Etosha meaning “great white place”, is dominated by a massive mineral pan. The Pan is part of the Kalahari basin, and was originally a lake that dried up thousands of years ago. The Pan covers about a quarter of the Etosha National Park. The Etosha National Park is the most famous wildlife park in Namibia. Occasionally, after good rainfalls the pan may fill with water becoming one of the principal inland breeding ground for migratory flamingos. But the pan and the park are better known for the dry times, when the earth seems to shimmer with mirages. Select waterholes are then like open-air theatres with casts of thousands. Zebra, wildebeest and gemsbok drink to trumpeting elephants and roaring lions.