Etosha National Park, National park in Kunene Region, Namibia.
Etosha National Park is a national park in Omusati, Oshana and Oshikoto regions of Namibia, covering an area of more than 22,000 square kilometers (8,500 square miles). The central Etosha salt pan occupies roughly one quarter of this area and forms a wide, flat depression surrounded by grassland and scattered tree clusters.
German governor Friedrich von Lindequist declared the area a game reserve through an ordinance in March 1907. This decision laid the foundation for the present park, which was later maintained and expanded under different administrations.
The name comes from the Oshindonga language and means great white place, referring to the vast salt pan that dominates the landscape. Visitors today experience this feature as a wide, often empty basin that shimmers bright and hard during dry weather.
Three main camps at Okaukuejo, Halali and Namutoni offer accommodations from camping sites to equipped chalets near lit waterholes. These camps serve as starting points for drives along roads leading to different waterholes, where visitors can observe animals.
The salt pan hosts microscopic organisms that survive in extremely salty water. During the summer rainy season, numerous flamingos gather here to feed on these microorganisms and temporarily turn the white basin pink.
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