Watch out for herds of springbok 'pronking'-an activity wherein these lovely little antelope bounce and bound high into the air as they run. The plains, where you'll likely spot cheetahs, are also home to huge herds of zebras and wildebeests, and you may see the silhouettes of giraffes as they cross the skyline in stately procession. Old Africa hands maintain that you should be up at dawn for the best sightings, but you can see marvelous game at all times of day. Even if the hole is small and deep, like Ombika, on the western side, you'll be amazed at what may arrive. Each water hole has its own unique personality and characteristics. The real secret of game-watching in the park is to settle in at one of the many water holes, most of which are on the southern edges of the pan, and wait. Bigger and more boldly marked than its smaller cousin, the impala, you'll find it drinking in small herds at water holes all over the park. Don't miss the blackface impala, native to Etosha, and one of the rarest of antelope and an endangered species. The Namutoni area and the two Okevi water holes-Klein Namutoni and Kalkheuwel-probably provide the best chances to see leopards.

If you see a diminutive 'Bambi' sheltering under a roadside bush, that's it. On the road from the Von Lindequist Gate, the eastern entrance to Etosha, look out for the smallest of all African antelope, the Damara dik-dik. The game depend on the natural springs that are found all along the edges of the pan, and as the animals have grown used to drinking at these water holes for decades, theyвЂ™re not put off by vehicles or game-seeking visitors. But one of Etosha's main attractions isnвЂ™t the numbers of animals that you can see (more than 114 species), but how easily you can see them. The game's all here-the Big Five-large and small, fierce and gentle, beautiful and ugly. The dust devils, mirages, and terrain that changes from densely wooded thickets to wide-open spaces and from white salt-encrusted pans to blond grasslands, will keep you captivated for hours. Although the park is never crowded with visitors like some of the East African game parks, the scenery here is no less spectacular: huge herds that dot the plains and gather at the many and varied water holes. Although it's usually dry, in a good rainy season it floods and becomes home to many water birds, including tens of thousands of flamingos that feed on the blue-green algae of the pan.

Etosha national park namibia africa