I've visited Etosha about every 5 years since 1970 or so. We're a couple of years overdue because the last time was such a disappointment.

Most/all of the wind/water pumps were inoperative, the roads were a disaster, the restaurants were serving nearly inedible food, and when we decided to find dinner in the shops, we found empty shelves - not even bread.

Reception staff was surly, but that's no big deal since you don't need them for much.

I don't know how much of the destruction outside the camps was natural and how much was due to lack of attention on the part of the naturalists. The beautiful foliage on the far side of the water hole at Okakuejo was dust, for instance, but a bunch of elephants could have done that in short order. Only they hadn't, for decades. So we're hoping for better times before going back.

It seems you are not alone. I have never been there but found this recent (2007) report at Fodor's website (lots more, I don't know if they are any good): Based on that, if it was me I'd give it at least a couple of years, if not more.

Here's a new one - doesn't sound that much improved...

Meanwhile, back on the original topic, MRU seems to have gone silent on me. Skype time tonight I guess - 11 hr time difference is sucky.

Hey, thanks very much for that update. It's not clear that Namibia is being well governed, but perhaps there's hope. In its former glory (SWA days, when the RSA parks service ran it) it was a real treasure, as long as you didn't mind shoo'ing all the cats off the hood of your car when you got tired of watching them.