Reviews of Okonjima Plains Camp

"Okonjima is a wonderful place and Plains Camp is lovely. We were in a ‘standard room’ which was spacious and very well furnished. We had an issue with running water a few times during our stay which was a pain though it was resolved relatively quickly each time. There was a lovely view from the room and a variety of animals strolled by from time to time.

The main area is spacious, airy and comfortable but the service was not the best we had during our time in Namibia. Some staff (not all by any means) seemed a little jaded by the number of different people they see coming through their doors - many people stay only one to two nights so there is a high throughput of guests. Check-in was perfunctory. It was sometimes difficult to find things - such as where they set out the pre-early morning drive snacks or even breakfast and it didn’t seem to occur to some staff members that new guests might need some guidance.

Breakfasts here were spectacular - amazing choice and all items were stunning (the omelette particularly). Unfortunately, the same couldn’t be said of the other meals on our first two days which were fine, but no better than that. There was a significant improvement on our third day, though we don’t know why that was the case.

What brings most people to Okonjima, though, is the opportunity to see wildlife up close and it really delivered on that account. We were very lucky to have Denny as our guide, such a lovely, informative, friendly person. It was a pleasure and an honour to get to spend time with him. We had four drives with him during which we had a spectacular rhino sighting and two leopard (one male, one female). Our fourth “drive” to the Africat Foundation was ok - no fault of Denny’s that it wasn’t better, he made the most of it - but you are, effectively, looking at cheetah in (albeit large) enclosures. There is good reason they are not released into the park but it was not a spectacular experience, maybe we were just unfortunate. The information about the early years of Okonjima were interesting enough.

The opportunity to see animals that are really difficult to see normally as well as seeing how conservation can be done well (cheetah aside - no fault of the reserve though) makes this a worthwhile place to stay, but it was not our favourite of this trip. That said, our rhino and leopard sightings were absolutely fantastic." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana

"Okonjima does not disappoint, stunning location and wildlife, we saw loads just driving to the inner gate from the outer gate.

The rooms are beautiful and the staff are really friendly.

The game driver who took us for our Leopard tracking, then took us to the information centre and cheetah the next day followed by a night drive which was fabulous and ending in a morning game drive. He was full of information and had a real passion for the foundation. It is good to know that some of the money spent goes to help the foundation in the future. Things cost a little more here but the sightings are wonderful and nothing is rushed.

It also has a wonderful gift shop." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia

"We enjoyed our 3 days at Okonjima as the game drives were very good. We had 4 game drives (2 afternoon, 1 night, 1 morning) and our guide was first class.

However we thought that the level of service other than our guide was poorer than almost all the other places we stayed over our 24 days away. The staff on the main desk were offhand, our room was not cleaned or serviced and when we raised the issue we were told we had requested that the room was not cleaned which was not the case, and still no-one dealt with it, we requested a slightly late check out (midday) as we were on a morning drive and wanted a quick shower after breakfast as we were flying out later in the day but no flexibility was allowed.

We also found the main building and our accommodation without atmosphere although clean and practical." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana

"Another extraordinary place. Great staff and food, but the trip to look for leopards was amazing.

We even were awakened by a lion roaring in the morning." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 1n in South Africa

"Absolutely loved this place! First night we had the View room and saw a bunch of animals close to the lodge. My husband looked out at 3 am and saw a giraffe right outside the window.

Then we did a last moment splurge for a one night stay in a beautiful Okonjima Villa in the wilderness. No real fences, no barriers... We were the only guests and, other than a hostess, chef, and a caretaker, we were far away from civilization. There are no lions on the reserve, but plenty of leopards, so not allowed outside after dark. Staff was already nearby to attend to anything we needed. Loved every moment there...

For tours, we did a leopard tracking with a guide a came across a big male leopard right after a kill.

We also did a rhino tracking on foot with the guide and 2 rangers. They tracked 4 male white rhinos which we were able to observe for about 30 min.

Both guided tours were incredible experience and we felt safe at all times." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"The accommodation at Okonjima was amazing. The "view rooms" were enormous and luxurious.

The staff were great, the food excellent and the leopard tracking really great. Our guide was Denis who took us to a leopard who had just killed a Baboon. Then on our return he took us to a female leopard.

The visit to the Africat foundation was educational and insightful on the conflict with farmers and wild predators.

We enjoyed watching the two Lions, which although captive/rescued were in such close proximity.

We regret not staying longer at Okonjima." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia

"Reception was polite, everything explained clearly

Room had amazing views across the bush, lots of animals walking by.

The afternoon drive was excellent, guide was knowledgeable, went beyond basic information. Was skilled at positioning car for photos - the Leopard sighting was a good one - he was able to provide a viewing experience without making us feel we were intruding upon or upsetting the animal.

Guide offered to take photos of us and when we asked him about insects, he was able to point out some cool critters immediately that we had just not seen (very cool, as the little guys often get overlooked)

Dinner was a high standard, good drinks service/variety

Breakfast was great, wide range of food/drink - one of the waiters was very personable (young fella, can't remember name :(

On way out of Okonjima we saw a Dung beatle rolling its ball across the dirt road- a manager had stopped in front of us and we watched the little critter dig a hole - the manager was really knowledgeable and gave good advice about roads

The whole vibe at the lodge was positive. We would have liked to stay another night." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia

"Love this place! Large but the staff make you feel like it is a smaller lodge.

Great guides to help track and locate leopards." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana

"Having visited Okonjima/Africat at the outset, and also several times during it's early years, it was quite a shock to find that it had increased to such a vast size and lost it's original character. It was a far cry from 'tea on the lawn' and dinner around a fire pit.

However, the staff were extremely friendly and helpful, the standard rooms very spacious and comfortable, and excellent food. With just a 2 night stay and an early start the day we left, there was not enough time to do all the activities, although I think that coming from the abundant wildlife in Etosha then it was not necessary for us to do the game drives, The leopard tracking and the night drive were worth doing. And after doubting that we would want to continue to support Africat after all these years the visit to the Africat Foundation convinced us that it was still a very worthwhile cause." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia

"This lodge is very very good - superbly located in the middle of its own reserve. The main dining area is vast and architecturally impressive.

The food was terrific, the overall service excellent, and the activities very exciting. We enjoyed our afternoon radio tracking a leopard. The accommodation is just unbelievable - we had panoramic windows out onto the plains, with jackals and springbok pottering past our veranda, and warthogs attempting to steal our breakfast." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia