Reviews of Onduli Ridge

"The most luxurious, stunning stay on our trip, which is saying something.

Almost OTT for us (personal butler anybody?)" See all these reviews: 24n in Namibia

"We had planned a 3 night stay here to allow us to undertake the rhino tracking activity. The drive here from Spitzkoppen was another day on 'cattle-grid' roads but the journey was uneventful and we easily found the airstrip where we were to leave the car. There was a nice shaded area where we were able to relax and have a cold drink while we waited for another couple who were coming in by light aircraft.

The drive to the lodge was about 20 minutes from the airstrip and was quite bumpy but the landscapes were interesting. The lodge itself was lovely - luxurious, clean, well designed and laid out. It blended well into the surrounding rock formations and several aspects, such as the small pool, outdoor bar and bathrooms, used the rocks to form part of the structure.

The staff were all friendly and helpful. Our assigned hostess Heidi was efficient and attentive but we felt there was something 'off' about the management. During the check-in process our dietary requirements had been noted but these didn't get through to the kitchen. Also we were asked by various different people (manager, house-keeping, guide) if we wanted to sleep outside that night, but they didn't seem to communicate with each other.

One very irritating aspect was that we were told by a manager that we would be going on the elephant tracking activity the next morning and would be on our own with our assigned guide, Lion. While we were at the bar, Lion was called away and when he came back he said things had changed as the elephants were moving away and we would be doing rhino tracking. However, during dinner the manager came over to our table and told us we would be doing elephant tracking after all and with another couple. We couldn’t decide if the elephants had decided to come back of if management were making changes based on optimising business and not being honest about it.

It was quite a trek to our room and the topography was a bit up and down which we didn't mind but we saw other guests with limited mobility and they were a assigned a closer room with an easier walk to the main buildings.

Rooms and bathrooms were spacious and well equipped. Lots of charging points, a fantastic mini-bar with a choice of gins, fresh lemons to slice, beer, wine, soft drinks, filtered drinking water, cookies, nuts and dried fruit. There was a fridge but no kettle. The staff brought hot water for tea or coffee on request. The reason given was that the lodge was entirely powered by solar and kettles use a disproportionate amount of power. The rooms were also supplied with a pair of Swarovski binoculars and a small range of these were available for sale in the gift shop.

Food at Onduli was outstanding. Breakfast was the usual cold buffet with hot items cooked to order. Lunch was a large ‘cake stand’ brought to the table containing various breads, salads, vegetables and meat. For dinner there were a choice of 3 mains, sometimes including game. One evening was pizza night, with 'create your own' pizzas being cooked in the outdoor pizza oven and eaten under the stars - great fun and very tasty.

Sundowners were taken at a small bar above the swimming pool in the rocks with lovely views of the surrounding landscape as the rocks changed colour when the sun went down. There was a wide variety of gin on offer but guests could request anything and it would be fetched. Snacks were imaginative, one night hot canapes another crudites & dips, crisps, nuts and cold meats.

Sleeping out was an experience we wouldn’t have missed. The temperature was not as cold as we had expected and the duvet and a blanket kept us cosy. There were no mosquitos. The view of the stars was special with no light pollution. We enjoyed it so much we did it for 2 or our 3 nights.

We took 2 activities. Firstly elephant tracking. This was an enjoyable activity and we actively followed elephant tracks down a dry river bed. When we stopped for coffee, there was a choice of beans which Lion ground and then brewed in front of us. Very impressive. We found 2 desert adapted elephants quite soon after and were able to watch them for a few minutes before setting off back to the lodge. We saw a lot of birds and some baboons but no giraffe.

The rhino ‘tracking’ was not so enjoyable. We drove around for quite a while while Lion was in contact with the trackers. After we had stopped for coffee he said the trackers had found a rhino and we headed in that direction. However, there were some other vehicles ahead of us so we had to wait at another lodge for a short while until the other vehicles had finished. When we did set off again, we saw one vehicle just leaving and the trackers waiting to take us to the rhino on foot. Unfortunately, the rhino by then had got tired and gone to sleep in a bush but they were very helpful in pointing out his back and an ear which we could see. After a few minutes we had to leave and the trackers took us back to the vehicle and said they would answer questions. We hadn’t realised there would be trackers so hadn’t brought much cash to tip, but one of the other family with us tipped for all of us and we paid him our share when we got back to the lodge. With hindsight, this was not worth spending the extra night for and the really frustrating thing was that the trackers told us the previous day they had found a female with a calf. That's just the luck of the draw.

Lion knew we were interested in birds so suggested he take us on a short birding walk that late afternoon which we jumped at. The family we had done the rhino activity with were with us and they said they had been offered a nature walk. The walk was interesting and we saw insects, plants and scrub hares.

When we got back to our vehicle on our last morning, it had been washed by the security guard which was a nice surprise. It had been looking very red with all the dust.

We enjoyed Onduli Ridge and would recommend it but not for 3 nights." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe

"We absolutely loved Onduli.

This was hands down my husbands favourite hotel of our stay. There are only 6 rooms so it's very quiet and at times you feel like you have the whole place to yourself.

The service was impeccable. The staff are so friendly and attentive, nothing is too much trouble. We enjoyed sleeping out under the stars and the pizza night and sitting by the fire. Very personal and homely.

We loved the elephant tracking, one of the highlights of our trip.

And the sunsets here are unbeatable! A really memorable stay." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia

"Booked Onduli Ridge in 2021. Very excited to stay at this new lodge. Ultimate Safaris has a good reputation, and Onduli was promoted as their flagship property.

Beautiful location. The rooms are very spacious, with large decks, ginormous bathrooms. All of the chalets have been built into and utilizing their surroundings, including large boulders in the bathroom. The beds move, so you can sleep out on the deck under the stars. There is a fully stocked fridge in each room.

No rains this year, and the dried out grass is from last year's rains. So, we didn't see any animals near Onduli, except two herds of goats.

We were three couples in chalets 3, 4 and 5. My husband and I were in #5 which is at the top of the hill. Amazing views of the conservancy, even from the bathroom. But, there is a large tree that blocks the views of the night sky on the deck. Our friends in #4 had to deal with construction workers staring into their chalet and we all had to listen to constant banging the afternoon we arrived. #4 is also at ground level, and one of the guides told us they found a zebra snake in that room. We spoke to the camp management about the construction workers and they promised the workers would not be working whenever we were in camp.

We stayed three nights so we could do the rhino tracking. Bit of a misnomer. We drove around for 3 hours looking for the Namibian police officer (Rooster). He and the rhino rangers had located a black rhino and her calf. We drove up a rocky hillside and parked. Walked maybe 50 meters and looked across a valley at the rhinos, probably 500+ yards away. I was expecting to actually be tracking the rhinos, having the guide show us what to look for when tracking. At a minimum, a little hike. What we didn't know was that we were expected to tip Rooster and the rhino rangers. I didn't have any money with me. We gathered our tip monies later and gave to our guide to give to them. Just would have been good to know in advance.

The second morning we got up early and drove over an hour near the Aba-Huab river. Our guide found 25+ desert adapted elephants. Because we requested to go earlier in the morning, we did have some time with them before half a dozen other vehicles showed up. There are a number of lodges on the conservancy, all going to the same place to look for these animals. We then found a giraffe, steenbok, lots of ostriches, a bull elly and springbok.

That afternoon we went to see the rock drawings at Twelfelfontein. Very interesting activity. A must see. Our local guide was Elizabeth and she was knowledgeable and informative.

We come back to banging and construction work. Seriously! So, went and sat by the pool.

Next to the pool is the sundowner boma. Gorgeous views across the plains and rocky outcroppings. Nice opportunity to meet the other guests at the lodge.

The food is outstanding - from breakfast to dinner. Tons of food. They found out we were from a wine producing region in the US, and organized a wine tasting and food pairing in the wine cellar. Our host went to a lot of work to put this together, and we all enjoyed it. Our last night was pizza night. We all sat outside in the firepit boma. You picked your toppings and the chef made the pizza in the outdoor oven.

The day we arrived and the next day (rhino day) we did not have any afternoon or early evening activity, and the morning we left there was no activity. I'm used to staying at lodges that have at least two if not three activities every day, including the day of arrival and departure. They did have e-bikes, but you must go with a guide. So, there was a lot of down time.

A few suggestions:

1) They provide paint supplies in each room. Maybe have a desert landscape painting class.

2) As mentioned before, a tracking safari where the guide instructs us on tracks, what to be looking for. How to tell the tracks of different animals apart.

3) A talk about the conservancy. How are the communal lands managed? How does the conservancy generate monies from the lodges/tourism. What projects are going on at the conservancy.

4) Visit to the Damara Living Museum.

Beautiful lodge. Friendly staff. Loki was a great guide. Just need to figure out some additional activities for guests, especially since there are so few animals to see in the area. And, when you commit to not having the construction work going on while guests are in the camp during the day, then that commitment needs to be met." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"What a fantastic design, the rooms are literally built wrapped around the beautiful red round rocks in the Namibia desert. If you do not mind a few steps, for sure request room 5 for the most open view. Each night we slept under the astounding stars as the beds roll out to the deck, what a luxury. The solar e-bike through the sand was a fun adventure. The visit to see the rock carvings at Twyfelfontein was super interesting. Good crafts market there. The journey to the Rhino reserve was long and rocky. The effort and enthusiasm protect the rhinos was the highlight and we did see a mother and calf at a distance. The trip up the Aba Huab Valley was so amazing, we saw 3 generations of and elephant family playing! The food was excellent. We took a swim in the pool with the most amazing view. The staff were so warm and welcoming. Perfect spot to "de-jet lag"" See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia

"Near perfection. Beautiful rooms in a spectacular setting. T

he staff were fantastic, as was the food.

Sunsets were magical." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia