Omaruru Game Lodge — Hotel in Erongo Region

I had high expectations for Omaruru Game Lodge, as my previous visits in 2019 and 2021 were absolutely perfect. However, this time, the experience was a huge disappointment. The biggest letdown was the complete lack of wildlife. Despite being advertised as a game lodge, we barely saw any animals, making the entire experience feel pointless. In past visits, the wildlife was abundant, but now it seems like that’s no longer the case.Another major issue was the game drive situation—there were no available spots, so we couldn’t even join one! This was extremely frustrating, as game drives are supposed to be a highlight of the experience. Additionally, the cheetah feeding only starts at 6 PM, which felt poorly planned for guests hoping to experience more throughout the day. The food was also a big disappointment. It was bland, poorly prepared, and lacked variety, a stark contrast to the excellent meals we had during previous visits. It seems like the quality has significantly declined. The only positive was the service in the restaurant—the staff was friendly and attentive, which was a small relief. However, that alone is not enough to make up for the overall disappointment. Overall, Omaruru Game Lodge is no longer worth visiting. It used to be a fantastic place, but the lack of wildlife, poor organization, and declining food quality make it an experience I can’t recommend anymore. There are far better lodges that actually deliver on...

As we expected this was a little theme park ish.

Clearly someone had a vision of an African water hole with accomodation around and animals at the hole. Well here it was - almost picture perfect with animals present all the time.

The animals are encouraged by regular feeding and were present to a large extent all day. The water hole had a large number of waterfowl that were probably not local. This included peacocks that are not of African origin. However the overall picture was really nice to sit and watch while enjoying a drink or two. The animals are encouraged to go close to the bar so you can expect to rub shoulders with one of the Rhinos. (Do not try this in the real bush). The game drive was really a - find the elephants - drive. We did several roads back and forth across the known area until the guide had alomst given up and stopped near one of their regular water holes. They then came charging out of the bush towards us. I suspect they had been as frustrated as us as they immediately attacked the fresh grass carried on the back of the truck and the treats the guide distributed. As you can imagine it was a very close encounter with semi tame animals.

As a break in our travels we did enjoy the stay. We enjoyed watching the animals up close - is it a bit artificial YES, but still a nice experience. Probably...

Have visited twice now. Doesn't compare favourably to other game farms in that part of Namibia which offer a similar experience. I understand that this place is supposed to be a cheaper alternative but the quality is disproportional to the price. Food is good. Majority of the staff including game rangers are also great. But some staff shouldn't deal with people, including one of the managers in the reception. Also, Aircon in the room didn't work, and the bathroom light didn't work. When reported to reception we were told that they already know and can move us to another room but can't guarantee that the Aircon will work there either. Turns out in our case that it did. There was a strong smell of sewerage every morning when they emptied the septic tanks. To make matters worse, no attempt was made to hide this task from guests. Tree felling and path washing were also pretty intrusive. Ah, and a few of the poolside deck chairs were broken. And the WiFi only works if you stand by the reception. And there's no mobile phone signal. Anywhere.

On the topic of the game viewing: this place feels like a zoo. If you're like wild life this isn't the place to be. But if you want to be up close to animals then this place will offer the opportunity. Essentially a large interactive zoo.

Next time I'll rather pay a bit more and go...