Reviews of Okaukuejo Camp
(84%) From 312 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
| 
Okaukuejo Restcamp review
Whilst a lot of money has been spent on the camp, the waterhole chalets were too small, lots of nice touches inside but no room to move around in. Great location though as ever. Like Halali the shop is non existent so if you want lunch, take it from the breakfast buffet.
Overall the money spent by NWR on the Etosha camps has been badly wasted, has not provided wildlife lovers what they want, and has resulted in over expensive, over elaborate and unnecessary accommodation. Bring back the good old days of self catering with dodgy kitchens and showers.
Okaukuejo Restcamp
This is quite different to all the other Lodges that we stayed in. This camp caters for a range of accommodation, from tents to luxury suites. And it also accommodates a lot more people than anywhere else we stayed on the entire trip. The food service was buffet and therefore could not be as personal as at the other camps. Despite feeling a little like a holiday camp, Okaukuejo is perfectly organised for exploring Etosha with shops, guided drives and other activities.
The room we had deserves particular praise as it had a separate kitchen/lounge area and outside eating table with a BBQ. It also had a universal electrical socket, air conditioning and screens on the windows.
Okaukuejo Restcamp review
Very pleasantly surprised at how good the air conditioned accommodation is within this camp.
We stayed in an extremely comfortable room very close to the Waterhole - excellent for sitting by with a glass of wine. We really enjoyed our stay.
Okaukuejo Restcamp review
This was probably my least favourite place on the whole trip, although the standard of accommodation and service on the trip was incredibly high so even been the least favourite still meant the standard was reasonably good.
The chalet was fitted out well, but somehow it seemed dingy and a bit unwelcoming and the whole area had more of a feeling of suburbia than restcamp. There was a fridge which was good and a kettle to make tea, but they provide you with the grand total of 2 teabags so you can't overindulge yourselves...
The service at the reception was perfunctory at best and even the guys at the petrol station were fairly miserable which is pretty rare in Namibia. The food was pretty dreadful and overpriced in my opinion. The second night we skipped dinner and ate a snack from the snack bar instead, but the quality of the food from there was pretty dubious, but at least it was cheaper.
Having read the Bradt guidebook I thought that the office would provide some useful information on where the best viewing spots for wildlife were but there was nothing much there, just some out of date information on roads and a few spottings written down by other tourists. I did ask someone for some advise and he recommended a route which when we arrived at Andreson gate to turn onto turned out to be blocked off and shut which was a bit annoying as it was getting late on in the day and we could have done without having to drive all the was there to find a blocked off road. It would be good to have had more information at the office to advise people on wildlife viewing, particularly as it was rainy season and viewing is not as simple as just rocking up to a water hole and sitting back - nothing needed to go to the water hole as there was water everywhere!!
Far better than expected
Some of the best beds we have slept in.
Impressed with the layout of the bush chalet. Small details were unexpectedly good.
Okaukuejo Restcamp review
Food like school dinners !
Accommodation greatly improved.
The search for wildlife
A very nicely laid out camp with plenty of space and good accommodation. It was nice having a fridge and kettle. Being a large place it lacks the intimacy of the smaller lodges, but has a lovely pool area with plenty of space to relax. The food was good, seved in a very pleasant dining area (inside and out) with friendly staff. The response to a leak we had in the bathroom was rapid and efficient; every effort was made to be helpful.
The shop was adequately stocked for self caterers cooking an evening meal but short of anything suitable for a lunchtime picnic. We drove ourselves around Etosha so cannot comment on the game drives offered by the camp. As it was the rainy season, the waterholes were often almost devoid of wildlife, but having to search made it more rewarding. We saw plenty of smaller animals and many amazing and fascinating birds.
Luxury at Etosha
These bungalows have recently been renovated and they are rather posh. The solid walls, windows and air conditioning lend a different atmosphere than the usual tent and thatch accommodations of camps.
Considering we visited in the rainy season, we had no trouble with a 2WD Toyota; we saw more game and birds than anyone seemed to expect, and many of these had young with them.
We ate lunches out in our car at waterholes and wished we had brought groceries with us from outside the park because the park's store had limited cold lunch supplies: canned goods, apples, tomatoes, cheese, crackers and bread.
Also, we would have preferred a more casual option for dinner: the restaurant was full, bustling with guests dressed as if at a resort; and the buffet--although good--was more than we wished to eat.
Okaukuejo Restcamp location is all
We stayed in a chalet near the waterhole which was expensive, too small and not worth the extra expense. The rooms had recently been refurbished and sadly, design seemed to have taken precedence over substance. The waterside rooms apparently had been single chalets subdivided into two and they were very cramped. There was a fridge (which was welcome) but you could barely open it. There was nowhere to sit except on the bed or outside, and outside it was too hot during the day and there were too many biting insects after sunset.
The restaurant was like a vast dining hall and the service was indifferent. The breakfasts were good enough. We bought our own food for dinner, but there was a very limited selection in the shop. So - it's recommended that you stock up on the way before you arrive.
However, the location was excellent. Because we were in the park, we could make the most of driving around the west side of the park.
Okaukuejo Restcamp review
We were booked into a tiny room which would have done for a one night stopover only.
We upgraded for 160N$ a night to a semi-detached bungalow which was excellent. The breakfast was good as was the dinner.
I thought the staff tried very hard to give good food and service.
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.
