Namibia by Road: 21-Day Camping & Lodge Expedition

Onguma's fabulous new water-level hide affords guests a great opportunity to calmly sit and enjoy nature unobserved. Amateur and professional photographers alike love the angles and light from this equipped hide.

There is a small ablution facility nearby, benches from which to view the surroundings and lots of windows and vantage points for creative camera angles.

Onguma Nature Reserve consists of 34 000 hectares of Namibian wilderness & is home to numerous plains game, more than 300 bird species ​and even 4 of the Big 5. ​The Reserve boasts over thirty different animal species. Plains game roam freely on the Reserve and predators although not always easy to spot, are nevertheless common residents of the area. Lions and Cheetahs are frequently seen and often heard. There is a healthy black rhino and leopard population and hyenas are also often seen and heard.

Etosha is a 22 750km² wildlife sanctuary in Namibia – one of Africa’s most stable and accessible countries. Etosha, meaning ‘place of dry water’, and refers to a flat calcrete depression (or pan) of about 5 000km². The ‘Pan’ (overlooked by the Onguma Reserve) provides a great, parched, silver-white backdrop of shimmering mirages to an area of semi-arid savannah grassland and thorn scrub. The pan itself contains water only after very good rains and sometimes for only a few days each year, but is enough to stimulate the growth of a blue-green algae which lures thousands of flamingos

Africa takes on a new perspective when you experience it on foot as the first explorers did. A bush walk is a unique physical, mental and spiritual adventure through nature. Experience the sights, smells and sounds of the Namibian bush by conducting an early morning leisurely walk accompanied by one of our experienced armed rangers.

​Johan, our resident therapist, is a professional massage therapist with over 15 years experience, having lived and worked at renowned Wellness Centres in Asia and Africa. His passion for and dedication to massage therapy originated in the East, where he was trained and educated from the best teachers in their respective fields. Having the opportunity to spend considerable time with monks in Thailand, has also led him to incorporate focused awareness into his massage therapies.

With more than 13.000 ha this reserve is one of the biggest Private Wildlife Reserves in Namibia. To explore the Epacha. Enjoy a morning, afternoon or night drive and discover the many different species on the reserve, including some rare species like the Blackfaced Impala and the Bat-eared fox.
Guests are guided by professional Bush Rangers. Together with your ranger as guide you also enjoy a stunning sunset in the middle of the Reserve.

NIGHT DRIVES
A daytime safari is so much more different compared to a Night Game Drive! When you are on a game drive at night as you see the animal species which you can’t see in the day time. The rangers work together with a tracker who sits on the front of the vehicle and tries to spot the rare sights like Bat-Eared Fox, Aardwolf, Vulture, Hyena, Black Rhino.

This is a half day drive that departs from Epacha Game Lodge at 07h00 and returns to Epacha after lunch, depending on the guests. The drive includes soft drinks, water and a light picnic lunch.

Experience the thrill of game viewing in one of the largest national parks in the world where you will see more than 340 different species of birds as well as various game species such elephant, giraffe, eland, kudu, oryx, springbok and many more.

If you have seen the wildlife and enjoyed the Spa at Epacha Game Lodge, you might be interested in trying something completely different but also exciting. Clay Pigeon Shooting is the art of shooting at special flying targets (Clay Pigeons) with a shotgun or firearm. We transfer you by vehicle to where the activity takes place. We provide the clay pigeons and rifle. A guide will be present to show and guide you.

The Epacha Game Lodge and Spa was the first in Namibia to combine the African safari experience with wellness when it first opened its doors in 2001. Many other lodges have since followed suit.

The Spa at Epacha is fully equipped with a Jacuzzi, Sauna, Steam Room and 2 treatment rooms. The most popular attraction at the spa is the open-air duo-treatment room, where it is possible to enjoy one of the many treatments together with your partner.

Experience this cultural exchange, where visitors learn about the rich heritage of one of Namibia’s most distinctive nomadic tribes. The Himba continue to lead remarkably similar lives to their ancestors, forging an existence in the harsh environment of Kunene (formerly called Kaokoland).

On your visit, you will experience the men, women and children rubbing dark red paste called otjize (a mixture of cattle fat, ash and ochre) into their skin to protect them from the sun. The Himba wear clothes made from goat skin, and the women have long braided hair coated with otjize and jewellery made from iron, copper and shells.

The visit to the local Himba Village is a must for anyone interested in culture. A visit usually lasts a couple of hours and our guide will drive you to the village located on the farm Vierling in one of the game drive vehicles. At the village you will be led by a local guide that will explain to you their day-to-day lives, traditions, beliefs and customs.

Guests will be guided through surrounding conservancy farms on foot, visiting a couple of authentic homesteads of the Damara people which allows them with the exclusive opportunity to spend time with their hosts understanding their origins, cultures, traditions and their approach to human wildlife conflict farming within the harsh desert conditions. Damara Guided walks at Hoada Campsite.?

Your guide will take you to local households to appreciate how those people of Bantu origins who are related to the Himba and Herero build houses, prepare their food, heal with traditional medicine and manufacture artefacts for sale. Get those comfortable shoes out as it is about an hours hike to the farm and another hour back. Depending on the time spent on the farm, you can expect to be back at your camp after 3 hours.

Meet the Himba people of Kaokoland with our guide / interpreter on an excursion to a traditional Himba village. Interact and photograph one of the last remaining nomadic tribes of Africa. You will have time to ask questions while your guide answers and explains the Himba`s intricate traditions, customs and beliefs.

- Morning departure is at: 8h00.
- Afternoon departure is at: 14h00 during summer and winter.
- Mineral water is included.
- Duration is approximately 3 - 4hrs.
- Private Himba excursions have to be booked in advance to ensure vehicles and guide availability.

Epupa Falls Excursion
(The road might become inaccessible during parts of the rainy season between Dec to April)
This is a full day excursion, which departs at 08h00 from the lodge after breakfast. The excursion is conducted in a 4x4 vehicle. Driving time is approximately three hour to reach Chief Kapika’s village. After visiting the village you will continue for another 35 km to Epupa Falls where you will enjoy your picnic lunch packs on the bank of the Kunene River while marvelling at the white water rushing over the Falls. Return to the lodge just before sunsets.

- The activity includes bottled water and picnic lunch packs.
- Not included – are extra soft or alcoholic drinks. Please request the lodge to pack extra if you wish to have a larger choice.
- Minimum number of guests per tour are 4 x full paying adults.
- Maximum number of guests per tour per day are 6 per vehicle.

Baobab Tree - Africa’s Tree of Life
This succulent absorbs and stores water during the rainy season to be able to produce a nutrient-dense fruit in dry seasons.
This mystical tree, believed to predate even mankind, is a symbol of life, hope and positivity during tough times, as it proves that it can withstand any harsh seasons while baring flowers and fruits.
They live up to around 3000 years, grow tall up to 25m and can have an impressive circumference stretching up to 40m.

- Est. 3 to 4 hours trip
- Mornings & Afternoons
- Guided & Self drive options
- Mineral Water included

Pick-up at Opuwo run way at +/- 11h00 by Lodge transfer.
Arrive at Opuwo Country Lodge for a welcome drink and toilet stop. Depending on your time of arrival, lunch can be served before or after the Himba village excursion, which normally takes +/- 1 to 2 hours. The lodge will provide the pilot with a complimentary day room whilst clients are on the excursion, alternatively he/she may join the excursion at no extra charge. Transfer back to the Opuwo airstrip between 14h30 and 15h00 for your return flight.

- Light lunch is included in the price
- Duration of Himba drive will depend on your time of arrival. Departure time should not be later than 15h00. Late arrival will result in a shorter excursion.
- The excursion is based on a minimum of 2 guests per excursion.

An approximate 4-hour long morning or afternoon drive into the Palmwag Concession area. Refreshments and light snacks are included.

Explore the beauty and wildlife of Damaraland on this varied full day excursion (min. 4 persons). Refreshments and light snacks included.

Join one of our guided morning walks and explore Damaraland on foot (approximately 1.5 hours).

Rely on your experienced guide and follow the tracks of the black rhino. An open game drive vehicle brings you into the Palmwag Concession area. The rhino tracking is done on foot.

Explore the Gondwana Kalahari Park on the sunset drive and celebrate life atop a red Kalahari dune. Drink in the beauty of the Kalahari where gemsbok flourish and sociable weavers build gargantuan nests atop camelthorn trees. In winter stretch your legs before a long fire next to the fish pond (the old farmhouse swimming hole) where barbel and carp that measure from your elbow to finger tips laze the days and nights away. Step along the trails around the lodge, keeping eyes open for springbok, zebra and wildebeest. And after your meal how about a star walk in the veld nearby?

These drives are the perfect way to getting acquainted with the Kalahari Desert. The approx. 3 hour morning or sunset drive with scenic views across the Kalahari dunes is something to remember forever.

This activity departs from Kalahari Anib Lodge.

Enjoy a tour through the Farmhouse's lush gardens