Okonjima Bush Camp

Okonjima Bush Camp is located in the Otjiwarongo area in the north-central region of Namibia, half an hour’s drive off the main B1 road between Windhoek and Etosha. As a drive it’s approximately two and a half hours from Windhoek and three and a half hours from Etosha. It is also accessible by plane, with its own airstrip. The property totals 22,000 hectares with rocky outcrops; it is mostly scrubby acacia bush with some open grasslands. Children from 12 years are welcome.

Accommodation & Facilities
Okonjima Bush Camp has eight standard rooms and one Junior Suite. The standard rooms are large, well-spaced, and comfortable, with thatched roofs, en-suite bathrooms, glass windows, and canvas panels to allow the sides to be opened to the views. Each room has a separate but adjacent sala, which has an open front, a fridge, a kettle, and big comfortable chairs, and can accommodate two adults and two children under 16.  The Junior Suite has an outside shower and a bath, and it’s own sitting room with a fireplace. The main lodge is under a huge thatched roof and combines the dining room, lounge, curio shop and the bar, and it overlooks a waterhole which is lit in the evenings. The lawns in front of the lodge house a small 1.5 metre deep swimming pool.

Eating & Sleeping
Guests eat together here and there is no children’s menu as such, although the chefs are happy to provide plainer versions of the adult menu with a little advance warning. Specific dietary requirements can be accommodated with prior notice.  Babysitting is not available so parents need to be responsible for their children at all times.

Wildlife & Activities
Okonjima is the home to the charitable Africat Foundation, whose mission is educating farmers and the general public about the benefits of maintaining wildlife populations. Out in the bush, Africat focuses on mitigating human-wildlife conflict, while also reducing livestock losses from predation. It also serves as an educational base for school children and adults from across Namibia. Okonjima also supports leopard research on a number of second and third generation leopards who have always lived on the property, and who are radio-collared. The activities on offer include an evening drive to track a collared leopard using telemetry and to give an insight into research programmes currently under way. Guests can actively assist with Africat’s research, by helping the guides collect and collate data. Guests at Okonjima can also see Bushman paintings on an interpretive walk, or enjoy several self-guided bush walks on the reserve.

Specifically for children …
The ‘Off The Beaten Track’ trail walk is particularly suitable for children as it’s highly interactive.