Onguma Nature Reserve Namibia

 

Breakfast on our balcony overlooking the water hole.

Close up views of magnificent wildlife at the Onkolo hide.

Evening game drives and sundowners at the bush bar.

 

Onguma the Fort, Oshikoto, Namibia
 

Safari time! Get ready for lots of animal photos and videos.

Our Namibia adventure concluded at Onguma Nature Reserve – a 35,000 hectares private reserve adjacent to Etosha National Park. We prefer private reserves because they offer a more intimate viewing experience without the crowds. The other reason we selected Onguma is that it has a hide – something we had not yet experienced in Africa.

 

Travel Day: Damaraland to Onguma Nature Reserve

I heard a commotion in the living room and went to check it out. Michael had a strange look on his face – he just smashed a scorpion that popped out of his duffel bag. No stow aways allowed! The hotel staff later told us it is not uncommon for scorpions to come down from the thatched roof. And sometimes, mice snuggle into luggage to have babies – oh my.

We met Charles in the lounge at 9:00 AM and set off on a seven-hour road trip to Onguma Nature Reserve, east of Etosha National Park.

After a short time, we approached two women near a Himba settlement. Charles asked if we had met any Himba people – we said no. He asked if we wanted to say hello and take a photo – we said yes. Charles, a Herero, speaks the same language as the Himba people. I asked if they always dressed that way or if they did it for tourist photos. Charles said the Himba still live in the traditional way. They have goats which they use for milk and sell to pay school fees. The families move when needed to find water and sometimes it is hard to find food. In the last draught they lost a lot of cattle. Although there are many springboks around, it is prohibited to kill them for meat. The game rangers monitor the area, and some people report violators for a reward.

 

 

We drove for 1 ½ hours on hilly dirt roads then reached pavement in Khorxas town. There was a large modern building – a new vocational training center for plumbers, electricians, etc. After a brief stop at a gas station, it was time to continue.

At the halfway point, we stopped in the town of Outjo for lunch at Outjo Bakery. Charles told us there were a few holidays coming up this week: Africa Day to commemorate the 1963 founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now called African Union) and Genocide Remembrance Day to remember the Herero and Nama genocide. I mentioned that I learned about the genocide and Herero people in the book, Mama Namibia, and liked the ancestor fire tradition. Charles said his family still maintains an ancestor fire.

 

 

During the drive we passed a few cars and lots of giant termite hills. I noticed that there weren’t many people riding bikes or walking. Charles said people don’t ride bikes in area due to the lions.
Close to Etosha, the terrain became flat and we saw mountains in the distance. Then the sky erupted in beautiful clouds.

 

Onguma The Fort

After a pleasant seven-hour road trip, we arrived at Onguma The Fort – I saw giraffes in the distance. It was time to say goodbye to our friend Charles once again.

 

 

We checked out our room, the Sultan Suite on the second floor of the main building overlooking the water hole. Then, you guessed it – it was time for cocktails by the pool. We had a nice chat with Vivian and Christian from Germany as the sun set over the savannah.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After dinner in the restaurant, there was a lovely surprise in the room. There were several lit candles and a bedtime story on the bed – ‘How the Eland Rescued the Earth Mother’. Micheal read the story aloud before we drifted off to sleep.
 

 

The next morning, I went straight to the balcony to see who was at the water hole. How wonderful it was to eat breakfast in my PJs while observing a lone wildebeest, group of springbok, hornbill, and a graceful egret. After breakfast we emptied the luggage to carefully check for stow-aways from Damaraland – no scorpions or mice – whew.
 

 

 

Onguma Game Drive

Time for our second Namibia game drive. We joined our guide Jason and a couple from Switzerland who were on a one-month trip to Namibia, Botswana, and Zanzibar. Let’s see who was out and about this evening… There was kudu (a type of antelope), impala, zebra, vultures, an eagle, and lots of springbok. The lions were deep in the bush with a recent kill, so we only got a small glimpse with the binoculars. It was the same with the cheetah. At Onguma they don’t drive off road into the bush to protect the environment. The drive concluded with a relaxing sundowner at the bush bar. I was a little disappointed that we didn’t see more wildlife, but that is how it sometimes goes on safari.

 

 

 

 

Before we went to sleep, Michael read tonight’s bedtime story aloud ‘King Mageba and the Lion’.
 

Onkolo Hide Day One

If you are not familiar with what a hide is, I’ll tell ya. A hide is a camouflaged structure, often underground, next to a location where animals gather, typically a water hole. The https://onguma.com/onkolo-hide/Onkolo Hide at Onguma Nature Reserve is available by reservation for a three-hour visit. Michael gathered his fancy camera equipment, and we jumped in the jeep with Jason for a short drive to the hide.

From the car park, we went through a long narrow fenced walkway to the air-conditioned hide. Inside there was everything one could need for a morning of wildlife viewing. Nine stools lined a wall of windows with sandbag camera stands. On the other wall, there were cushioned benches. The hide also had plugs, USBs, binoculars, and wildlife books. The coolest thing was earphones that were connected to an outdoor microphone so we could hear the sounds of the savannah. In addition, Jason set up beverages and snacks.
 

 

 
We weren’t sure what to expect at the hide. After we got settled, everyone sat still on their stools focused on the view. It was a very quiet group – very little talking. I felt like I needed to whisper.
Just like game drives, you never know what you will see at a hide. Various animals came by, drank, and then left. There were down times where no animals were around, so we relaxed on the benches and had snacks. So, what did we see… springbok, impala, wildebeest, a few mongoose, lots of colorful birds, a beautiful yellow butterfly, and three geese who floated in the water the entire time. On way back to the hotel, we saw a dik dik and beautiful gray bird.
 

 

 

 

Since I was a little disappointed with the previous night’s game drive we skipped the evening game drive.

Before we went to sleep, Michael read tonight’s bedtime story aloud: ‘The Terrifying Chameleon’.

 

Onkolo Hide Day Two

We enjoyed the hide so much that we returned the next day. This group was more laid back and more talkative – no whispering needed. We chatted with Fabio and Marina from Brazil, and they showed us photos from the previous night’s game drive. They ran into the elusive lion pride with adorable cubs walking along the road. (Lesson learned – don’t skip game drives if you wanna see all the wildlife.)
There were a lot more visitors to the hide today: zebra, wildebeest, warthog, kudu, springbok, impala, guinea fowl, lots of colorful birds, and a few butterflies. An adorable mongoose group made a brief appearance – they scurried to the water in a big clump, had a sip, and then scurried away. The highlight of the morning was a magnificent kudu with gorgeous, curved horns (see the feature image). He had a slight limp, and we hoped he was ok. On the way back to the hotel, we passed oryx and a buzzard.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Game Drive

I hoped we would get lucky and run into the lion beasties we missed the other evening. Jason tried to locate lion and cheetah. He said lions stay with a kill for two days and then go to the water hole. He went back to spot we saw the lions – there was a male in distance eating leftovers (it was smelly), but he was not easily visible.

Although we didn’t see any lions or cheetahs, it was a great game drive. We saw a cute mongoose hanging out in a termite mound, three zebras, three hawks, two vultures, an eagle, and a gorgeous lilac-breasted roller.

 

 

The highlight of the game drive were the incredible giraffes. First, we saw several giraffes at the water hole. It was neat to watch them bend their towering bodies to reach the water. Then as we continued driving, there was another, and another, and another – we lost count at 12.
 

 

 

 

While driving toward the sundowner spot, I was started by a large puff adder snake that scurried across our path. During the sundowner, a giraffe passed by not too far away.

Back at the hotel, there was a surprise for dinner. The staff set up a special table in a private area for our final Namibia dinner.

 

 

The final bedtime story was ‘Snakes are Revered Creatures’. What a coincidence after seeing the puff adder. Hmmm…
 

Goodbye Namibia

A night flight home afforded time to sleep in and watch the waterhole for a few hours before checking out. The animals must have known we were leaving, because a large spectacular group of wildebeest and zebra came by.
 

 

I realized it was Genocide Remembrance Day, so I looked online to learn more. Genocide Remembrance Day is a new holiday – started in 2025 to remember the German genocide of the Herero and Nama people from 1904 – 1908. Here are a few articles I found…

• Namibia marks colonial genocide as reparations hang in the balance
• Why Namibia Must Acknowledge Damara and San Genocide Victims
• Nama and Ovaherero reject 28 May as national genocide memorial day in Namibia – statement by the alliance ‘No amnesty on genocide

After a leisurely lunch and last look at the water hole, we had a short drive to the airstrip for the flight to Windhoek. We were the only passengers on the 12-seat Cessna C-208 for the 1 ½ hour flight. The plane pulled up to terminal and a friendly porter was waiting (apologies for forgetting his name). He walked us through the empty domestic terminal (it is closed on Fridays, but they opened it just for us) to the international terminal. After an easy check-in we ran into Fabio and Marina on their way to Cape Town.

 

 

Next – a long flight to Munich, a boring five-hour layover (no MyCloud Hotel in Munich), then the final flight to Los Angeles.

I reflected on the beautiful sights and unique experiences and felt grateful we had the opportunity to visit Namibia.
 

 

Namibia Travel Tips

• Travel visa – When we visited Namibia, a visa was required for U.S. travelers. There was an option to get it online in advance. Check the visa requirements for your country.
>Health – Some parts of Namibia are in a malaria zone. Check the CDC website and talk to your healthcare provider to ask about precautions.
• Luggage – If you plan to do air transfers in Namibia, check the luggage restrictions with the airline. Most small planes have strict size and weight guidelines, e.g., no hard sided luggage with wheels.
• Packing – Here are some things we found most useful: microfiber clothing, pants that convert to shorts, sun hat, solar phone charger, binoculars (however, they were also available on game drives and in the hide), and a portable fan. Since we like to listen to music, we downloaded a bunch of songs on our phones before leaving and brought a portable speaker.