Guest reviews Okonjima Plains Camp, Otjiwarongo

by Gale L Brighton, United Kingdom

Bush Suite second visit

Our last 3 nights in Namibia and what a perfect place to stay. The Bush Suit is a wonderful luxury experience, worth every penny. Our own chef, our own ranger, our own house manager etc. The rooms could do with a bit of an update but they are still really comfortable and very well appointed. The pool is just a wonderful place to relax after a hard game drive. By comparison to some other places the game is a little sparse on the ground and one does spend a lot of time in a vehicle chasing elusive animals, some of which are collared. We were so lucky to see and Aardvark and our guide managed to give us some outstanding moments. He was knowledgeable but we did wonder if there was a bit of BS at times. However, we learnt a great deal about the working of Africat which we did not the last time we were there. Christopher our chef produced some wonderful meals - far too much food all round - we asked to make our own lunch which was happily accommodated. Gloria organised us well and our last night with Brai with the lodge manager Jason was really interesting and such tasty well presented food and delicious wines from a huge selection. Nothing is too much trouble for them. Sadly I think that was our last visit to Bush suite but not because it was not a fabulous stay but I think we have now done as much as we could do here. We felt Afica is a commercial organisation for its own sake, their primary focus was cheetahs, they have a few in captivity, they are getting rid of their lions and are now involved with pangolins, aardvark and leopards, rather loosing their way and primary focus, despite still doing a much needed job for Namibian wildlife.

by Alastair L London, United Kingdom

Fantastic, surpassed our expectations! Wished we had stayed 2 nights.

This location was a very positive surprise, we had only booked one night as we were concerned about how it would feel to be in a conservancy after having visited the other National Parks. We need not have worried, the guiding by Josua was top notch and the welcome and the support to meet our timing requirements was first class. Belinda gave a first class introductory overview when we first arrived clearly explain what was in the package and what we might expect - this practice would do well to be replicated by other lodges! Even our car was looked after, which had it's own car port next to our lodging to shade against the sun. The restaurant area looks out over a tree with hundreds of weaver bird nest and pool fill of lilies with a heron and a warthog enjoying the amenities when we first arrived; the backdrop of bushland has oryx, kudu and springboks strolling past. The rooms are large with huge windows that allow you a view out across the bush and an individual small watering area where steinboks and kudus came down to enjoy. You feel very connected to the wildlife in this lodge; you feel that you are taken care of and the wildlife around you taken care of. The rooms have large beds; high thatched ceilings and a fan with a large shower. The chalet also had a separate seating area with plush armchairs looking out over the bush and birdseed to feed the guinea fowl and birdlife. We only had one dinner and breakfast here and the food was very good - we had oryx on the menu and the food was delicious and well-presented. Josua had encyclopedic knowledge of the wildlife and tracking leopard and enabled us to do everything in our own time. For the evening drive; we spotted and tracked a leopard for 30 mins including watching her mark her territory and then had a sundowner from a hilltop overlooking the reserve. During the morning, he kindly provided a private drive as we had to leave by 09:00 to get a flight from Windhoek and after tracking Electra, we spent almost an hour watching her stake out a warthog burrow; only for a cannonball of a large male warthog to shoot out at the most impressive speed and momentum. Overall, a great experience and recommended… well done the team at Okonjima Bush Camp!!

by 87anial Geneva, Switzerland

Why is so well rated?!

We stayed there one night. It was clearly the worst place of our 2 weeks trip in Namibia and the most expensive!!! The staff is very unprofessional and rude. They asked us 4 times why we did not do any activity (which are obviously not included). Our mini bar was empty and the manager told us that the reason was because they don’t know what people like...wtf? The room was ok, although everything is old. Food was also ok, however we did not have breakfast as it was not good at all. There is an amazing place not far and much worthwhile.. Epako lodge. Would definitely avoid Okonjima!

by EMIELANDMARLEEN De Haan, Belgium

BUSH SUITE PERFECT STAY

Stayed 2 nights in Bush Suite, a top 3 stay during our 5 weeks trip. It is a luxurious, intimate and very personal lodge with 2 bedrooms, for a family or 2 couples. Quiet location. Spacious , with a private pool, illuminated water hole and views over the savanna Anna You have a private guide, chef and host taking care of you. Having an outside dinner around a burning fire is amazing. Highlight of the game drives, were the several views of leopards. A real unique experience is the B bush Suite !

by tchamber0118

Make sure to stay at least two nights!

Okonjima is often booked as a stop-over between Etosha and Windhoek and originally my travel company only had me there for one night. After reading the reviews, I've decided to ask for two nights and I'm certainly glad I did....there is really nothing I can fault with our stay: the people who took care of us were the friendliest, warmest, most dedicated (shout out to Emcee, Suzannah and Rohan here! You guys are the best!), the facility itself beautiful and well maintained, the meals tasty and the wine delicious. We stayed in the beautiful "honeymoon suite" a huge stand-alone chalet which also features an outdoor shower. It was so delightful to wake up and watch the springboks and the giraffes stroll through the early morning light just on the other side of the glass. Each room has a jar with birdseed in the desk...be aware that if you feed this to the guinea fowl they WILL wake you up the next morning by pecking loudly against the sliding door...or even throwing themselves against the glass after a running start!! We had a small waterhole just next to our porch and while we were hanging out a jackal came right up for a sip...simply magical! Our stay coincided with the first heavy rain in Namibia and we were treated to the sight of previously completely dry riverbeds turning into rushing streams before our very eyes (we have the video of the water rushing down, it's quite something). We still could participate in the planned afternoon game drive and were fortunate to follow one of the female leopards for over an hour as she looked for a suitable crossing spot to the other side of the water. We had already done a six day safari in Botswana earlier in the trip (in fact we were at the very tail end of a 3 week swing through the region), but the sight of all of this wildlife just never gets old...and had a very different feel to it in Namibia than it had in the Okavango Delta. If we find ourselves back in Namibia (a lot more likely than I had ever imagined!) we would definitely stay at Okonjima again.