Onguma Tented Camp

Rooms

Onguma's 7 guest tents, reached by way of gravelled paths through the acacias, fan out in a broad arc giving each a direct line of vision down to the water hole. A broad sweep of wooden deck with twin Planters-style chairs feels right in sync with the Out Of Africa feel of the rest of the camp.

Sliding mozzie-netted doors lead into the tents where outer walls alternate adobe, stone and canvas. Ceilings are draped in white cotton (which imparts a rather marquee-like feel) whilst dun-coloured screed floors come cloaked in Nguni cattle hides. A low bed wall provides the demarcation between your sleeping space and the dressing room and the bathroom is to the rear, flanked by high, twin mirrors. In here, you're treated to a deliciously retro zinc tub (evocative of scenes from The Snows of Kilimanjaro), twin stone sinks set in a big run of leadwood surface, and indoor and outdoor rain showers.

No spoiling detail has been overlooked: expect a tea and coffee station, a chenille throw draped over your corner armchair, huge fluffy-white towels, kaftan-style cotton bathrobes, natural amarula shampoos, soaps and gels, a safety box for your valuables and extra long twin beds made up as kingsize doubles with goose feather duvets and fine linen sheets and pillow cases.

Given the choice we'd ask for tent 7 or 4, which are the furthest out into the bush. But any one is bound to tick all of your 'chic-safari-sleep' boxes.

Features include:

• Bathrobes
• Fan
• Mosquito net
• Safe box

Eating

Eating is a big part of the experience; each meal is a special event in its own right. The setting could hardly be more droolingly safari-romantic with 7 tables-for-two set around the edge of the polished deck, just yards from the palm-fringed water hole which is lit at night.

Your dining experience will probably begin with a cocktail: a Bloody Mary, piña colada, Brass Monkey or, to get your dinner off to real flyer, a TNT! If lunches tend to stay light, dinners are always 4 courses, and are, in the words of your ever-smiling camp manager Christian, "fresh-produce driven". Guests are asked about their culinary likes and dislikes on arrival at camp and always get to choose between white or game meat as main course. A soup and salad course, then homemade desserts frame things.

The choice of wines stored within the Tented Camp's central stone-and-pole wine cellar is staggering. It showcases the top wines of the Fair View Estate in South Africa: whether you fancy a shiraz, pinotage, mourvèdre or a blended wine, you'll find it on the wine list. The camp's staff have been trained in house at Fair View so they can offer expert guidance about what's what.

You can also expect a memorable breakfast; an immaculately presented cold buffet as well as any variant on the full works theme. At all meals the cheerful good nature of the camp's staff makes for a relaxed and truly enjoyable dining experience.

Features include:

• All meals included
• Bar
• Communal dining

Activities

• Laze on your private deck with one eye on the water hole: you're bound to see buck and birds and, with luck, a lot more
  
  
• Slip into the camp's eye-catching pool; the drop rim gives the illusion that you can swim out into the bush
  
  
• Star gaze: the night skies in this part of Namibia, with so little light pollution, have to be seen to be believed
  
  
• Head off to explore the Onguma Reserve and Etosha Park in the camp's top-of-the-range game vehicles, with expert guides. Etosha has 114 mammal species, some of which are endemic to Namibia (the black-faced impala included). It's also home to lion, black rhino, elephant, giraffe, cheetah, the elusive leopard and 20 species of antelope
  
  
• Birdwatchers will be in heaven, with a cast array of feathered friends. Heron, pelican, egret, and flamingo are some of the common spots, with woollynecked stork, white headed vulture and various eagles included in the trophy sights
  
  
• Chill out in the tented lounge where you'll find plenty of glossy books on Namibia as well as a small shop selling local handicrafts
  
  
• Enjoy superb wines served at a perfect temperature by the Onguma team. It may seem like an bizarre notion given the context but why not? Carpe deum quod vinum...

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Birdwatching
• Hiking
• Private guided tours
• Safaris
• Swimming
• Wildlife

Kids

No children under the age of 12 are accepted. The camp is unfenced and lion, leopard, elephants and rhinos all roam free in Onguma.

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Onguma Tented Camp is in the Onguma Reserve of northern Namibia. It is 530km from Windhoek, a 5.5 hour drive or a 1.5 hour flight in a light aircraft.

By Air
Windhoek (Hosea Kutako) Airport (530km) is the closest international airport. From here (or from Windhoek Eros Domestic Airport) you can take a light aircraft flight to the Mokuti airstrip near the camp, or drive (see below). Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving Windhoek airport. You can of course also fly or self-drive from any other destination in Namibia.

From the Airport
If you fly to Mokuti, you will be met at the airstrip and transferred to the camp free of charge (a 30-minute drive).

By Car
Most people prefer to self-drive from Windhoek (5.5 hours). A 4WD is probably necessary in the rainy season, otherwise a normal vehicle is fine. If you want to hire a vehicle, see our car rental recommendations; or ask our Tailormade Safari Operator who can give you a wider range of options.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Namibia and getting around