This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Skip to main content

Talk to an expert 1-800-242-2434 Lines open now

User menu
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge
Ongava Lodge

Reviews of Ongava Lodge

Wildlife sightings and reviews

158 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Ongava Lodge and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Aug-2018, 43 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Ongava Lodge.
Lion

90% success

Leopard

9% success

Cheetah

12% success

White Rhino

97% success

Giraffe

95% success

Oryx

90% success

Zebra

90% success

Elephant

88% success

Black Rhino

80% success

Wildebeest

79% success

Eland

38% success

Roan antelope

26% success

Sable antelope

15% success

Brown Hyena

14% success

Spotted Hyena

12% success

Pangolin

3% success

Aardvark

0% success

Showing 51-60 of 158
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs H
Lincs

"Ongava Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 20 Oct 2017
"Ongava Lodge is a wonderful place in a beautiful setting. it was a long and bumpy drive from Doro Nawas but all the drives have taken us through amazing changes in scenery. Our room was excellent and near the hide for game viewing. There is also a fantastic view of the waterhole from the dining area and always something to see. Our guide here was Kapona and he was excellent. We took 2 afternoon trips with him around the Ongava reserve and were rewarded with sightings of lions, black rhino, many varieties of antelopes and plenty more. On our second trip Kapona found white rhino which we then tracked on foot. It was an amazing experience. We also took a morning trip into Etosha itself and again we were well rewarded by what we saw, but I think we would also have been lucky if we had driven ourselves around.

The trips at Ongava are wonderful, but more expensive than at the Wilderness Lodges, and we realised to our cost that the lunch after the morning trek wasn't included here. The price was inconsequential, but we were led to believe it was included. Having said that, the meals were very good here." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
BarryT
Knutsford

"A fantastic lodge with its own waterhole"

2 nights Arrived 6 Oct 2017
"Of all the excellent places we stayed this one was exceptional.

The location although outside the park on a private game reserve was outstanding. We drove through Etosha to Okakuejo as Ongava is close to the Anderson Gate. Quite a long drive and we hoped to fill up with fuel but the station was out of diesel. We waited for about three hours for the fuel truck to arrive.

Okakuejo is a busy camp with a variety of accommodation and is popular due to its floodlit waterhole. Ongava is reached through its own private drive and adjoins the Etosha boundary, We were upgraded to a suite which was lovely with inside and outside showers and a huge bed and the Management had put a bottle of chilled champagne in the room for our anniversary.The staff are brilliant.

The food was stunning and the restaurant overlooked the waterhole. It also had its own hide where you could get really close to the animals. We saw white and black rhinos including a mother with a baby and lots of game.

This is a fantastic lodge." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
J & K
jackievokes@gmail.com

"Lovely stay at Ongava Lodge"

3 nights Arrived 28 Sep 2017
"Ongava Lodge is beautifully located with the open lounge and dining area overlooking the waterhole. Nice ambience. We weren't lucky enough to see the rhinos on our game drive (although we saw a small lion family with two adorable cubs) but we did see one at night at the waterhole. There is a hide which enables close up views and the rhino hung around for quite a while.

Our room was a little way from the main lodge and waterhole, but very private. We could relax on the deck and watch the procession of animals making their way across to the waterhole.

As we found throughout our trip the food was delicious." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Drs F & S
Oregon

"A Glitch that ended well"

1 night Arrived 16 Sep 2017
"Loved this lodge but when we arrived they had no record of our reservation so we were kept waiting and missed an afternoon game drive.

They offered us the Ongava Tented Camp which I refused because it was hot and we wanted to AC/ Finally an accommodation was reached where we stayed one night in Ongava Lodge and were upgraded to Little Ongava the second night which was heaven.

This is a great lodge and the drives and views were spectacular. Apparently our reservation was cancelled in their system...again was this a Wilderness Safari issue. I wish we had stayed here for 3 days and only one day at the Mushara Lodge because we saw so much game here." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs K
New Forest

"Ideal for driving into Etosha"

1 night Arrived 10 Sep 2017
"Good game sightings within the Ongava concession including a number of lions and both black and white rhino.

The camp waterhole also attracts a variety of different animals which were lovely to watch whilst having dinner.

Perhaps we were unlucky, but during our stay the food was disappointing." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
Ms A & Mr M
Lagos

"Great Waterhole..."

2 nights Arrived 9 Sep 2017
"We received a warm welcome on arrival at Ongava and were booked to stay for two nights. We could have happily stayed for longer simply sitting at the vast wonderful communal and dining areas gazing at the expansive view and waterhole. Located on the outskirts of Etosha by Anderson's Gate we felt extremely comfortable at Ongava.

Our room was large, again like many of the lodges we stayed in sympathetically designed and decorated in a decor to our taste with a huge deck area. Very well equipped and a welcome and efficient laundry service included. As this was a special 25th wedding anniversary trip we appreciated the nice touch of a card and complimentary sparkling wine.

Due to the wildlife it was necessary to be escorted to and from your room during certain hours. There was a phone in the room to call for a guide and horns for emergencies.

We took an afternoon game drive and sundowner which was excellent and our guide was very engaging and we saw lions and rhinoceros plus calf among many other species of wildlife. We enjoyed our guides company and conversation. He was not rushed and endeavored to be informative and answer all of our questions, queries and accommodate our requests.

Dinner and breakfast were taken on the terrace overlooking a lit waterhole at night which for us was a highlight of our stay as we felt it to be rather special just glancing over to see what animal was visiting.

Personally we felt the food and complimentary wine options to be excellent. I do not eat red meat and one evening I was served fish and the other chicken which had been the norm in other lodges also, however Ongava made an effort to make it slightly more appetizing and creative which was appreciated. The service and staff were good during our visit and for us it was nice to see that they also showed enthusiasm about the birdlife and wildlife visiting the hide.

There was a large pool to one side and a lower sitting and fire pit area the other. These communal areas have clearly been designed to maximize enjoyment of the view and waterhole. Wi-fi was very sporadic in our room but useable in the communal areas.

There is a secure walkway to the hide and the hide itself is comfortable. I do not recall how many seats there were but it was not busy during our stay so it was not an issue. It was very special to simply sit and watch wildlife wander by and we were fascinated in the evening my a visit from a rhinoceros and her calf and three inquisitive porcupines.

We were interested to learn about their conservation and Ongave Research Centre. The lodge was a great introduction to the Etosha region so thank you for a wonderful stay." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mrs H & Mr M
Madrid

"Rhino paradise"

2 nights Arrived 6 Sep 2017
"Amazing views to the waterhole with plenty of activity.

Do not miss the hide, on both nights we were rewarded with black rhino visits. No words can describe the experience of being so close.

Game drives on the reserve were brilliant, we tracked rhino on foot and succeeded in finding a crash of 10 white rhinos on two consecutive days !! A big thanks to our guide.

Request for rooms 1 to 3 for direct views to the waterhole." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Ms K
Brisbane

"Ongava Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 14 Aug 2017
"A bit bigger than the other lodges we stayed at but comfortable and a great view over a waterhole from the restaurant - saw many animals come and have a drink including giraffe and black rhino. The game drives were some of the best we did - saw white rhino and lions. The staff are little disorganised but friendly." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs L
Brighton

"Amazing view of wildlife from the dining room"

2 nights Arrived 3 Jul 2017
"Great location right at the gates of Etosha and it was amazing to see wildlife including rhinos from the dining room. The evening drive enabled us to see lions close up.
Great luxurious room with a view of zebras from the bathroom. Really good for wildlife overall.
The welcome was a bit lacklustre - there was an attempt to sell us activities without explaining how much they were or what happened on them. More information would have been helpful.
The food was poor overall - I had an omelette at breakfast which I couldn't eat as the eggs were still raw!" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
Mr AB
SW London

"Uber luxury, exceptional"

2 nights Arrived 1 Jun 2017
"Ongava Lodge is a great place to stay on the outskirts of the Etosha park. The Etosha model seems to offer a choice of very comfortable, privately-run, lodges/camps outside the park and Government-run, considerably less luxurious, camps/lodges within the park. We stayed in both but there is no question that Ongava Lodge (there are other Ongava properties on the reserve) is the top of its tree.

Attractions include exceptionally comfortable rooms, set in individual rondavels, a lit waterhole with hide (from which we saw white and black rhino each night), a wonderful dining terrace offering views both of the waterhole and the plains. Food is excellent, service exceptional.

We enjoyed game drives, both to Etosha itself and within the Ongava reserve (complete with sundowner and passing elephant). There is, understandably, far more game in Etosha itself but then where would you regularly see rhino less than 20 metres way from one's semi-private hide?

I can't think of any way in which it could be improved." See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 51-60 of 158
92%
158 reviews of Ongava Lodge by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
111
36
8
3
0
Filter by month

Holiday styles & special interests in Namibia

From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Namibia.


Birdwatching

Birdwatching

Diverse habitats, discreet hides and superb guiding.

Cultural experiences

Cultural experiences

Get an insight into Africa's cultures and history.

Family holidays

Family holidays

Hand-picked camps for an incredible family safari.

Honeymoons

Honeymoons

Romantic safaris and castaway island retreats.

Luxury

Luxury

First-class service, scenic vistas and unparalleled comfort await you during these carefully selected luxury holidays. 

Photography holidays

Photography holidays

Great holidays to suit the keen photographer.

Private villas & houses

Private villas & houses

Enjoy Africa with just your friends & family

Riding holidays

Riding holidays

Explore Africa's wilderness on horseback.

Solo Travel

Solo Travel

Trip ideas ideally suited for a solo traveller.

Walking

Walking

Explore Africa's most scenic trails on foot.

Walking safaris

Walking safaris

Explore Africa's untouched wildernesses on foot.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Wellness escapes in stunning locations

Wildlife safaris

Wildlife safaris

These trips include hard-hitting game and fascinatingly elusive species alike, as well as superb guiding and a variety of diverse ecosystems.

Other lodges in Etosha National Park

Alternative places to stay in this same area.


Okaukuejo Camp

Okaukuejo Camp

Set within Etosha National Park, Okaukuejo Resort is a large camp with a productive, floodlit waterhole.


83% (701 reviews)
Halali Camp

Halali Camp

The smallest of Etosha's erstwhile restcamps, overlooking its own floodlit waterhole, Halali has a superb location near the centre of Etosha Pan.


79% (330 reviews)
Mushara Bush Camp

Mushara Bush Camp

The family-friendly Mushara Bush Camp offers great value and is an excellent base from which to explore Etosha National Park.


94% (261 reviews)
Ongava Tented Camp

Ongava Tented Camp

Set around a waterhole on a private reserve, the small Ongava Tented Camp combines understated comfort with activities that include walks and night drives.


93% (153 reviews)
Onguma Tented Camp

Onguma Tented Camp

Onguma Tented Camp is a lovely, little tented camp which centres around an attractive waterhole a short drive from the Von Lindequist Gate to eastern Etosha.


92% (103 reviews)
Dolomite Camp

Dolomite Camp

Opened in 2011, Dolomite Camp allows visitors access to the far west side of Etosha National Park, which was previously off limits to most visitors.


86% (97 reviews)
Mushara Lodge

Mushara Lodge

Close to the eastern entrance to Etosha, the comfortable Mushara Lodge is well-placed for exploring the park in your own vehicle or on a guided drive.


93% (96 reviews)
Namutoni Camp

Namutoni Camp

Centred on an old fort, the government run Namutoni Camp is located just inside Etosha National Park, close to Fisher's Pan.


82% (89 reviews)
Onguma Bush Camp

Onguma Bush Camp

For great wildlife viewing without breaking the bank, the affordable and understated luxury of Onguma Bush Camp could be perfect.


94% (84 reviews)
Hobatere Lodge

Hobatere Lodge

To the west of Etosha National Park, on the edge of Damaraland, Hobatere Lodge offers good game-viewing on its own reserve.


89% (74 reviews)
Mushara Outpost

Mushara Outpost

Intimate and luxurious, Mushara Outpost is well-placed on a private reserve to explore nearby Etosha National Park on your own or on a guided drive.


94% (68 reviews)
Onguma Camp Kala

Onguma Camp Kala

For a bird’s eye view across African bush, the stilted rooms at Onguma Camp Kala are truly special.


97% (43 reviews)
Onguma The Fort

Onguma The Fort

The Fort is the jewel in the crown of the Onguma lodges, and arguably the whole of eastern Etosha.


96% (41 reviews)
Safarihoek Lodge

Safarihoek Lodge

At the heart of the private Etosha Heights Reserve, Safarihoek Lodge offers comfortable accommodation and excellent game-viewing.


95% (36 reviews)
Onguma Forest Camp

Onguma Forest Camp

From its woodland setting on the Onguma Reserve, Forest Camp is within easy striking distance of Namibia’s flagship national park.


88% (36 reviews)
Taleni Etosha Village

Taleni Etosha Village

Only 4km from Etosha's southern entrance, Taleni Etosha Village is an affordable base from which to explore the park.


93% (26 reviews)
Etosha Safari Lodge

Etosha Safari Lodge

A short drive from Etosha National Park's southern entrance, Etosha Safari Lodge is a convenient base from which to explore the park.


85% (26 reviews)
Little Ongava

Little Ongava

The beautifully located and luxurious Little Ongava is a stunning place to stay in order to explore Etosha National Park and the private Ongava Reserve.


97% (25 reviews)
Etosha Safari Camp

Etosha Safari Camp

Funky, low-key and very original, Etosha Safari Camp is well placed for visiting Etosha National Park on a self-drive or guided safari.


86% (22 reviews)
Andersson's at Ongava

Andersson's at Ongava

With game drives on both its private reserve and in Etosha, Andersson's at Ongava also offers access to the Ongava Research Centre.


94% (18 reviews)
Mountain Lodge

Mountain Lodge

In the heart of the private Etosha Heights Reserve, the family-friendly Mountain Lodge offers game drives and bush walks within an exclusive environment.


97% (14 reviews)
Mokuti Etosha Lodge

Mokuti Etosha Lodge

With 106 rooms, child-friendly Mokuti Etosha Lodge is more like a hotel than a lodge. Facilities to include a gym, spa, tennis courts and even a snake park.


93% (11 reviews)
Etosha Oberland Lodge

Etosha Oberland Lodge

A short drive from Etosha National Park's southern entrance, Etosha Oberland Lodge is a very comfortable base from which to explore the park, with excellent food.


100% (6 reviews)
Vreugde Guest Farm

Vreugde Guest Farm

Vreugde Guest Farm is a delightful owner-run and working sheep farm where you can expect a warm welcome and charming hospitality.


90% (6 reviews)
Villa Mushara

Villa Mushara

Offering luxury on a peaceful private reserve close to Etosha, Villa Mushara is a great choice for honeymooners & those wishing to indulge themselves.


95% (4 reviews)
Etosha Garden Hotel

Etosha Garden Hotel

Safari in Etosha National Park Namibia, whilst based at the nearby Etosha Garden Lodge.


60% (4 reviews)
Etosha King Nehale

Etosha King Nehale

A short drive from the national park's northern entrance, Etosha King Nehale Lodge is an interesting and comfortable base from which to explore the park.


100% (2 reviews)
Safari House

Safari House

The private Safari House on the Etosha Heights reserve is a great option families or friends travelling together.


100% (1 review)
Toshari Lodge

Toshari Lodge

Safari in Etosha National Park Namibia, whilst based at Etosha Gateway Lodge.


80% (1 review)
Onkoshi Camp

Onkoshi Camp

Onkoshi Camp is owned and run by Namibia Wildlife Resorts. Built on elevated wooden platforms it overlooks Etosha Pan.


No reviews yet

Login to Expert Africa

Sign in with password

Sign in with email link


New to Expert Africa? Create an account

Forgotten your details?

It's free & quick to set up

  • Save your wish-list
  • Send us an enquiry
  • Pay online for your trip
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Give us feedback on your trip
  • Full site benefits of the site

Need some help? Talk to our team

Africa