ONGAVA LODGE
Namibia

Ongava Lodge - Etosha National Park

Sossusvlei Wilderness Camp is situated 34 kilometres from Sesriem, the entrance to Sossusvlei within the heart of Namibia's Namib Desert. This is one of the most remarkable sites in the Namib~Naukluft Park and the Namib Desert. Huge towering dunes, the highest in the world, rise dramatically over 1000 feet above the surrounding plains at Sossusvlei itself. The spectacle of changing colours and the lonely Oryx silhouetted against red dunes is one which visitors and photographers from around the world come to savour and capture on film.

Camp Description

Ongava Lodge has 10 chalets which are attractively built out of brick and thatch close to the top of a hill. All your comforts are taken care of. Each chalet has an ensuite bathroom with flush toilet, bath, shower and double hand basins. There is airconditioning in the rooms and overhead fans. The rooms have glass fronted doors which lead out onto a private covered verandah overlooking the bush. The main lounge, bar and dining area is also under thatch with wonderful views across the plains and floodlit waterhole below. Outdoor dining under the stars, whilst viewing game drinking at the waterhole is something never to be forgotten. There is also a swimming pool and a large curio shop stocking a good selection of "African Gifts and branded safari clothing" As the lodge is built close to the top of a hill, there are several steps. If you can not climb steps, we suggest you book into Ongava Tented Camp.

Game Viewing

Etosha is Namibia's premier game viewing destination. It is one of Africa's largest game parks being nearly the size of Switzerland. Large herds of plains game concentrate around the waterholes in the dry season making for exciting game viewing. Species that can be seen year round include Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Giraffe, Zebra, Wildebeast, Springbok, Oryx, Kudu and the Diminuative Damara Dik-Dik. Birdlife is also good with Ostrich and raptors in abundance. Local specials include the Short-toed Rockthrush, Hautlaubs Francolin, Rockrunner, Ruppells Parrot, White-tailed Shrike and Chesnut Weaver. A highlight at Ongava is that it is one of the few private game reserves in Southern Africa where you have a chance of seeing both Black and White Rhino. For those who enjoy close wildlife encounters, tracking White Rhino on foot with an armed guide is a highlight not to be missed. Ongava Game reserve also has a good population of Lion, Eland, Mountain Zebra, Black Faced Impala and a number of other anteloppe species.

Mornings are normally spent within Etosha National Park, returning to Ongava in time for a well earnt lunch. After tea, guests head out onto the private reserve to enjoy more flaura and fauna. The option of tracking white rhino on foot is available as is night drives Aditional activities could also include full day excursions into Etosha National Park, taking along a picnic, subject to availability of vehicles and also a visit to one of the hides on the property. Private vehicles can be booked at an additional charge subject to availability either proir to departure or directly with the Camp Manager.

Etosha was first proclaimed in 1907. The park stretched all the way to the Skeleton Coast and, up to 1967, was the world's largest park. In 1967, the park's size was slashed from nearly 10 million hectares to its current size of 2.7 million hectares (about the size of Switzerland). In the early 1990s a group of Namibian, English, American and South African partners clubbed together and bought 30,000 hectares of land on Etosha's southern boundary. The aim of this venture was to create Namibia's finest private game reserve and to create a buffer for Etosha along its southern boundary. Ongava (meaning rhinoceros in Herero) was born, and a massive rehabilitation and restocking programme took place. White Rhino were introduced and over time Black Rhino migrated onto the reserve. Many thousands of animals are now found on Ongava including Elephant, Giraffe, Gemsbok (Oryx), Springbok, Red Hartebeest, Eland, Wildebeest, Zebra and the rare Blackfaced Impala. Lion, Leopard and cheetach have also moved back onto Ongava Reserve.

Pricing

Please contact us for current rates:

Location

o Situated along the southern boundary of the Etosha National Park, close to the Anderssen Gate in northern Namibia
o South of Okaukuejo
o In own private game reserve

Accommodation

Number of Rooms:
10 large rock and thatched chalets consisting of:
8 twins
2 doubles
2 guide rooms sharing bathroom facilities
Room Details:
o En-suite bathrooms with shower, double basins and bath with a view
o Air-conditioning & overhead fan
o Tea / coffee making facilities
o Private wooden viewing deck overlooking the reserve
o 220v Electricity in the rooms
o Soaps, shampoos and insect repellents are supplied in each room
o Large square mosquito nets
o Hairdryer provided

Camp description

o Situated close to the top of a hill with wonderful views across the plains
o Thatched roof covering the split-level lounge, dining room and bar
o View over waterhole
o Swimming pool
o Reception
o Steps at the Lodge, so not wheelchair friendly
o Large Curio Shop supplying a wide selection of Assorted "African gifts" and branded safari clothing
o Reference library available
o Spotting Scope for viewing game.

Game viewing

Ongava Game Reserve is one of the few places in Africa where guests have the opportunity to view both Black and White Rhino. The reserve has a healthy population of Lion as well as a large variety of plains game. The birding is superb with a number of Namibia's specials including short-toed rock thrush, hautlaubs francolin, white-tailed Shrikes and Ruppels Parrots. Etosha offers spectacular game viewing in the dry months, with large concentrations of Elephant, Zebra, Wildebeest, Oryx and Springbok.

Activities

o Game drives on Ongava's Reserve and Etosha National Park in 4 x 7 seater 4x4 safari vehicles.
o Guided walks with armed guide to track White Rhino on Ongava's Reserve
o Night drives on Ongava's Reserve
o Hides on Ongava's Reserve.

Suggested Daily Activity Schedule

05h30 - Wake up, full English and Continental buffet breakfast
06h10 - Depart for Etosha (15 minute drive to the gate)
12h00 - Return to the lodge for lunch
16h00 - Tea with snacks
16h30 - Depart on nature drive on Ongava property with sundowners
20h00 - Dinner - served on an elevated deck under the stars overlooking a floodlit waterhole. Dinner is Buffet style serving International Cuisine and also local game dishes

Laundry policy

Daily service is included in the nightly tariff

Extras payment

Payment can be affected by Cash, Traveller's Cheques and Visa/Mastercard credit cards
If guests feel that they want to tip, our recommended tipping schedule is as follows:
Lodge staff - US$3.00 per guest per day.
Driver/guides - US$5.00 per guest per day
(This is the suggested gratuity schedule only and is subject to service standards)

Flying times

to/from Windhoek 1hr 30 minutes
to/from Swakopmund 1hr 45 minutes

Air strip details

Ongava Air strip Co-ordinates: S 19.19.7, E 15.54.9
1200m long, calcrete surface.
Can take aircraft up to a 19 seater Beechcraft

Electricity

o 220 volt mains. Should you need an adaptor plug for a special appliance, please enquire at reception

Guest Comments

"I have been fortunate to visit Africa several times due to the fact that I am in the travel business. This year I travelled to Namibia and stayed at Ongava Lodge for three nights. I was very impressed with not only the high standard of guiding, but also that of the service and cuisine. The genuine friendliness of the staff made my stay special. I will highly recommend this lodge to my friends and travel acquaintances."
S.A., USA

"This lodge has turned my passion for Africa into an addiction"
R.K., USA

"It has been a great safari to Africa. A lovely lodge, comfortable and welcoming. Highly recommended and deservedly so"
F. W., UK

"I taught in a technical college and had the reputation of being one of the hardest graders on campus! I demanded work and excellence to get an "A" grade. Ongava Lodge and their staff get an A++ grade from me!"
R.A., USA

"I was very impressed with all aspects of Wilderness. The lodge is attractive and comfortable and the staff are all, without exception, top-notch, I shall tell everyone who will listen how great you are!!"
M.I.W., USA

"Thank you for a wonderful honeymoon, for chalet number one close to all the animals at the waterhole, for our candlelit dinner by the pool and for the chilled champagne, you went out of your way to make it special for us. We will never forget our stay with you."
M. B., Italy

"Ongava Lodge is a real oasis in Namibia's heat. We were lucky to experience Etosha at its hotest and dryest so we saw a multitude of game at the waterholes. Our guide looked after us superbly, he always had a supply of cold drinks at hand and when we returned to camp it was great relaxing in the pool. The air-conditioned chalet was a real bonus. We thoroughly enjoyed dinner outside on the deck overlooking the waterhole. We had a great stay and cannot thank your staff enough. A.S., UK
The managers run a great show at Ongava. The high level of service and personal attention impressed us. The guides were friendly and knowledgeable and we could not fault anything. Thank you to everyone for making our trip special"
B.C., USA

"We have travelled for 3 weeks now in Namibia and were glad to take 3 days at Ongava. We felt refreshed and pampered after our stay. We saw 7 white rhino and 2 black rhino during our stay, which was amazing, and I hope I got some good photos."
G.B., Germany

"We greatly appreciated the standard of accommodation and care throughout, behind the scenes and the attention to detail upfront. Very well done."
Dr P. D., UK

"The staff at Ongava went out of their way to ensure that our group of 8 all had fun. We were well looked after and Korbus our guide, taught us a great deal about the animals we saw. We even have 2 new birders thanks to him! Throughout our stay the food was delicious and the personal attention and care never lacked. Thank you"
G.S., USA

"We were really impressed by the amount of game that we saw at Ongava. Tracking the white rhino on foot was experience that I will never forget. "
S.J., France

Please contact us for current rates: