Reviews of Okonjima Plains Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
395 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Okonjima Plains Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
As with the Etosha camps, not listed but seen were springbok, greater kudu, and banded mongoose, and Okonjima is the first place we actually saw warthog. We also saw red hartebeest.
Wild dog are listed below but are not present in the reserve, as neither are lion and cheetah (although individuals may be present at the Africat centre). We saw spring hare on a night drive, and the close-up views of a leopard on the late afternoon leopard-tracking was stupendous, especially as the animal ignored us and carried on hunting." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
Drives into the outer reserve with the knowledgeable trackers/guides are fun and often result in the sighting of leopard and the night drives give a different perspective of the environment.
Cheetah are seen but these are held in large enclosures within the inner reserve as they are rescued animals that cannot be released into the wild." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
We had a view room, which was lovely and provided the perfect end to the holiday when we had our own audience with giraffe, kudo and springbok." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
The activities were disappointing. We did leopard tracking but our guide did not seem very knowledgable. We spent ages trying to find a leopard in thorny thickets and then he gave up quickly trying to find the second leopard.
We then visited the cheetahs and the Africat building where we found out they are no longer rescuing cheetahs from farms to rehabilitate them and return them to the wild as the project had failed and all the cheetahs in the reserve had been killed by the leopard and brown hyenas." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
Just as Expert Africa had advised, to begin with the size of the Barn and the style of the check-in felt a little impersonal, but as soon as we got to our rooms and found a family of warthogs sunbathing on our terrace we started to love the place. Our interconnecting View rooms were enormous, with those fabulous huge windows providing cinematic access to the wonderful open vistas around the lodge, and the ever changing wildlife grazing just outside. With winter temperatures colder than usual we found the rooms very chilly at night and in the morning, but the thick blankets and hot water bottles meant we were never cold in bed.
The food at Okonjima was as delicious as we'd been told it can be, with extra efforts being made to provide simpler meals for the younger kids when requested. But as others have said it was the opportunity to get close to the wildlife which stood out, plus the chance for the kids to visit and learn about the work of the Africat Foundation. We found this an invaluable introduction to the issues of conservation, community and tourism which were a constant during our trip.
Thanks to the time taken by our guides here to educate and explain, our kids started the trip in just the way we wanted: engaged and learning as well as enjoying. Our game drive guide Felix deserves a special mention: awesome off-roading skills and total dedication meant an unforgettable afternoon spent with 2 leopards, plus a very special drive home under the stars. Okonjima was voted by our 12 year old as the place he would most like to return to in Namibia." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
The rooms were comfortable. The food was very good. Our family especially appreciated the effort of our guide to help us spot animals and teach us about the wildlife.
We felt very fortunate to see an aardvark on our night excursion and to see 3 leopards on our tracking excursion." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
I was not so dismissive of the rescue Africat project and did a very good tour. This was by far the best accommodation and food and slickest operation we had booked.
Even the less upmarket room was stellar and we paid a lot I suspect. Worth every penny - thoroughly enjoyed." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
"Okonjima Plains Camp "
The main area is spacious, airy and comfortable but the service was not the best we had during our time in Namibia. Some staff (not all by any means) seemed a little jaded by the number of different people they see coming through their doors - many people stay only one to two nights so there is a high throughput of guests. Check-in was perfunctory. It was sometimes difficult to find things - such as where they set out the pre-early morning drive snacks or even breakfast and it didn’t seem to occur to some staff members that new guests might need some guidance.
Breakfasts here were spectacular - amazing choice and all items were stunning (the omelette particularly). Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of the other meals on our first two days which were fine, but no better than that. There was a significant improvement on our third day, though we don’t know why that was the case.
What brings most people to Okonjima, though, is the opportunity to see wildlife up close and it really delivered on that account. We were very lucky to have Denny as our guide, such a lovely, informative, friendly person. It was a pleasure and an honour to get to spend time with him. We had four drives with him during which we had a spectacular rhino sighting and two leopard (one male, one female). Our fourth “drive” to the Africat Foundation was ok - no fault of Denny’s that it wasn’t better, he made the most of it - but you are, effectively, looking at cheetah in (albeit large) enclosures. There is good reason they are not released into the park but it was not a spectacular experience, maybe we were just unfortunate. The information about the early years of Okonjima were interesting enough.
The opportunity to see animals that are really difficult to see normally as well as seeing how conservation can be done well (cheetah aside - no fault of the reserve though) makes this a worthwhile place to stay, but it was not our favourite of this trip. That said, our rhino and leopard sightings were absolutely fantastic." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana
"Okonjima Plains Camp review"
The rooms are beautiful and the staff are really friendly.
The game driver who took us for our Leopard tracking, then took us to the information centre and cheetah the next day followed by a night drive which was fabulous and ending in a morning game drive. He was full of information and had a real passion for the foundation. It is good to know that some of the money spent goes to help the foundation in the future. Things cost a little more here but the sightings are wonderful and nothing is rushed.
It also has a wonderful gift shop." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
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