Reviews of Okonjima Bush Camp

"Rooms were very secluded from one another. Rooms were comfortable. Only one night spent in this camp so would have enjoyed another afternoon luonging just outside the room in a small natural terrace area.. Dinner was very hearty with an extensive wine list and group dining. Fireplace and common area was very inviting after dinner. A great curio selection behind the "front desk"

Our guide (Paul) was very knowledgable and helpful. We saw both leopard (collared and radio tracked) and cheetah--confined to a small fenced in area for the reserve.

While I appreciated seeing the cats--cheetah especially--this was a very differednt feel to the other camps....almost zoo-like at some level. I liked the visit very much, but would not be compelled to re-visit." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"Again totally unique compared to all of our other experiences, a little more formal than elsewhere. The grounds were impressive and the room was more of a house than a room.

How fantastic was it, all to a completely high standard we were disappointed we only had one night we could have moved in permanently!!.

Once again, great staff and guides who provided us with everthing we could ask for, seeing both leopard and cheetah was fantastic. People did everything they could to provide us with the ultimate experience. Food was outstanding!!" See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"My favourite camp, with first class accommodation.

Leopard tracking, leopard feeding and a cheetah release were a thrill to watch.

The rooms are half 'open' and you can feed the birds from your room.

You get to see lots of cheetahs as the plane lands." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia

"Worst food of the trip, which surprised us." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 7n in Mozambique

"Loved it here. The central areas were very attractive and relaxing and the rooms - round thatched style - were lovely. The front opened up to an area with our own bird bath and food to put down for the birds - a great way to pass an hour or so, although I think the warthogs ate most of the birdfood!

We weren't quite clear exactly what we were booked to do in the FBA package and it could have been made clearer at the beginning of our stay - not a big issue but, for example, we didn't appreciate on our fist day that a night trip to the hide was included. In summary there were 4 available day activities of which we had two included and there were 2 available night time activities of which we had one (the night hide) included. Not sure if we could have picked which day time activities we wanted but we were happy with the leopard and cheetah visits and then we added hyena tracking as an extra activity.

Our guide was excellent - funny and knowledgeable. The leopard tracking was great - we saw 3 leopards over the two days. The cheetah morning not quite so good as the 5 cheetahs which are accustomed to vehicles are very old (14 and 15 years) and are sadly looking it! We did go and see a male leopard as well that morning though and it was very interesting hearing about the Africat projects.

Two of four of us went on the hyena tracking in the afternoon. We drove for miles, including up a vertical dirt track at the edge of the reserve - an exciting trip in itself! Eventually we tracked 'Pooh', one of the two radio collared hyenas, to a small area; got out the vehicle and went looking for him by foot. We did see him a few times from ground level but only fleetingly!" See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia

"We were quite surprised to find how big the Okonjima estate is and how hilly (especially after the very flat Etosha). The tents were very good but lacked a deck - something we had grown used to! Hot water bottles again, great!

Food fantastic though wine was a little pricey compared with other lodges. The service again was extremely good and friendly.

We came to see cheetahs and on our first afternoon met up with seven animals in a medium sized reserve where those almost ready for release into a huge reserve are kept. While we did not see any in this vast area we did track a spotted hyena going up to him on foot to within a few yards and finally found a leopard who, although clearly resting after a meal, posed for us and then got up and walked away disappearing in seconds into the bush.

Thanks again to our guide, Michael, who also told us about the efforts of the Afrikat foundation to rescue and rehabilitate wild cats and also try to educate farmers, and more especially young people, on how to live with these predators. He also educated us on the way cheetahs live, pointing out many things we were not aware of." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia

"This was another highlight of our trip. The accomodation at Bush Camp was lovely. The food was really excellent and the staff so attentive and happy to accomodate our every need. We especially enjoyed being able to open the sides of the chalet and watch the many birds that came down to feed and bathe at the bird bath.

We were so lucky to see Leopards at close quarters during the tracking trip, and a hyena with a kill. The guides were lovely and Albert was especially great fun and so informative. We did an evening sundowner trip and also watched the porcupines at the hide which was less good but still enjoyable.

We also went to track the Cheethah and spent a long time observing them. Nothing here was too much trouble for the staff and it really was a lovely place to stay for 2 nights near the end of our trip. Wish we had stayed longer. Thankyou." See all these reviews: 25n in Namibia

"Service was slow and amateurish, and staff seemd to begrudge serving drinks after dinner.
The curio shop was closed for most of the day for some reason, which added to the general impression of staff indifference.
The food was also nothing special.

However the accommodation was fine, and the guided tours was excellent. Maretin our gude made up for the above.
Overall however I am glad i only spent one night there." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"Not our happiest stay .Reception staff did not (we think)give us clear information about what Half Board included as regard to the activities and this did lead to some confusion when bill paying ,as our last visit in 2007 included all activities .We were particularly concerned that the evening visit to the night feed was now chargeable ,on one night the visit lasted for only appx. half hour(the porcupine were still feeding when the member of staff led everybody out) and this was shown on our bill as 316N$ ,this charge was taken off afterwards.

We were told that as previous guests that we would have the chance to see the feeding of the cheetah's which our guide Chris managed to arrange but unfortunately a cheetah had escaped that morning and could not be located so we had to make do with a visit to main camp.However Dave Houghton came and apologised the following morning and we did have the bonus of a long chat on the latest news from Africat.

We did think that the evening meals were not of the same standard of our last visit." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia

"Okonjima was a great place to stay at the end of our trip, before driving back to Windhoek and flying home.

The camp was completely full, but they upgraded our second night to stay at the Bush Camp (we were down to stay at the Main Camp on night 2) which was a lovely touch. There were a few staff who really made us feel especially cared for, despite the fact it was a full house. The lodge itself is in a lovely setting with waterhole out the front, and the park is nestled in between small mountains on the plateau making for wonderful views on the drives.

The rooms were big with nice secluded views out into the bush - we had lots of birds and small springbok and warthog visit us throughout the day. The pool is very big and wonderfully cold, and there was no one where when we visited!

The meals were very good at Okonjima, amongst the best we had on our trip. They were particularly good at catering for me, given that I am vegetarian.

The activities are great fun and they guides completely mould the activities to suit the length of time you stay and what you would like to do - we did the Cheetah game drive, Leopard Game Drive and Hyena spotting on foot. With this last one, although we saw the hyena we were unable to get out of the truck because not only did a spectacular lightning and thunder storm roll in, but a mother leopard and cub were nearby. So we instead sat and watched them sitting in the tree - what a bonus! It was marvellous to see the efforts Africat are going to to preserve these amazing animals.

We really liked Okonjima and would recommend it as a lovely place to stay at the end of a holiday." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia