Reviews of Okonjima Villa
(100%) From 7 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Okonjima Villa review
What to say. Marvellous chef Martin, Fantastic hostess Joanna and remarkable guide Jacques. So glad we managed to get this as our last place - I'm glad I hung out for it as it was perfect.
[ Ed: this traveller went on to comment about Main Camp. Because she didn't stay there, we requested that she allow us to remove those comments. She agreed to this, and they don't appear here. ]
our experience though - truly wonderful - and will go back next year but ONLY if we can have Jacques and Martin!!
Okonjima Villa
Acutally we stayed in the Villa not the bush suite
lovely to have the space and the exlcusivity plus the waterhole on the doorstep including a honey badger with attitude!
Okonjima is changing and is less the lovely bush expereince it was for me 12 years ago, its not the wild open spaces of Africa any more
I think people need to know that it is a fenced area and that the animals they will see in terms of the preditors will have collors on as otherwise they will be very disapointed, and there are still no guarantee that you will see the cats and its quite a slow process of tracking
I am a little concerned that new visitors may not be given or gain a real understanding of the depth or knowledge, skill and expertise that has been developed in rehabiitation and why things are they way they are now, I loved the lessons in the bushman huts and getting a feel for how and why things were done
That said it was great to see Dave and Tristan and the dogs out in the bush roaming free and to hear and see the progress they are making in helping the Cheetah learn to hunt again and seeing Tison's grandoughter
As Africat members we will want to keep on going back and hopefully be more useful to them in time but I think we may find ourselves wanting to stay in the 'Villa' if there as a 'visitor' - heaven help the budget!
Okonjima Villa
Absolutely outstanding in every way. The setting and the luxury of the experience cannot be bettered. The waterhole itself provided some of our best sightings, including porcupine and honey badger.
Hearing cheetahs purr was very special and tracking a leopard with telemetry on our last afternoon is one of the most exciting things I have ever done.
The food was fabulous and I would happily eat at Martin's restaurant every night.
Okonjima Villa review
Really felt at home here. Hosts were very attentive and good company. Rooms were beautiful - lots of African decorating tips!
Food/wine were first class - loved the creative sorbets from the chef (pear and rosemary!) Really informative drives - info not just about the reserve but also about living with the local (farming) community. Good awareness of the challenges.
Loved the way the leopards 'chased' the plane along the runway.
Luxury at Okonjima
We were lucky enough to be upgraded to The Villa and had the best accommodation we have ever had in the bush. One wonders if such luxury is strictly necessary but having said that we enjoyed every aspect of it !!
We occupied the North Suite which was the biggest and best of all the rooms with wonderful views. Anja Johann and their staff gave us superb service and wonderful food.The work and achievements of the Africat Foundation in their rescue and rehabilition programme was carefully explained and demonstrated to us by Johann on our excursions around the reserve and we had some excellent close encounters with leopards, cheetahs, hunting dogs and hyenas.
At night the water hole in front of the Villa attracted porcupines, honey badgers, a genet and a giant eagle owl. Our last morning was spent on a lovely walk on which we were given insight into Bushman crafts. A memorable two nights.
Okonjima Villa review
We were very fortunate to be upgraded to the Villa from the Bush Camp. Our room, in the main villa, was amazing - we had a lovely view over the waterhole and into the bush. The service and food were excellent. Aldo is a very good chef.
The first night at Okonjima, we were the only guests and felt very spoilt, having a chef, guide (Johann) and hostess (Anya) to ourselves. Our evening trip was tracking hyena, which was a bit different.
On our second day, the morning activity was a bushman walk, where we learnt about how bushman tracked, hunted and survived. The afternoon activity was tracking leopard. We started a bit late, but found a leopard in a dry river-bed. It appeared to be sleeping, but then climbed into the tree next to us to protect it's most recent kill.
On our last morning, we went to see the cheetahs and wild dogs. The cheetahs are in a fenced reserve, but it was great to see them being fed.
Okonjima was a great end to our holiday - we may never stay anywhere as exclusive again.
Heavenly
Showering outside with the African sun beating down on me and a crimson breasted strike in an adjacent tree - heavenly!
Landing on the narrow airstrip and our 6 seater plane being chased by 4 cheetahs was an experience we will never forget.
The villa was perfect for a family. We particularly liked the fact that the housekeepers etc left the site for a few hours in the day so we really did have it to ourselves. Though they were excellent company and we enjoyed chatting with them in the evening.
The bush walk was a new experience for us and something we would recommend.
Coming face to face with the leopard was "awesome"
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
