For many years Namibia's main tourist draw card has been the internationally known Etosha National Park. Until the 1960s, Etosha was the largest game reserve in the world, but following the implementation of the recommendations of the Odendaal Commission, its surface area was reduced by a vast 77%. Nevertheless, at its present size of 22 270 km\ it is still one of the largest parks in Africa. Etosha owes its unique landscape to the Etosha Pan, a vast shallow depression of approximately 5 000 km2. A series of waterholes along the southern edge of the pan guarantee rewarding and often spectacular game viewing. In good rain years the pan fills with water draining south- wards from Angola via a delta-like system of shallow rivers and oshanas, drying out in the winter to become an austere expanse of white cracked mud, shimmering with mirages and upward spiraling dust devils. During the rainy season this is a good option for viewing Fischer's Pan, a birders' delight on several counts, especially for greater and lesser flamingos and even pelicans.
There are lodges that are situated close enough to Etosha - Anderson Gate, that allow for day excursions into the park.
