Okaukuejo Resort — Hotel in Okaukuejo Camp

First thing to note , this camp belongs to NWR and is a government run camp, like much of these types of camps in Africa do not go expecting 5 star luxury like many of the other private camps you have probably stayed at. At the main gate you are given a park permit and your vehicle is checked for fresh meat products and plastic bags. This was our first time in Etosha but was pleasantly suprized. The reception staff were very friendly and checked us in very quickly where you also pay a key deposit ( although they did forget to tell us to go to another desk to pay park charges) We had to wait until 2pm to go into our chalet as it was being cleaned, so we had a walk around. The camp has a restaurant, bar , swimming pool, gift shop , supplies shop ( not much stocked there) and petrol station ( although currently the NWR camps have no fuel) . Our chalet was a waterhole chalet ( not one of the premier ones) but still had a direct view over the waterhole. It was a semi detached chalet with a small terrace in front with a sofa and table . Inside there were two single bed( with mosquito nets) storage areas, tea and coffee making facilities , a fridge and an en suite shower/toilet. It also had a strange side terrace with tables and chairs which was fenced in , making it look like a prison yard. Ok it wasn't luxury quality sheets and towels, but the bed was comfy, there was hot water in the shower and the place was clean. What more do you need? Breakfast was included in our stay and was buffet style , with the option of having eggs cooked for you. It was ok: cereals, toast , fruit, yoghurt and baked goods , but staffing was a bit hit and miss , one morning a guest went into the kitchen and made the chef come out to cook for the waiting queue. Dinner you paid for and that was a different matter , very chaotic service and un interested staff. They had a system ( although they didn't tell anyone) that you had to fill in a list at the till to book a time for dinner. They didn't have any fixed slots , so everyone could write any time, so there was no ability to make sure everyone came at once or that there would be enough tables and chairs. Luckily we went early , and you are offered a fixed 3 course meal: soup , meal ( meat and veg) and a desert. It was pretty basic school dinner affair and everything was luke warm . Staff did not seem to know what they were doing and took an age to take orders and deliver food. On our first night the kitchen ran out of food by 7.30pm. People were coming in for dinner after being on game drives and being given the menu. When the waitress eventually came to take an order she just said there is no food left. Reluctantly some guests were offered some fruit salad and others that got really angry were told they could have a salad made up for them. Not good at all. Of course the main reason for staying here is the waterhole which is lit at night , although apart from springbok nothing came in both nights we were there. The other downside is that if you are in the waterhole chalets the bright orange spotlights shine through your glass front door all night! On our first night the midge net that was just pinned to ceiling fell on the bed, as well as the pole that it was attached to. We reported it next morning , but it still hadn't been repaired 2 days later , and we had it propped up on the waterholes. Another reason for staying here is the easy access to the west side of the park park , the gates open and close at sunrise/sunset . It means that in early mornings and late afternoons, you have extra time to look around the park to those rushing back out the main gate. The wildlife around this camp was abundant: large herds of zebra & wildebeest and we saw lions and elephants every day. Overall the roads in the area were in good condition although badly rutted on the way to Olifants camp. On our last morning we were going to top up with fuel( we had over half a tank) however NWR staff advised us that although they did not have fuel Halali camp did. We decided not to pop out to the Trading Post petrol station ( 7kms) but to have a day long game drive until Halali and fill up there. You can imagine how unhappy we were when we arrived to be told they had no fuel either, resulting in an unnecessary 250km round trip to fill our tank. Not great customer service.|Its a shame as it would not take a lot of effort to make this a jewel in Namibia's crown. Just some good customer service training skills , and managers organizing the systems a bit more . At the moment with the range of good private camps right on the edge of the gates, many people are deciding not to stay at NWR...

NWR needs to change their bissiness model as a matter of urgency if they are to take tourism bussiness serious.their restaurant is totally mismanaged,I call out management and not the friendly waiters.with the same staff you can turn things round.you simply can't let people wait for 2 hrs before their meals arrive for dinner.miscommunication even when written down occurs.

The above is the fault of poor management.the way they structure orders.eg tables are on a priority list.namely table one will get food order in and ONLY that food order gets attended to.only after the food has been plated for that table does the next tables order get started.if you have seating for say 120 people you should be able to serve 120 people,your kitchen needs to be enlarged to cater for such and dishes should continuously be prepared and waiters must serve all tables taking food out.one waiter it seems serves too many tables at once and thus get overwhelmed.better is to ass8ghn such a waiter but food to be taken to tables should be everyone's concern.

The food was OK. Not great but only ok.

NWR Please get your act together.!!!!!!!this is my only bad review about my mother country.Get a private restaurant group to run the restaurant.rent it out to them ,yes you can still turn a huge profit, not to worry.reception should also be out sourced to a company that excells in service. And focuss on running of the park as such.eg fences ,roads,infrastructure which is the primary duty of NWR.I AM NOT SATING CHANGING STAFF I AM SATING WITH SAME STAFF RUN A BETTER CONCERN.follow the example of SANPARKS in south africa. They knew they could not run hotels nor restaurants so they build the buildings and lease it out to private sector.you will still turn a huge profit,trust me.

This experience like all my others here were dismal.wether small or big group

Etosha is an icon.Be proud of this wonderful heritage entrusted to you.i see so many sad faces of tourists checking in at reception.it feels like you are at a police station being held against your will.ask people to comment on their experience and you will see its not just me complaining.My clients are very disappointed.

The pics are time stamped.you can see how long it took from ordering to receiving the meal.6 of my clients simply walked out after an hour as most of your guests had a tough long day on the road they need efficient service.

Pics of kitchen shows far to few staff preparing food.pls pls pls change your modus...

You pay for sleeping in the park. We sleep inside and outside and I am not really sure if it is worthy at least at this hotel. The park opens at 7.15 so as much as you sleep in and wake up at 6 you cannot go anywhere. So what’s the point?

Location: yes it is good, main entrance of the park, which also makes it the worse, it is absolutely crowded. We entered via Galton gate the first day and we were alone, you could see animals peacefully, the few people there was nice and respectful. Here it looks like a party beach resort. Lots of noisy drunk people around the pool and later on the water whole, it looks like a theme park.

Food: very very average and expensive for what you get if you compared with the rest of the country, but again you’re paying for being inside the park, so fair enough. Breakfast is included if you stay at the rooms but again crowded, we went at 6.20 when they opened and there were lots of people there which would be fine if they had the infrastructure to have them.

Rooms: very very average and VERY DIRTY. the sofas at the entrance of the room are full of sand. Air conditioner barely working and only Namibian light spots.

Service: workers are okay, mostly nice people. But the checking process is a nightmare. There were only four people ahead of us and we had to wait over 1 hour to check in. There’s only 1 person doing everything while another 2 just stay there. She isn’t the fastest either and stops assisting you to help any other person who just gets there and ask her whatever.

Conclusion: it kind of ruined our experience in Etosha. We were so excited the first day here but after seeing this spot we got a bit disappointed, it’s literally a zoo. it is the only place to stay in the entrance so either take it or leave it. For the experience was okay, but having slept outside too I don’t think it’s worthy. They’re just not prepared for having that many people, and they should ensure people have the tranquility they’re looking for, not having to deal with drunk and noisy...