A few special highlights were a herd of elephants immediately adjacent to the roadside all together shading under a tree flapping the giant ears to fan themselves.  One watering hole we visited in the morning had 2 male lions snoozing under a tree which my husband spotted from afar with the binoculars. Finally, our last night before sunset on our way out of the park, we were delighted to come to a watering hole with literally 50-75 elephants at the watering hole jostling for position to cool off with a few very adorable baby elephants. 

In general, animals are virtually everywhere. Definitely eat your lunch or snacks at a watering hole and be treated to hundreds of animals passing through. 

We passed by many guided safari drives. Unlike in a private reserve, you must stay on the road in Etosha. Thus, we didn’t see the enjoyment in a guided drive. We much preferred exploring at our leisure and staying as long as we liked at our favorite watering holes. Most importantly though, it is SO DUSTY in Etosha. Every tourist on a guided drive looked hot and was covered in dust. Traveling in our air conditioned rental, windows closed when other cars passed to minimize dust, with snacks and music is the way to go in our opinion. The only counterpoint would be that of course the guides communicate with each others if there was a great siting…but isn’t it more special to fly solo and find that sleeping lion yourself?