Etosha National Park — Namibia's Wildlife Crown Jewel

At 22,270 square kilometres, Etosha is one of the great national parks of Africa and Namibia’s foremost wildlife destination. Its centrepiece is the 5,000 km² Etosha Pan — a vast, blinding-white salt flat (‘Etosha’ means ‘great white place’ in Ndonga) that fills with water in good rains and draws hundreds of thousands of flamingos. In the dry season (May–October), 40+ waterholes scattered around the pan edge become the focal point for the most concentrated game viewing in southern Africa. Four of the Big Five are present (lion, elephant, leopard, rhino; buffalo are absent). Cheetah, wild dog, giraffe, zebra, springbok, gemsbok, kudu, blue wildebeest, eland, black-faced impala and 400+ bird species complete the count. Self-drive in your own vehicle is the main mode — Etosha is one of Africa’s great self-drive parks.