Other Middle East and Africa Frequent Flyer Programs - Any recent visits to Etosha?

Sorry for the OT question, but any info on Etosha from seasoned travelers seems to be a scarce commodity.

I've been to Etosha four times, the latest visit was in October 2001, if I remember correctly.

What is it you want to know?

johan

Hi, Johann,

We've visited Etosha perhaps a dozen times over many years, most recently 5 years ago. That trip was so unpleasant I vowed never to waste time there again. We're off to Kruger this August, and in spite of that last experience I thougt I'd ask if anyone had a recent update that would make me rethink my plans and include Etosha once more.

On our last trip, we found

The roads were worse than usual, not a particularly big deal

The water-holes were mostly all inoperative (the wind-pumps, etc.) so there was little to attract game into viewing range.

Perhaps because of the previous, the vegetation behind the waterhole at Okakuejo had been trampled into oblivion, and instead of a nice "curtain" of green behind it, it looked like a moonscape. Disappointing.

Camp staff were a bit more on the rude side than in the past

Restaurant food was so bad we ate canned spaghetti from the shop a couple of nights.
The shops themselves were very poorly stocked - staples like bread and eggs weren't always available, nor in one case anything more like dinner than canned spaghetti.

The place appeared to depend for its future survival on cheap charters full of European tourists who were sure to be excited no matter what. That doesn't directly affect my experience, but sets a very low standard for the place.

Hope yours was better...

I can confirm that conditions were not much better when I last visited Etosha. The roads were OK, but restaurants, shops, camp staff etc. were exactly as you described them, or worse. I left Okaukuejo in exasperation after trying for days to get my water supply fixed. I stayed in one of the new "luxury" bungalows, that certainly did not deserve the name! The waterhole at Okaukuejo did indeed look like a moonscape. I much prefer Halali, especially when the Mopani trees have come into leaf in early spring. One also has a better view of the waterhole from the hillside. The peace and quiet at both the Halali and Okaukuejo waterholes was disturbed by loud music from the staff villages, especially on weekends. I have since learned that there are at least 600 people living illegally at Okaukuejo alone!

The unfortunate truth is that Etosha has been heading downhill at an increasing pace ever since independence. It could be that things have improved recently, the hospitality side of Namibian National Parks having been spun off as a separate unit to be run on commercial principles. I wouldn't know.

The game viewing was excellent during my last visit, which was at the end of the dry season. Nevertheless, I would go for Kruger any day. Distances in Etosha are long, and the game viewing usually consists of driving from waterhole to waterhole, most of which look alike. I've been to Etosha three times, and to Kruger about 35. That says it all!

johan

Bump, just in case anyone else has anything to say. I think we've gotten our answer and will avoid the place, though.