The Etosha Pan dominates and covers around 25% of the National Park.

The salt pan desert is roughly 130 km long and as wide as 50 km in places. Herds of elephants occupy the dense mopane woodland on the south side of the lake.

The pan is usually dry, but fills with water briefly in the summer months, when it attracts pelicans and flamingos in particular.

Tsumeb has a subtropical climate, with very hot summers and mild winters. The town is well known for its copper and lead smelters. Tsumeb boasts the biggest lead-producing mine in Africa, and is the fifth largest lead producer in the world.

On the outskirts of Tsumeb is a typical open-air street market with stalls selling wonderful wooden crafts that abound in Namibia.

Just north west of Tsumeb are two peculiarly deep and dark ‘bottomless’ lakes. They were formed when the roofs of vast underground caverns collapsed into an upside-down mushroom shape.

Outjo is a cattle ranching country set in a cluster of low hills and woodland savannah. This town supplies meat to markets throughout the country as well as for export.

"Ovamboland", the former homeland of the Ovambo people north of the Etosha Pan, was divided up into the districts of Omusati, Ohangwena, Oshana and Oshikoto post Namibian independence and is nowadays known as the "Four O Region".

The landscape is flat, monotonous and dotted with settlements. Mopane, Marula and Wild Fig trees turn up occasionally between the fields and the kraals and one can also find Makalani palm trees here (symbol of the Ovambo area).