Ongava Tented Camp

OVERVIEW:

Located in a quiet valley in its own private reserve, Ongava Tented Camp is an excellent option for a more traditional safari experience in Namibia. The country is famous for its extraordinary landscapes – the vast dunes of Sossusvlei, and the remote, mountainous desert camps where you can enjoy almost total isolation. However, a more classic safari can be enjoyed in Etosha National Park and the surrounding areas. Formerly an ancient lake, it is now a vast pan, parched and white, giving rise to its Herero name, ‘Great White Place’. Around the edges of this old lakebed are numerous waterholes, giving rise to grasslands and mopane forests that attract and sustain a huge array of wildlife, including lion, elephant, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and springbok.

The 300 square kilometres Ongava Private Reserve borders Etosha N.P. to the south and has great wildlife in its own right (leopard, lion, spotted hyena) – it’s also famous for its successful reintroduction of both black and white rhinos. Etosha itself can get very busy and is at times the antithesis of what remote wonders you may have experienced so far on your trip! So Ongava Tented Camp offers you exclusivity within its own private reserve, while still allowing you access into Etosha via the Andersson Gate. The rooms are lovely and the camp has a fantastic watering hole that has a plethora of wildlife frequently visiting. The walking safaris here are incredible and can get you up close to rhino, these remarkable megafauna that Ongava is such a conservation stronghold for!

ACCESS & LOCATION:

Ongava Tented Camp is located in the Ongava Private Reserve, which borders the southern boundary of Etosha National Park. While benefiting from the more intimate experience of being in a private reserve, you also have great access to the best game-viewing areas within Etosha itself, since the Andersson Gate is only a short drive away. Ongava Private Reserve is made up of acacia forests, mopane scrub, and patches of open grassland – and it’s home to some great wildlife itself! This is also a haven for bird-lovers, with Rüppell’s parrot, Hartlaub’s francolin and the white-tailed shrike some of the big hitters.

The camp is accessed by scheduled light aircraft into Ongava airstrip, and from here it’s a 15 minutes’ drive to camp, depending on what wildlife you might encounter along the way. Chat to your safari consultant about when’s best to incorporate Ongava into a Namibia itinerary.

ACCOMMODATION & FACILITIES AT ONGAVA TENTED CAMP:

The rooms are classic Meru-style tents on stilts – spacious, well appointed, and luxurious without being showy. As the tents are set well apart, you have good privacy, and there’s a little decking area at the front with table and chairs, where you can relax and see whatever wildlife might wander past. Each tent has a double bed or twin beds, en-suite facilities with flush toilet, twin washbasins, indoor and outdoor showers, a writing desk, a small sofa area, tea-and-coffee-making facilities, and an electronic safe. The rooms can get quite hot in the middle of the day, but there is a great swimming pool within sight of the watering hole – this offers great relief from the heat in the hotter months! At night you have a ceiling fan, but the natural breeze from the gauze-sided canvas tents also helps maintain a good sleeping temperature. The family unit is simply two tented rooms that are closer together and connected by a little walkway. So you still have privacy from the kids!

The main part of the camp is a lovely building, made of stone and thatch, and housing the dining areas, bar, and campfire that overlooks the floodlit watering hole. Often you will get distracted during your meal as wildlife make their visits to drink! There is Wi-Fi at the camp, although speeds can be intermittent given the remote location. The camp has real charm, the food is excellent, the staff attentive, and it’s really well run. A nice touch is that they have a camera trap located by the waterhole, so whenever movement is detected it takes a pic (even at night) and you can check to see what has passed through.

ACTIVITIES AT ONGAVA TENTED CAMP:

As the camp is situated within Ongava Private Reserve, you can enjoy more activities here than are allowed within Etosha N.P. Both walking safari and night drives are possible. The guiding is excellent, with rangers trained to approach rhino for some scintillating encounters.

• Expertly guided game drives

  – Two game drives a day are offered, during the morning and the late afternoon. It’s possible to do a full-day trip and go farther into Etosha National Park, if another couple wishes to join (just in terms of vehicle numbers and availability). Among the highlights are lion, leopard, rhino (black and white varieties), elephant (if you head into Etosha), hyena, and occasional cheetah, while the large herbivore collection features giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, oryx, eland, and an assortment of other antelopes.

• Walking safaris

  – You can also head out into the bush with an armed guide. As well as enjoying animal tracking and the area’s phenomenal birdlife, you’ll take a closer look at the reserve’s insects and plant life. As mentioned, you can have great encounters with rhino at this camp! Different levels and distances are offered, depending on the ages of your group. Classic walking safari has a minimum age requirement of 13 years here. However, to track rhino it’s 16 years.

• Night drives

  – Why not head out at night when all the big predators come alive? It’s always an unforgettable experience, watching what goes on in the dark of the night! You might see all manner of nocturnal beasts, and occasionally a larger predator with its prey.

*This property is unfenced and located in a wildlife area, so large and potentially dangerous animals do pass through. If you opt to stay here, always be alert when walking around the camp and request for a member of staff to escort you if you have any concerns. Any guest is escorted after dark as a matter of course.