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Onguma Bush Camp
Onguma Bush Camp
Onguma Bush Camp
Onguma Bush Camp
Onguma Bush Camp

Reviews of Onguma Bush Camp

Wildlife sightings and reviews

91 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Onguma Bush Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jul-2018, 26 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Onguma Bush Camp.
Lion

42% success

Leopard

9% success

Cheetah

18% success

Oryx

72% success

Giraffe

71% success

Zebra

67% success

Wildebeest

63% success

Elephant

54% success

Eland

38% success

Spotted Hyena

30% success

Sable antelope

24% success

Black Rhino

19% success

Brown Hyena

15% success

Roan antelope

14% success

White Rhino

14% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 51-60 of 91
Duration
Arrival date
Mr A & Mrs M
UK

"Superb Onguma"

3 nights Arrived 17 Jun 2015
"There have been a lot of improvements since our last visit to Onguma, the view from the dinning room of the new waterhole is spectacular.

The staff are lovely and friendly and most helpful. They appreciated the presents of Manchester United Football Shirts." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr D & Ms C
Canada

"Onguma is a lovely little place"

2 nights Arrived 25 May 2015
"Outstanding customer service, everything was easily taken care of.

Its a nice spot with good food, facilities and a nice little waterhole that isn't too busy though. We used this as a place to chill though so you shouldn't expect tons of game here and should probably head into the park.

Our night drive was pretty unproductive as most of mine have been elsewhere." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 7n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Average
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr R & Ms L
UK

"Just a fence away from the Etosha"

2 nights Arrived 5 Jan 2015
"We enjoyed out brief stay here, with comfortable rooms and helpful staff. The post-Xmas quiet period had set in so there weren't many other guests. We saw our first sign of the rains here, with dramatic electric storms. The waterhole beside the main building attracted surprisingly few animals, even though the rains were only just upon us, though the staff nurtured a large population of turtles/terrapins in the pool. We took a trip with one of the Onguma guides into Etosha and this was really a very good experience.

The guide was extremely knowledgeable, and was able to guide to a waterhole where he thought that black rhino might be present and in due course they were. We also had the absorbing experience of sitting by a pride of 7 or 8 lions, and then when they all got up and moved off, our guide said he thought they were heading for a waterhole so we set off to get there before them. We then had quite a dramatic period at the waterhole where there were several giraffe including a very young male. We couldn't see the lions but the giraffe almost certainly were aware of their proximity so there was a tense hour of so while we waited to see what developed. This was slightly marred by another tour vehicle with a young Englishman who talked talked loudly and incessantly about trivia - until we asked him to shut up.

Staying outside Etosha (but v near) was very good as it meant we saw things like the lions which we probably wouldn't have done on our own. Spending time at the eastern end of Etosha meant we saw Skinners Pan, where the near permanent water hosted a variety of water birds and particularly flamingos." See all these reviews: 28n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Ms R & Ms M
New York

"A wonderful 2 nights"

2 nights Arrived 3 Nov 2014
"The driveway to Onguma is located just outside the Von Lindequist Gate of Etosha Park. Before we arrived we spent a fantastic full day driving across the park (with a wonderful finale of animals at Klein Namutoni including a litter of hyena pups and too many giraffes to count) so we arrived at Onguma just before dusk. It is no joke that the animals wander into the roads at dusk - our drive from Namutoni camp to Von Lindequist Gate was extremely slow going because giraffes, kudus, springbok, zebras, etc. were coming out for an evening graze.

Anyway, we were greeted at Onguma by friendly staff who offered us cool towels to freshen up and gave us a tour of the beautiful grounds. In the Bradt Guide the Bush Camp is described as the "budget option" which is good for families with children. Both of these things were mildly concerning for us, but we agreed to stay here because we were too late to get our first choice accommodations and staying within our budget was important. Perhaps it was the time of year, but we did not see many children during our stay here.

We did ask to stay in the room at the very end of the camp so we could have peace and quiet just in case there were a lot of children around. They were able to accommodate that request which was great. Our room was simple but elegantly furnished. I would certainly not call it "spartan" (as the Bradt guide did) by any means! While we were out for dinner our bed was turned down each night with a goodnight story based on local traditional storytelling which was a nice touch.

Based on what we'd expected to find here, Onguma was such a pleasant surprise. The grounds are lovely with green lawns (though we did wonder how they managed to maintain the lawns in such a water-thirsty climate), luscious blooming trees, a swimming pool, a big waterhole (particularly comedic are guinea fowl and warthogs), and a very welcoming main lounge area with multiple rooms for dining, having a sundowner, or relaxing with friends and family, in or outside. We spent several hours on our second day just relaxing in front of the waterhole with some wine while we caught up on postcards and journal entries, or just chatting with other guests as the sun set.

Dinners here were among our favorites of the whole trip. There was an aura of sophistication to dinner time, with many guests dressed more formally than we saw at other camps. The tables were elegantly set and the service at a higher standard than we had become accustomed to. During dinner service our server would tell us what our options were for the next day.

The two activities we participated in with Onguma were a morning game drive in Etosha, as well as a night drive. We thoroughly enjoyed both. The weather was overcast and mild on the morning of our Etosha drive, so not many animals were visible early on. However we did see a lot (including a rhino which walked right past our vehicle) and learned a lot from the guide. We concluded the drive at the Chudop watering hole where we saw giraffes, hyenas, elephants, a jackal, a warthog, zebra, impala, springbok, kudu... and probably more. Incredible. The same goes for the night drive. We saw creatures we never imagined we'd see (including a gannet, a bush baby, spring hare, and finally a lion) so it was well worth it!

Onguma Bush Camp far exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend it for a truly relaxing and elegant time while still being close to Etosha." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
UK

"Onguma Bush Camp"

2 nights Arrived 8 Oct 2014
"Onguma gave us the only disappointment of the holiday. We were expecting a waterhole room, looking directly at a waterhole, whereas the reality was such that the only animal we might have seen at the waterhole was a giraffe, as we couldn't actually see the water beyond the swimming pool. If we paid extra for the luxury of a waterhole room, it really wasn't worth it!

Onguma also let themselves down as on our arrival the first activity on offer was the following evening as all drives were fully booked, which was poor.

Ignoring the waterhole aspect, the rooms were lovely, and the food was good. We did our own drive into Etosha the following morning." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Average
Activities:
Average
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr J & Ms J
Devon

"A lovely peaceful welcome at Onguma"

2 nights Arrived 12 Sep 2014
"A beautiful peaceful place, with shade and green grass, The staff were very attentive and the spacious room was excellent.

Superb position at the Eastern Gate of Etosha." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Miss & Miss H
Sussex

"Onguma Bush Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 27 Aug 2014
"Though camp close to Etosha quite a drive to reach gate. Didn't do any drives in reserve other than to get to Etosha.

Enjoyed sitting in dining room area and lounge overlooking small waterhole especially at sunset" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Ms B & Mr L
Australia

"Onguma bush camp"

2 nights Arrived 23 May 2014
"This is a really lovely place to stay. We were a bit anxious having read some reviews in travel books, but the cabin we had was lovely. Think there are 2 styles of accommodation and we stayed in a cabin on the outskirts of camp on river. Spacious and comfortable accommodation, good shower, comfortable bed.

The main communal area was probably the nicest of the whole trip. Lovely spaces to relax and watch the water hole. The night we arrived there were 3 giraffes drinking. Food and wine very good and staff friendly and helpful, especially Sandra on reception. although we did the night drive, as usual we did not see much - but that was our experience everywhere on the trip.

I had my birthday there and the staff made a special desert for our table and sung happy birthday to me. Highly recommend for visiting the eastern side of the park." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
N London

"Great overnight stop at Onguma"

1 night Arrived 23 May 2014
"If you don't stay inside the park at Namutoni, this is the place to stay to explore the eastern side of Etosha. Onguma's Bush Camp is much improved - last time we stayed here it seemed to have pretensions that it couldn't live up to, but on this visit we found the rooms, food and service all very good. We recommend the waterhole / pool view rooms.

If you're driving to Onguma from Etosha close to sunset, watch out for the speed camera on the road that leads to the gate." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
Haslemere

"Relaxing 2 days at Onguma"

2 nights Arrived 25 Oct 2013
"Beautifully located just outside Etosha's Eastern Gate. It had its own waterhole, swimming pool and viewing platform, and a nice garden. An excellent lodge to relax at after Southern Namibia and Etosha. Food was a bit below par, though the service was excellent, but the same bottle of wine that we had had at Okaukeujo was double the price - N$140!

The evening trail drive is to be recommended as we saw a number of species of nocturnal game that we wouldn't otherwise have seen.

However in trying to reconfirm our flights from Windhoek, the manager didn't know how our laptop could link up with his own group network. Not very helpful!!" See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 6n in Mozambique; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 51-60 of 91
94%
91 reviews of Onguma Bush Camp by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
68
19
4
0
0
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