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
Onguma Tented Camp
Onguma Tented Camp
Onguma Tented Camp
Onguma Tented Camp

Reviews of Onguma Tented Camp

Wildlife sightings and reviews

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

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in May-2018, 27 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Onguma Tented Camp.
Lion

64% success

Leopard

25% success

Cheetah

33% success

Giraffe

96% success

Zebra

96% success

Oryx

92% success

Wildebeest

88% success

Elephant

72% success

Eland

42% success

Spotted Hyena

33% success

Roan antelope

30% success

Black Rhino

25% success

Sable antelope

25% success

White Rhino

23% success

Brown Hyena

14% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 103
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs C
Bristol

"Well frequented waterhole at Onguma"

2 nights Arrived 14 Oct 2023
"A wonderful lodge, with 7 individual lodges and the common dining/welcome area overlooking the waterhole. The individual lodges are spaced to give privacy. The interior was spacious and well furnished, nice big bed, indoor and outdoor shower.

The staff, especially Stanley, were friendly and welcoming. The game drive guides enabled us to appreciate the animals that we saw.

The food and dining experiences were excellent. On the afternoon game drive we saw very few animals, except for 3 lions just as dusk fell. Our sundowner refreshments prior to that were delicious. I particularly enjoyed my Cape Pink Gin and tonic.

On our second day there we had a lazy day sitting on our veranda. From there we saw animals coming down to the waterhole: black faced impala; zebras; warthogs; kudu. Walking back to our lodge after lunch, 2 giraffes were 25 meters away. The following morning we went on an early game drive. Very excitingly, we came across a group of 6 lions lying on the track. We were able to stop and observe them for 15 minutes." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 4n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Brown Hyena

1 sighting

Eland

1 sighting

Giraffe

5 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Oryx

3 sightings

Wildebeest

1 sighting

Zebra

4 sightings

Mrs W
Bath

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 13 Sep 2023
"This is a beautiful lodge. The common areas were very inviting and well shaded so a nice place to relax. The tents were also beautiful, however, we found them extremely hot during the afternoon and the cooling system completely inadequate except within the mosquito netting at night. It was also disappointing that the location and design of the tents means that you couldn’t relax on the decking between game drives as there was almost no shade.

We found the staff very well trained and friendly and the food very good. Although we were not fully inclusive we could see that most wine & spirits were included with only a few premium brands that weren’t. The tents also had a fully stocked mini bar.

The lodge offers game drives into Etosha but we wanted to self-drive. It would have been a nice touch (once the lodge established that we weren’t purchasing their activity) to provide some information and tips on self-driving in Etosha e.g. how entry works, the sightings book & where to purchase a map etc.

We did the Sundowner drive – the only activity offered in the Onguma reserve. It was a very pleasant experience although the game is not at the same level as Etosha. It was irritating to be told that there were lions at one of the other Onguma lodge waterholes but that we weren’t allowed to go and see them!

We had 6 people on the Sundowner drive, and the front seat had been ‘reserved’ by one couple. The vehicle holds 9 (in 3 rows of 3 seats) and the activity sheet highlights that they might fill the vehicle to maximum capacity on all drives. Note also that the lodge says that all activities must be booked in advance. This was not the case at any other lodge we stayed at.

A note for the lodge staff on how to handle issues. I had a blocked sink in my room which I reported on the first evening when I went to dinner. When I went to bed I was told it had been fixed – it hadn’t. I reported it the next morning and when I returned from the game drive 7 hours later it had still not been fixed. I only found this out when I got back to my tent and found the bathroom a bomb site with the handy man in the process of repairing. I went back to reception to ask what the situation was as relaxing in my room was not possible. Reception did not know that a repair was taking place and went to find out the situation. When they came back they completely ignored me and I had to go back to reception again and ask what was going on. I was told that they didn’t know how long it would take. There was no apology, no offer to organise refreshments and no progress updates in the 1.5 hours I had to wait in the common area. Eventually they came & told me everything was completed. The sink was fixed and the tent had been fully cleaned and set back in order.

I was pretty annoyed at the poor service and asked to speak to the manager who wasn’t available. However, they managed to save the day as when we went to dinner the manager in charge had obviously been informed and was very, very apologetic and set us up a special table for dinner and a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine.

There can always be maintenance issues with rooms but it is how they handle them that is most important. Reception should have been aware of the issue and intercepted me before I got to my room and APOLOGISED and explained the situation. They should have offered me refreshments and given me frequent updates on progress." See all these reviews: 23n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Average
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Sightings Report

Cheetah

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Oryx

1 sighting

Wildebeest

7 sightings

Zebra

7 sightings

Ms J.
Mijas

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 8 Sep 2023
"My favourite place. So beautiful and relaxed and peaceful.

Gosh I could rave about this place for ever!

Thank you!" See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Mrs L.
London

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 30 Aug 2023
"Beautiful camp around a watering hole.

The tents were very comfortable. The reception and dining areas were great.

The general staff were lovely but we had some issues with the managers who told us that all the activities were booked up for two days (although advance booking is not needed) . We had to complain strongly in order to get on the drives etc. In the end we could do everything we wanted to due to cancellations however, it left us with a negative feeling as the communication at the start was not great.

Our guide, David was energetic and knowledgable and we enjoyed the drives that he took us on - we saw an amazing amount of wildlife including a leopard eating its kill up a tree, rhinos, lions etc all on one drive." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Black Rhino

Multiple sightings

Brown Hyena

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Oryx

Multiple sightings

Roan antelope

Multiple sightings

White Rhino

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Tammy H
Redmond

"Onguma Tented Camp "

1 night Arrived 2 Jun 2023
"We stayed just one night after a full day drive through Etosha. The rooms are elevated luxury tents, with huge bathrooms. All have a very nice view of the waterhole. Because we were leaving early the next morning, we did not partake in any activities at Onguma. We stayed on a half board as we arrived at sundown and left after breakfast the next morning.

The staff are very friendly and accommodating. Dinner and breakfast were excellent. Very good option for a stopover before heading south.

We opted not to spend two nights as I had read there are fewer animals on that side of Etosha. We did see impala and wildebeest at the waterhole, along with some very friendly red billed hornbills that were happy to pose for pictures." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

1 sighting

K&G
London

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

1 night Arrived 23 Apr 2023
"The tents here are located around a waterhole which is very close and as we arrived there was a giraffe having a drink, which was a pretty good first impression.

We booked on the sundowner 2.5 hour trip but this turned out to be quite disappointing as it was mainly about birds and there was no attempt to look for other animals....we knew we were in trouble when the guide stopped the vehicle for the other 4 people on board twice in the first 10 minutes to show them a bird, and then waited for about 15 minutes to watch another bird fly off from a branch! In hindsight we should have been clearer with the guide that we weren't that interested in birds but we felt too embarrassed to as the majority of those on the trip clearly were twitchers and we didn't want to offend them.

We did give this feedback to the management on departure though. The tents have excellent mosquito nets around the bed plus an air con unit that works just inside that net - very effective, neat and clever. The open sides of the tent - made of strong mesh - were a surprise to us as we thought canvas covers would be pulled over them when we went to bed.....but that's just us being nervous nellies!

Lions came to the waterhole in front of us during the night and their roars, which sounded like they were right next to our tent (they weren't!!) will stay with us for a long long time!" See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Average
Activities:
Average
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Giraffe

1 sighting

Lion

1 sighting

Mr & Mrs B
Fortrose

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 29 Oct 2022
"Lovely setting with all the tents well spaced around the waterhole. We spent a lot of the time watching a variety of game coming down to drink.

The food was great, good service from all the waiting staff.

The only comment we felt both of the managers/reception staff to be distant and uncommunicative." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Giraffe

5 sightings

Oryx

2 sightings

Wildebeest

5 sightings

Zebra

9 sightings

M&A
San Diego

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 16 Oct 2022
"A well-situated lodge around a waterhole just outside the east entrance to Etosha NP.

Nicely appointed glamping tent/huts. Close enough to Etosha to allow day trips into the park.

The guide offered a walking safari one morning, which is not offered in most lodges.

A worthwhile experience to observe different aspects of the landscape and wildlife." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 5n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Cheetah

1 sighting

Elephant

3 sightings

Giraffe

3 sightings

Oryx

1 sighting

Wildebeest

3 sightings

Zebra

3 sightings

Mr D.
East Lulworth

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 11 Oct 2022
"Lovely waterhole and great rooms. Design amazing.

Guide ( Francis)was excellent. Only thing let it down was manager very functional/ lacked warmth.

Actual reserve was disappointing although national park was close and great" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Average
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Ms TC
Florida

"Onguma Tented Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 8 Oct 2022
"What a delightful place! The staff was fantastic, the scenery, the waterhole, and the wonderful food made our stay absolutely special.

The bush dinner was amazing too. I wish we had more time to spend at the lodge to relax and enjoy the settings.

I was actually sad to have to leave, the waterhole was wonderful with lots of activities from the wildlife.

I also loved the way our room was decorated, definitely one of the best camps that we stayed on this trip." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Eland

1 sighting

Elephant

2 sightings

Giraffe

3 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Oryx

2 sightings

Roan antelope

1 sighting

Sable antelope

1 sighting

Wildebeest

2 sightings

Zebra

3 sightings

Showing 1-10 of 103
92%
103 reviews of Onguma Tented Camp by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
72
24
6
1
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 Lodge

Ongava Lodge

With fantastic views over a private reserve bordering Etosha, the smart Ongava Lodge offers driving and walking safaris on the reserve, and guided drives in Etosha.


92% (158 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)
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)
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)
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)
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.


92% (5 reviews)
Etosha Garden Hotel

Etosha Garden Hotel

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


60% (4 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 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