Best Watering Holes Etosha National Park
What are the Best Watering Holes Etosha National Park?
Did you know that Etosha is home to more than 40 watering holes. Some are man-made, some are natural springs, and a few of them have spectacular flood-lights to illuminate the wildlife activity after dusk.
Each watering hole has a different personality and attracts various wild animals, particularly during the dry season when the wildlife collects to cool off and quench its thirst.
The best watering holes Etosha National Park allow you to get close enough to take the most awesome photography, not always from the safety of a car, sometimes you can experience the magnificence at very close quarters from a dedicated viewing platform.
Best Watering Holes Etosha National Park
Okaukuejo
As you would expect, this watering hole is right alongside the Okaukuejo Camp, the favorite camp of many guests due to its easy approach and great access to all of the self-drive routes.
Others choose it for its nearness to the spectacular watering hole, where the animals gather mostly in the early morning and at dusk.
At dusk, visitors make their way uphill to sit on the viewing deck, with its comfortable protected seating area. From here, the floodlit Waterhole spectacularly backlight the scene, affording amazing views of herds of elephants, zebra, and lions and their cubs.
It is a favourite resting place for the magnificent, endangered black rhino. Etosha is commonly thought to be the best place in Africa to spot the rhino, so grab your camera, relax by the light of the watering hole, and record some wondrous memories.
Klein Namutoni
On the East side of Etosha, you will find Klein Namutoni watering hole, within touching distance of the Namutoni campsite.
It is close enough that you can stay until the daylight has almost gone and still make it back to camp before the sunset curfew.
The views and the photo opportunities of the floodlit watering hole from the vantage point are second to none. Stroll down from the camp, be mindful to take a flashlight for the uneven surface, find a seat, enjoy a beer as you wait quietly and patiently for the show to begin.
Giraffes will put a smile on your face as you watch them bend awkwardly to get a drink, antelope, and spotted hyena will have you watching on in awe. There are few greater sights than a family of elephants bathing and splashing in a watering hole, another regular occurrence at Klein Namutoni. The black rhino also shows their face from time to time, one glance from them sends some of the smaller mammals running.
Halali
Although Halali is one of the smaller watering holes of Etosha National Park, it still attracts its fair share of wildlife. It has a very intimate feel to it, probably as it is quite secluded.
The more subdued atmosphere makes it a popular drinking spot of the shy leopard, it is one of the better places on the park to get a closeup view of them.
It is a natural spring, unusual in such a huge expanse of dryness, and attracts many birds throughout the day. It is at sunrise and set that the elephants, wildebeest, zebra, and black-faced impala are more regularly found quenching their thirst.
Chudop
This watering hole is set down in a dip, giving the viewer amazing views from above. Humans are virtually out of the animal’s eye line, so here, more than anywhere else, the wildlife behaves naturally.
There are more than 300 lions in Etosha, and lots of them tend to stop off at Chudop on their way to other areas of the park. Expect to see them devouring an earlier kill, lazing in the shade, or dependant on the time of your visit, there may be some cubs playing under the watchful eye of a lioness.
Warthogs frequent this watering hole, in their droves. Fascinating creatures that drink harmoniously alongside elephants, flamingo, and hyenas.
The Kori Bustard is often spotted in this region of the park, often mistaken for an ostrich at first glance. It isn’t, it is the heaviest bird in the world that can fly. He rarely does, probably because it requires too much effort to get his substantial weight off the ground!
Other Watering Holes of Etosha
Okendeka is found on the west side of the salt pan, its natural fountain makes for wonderful pictures, particularly when the animals are using it to bathe.
Daytime activity at watering holes is always hit and miss, and changes from day-to-day.
Okerfontain and Olifantsbad often report lots of elephant and giraffe sightings in daylight.
They are much quieter than the big watering holes in the grounds of the camp, with a secluded feel. Damara dik-diks, the smallest of all antelope, gather here in numbers.
Finally…
Watering holes are plentiful spread throughout the park if your drive has seemed fruitless that day, make a beeline for one. It is very rare to find an empty watering hole during the dry season, just park up, wait, and prepare to be amazed.
Rely on the expertise of your guide or invest in a map of the park and soon you will be enjoying the best watering holes Etosha National Park.
Frequently Ask Question About Waterholes in Etosha
Best watering holes in Etosha National Park
It’s home to various waterholes, both natural and man-made that offer different experiences for the visitor. For example, at one of these waterholes you may spot herds of wildebeests crossing in front of your car while another will have lions lounging around lazily with their cubs nipping playfully at each other’s flanks or huffing impatiently as they wait on an unsuspecting prey animal to wander by so it can pounce out from its hiding place beneath some nearby shrubs and take them down ruthlessly!
Is there a wet and dry season to Etosha?
Etosha is hot and relatively dry. Like most semi-desert climates, there is a large variation in temperature between night and day. Rain usually falls as heavy thunderstorms during the Wet season, which coincides with summer days from November to April every year. During the Dry winter months of May through October, rainfall becomes scarce; this climate resembles many other desert regions around the world that experience little or no precipitation for long periods of time, but Etosha also has ongoing geothermal activity beneath its surface, contributing to its characteristically warm temperatures throughout both seasons.
How many Lions are in Etosha?
The wild lions of Namibia are a precious resource, with only 500 to 800 left in Kunene Region. We must protect the lions at all costs!
There has been some success lately in monitoring and tracking the large cats thanks to the efforts made by organizations like AfriCat Foundation and other conservation groups that have put boots on ground.