Fischer's Pan

Fischer's Pan sits at the eastern end of Etosha, near the Namutoni camp. It's a shallow seasonal pan — smaller and shallower than the main Etosha Pan — that fills with water in good rainy seasons. When it does, it becomes one of the best birdwatching spots in southern Africa.

In dry conditions, the pan's surrounding woodland is excellent for elephant, giraffe, and the dense zebra herds that characterise the eastern end of the park. The road around the pan is one of the most scenic drives in Etosha, with views across open water or shimmering salt in one direction and dense mopane in the other.

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A story
Fischer's Pan is named after Georg Fischer, a German traveler who recorded the area in the 1880s. When the rains fill it briefly in January and February, flamingos arrive in numbers that can reach tens of thousands — the pale pink flocks are visible from the road long before you reach the water's edge. In drought years, the pan stays dry and you'd never guess what it can hold.

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