Africat in Namibia
Dec 2nd, 2006, 07:57 PM
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Lynn,
I stayed at Okonjima Lodge for 2 nights last November. Everything was fantastic - the accommodation, food and activities. I stayed at the Bush Camp and did the leopard tracking activity (found a mother and her 2 10 month old cubs), cheetah tracking on foot (found 4 males and one female) and the cheetah feeding. These cheetahs cannot survive in the wild and will remain at Africat for the rest of their lives.
I also went to the night hide twice where kitchen scraps are used to attract mostly honey badgers and porcupines. The staff also put out a few pieces of meat in the hope of attracting a wild leopard or a brown hyena and I was lucky that a leopard did come to the hide on one of the nights that I was there. I think this is quite rare as our driver who had been working there for 4 months had not previously seen a leopard at the hide.
While I was there the vet was called to a cheetah that had a broken leg and we were invited into the clinic and allowed to inspect the cheetah at close quarters and to pat him - what a fantastic experience.
The bandas have canvas 'walls' that unzip about 180 degrees in the day and big pots of bird seed are provided to attract the birds that come to within a metre of the banda. Crimson breasted shrike, acacia barbet, Namaqualand doves - can't remember any more at the moment.
I booked the accommodation and road transfer through Elena Travel Services and enjoyed Okonjima so much that I plan to return in 2008. The Okonjima website is very informative and the movie is well worth watching, http://www.okonjima.com/
Cheers,
Pol.
I stayed at Okonjima Lodge for 2 nights last November. Everything was fantastic - the accommodation, food and activities. I stayed at the Bush Camp and did the leopard tracking activity (found a mother and her 2 10 month old cubs), cheetah tracking on foot (found 4 males and one female) and the cheetah feeding. These cheetahs cannot survive in the wild and will remain at Africat for the rest of their lives.
I also went to the night hide twice where kitchen scraps are used to attract mostly honey badgers and porcupines. The staff also put out a few pieces of meat in the hope of attracting a wild leopard or a brown hyena and I was lucky that a leopard did come to the hide on one of the nights that I was there. I think this is quite rare as our driver who had been working there for 4 months had not previously seen a leopard at the hide.
While I was there the vet was called to a cheetah that had a broken leg and we were invited into the clinic and allowed to inspect the cheetah at close quarters and to pat him - what a fantastic experience.
The bandas have canvas 'walls' that unzip about 180 degrees in the day and big pots of bird seed are provided to attract the birds that come to within a metre of the banda. Crimson breasted shrike, acacia barbet, Namaqualand doves - can't remember any more at the moment.
I booked the accommodation and road transfer through Elena Travel Services and enjoyed Okonjima so much that I plan to return in 2008. The Okonjima website is very informative and the movie is well worth watching, http://www.okonjima.com/
Cheers,
Pol.
Dec 2nd, 2006, 09:23 PM
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Did you notice these statistics? They are very interesting.
http://www.okonjima.com/site/rates/n...ricatnews.html
87% of animals are released!
http://www.okonjima.com/site/rates/n...ricatnews.html
87% of animals are released!
Dec 3rd, 2006, 05:57 AM
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Thanks Treepol,
Going back is the best endorsement there is. If you are willing, I will submit you to an interrogation now.
On your return would you stay 2 nights again or a different amount of time?
Do you think 2 nights is optimal for a first visit? If not, how many nights?
Were you able to do any tracking or viewing of the uncollared cheetahs or leopards?
I see you did a road transfer. That's what I'd do. Was the transfer from Windhoek or to/from elsewhere? Ideally, I'd be at Etosha prior to Okonjima, then back to Windhoek.
Is it pronounced Oh CON jeema? I've only read it, never heard it.
Were you an Africat donor prior to your trip?
Did you visit other areas in Namibia on your previous trip?
Will you visit other sites besides Africat in 2008?
Great stats on releases, Kimburu. I had not seen that link on their website.
Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for the info.
Going back is the best endorsement there is. If you are willing, I will submit you to an interrogation now.
On your return would you stay 2 nights again or a different amount of time?
Do you think 2 nights is optimal for a first visit? If not, how many nights?
Were you able to do any tracking or viewing of the uncollared cheetahs or leopards?
I see you did a road transfer. That's what I'd do. Was the transfer from Windhoek or to/from elsewhere? Ideally, I'd be at Etosha prior to Okonjima, then back to Windhoek.
Is it pronounced Oh CON jeema? I've only read it, never heard it.
Were you an Africat donor prior to your trip?
Did you visit other areas in Namibia on your previous trip?
Will you visit other sites besides Africat in 2008?
Great stats on releases, Kimburu. I had not seen that link on their website.
Thanks for the feedback!
Thanks for the info.
Dec 3rd, 2006, 05:16 PM
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Lynn,
happy to help here. I would stay for another 2 nights as I don't think 1 night is enough to do the range of activities offered or to make the most of the Okonjima experience. Its relaxing and soul-restoring to have a few hours to sit in your banda and feed the birds or to take a walk along the nature trail.
Two nights is a good length of time that allows you to participate in all the scheduled activities, get to know the staff and have some 'downtime.' Its quite expensive for single travellers with the transfers on top of the daily rate, so for me 2 days was good.
No, we didn't do any tracking of the uncollared cats. We did go into the enclosure where the cheetahs who can't hunt for themselves live and only 5 of the 9 showed up for 'dinner'. They were all around the vehicle allowing us great up close cheetah watching and their vocalisations were intriguing as well.
On my last morning I was leaving too early to do a scheduled activity so I ws taken over to the lion lapa at the main camp and allowed to stay for feeding. Nothing spectacular, but it was generous of Okonjima to allow me to do something on the last morning and those 3 lions are magnificent.
I transferred to/from Windhoek, however, if you are at Etosha and returning down the main road ask to be dropped off at Okonjima as they have a gate on the highway. Make arrangements when you book to be collected from the gate, the boys there will radio through when you arrive and someone will come from the lodge to collect you. Transfers I was quoted ranged from $400 (AUD) to $800 (AUD) and I think the difference was air conditioning or not - I didn't need it in November.
Your pronunciation seems fine to me.
No I wasn't an Africat donor prior to the trip.
Last trip I also visited Sossuvlei, Swakopmund, Cape Cross, Twyfelfountein, Etosha and Waterburg.
Next time I am thinking of doing this Explore Worldwide tour http://www.exploreworldwide.com/worl...urbroxid=13771 or I might do something by myself - maybe get a vehicle and driver and do Etosha, Palmwag, Hobatere Lodge, Kavita Lion Lodge, the Sandwich harbour trip from Swakopmund and the Desert Express back to Windhoek. I'm still looking at options for 2008 and Namibia will be my last stop in a 10-12 week trip.
Hope this is useful,
Pol.
happy to help here. I would stay for another 2 nights as I don't think 1 night is enough to do the range of activities offered or to make the most of the Okonjima experience. Its relaxing and soul-restoring to have a few hours to sit in your banda and feed the birds or to take a walk along the nature trail.
Two nights is a good length of time that allows you to participate in all the scheduled activities, get to know the staff and have some 'downtime.' Its quite expensive for single travellers with the transfers on top of the daily rate, so for me 2 days was good.
No, we didn't do any tracking of the uncollared cats. We did go into the enclosure where the cheetahs who can't hunt for themselves live and only 5 of the 9 showed up for 'dinner'. They were all around the vehicle allowing us great up close cheetah watching and their vocalisations were intriguing as well.
On my last morning I was leaving too early to do a scheduled activity so I ws taken over to the lion lapa at the main camp and allowed to stay for feeding. Nothing spectacular, but it was generous of Okonjima to allow me to do something on the last morning and those 3 lions are magnificent.
I transferred to/from Windhoek, however, if you are at Etosha and returning down the main road ask to be dropped off at Okonjima as they have a gate on the highway. Make arrangements when you book to be collected from the gate, the boys there will radio through when you arrive and someone will come from the lodge to collect you. Transfers I was quoted ranged from $400 (AUD) to $800 (AUD) and I think the difference was air conditioning or not - I didn't need it in November.
Your pronunciation seems fine to me.
No I wasn't an Africat donor prior to the trip.
Last trip I also visited Sossuvlei, Swakopmund, Cape Cross, Twyfelfountein, Etosha and Waterburg.
Next time I am thinking of doing this Explore Worldwide tour http://www.exploreworldwide.com/worl...urbroxid=13771 or I might do something by myself - maybe get a vehicle and driver and do Etosha, Palmwag, Hobatere Lodge, Kavita Lion Lodge, the Sandwich harbour trip from Swakopmund and the Desert Express back to Windhoek. I'm still looking at options for 2008 and Namibia will be my last stop in a 10-12 week trip.
Hope this is useful,
Pol.
Dec 4th, 2006, 06:33 AM
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I'd like to begin a month long trip from the USA/California in Namibia. If I can make it work, I want to fly straight through to Windhoek and from there go immediately to one place to sleep where I can recover from the long trip and the big time zone change.
Is it possible to get to the Namib desert by land (hiring a car and driver maybe). How many hours? I'm looking at lodges - Le Mirage and Soussuvlei are at the top of the list. I am mostly interested in the desert experience, want some time in the silence. Whatever animals are there when I am will be frosting. This will be end-June 2008.
Then I want to fly on to Cape Town, and would like to be able to get from where I am sleeping in Namibia to Cape Town in one day.
The logistics seem pretty complicated and the transfers all seem associated with tours.
I'd appreciate suggestions.
Sylvia
Is it possible to get to the Namib desert by land (hiring a car and driver maybe). How many hours? I'm looking at lodges - Le Mirage and Soussuvlei are at the top of the list. I am mostly interested in the desert experience, want some time in the silence. Whatever animals are there when I am will be frosting. This will be end-June 2008.
Then I want to fly on to Cape Town, and would like to be able to get from where I am sleeping in Namibia to Cape Town in one day.
The logistics seem pretty complicated and the transfers all seem associated with tours.
I'd appreciate suggestions.
Sylvia
Dec 4th, 2006, 07:16 AM
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Thanks Treepol. Very helpful. Your Explore Worldwide itinerary looks good when I checked the website.
Did you do 2 nights at Sossuvlei on your first trip?
Sylvia, when I've been inquiring about transport in Namibia, it seems that for one flying on a scheduled charter is optimal. You can hire a driver, though.
Did you do 2 nights at Sossuvlei on your first trip?
Sylvia, when I've been inquiring about transport in Namibia, it seems that for one flying on a scheduled charter is optimal. You can hire a driver, though.
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