Etosha National Park 3-Day Small-Group Safari
Three Days at the Waterholes, Round Trip from Windhoek
Overview
This is the short wildlife trip most first-time visitors to Namibia ask us for, and the natural partner to our Sossusvlei departure. In three days the small group runs north from Windhoek to Etosha National Park, spends two full sessions at the waterholes that ring the great salt pan, and returns to the capital — no flights to book and no long route to plan. Etosha is one of the easier parks in Africa to watch game, because in the dry months the animals come to the water and you simply wait for them: elephant, giraffe, zebra, oryx and springbok in the day, and black rhino at the floodlit waterhole after dark.
You travel in one safari vehicle with a handful of other guests and an English-speaking driver-guide, so there is a window seat for everyone and time to sit at a waterhole until something walks in. The park holds four of the Big Five — elephant, lion, leopard and black rhino — along with a long list of plains game and more than 300 bird species. Nights are spent at a rest camp beside its own floodlit waterhole, which means the game viewing carries on into the evening without anyone having to drive.
Who It's For
Made for solo travellers and small groups who want Etosha's wildlife on a short, well-priced trip from Windhoek. A strong first taste of Namibia for anyone short on time, and an easy pairing with our Sossusvlei dunes departure or the front of a longer route through Swakopmund and Damaraland.
Package Highlights
Floodlit Waterhole
Watch black rhino and elephant drink after dark at the camp waterhole
Four of the Big Five
Elephant, lion, leopard and black rhino all live in the park
Plains Game
Giraffe, zebra, oryx, springbok and the endemic black-faced impala
Small Groups
A handful of travellers to a vehicle, never a big coach
The Etosha Pan
Stand at the edge of the vast white salt pan the park is named for
Easy From Windhoek
A round trip from the capital with no internal flights to arrange
Watch The Trailer
A cinematic preview of the wildlife, landscapes and lodges that await you on this safari.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Your guide collects the group in Windhoek after breakfast and the vehicle heads north on the B1 through Okahandja, Otjiwarongo and Outjo, the farmland giving way to mopane bush as you near the park. You stop for lunch on the road and reach Andersson Gate in the afternoon. Once inside Etosha the game viewing starts at once, and you work the waterholes near Okaukuejo on the way to camp. After dinner there is time at the floodlit waterhole, where black rhino and elephant often come down to drink in the quiet of the evening.
🏨 Accommodation: Rest camp beside a floodlit waterhole, Okaukuejo area
🍽️ Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Your Route
Tap a marker to see each stop on your journey.
Featured Lodges & Accommodation
Okaukuejo Camp
📍 Southern Etosha, near Andersson Gate
The best-known rest camp in Etosha, built around a floodlit waterhole that draws elephant, giraffe and black rhino through the evening and long into the night. Rooms run from simple chalets to waterhole-facing units, and the camp sits a short drive from the richest cluster of waterholes on the southern edge of the pan.
From $180 per person per night
Ongava Lodge
📍 Ongava Private Reserve, southern Etosha
The upgrade for private departures: a lodge on its own 300-square-kilometre reserve along Etosha's southern boundary, sharing Andersson Gate with the park. Both white and black rhino live on the reserve, guided game drives run on private roads with no other vehicles, and the main area looks over a waterhole of its own.
From $620 per person per night
Pricing & Options
All prices per person sharing. Customize any tier to your preferences.
Small-Group
(~$340/night)
Scheduled small-group departure, rest camp beside a floodlit waterhole, driver-guide and park fees
Get QuoteComfort
(~$490/night)
Waterhole-facing rooms and an easier pace, with two full days of game drives
Get QuotePrivate
(~$740/night)
Private departure with your own guide and vehicle and an upgrade to a private-reserve lodge
Get QuoteWhat's Included & Excluded
✓ Included
- ✓ Road transport from Windhoek in a small-group safari vehicle
- ✓ Two nights' accommodation in Etosha, sharing
- ✓ Meals as shown (two breakfasts, two lunches, two dinners)
- ✓ Game drives in the park with an English-speaking driver-guide
- ✓ Evening time at the floodlit waterhole
- ✓ Etosha National Park entry fees
- ✓ Bottled water in the vehicle
✗ Excluded
- ✗ Flights to and from Windhoek
- ✗ Travel insurance
- ✗ Lunch on day three
- ✗ Drinks other than water in the vehicle
- ✗ Gratuities
- ✗ Personal expenses
Photo Gallery
Best Time to Travel
May to October is the dry season, when the bush thins out and the animals have to come to the waterholes — the easiest game viewing of the year, best of all from August to October. November to April brings the rains, greener plains and good birding, but the game spreads out and sightings take more patience.
Why Choose This Package
Easy, Rewarding Game Viewing
In the dry months the animals come to the waterholes, so you watch rather than chase — ideal for a first safari.
Short and Well-Priced
Three days covers Etosha's best wildlife without a long or costly itinerary, leaving from Windhoek and back to it.
Game Viewing After Dark
A rest camp on a floodlit waterhole means black rhino and elephant long after the day drives end.
Easy to Extend
Add Sossusvlei and the dunes, or Swakopmund on the coast, and we fold it into one route.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Experience the Etosha National Park 3-Day Small-Group Safari?
From $680 per person | 3 Days / 2 Nights
⚡ Limited availability for peak season 2026 — book early to secure your dates
