The best place to camp in Etosha for wildlife photographers
Etosha National Park is an unmissable stop if you’re visiting Namibia. And a must-visit if you’re a fan of wildlife photography. But with 6 main camps inside the park, it can be tough to decide where to stay on your trip. So here’s the best spot to stay in Etosha for wildlife photographers (in my opinion lol)
What we’re covering
- The best place to camp in Etosha for photographers
- Amenities at the camp site
- Why it’s the best place to camp in Etosha for photographers
- How to get here
- Tips to charge camera gear while camping in Etosha
Welcome to Olifantsrus Camp
Olifanstrus is the newest campsite in Etosha and the only camping only site. It’s located in the less populated north western side of the park (far from the bigger camps like Okaukuejo).
This camp offers 10 sites (with a max of 8 people per site) so it’s a peaceful affair. There’s no huge bus tours here. It has facilities like showers and toilets, each site has an electric hook up to charge whatever you need, and it has its own floodlit watering hole for evening entertainment.
I’ll be honest, there’s not a lot of privacy between sites here. You get a little wall to help with some wind and there’s some small trees (that don’t do much in dry season in particular). But the small camp size means fewer bodies to contend with. Everyone was so friendly when I was there and very polite so it was never an issue.
It’s also budget friendly, from November 2024 to October 25th it’s 510N$ pp (which as of the date of writing works out to be about $40 Canadian, $29 American, $27 Euro). Obviously you should check conversion rates and the most up to date prices on the official website to confirm before you go. I don’t control money. I’m just here to write a blog.
What amenities does Olifantsrus Camp have?
- 10 campsites
- Information Centre (they sell drinks and light snacks but still advise you to bring your own)
- Picnic area for day use
- Communal kitchen
- Toilets
- Showers
Why Olifantsrus is awesome for photographers
Size
With only 10 campsites, there are fewer people wandering through your campsite, fewer people standing in line for a shower, the space is less of a maze to wander through, there’s no huge tour buses etc. The small size really made it feel like a nice community in a way the larger camps didn’t quite achieve. Everyone really felt like a neighbour.
Location
The northwestern part of the park gets fewer human visitors so there’s fewer people/cars to chase animals away. It still has many watering holes around the area and they’re far less busy than the central ones because this side of the park is just too far to trek out to and then have to return if you’re staying at Okaukuejo or Halali.
Two storey floodlit watering hole
One of the best parts of Etosha is the floodlit watering holes at some of their camps. Olifantsrus is one of the camps with an amazing set up.
A small tower sits in the corner of the camp. You simply walk along a ramp to find yourself in a viewing area to check out animals from above. Plus you can see far off into the distance to see if anyone else is on their way. There’s plenty of spots to sit and windows facing out all around so there’s space for everyone.
Or head downstairs to the ground floor where you’re eye level with the animals as they pause for a drink. The plexiglass keeping you safe isn’t exactly clean so this line of sight is more for watching than photography. But it’s still pretty sweet to feel so close to the animals who come by.
Another bonus of the small size: everyone who is here is serious about watching wildlife so the audience is dead silent. That’s not always possible in the larger camps.
How to get to Olifantsrus Camp in Etosha
The easiest way to get to Olifanstrus is to enter through the Galton Gate, the western most entry point for Etosha.
Honestly, it’s just a little too far of a trip to get across the park if you enter from the main Anderson Gates especially if you’re stopping to check out wildlife.
When you enter, you need to register with park security who will run through camp rules and check your vehicle to ensure you’re not smuggling anything in. They take poaching very seriously (as they should) so they will be thorough.
Photographers and videographers remember: drones are one of the items NOT PERMITTED into the park. Leave it at home. They can stress out the animals and unfortunately can be a tool for people looking to do harm to the wildlife.
How to charge photography gear at Olifantsrus Camp
Ah batteries. The bane of every digital photographer.
Camping with the goal to capture wildlife photography for a few days offers a unique challenge to keep yourself charged so here’s a few tips on how to charge your equipment so you’re not left with a dead battery and a missed photo op.
- Make your own charging station at camp
Each site has an electrical plug that can plus in two items at a time. One of the best things we packed for our trip was a power bar so we could charge multiple things at once. Just plug it into your converter, plug it in, and make sure you don’t go crazy plugging everything in all at once. - Bring more batteries than you think you need
Was bringing 4 batteries to Etosha overkill? Maybe. But I never worried about running out of power, never stressed if there was a power outage, and always knew on the road I had what I needed for a full day. - Power banks!
Bring some power banks with your and keep them charged so you can charge on the road - Find a car charger
Once you leave camp you can’t leave your car. So if you’re driving around all day might as well have the back up (just don’t leave it charging overnight and kill the car battery because that would suck). Depending on your vehicle and camera equipment there might be something you can use to charge batteries so take some time to check it out.
Take a look at everything I packed for wildlife photography in Etosha for some other tips on what to bring.
Special shout out: the Okaukuejo Camp’s floodlit watering hole
Although I just spent hundreds of words talking up Olifanstrus I want to give a shout out to the watering hole in Okaukuejo. This watering hole is huge and you get some incredible views. Despite being so busy with people, it was packed with animals both nights we stayed here.
It’s much busier here though so either arrive early or bring a chair to sit because the benches fill up fast. The crowd is huge especially around sunset and the hour or so afterwards. And surprisingly they were quiet (amazing given the size of the crowd). Occasionally you’d hear some noise from the campsite but it didn’t phase the animals much (your mileage may vary, sometimes you’re lucky with the people around you and sometimes not so much).
There’s way more amenities at this camp (and you can stay in a lodge here) but I found that the busy campsite was just sort of annoying. More foot traffic as people walked through our campsite all night (why? Why can’t you go around? Why are you standing beside me while I”m eating dinner on my own campsite talking on the phone to someone? Who is your cell phone carrier? How do you have signal?), people up drinking late and making noise, all those things. I’d stay here again but I’d opt for one of the lodges instead of camping even though it’s more expensive.
Let me know in the comments if you’ve stayed here before and where your favourite place to camp in Etosha is.
