Onguma Bush Camp

94% (91 reviews)

Full review Our view Geographics Food & drink Special interests Children Wildlife sightings Communications Sustainability Health & safety Activities Extras

Onguma Bush Camp: Our full report

Bordering Fischer's Pan, on the eastern side of Etosha National Park, the private Onguma Game Reserve covers 340km².

The comfortable Onguma Bush Camp makes a good base from which to explore the eastern side of the national park, being only 9km from the Von Lindquist entrance gate.

Onguma Bush Camp is one of five lodges within the private game reserve, which also incorporates Onguma Tented Camp, Onguma Camp Kala, Onguma Forest Camp and Onguma The Fort. Significantly, Bush Camp is the only one of these to be fully fenced – bar three rooms – making it the most child-friendly of the camps on the reserve; it is also the most economical.

Onguma Bush Camp is larger than the other Onguma properties but maintains the same high standards and unique touches that align it with the rest of the Onguma collection

It now has 18 rooms, all with air conditioning and a ceiling fan. Each room is also equipped with mosquito nets over the beds, a tea and coffee station and a hairdryer. The rooms are divided into several types:

Three standard twin loft rooms are built in a terrace with seating in front of each room on the shared veranda and views over a lovely manicured garden. All have twin beds in the main room, but otherwise their layout differs. These rooms also include a loft area for children and the bathroom is shared.

Three family rooms each have two separate bedrooms with a shared bathroom and small lounge area.

Three rondavels have similar facilities to the standard rooms, with twin beds, but are slightly smaller and are located away from the other rooms. This is Bush Camp’s entry-level room category.

Eight Waterhole-/Pool-View rooms are the latest addition to Onguma Bush Camp. Unique within the camp, these rooms – which are the same size as the standard twin rooms – are set in an unfenced area overlooking the newly enlarged waterhole. As a result, you get the feeling of being in the bush with plains game such as black-faced impala and common duiker often seen at the waterhole. However, because of the lack of fences, these rooms are not recommended for children.

One Settler's Room Formerly known as the honeymoon suite, this room is the biggest and most luxurious at Bush Camp, with its own lounge complete with DSTV and writing desk. It is also the only room with a bath.

Friendly staff at the large reception area, with a curio shop, welcome you to the main area of Onguma Bush Camp. Then heading out along shaded paved pathways, you will find the 'lapa' (an open-sided thatched area) that is the heart of the camp. This houses a dining area and bar, plus split-level lounge areas; the upstairs lounge has comfy, dark leather sofas and leather directors’ chairs and has super views over the waterhole. In addition, there is a games room for children, while across the lawn, with a firepit for evening pre-dinner drinks, is a sparkling swimming pool with shaded sunloungers and a platform overlooking the waterhole.

Activities from Onguma Bush Camp include morning and afternoon drives into Etosha National Park, plus sundowner drives on the Onguma Reserve. Note that there can be up to 9 people in the guided safari vehicle.

The landscape on the reserve is like that of eastern Etosha, a mix of pans, woodland and open plains, grazed by impala, oryx, wildebeest and springbok. These in turn attract predators such as lion and leopard, and rhino are present too – but sightings are never guaranteed. There is also the Onkolo water-level hide where you can sit and watch animals and birds come to drink from a whole new vantage point, plus interpretive bush walks where you learn more about the environment, spore identification and the smaller creatures that are often overlooked on a game drive. Alternatively, you can easily drive yourself into Etosha National Park, as the entrance to the reserve is just metres from the park entrance.

Our view

Onguma is the only fenced camp on the Onguma Reserve, and the most economical, so is the best option here for families travelling with younger children, as well as for those on a tight budget. Because of its convenient access to the Etosha National Park, it can be a great base from which to explore the park.

Karen Sharpe

Namibia expert

Geographics

Location: Etosha National Park, Namibia
Ideal length of stay: A two- or three-night stay is ideal here.
Directions: Onguma Bush Camp is located on the Onguma Reserve, just outside Etosha National Park's eastern gate.
Accessible by: Self-drive or Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Half Board
Food quality: On our last visit in April 2024, We unfortunately did not get to have any meals at the lodge. However, you can expect fresh homemade meals such as:

A tasty buffet breakfast includes the usual bread, muffins, cereal, cold meat and cheese, yoghurt, fruit and juice, with tea and coffee. A hot breakfast cooked to order is available too.

The camp offers a choice of light lunches such as salads or sandwiches.

Dinner at Bush Camp is usually a set menu of three courses. On a previous visit, we had lentil soup followed by eland steak served with sweet potatoes, carrot and cauliflower. To round it off we enjoyed a delicious peppermint cheesecake.
Dining style: Individual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: No
Drinks included: No drinks are included.

Special interests

Family holidays: Overlooking a pumped waterhole on the Onguma Reserve, Onguma Bush Camp is just 9km from the gate into Namibia’s famous Etosha National Park. As the only fenced property on the reserve it is an ideal stop off on a family safari.; See ideas for Family holidays in Namibia
Photography holidays: With its own waterhole in from of camp and access to the reserve's water-level hide Onguma Bush Camp is a fantastic stop for photographers visiting Namibia. Amateur and professional photographers alike love the angles from the equipped hide.; See ideas for Photography holidays in Namibia
Wildlife safaris: Onguma Bush Camp is in a superb location for venturing into the wildlife rich Etosha National Park and is especially good for those travelling with children who are well catered for here.; See ideas for Wildlife safaris in Namibia

Children

Attitude towards children: Onguma Bush Camp welcomes children of all ages.
Property’s age restrictions: There are no age restrictions here.
Special activities & services: There is a special games room for children and a children’s menu is available. Child-minding can be provided on request at no additional cost, but please note that the minder may not have professional childminding qualifications.
Equipment: Baby cots and high chairs can be provided.
Generally recommended for children: Onguma Bush Camp is the only fenced camp on the Onguma Reserve and is the best lodge here for families travelling with children. That said, activities still revolve around game drives, with few chances to get off the vehicle; this may not retain the attention of smaller children very well.
Notes: Although Onguma Bush Camp is fenced, children must be under parental supervision at all times.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Onguma Bush Camp

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Onguma Bush Camp have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Oryx

72% success

Giraffe

71% success

Zebra

67% success

Wildebeest

63% success

Elephant

54% success

Lion

42% success

Eland

38% success

Spotted Hyena

30% success

Sable antelope

24% success

Black Rhino

19% success

Cheetah

18% success

Brown Hyena

15% success

Roan antelope

14% success

White Rhino

14% success

Leopard

9% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Communications

Power supply notes: There is a back up generator incase of mains power failure.
Communications: There is WiFi in the main area.
TV & radio: None
Water supply: Borehole

Sustainability

Oshivelo Farming and Onguma Anti-poaching Unit

As well as providing excellent safari lodges, in 2012 The Onguma group set up a large-scale sustainability project, Oshivelo Farming, which successfully provides jobs and income for many of the local people - at present there are over 180 permanent, plus another 100 seasonal employees. They have cultivated and developed a farm that has grown in size over the years, which now produces a vast array of vegetables, so much so that several hundred tonnes of vegetables are currently sold monthly. Currently it’s one of the top five vegetable producers in Namibia! Through the project, they are also able to help the local Oshivelo community with equipment etc. for the school and they also built the village soccer field.

Onguma are also involved in conservation and as such run the Onguma anti-poaching unit, on the reserve to help protect the endangered population of rhino. Since its introduction, the poaching of rhino on the reserve has dramatically decreased, which is great news!

See more great sustainability projects in Namibia

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: Yes
Medical care: The nearest doctor is in Tsumeb, about 100km away.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: The main entrance gate is locked at night.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers in all of the rooms.

Activities

4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Guided walking safari

Extras

Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: A laundry service is available for an extra charge.
Money: No currency exchange is offered.
Accepted payment on location: Payment may be made in cash in US dollars, GB pounds, Namibian dollars or South African rand. Visa and MasterCard payments are accepted, too, although the bank may charge a surcharge.