Reviews of Andersson's at Ongava
Wildlife sightings and reviews
18 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Andersson's at Ongava and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Andersson's at Ongava review"
Saw at least 20 rhinos (black and white) over 3 days, lots of cats, and other animals, but none of the crowds in Etosha.
Comment on private guide at Anderssons':
Good guides with passion and patience and good knowledge of camera positioning for wildlife and lighting." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana
"Lacking Personality"
Similarly, the staff were not nearly as engaging or inviting compared to other lodges we experienced across Namibia (or Africa for that matter). Cuisine was hit or miss; during our one night stay, we enjoyed a delicious dinner, but found the breakfast and lunch mediocre.
The bright spot of our stay was our nocturnal encounter with two black rhinos during dinner; simply fascinating to watch them drink from the water hole, enjoy the licking stone, and interact." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia
"Andersson's at Ongava review"
The location in the private reserve allowed us to see game we would have missed in Etosha National Park due to the recent heavy rainfall that had dispersed most of the animals across an unusually green landscape. There were many highlights, close encounters with elephants and white rhino - it was truly amazing to sit and watch a family of rhino close up.
The Lodge has a ground level hide adjacent to the watering hole that was excellent for watching/photographing wildlife. Our guide, Bono, was brilliant at finding both mammals and birds. The design of the expansive rooms is excellent and the swing chair on the deck great for relaxing and watching for wildlife. The staff at the Lodge were excellent and the food was plentiful with a good variety of dishes at diner.
A resource we felt was almost overlooked was the brilliant Research Centre, the display in the main area is excellent and very informative and we feel should be an important part of the experience at the Lodge." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 8n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
"A stylish home in the bush"
Wildlife viewing is a bit challenging because the Ongava reserve is mainly thick scrub. That said, the wildlife that we did see offered close views, and we drank , .
We very much liked the stay here and - again - felt it was too short." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia
"Andersson's at Ongava review"
What lets it down is the quality of the guiding and the paucity of game in the Ongava park - we saw much more by self-guiding into Etosha." See all these reviews: 6n in Namibia
"Wonderful experience at Andersson's"
The eight double rooms were fully booked out so the communal areas were busy-ish. We'd been allocated the 'Family Suite' but the two rooms weren't actually linked, fine for us but not really suitable for a family with young children. By contrast, at Mountain Lodge, there actually was an adjoining door between our two suites, which could have been unlocked for direct night-time access.
The facilities were excellent, with interesting displays at the research centre, an underground hide, and a swimming pool overlooking the waterhole. We only saw animals at the waterhole after dark (when floodlit) but sightings during dinner included a rhino chasing off two young male lions!
The wonderful Tuly was our guide during our 2-day stay and we can't say enough good things about him. He was so friendly, knowledgeable and enthusiastic, he really made our trip. Effectively we had private tours again, since it was just the four of us in the jeep with him. The afternoon drive around Ongava's private reserve began with finding a pair of lions under a tree and concluded with a Sundowner just yards away from a white rhino and baby munching on a pile of grass.
The following day we went into Etosha National Park, a quite different experience with proper roads (and toilets) and masses of other vehicles. So not quite 'Out of Africa' but the sightings were many and fabulous, particularly at the waterholes, one with masses of elephants and babies, the other with an array of animals worthy of Noah's Ark. Unmissable." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
"6 Star. "
Ridiculously lovely and feels really intimate... there's a tunnel to the hide, right by the rhino at the waterhole!
Great people running it, staffing it, guiding etc etc.
If you're taking the rough with the smooth, it doesn't get any silkier than this place." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia
"Andersson's at Ongava review"
Etienne, the manager, was a pleasure to deal with and most welcoming. The pool is spectacular. The food was very good, although they need to improve their offering for kids.
The reserve safari trip was a lovely treat. We didn't go on the Etosha morning safari as that seems very expensive. The family chalet may not be suitable for very young children as they are not adjoining rooms. Our kids ended up staying with us in our chalet which was large enough to accommodate a family of four in any event! Really top class accommodation." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia
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