha pan is part of the Kalahari Basin which was formed around 1000 million years ago and covers roughly 25% of the Etosha National Park. The lake originally is now a pan fed by the Kunene River. However, the river changed thousands of years ago, and the lake dried up.
The Etosha pan in Namibia is today a large dusty dip of salt and clay which fills only if the rains are heavy & even then only holds water for a short period. During seasons when the Etosha Pan is filled with water, thousands of wading birds including impressive flocks of flamingos are attracted to this region of Southern Africa. The perennial springs along the edges of the Etosha Pan draw large concentrations of wildlife and birds.
The game viewing in Namibia's Etosha National Park is excellent, the best time being from May to September which is also the cooler months. Visitors to the Etosha Game Reserve can expect to see several buck species, elephant, giraffe, rhino and lions. The Etosha Game Reserve is also home to the shy leopard and cheetah. There is a network of roads linking the three campsites, and secondary roads lead to various waterholes.
- The word Etosha means "Great White Place"
- The Etosha National Park in Namibia is dominated by a massive mineral pan, the Etosha Pan
- The Etosha pan was originally a lake fed by the Kunene River which is now dried up
- Etosha pan is a large dusty depression of salt and dusty clay which fills only if the rains are heavy attracting thousands of wading birds (flocks of flamingos)
- Game viewing in Namibia's Etosha National Park is excellent during the months May to September
- Several buck species, elephant, giraffe, rhino and lions as well as the cheetah and leopard are home in the Etosha Game Reserve
- The Etosha National Park is located in the Kunene Region of northwestern Namibia
- This game reserve shares boundaries with the regions of Oshana, Oshikoto and Otjozondjupa
- The Etosha Gates are named Otjovasandu Gate, Anderson Gate, Namutoni Gate and Von Lindequist Gate