Okonjima Nature Reserve — Attraction in Otjozondjupa

Great lodge - everything concerning accomodation and catering is simply great, but not really important. People coming to this place hopefully come because of the Africats project, and most of us would stay there with only bread and water only to experience it.

There are different approaches to the protection and conservation of wild cats. In South Africa they are held in secure areas, fed, and made feel comfortable with the presence of humans. That's why they have the "biggest population of wild cats in Africa" - yes, but it's a population that wouldn't be able to survive in the wild.

Namibia follows a very different approach, and that you can see at Okonjima. The cats there get only fed if they need to, they have as few contacts with human beings as possible. They are not there to serve us. That is why another reviewer said that it might need a few days to see one of the cats living in the wilderness, and he didn't like it. Yes, sir, I am sorry, sir, that you didn't see one of them on your first tour. But these cats aren't there to entertain us, that's not their reason for existence. It's the other way around - we are here to make sure they can go on existing. And the Africats project does a very, very good job at doing so.

Perhaps it would be important for some tourists to understand that they, coming to a lot of lodges and places in Namibia, are not the center of the show but just the ones financing the really important things - like the reintegration of the San in Kanaan Na'an ku se Desert Retreat or the conservation of wild cats in Okonjima. I really do like this absolutey Namibian way of doing things. It even makes me proud to contribute by only being a tourist. Hey, your country is a great project I will gladly...

BE VERY CAREFUL! THEY ARE NOT TO BE TRUSTED! In March we booked accommodation for July 10th for two nights for two people as part of our 3 week trip to Namibia. It was paid in full on March 13th, about 1,200 euros, approx. That amount included the full national park fee.

We did some extra activities and expenses at a cost of just over 300 euros, which was paid separately.

But in the final bill, they charged us again the park fees that we had already paid in March, and an extra of more than 500 euros corresponding to a higher class accommodation that we did not hire and that nobody mentioned to us. We had booked at Plains Camps, but they put us in Bush Camp. We were not notified, nor were we asked for permission, nor were we consulted beforehand if we were willing to pay the extra cost.

The photos on the website are very similar, as they both have large windows to the outside from the room, so it is easy to confuse them. In fact, I wanted to book at the campsite, as we were going with a 4x4 with a tent on the roof. We didn't need a room. But there was no room at the campsite available.... I don't have to know one from the other, especially when I booked 4 months before. When I arrive at an accommodation I trust that they know what I have booked.

At first I doubted whether I had paid the initial bill in full, as we were given a rather confusing bill in Namibian dollars. But it was when I got home that I realized the error in the accommodation and payments.

I have contacted them to try to resolve the issue. They told me they were going to review it, but it has been over a month and I have not heard anything.

There are better and more serious sites, so they are NOT...

It felt like a big money factory. Unfortunately it became too commercial and without any respect for the clients. Etosha spoiled us to much to come here. When we arrived after a long detour, we wanted to take a rest, which was not much appreciated by the resort. The purpose is to book a game drive immediately. We decided to book an early normal drive at 6am the next morning. That morning the manager whispered something to our driver and he drove us to an area where there were no animals at all. It was the most boring drive we ever did. The manager told us afterwards that we should have chosen for the more expensive tracking of the leopards exclusive which was almost double the price. We just wanted to see more animals in general with maybe some luck for rhinos and leopards. It was such a waste of our time and a precious morning. In Ethosa we payed the night drive even less and our dedicated driver showed us lions, elephants, hyena, rhino and so much more. I recommend to book one night extra in Etosha and find the leopard and cheetah in pure nature. Not in a reserve where they take money out of your pockets and put a tracker on the animals to get...