Not only is Okonjima a luxury lodge, but it is also home to The AfriCat Foundation, a non-profit organisation, committed to long-term conservation of Namibia's large carnivores, especially cheetahs and leopards. A visit to Okonjima will give you an opportunity to witness some of AfriCat's work. The Plains Camp design honours the Okonjima cattle-farming history. In the early 1920’s, Okonjima became a cattle farm and was bought by Val (VJ) & Rose Hanssen in 1970. They were well-established Brahman breeders and continued to farm cattle until the need for solutions to increasing livestock losses became pertinent and post-independence interest in Namibia as a tourist destination, escalated. In 1993, the herds of Brahman and Jersey cattle were sold, changing the face of Okonjima as well as that of Carnivore Conservation! The OKONJIMA activities include tracking rehabilitated carnivores on foot; visiting the AfriCat Carnivore Care & Information Centre; tracking leopards from a game–viewing vehicle. OKONJIMA also offers a guided Bushman Trail. Birding and Game drives are offered on request and if guests stay longer than 2 days.
Images
Video
360 Panoramas
Rooms
Facilities
Activities and Services
Restaurants
Plains Camp Standard Room
Plains Camp Restaurant
Plains Camp Standard Room Varandah
Plains Camp Standard Rooms
Plains Camp Standard Room
Leopard viewing
Okonjima Plains Camp Barn
Dinning experience Plains Camp
Okonjima Plains Camp dinning area Okonjima Plains Camp dinning area
Okonjima Plains Camp view from the "Barn" outside Okonjima Plains Camp view from the "Barn" outside
Okonjima Plains Camp - PoolOkonjima Plains Camp - Pool
Okonjima Plains Camp - PoolOkonjima Plains Camp - Pool
Barn Entrance
Pool area
View Room
Barn terrace by night
Barn terrace by day
Restaurant area
View across the Okonjima Plains
Curio Shop
Standard Room
14 Standard Rooms, with a view across the Okonjima plains.
Each room has a small veranda, a wheel-chair friendly ramp and the rooms are set 15m - 20m apart.
The rooms each have 2 double beds, a mini-fridge for own use, a coffee/tea station, 2 roof-fans, twin basins and a large shower, a safe for valuables and a telephone to contact reception.
10 View Rooms, upmarket, exclusive and spacious, with a view across the Okonjima plains.
Each room has a large veranda, a wheel-chair friendly ramp and the rooms are set 25m - 75m apart.
The rooms each have 2 double beds, a desk and comfortable reading chair, a large veranda, a mini-fridge for own use, a coffee/tea station, 2 roof-fans, twin basins and a large, twin shower, a safe for valuables and a telephone to contact reception.
The new, exclusive View Rooms are more spacious than the Standard Rooms and are set further apart, providing more privacy.
Property Facilities
24-hour Security, Bar, Disability Services, Eco Friendly, Internet Access, Malaria Free, Mobile Connectivity, Pool, Restaurant, Secure Parking
The Okonjima Nature Reserve sprawls over 200 square kilometres of undulating plains, mountainous outcrops, and riverine thickets, and it is here that leopard (Panthera pardus), the most adaptable of all the wild cats, thrive. Read more about our Leopard Research.
These intelligent, solitary predators occur in high density in the expanse of Okonjima Nature Reserve’s multi-faceted topography. The Reserve’s predator research programme has spanned three decades, and its findings have provided great insight to leopard behavioral patterns as well as offered an upbeat prognosis for a sustainable future for the species in today’s Africa.
A two-day Okonjima stay offers the best chance to view wild leopard in Namibia, as well as those collared for research purposes, in their natural habitats.
The Okonjima Nature Reserve, a huge protected area set amongst the rugged commercial farmlands of central Namibia, comprises a diversified ecosystem representative of both the larger and small mammals of Namibia, as well as most of the country’s endemic birds.
Game drives and guided bush walks offer visitors an intimate, up-close perspective of Namibia’s wildlife and, especially, its most protected species.
The Okonjima Nature Reserve is home to, and runs extensive research projects on rare and endangered species, big and small.
LEOPARD TRACKING
The Leopard ‘experience’ will take you out into the Okonjima Nature Reserve and will allow you to spend more time with our experienced guides and participate in the research data collection for our long-standing leopard project and newly introduced brown hyaena programme. Some of our adult leopards are radio collared which enables the guides to track them with a specialised telemetry device contributing to frequent viewing, giving visitors an opportunity to observe these magnificent predators in their natural habitat and experience the fascinating behaviour and interactions between these two species while they compete for food. Although this significantly increases the chance of an excellent sighting, it cannot ever be guaranteed as they are wild free-roaming predators. Morning activities (seasonal times): Departure 06:00 / 06:30 AM; Return 09:30 / 10:00 AM. Afternoon activities (seasonal times): Departure: 15:30 / 16:00 PM; Return 19:00 / 19:30 PM.
THE AfriCat FOUNDATION CARNIVORE CARE & INFORMATION CENTRE (ACCC)
During the visit to AfriCat, visitors will have the opportunity to spend some time at the Carnivore Care & Information Centre, which provides valuable insights into the Foundation's work. The visit will include a short guided drive to the AfriCat Carnivore Care Centre, where visitors can meet some of the ambassador cheetahs. Our knowledgeable guides will answer questions, explain the Foundation's work with carnivores in Namibia, and help position the vehicle for that perfect photo opportunity.
This game-drive allows more time to enjoy and understand the Okonjima Nature Reserve as a natural island bound ecosystem. As the private Nature Reserve was established primarily to conserve some of our more threatened mammal species, it provides an increased chance to encounter these relatively rare animals. This is once again assisted by the AfriCat Foundation’s research projects on the shy brown hyaena, bat-eared fox and rhino. There are more than 40 mammal species within the Okonjima Nature Reserve, both large and small as well as a good representation of the typical flora. At the discretion of your guide, there may be the chance to view some of these animals, large or small.
Experienced guides will entertain you with their knowledge, sharing interesting and enlightening information about the history of the Okonjima Nature Reserve and the research gathered over the past 30 years of conservation on Okonjima. On this trail, no telemetry device is used to track any of the carnivores researched by the AfriCat Foundation. Wildlife is the focus of the drive. Visitors are offered insight as our guides attempt to foster a general appreciation of the natural habitat of the Nature Reserve. Morning activities (seasonal times): Departure 06:00 / 06:30 AM; Return 09:30 / 10:00 AM. Afternoon activities (seasonal times): Departure: 15:30 / 16:00 PM; Return 19:00 / 19:30 PM.
The Okonjima Plain Camp Barn & Restaurant
The Plains Camp Barn encompasses the reception area, curio shop, a restaurant and dining area. The veranda looks out onto the waterhole.
Your Stay
2 Nights
Dinner, Bed and Breakfast
Fast Facts
Lodge
Spoken Languages: Afrikaans, English, German
No. Rooms: 30
Special Interests: Adventure, Birding, Hiking, Nature, Relaxation, Wildlife