Etosha National Park
A trip to Namibia wouldn't be complete without a visit to the magnificent wildlife-packed Etosha National Park. At Etosha you can't book tours inside the park; you have to venture inside the reserve in a vehicle you've hired or with a tour you booked at a lodge where you're staying. Our suggestion? Book your entire trip, from Windhoek to Etosha, through Namibia Tracks & Trails, and they will drive you through the national park too. You will be assigned to a group with a professional guide who will drive you through the game reserve using their trained and beady eyes to help spot some of the park's wonderful creatures. And as one of the continent's greatest wildlife sites and best national parks in the world, the sprawling Etosha will not disappoint. With its arid, salt pan desert, open plains and bush-peppered landscape, Etosha is a beautiful sight before you even get to the wildlife. And what wildlife. I spotted all of the big five whilst here: leopards (a privileged sight indeed), lions (with cubs to boot), elephants, white and black rhinos, and African buffalo. If that wasn't enough, also expect to see giraffe, zebra, gemsbok, wildebeest, springbok, dik dik, ostrich, jackals, warthogs and hyenas (if you're lucky). The careful, well thought out game management at Etosha has ensured the protection of many African species, making it one of the continent's greatest success stories. In fact, no rhinos have been killed by poachers here for years, and numbers are on the up.
Where to stay: Mushara Lodge.
Extravagant? Yes. Luxurious? Yes. Sumptuous? Double yes. Situated just a mere eight km from the Von Lindequist gate and easterly entrance to the Etosha National Park is a beautiful Namibian retreat - the Mushara Lodge. A collection of four different sites - the Mushara lodge, villa, outpost and bush camp - this haven for travellers visiting the park manages to successfully combine the natural wilderness of Etosha with exquisite accommodation and fine cuisine. The main lodge boasts 10 thatched chalets, which are all air conditioned and line the shrubs that surround the swimming pool, as well as a beautiful and cosy communal house, with candle-lit living areas - all dark oak wood, open log fires and traditional African art - dining rooms, a small library, curio shop and bar.
For families the bush camp is the better option, with 16 en-suite tents available, plus a children's pool. The camp also offers a complimentary child-minding service and has a children's play area. The outpost, which is the newest of the Mushara retreats and houses just 16 guests, will appeal to a more discerning traveller with a grand communal house - think crisp white contemporary interiors mixed with African artefacts - for lounging and dining, plus a large veranda for al fresco eating, a swimming pool and an outdoor campfire with chairs for evenings under the stars. Pathways lead from the outpost through the bush to the eight air-conditioned en-suite cabins that offer privacy and unbridled relaxation with their wooden decked verandas in the thick of the African bush. But the piece de resistance of Mushara is the villa. These two exclusive chalets are perfect for honeymooners or visitors wanting supreme luxury and splendour. What's more, for those without an abundance of time or if you don't fancy the 540km drive from Windhoek, the Mushara Lodge also boasts an airstrip where light aircraft can drop off guests. See, they have thought of everything. Clever people.
Mushara Lodge, PO Box 1814, Tsumeb. Prices start from £107 per single tent per night and £164 per double tent per night at the Mushara bush camp including breakfast and dinner. Children under the age of three go free, while kids aged from four to 12 sharing on a sleeper couch will cost an additional £25 per child per night. Prices for the other sites start from as follows: £106 per person per night (the lodge), £172 per single tent per night (the outpost) and £312 per person per night for two people sharing (the villa). Game drives with guides from Mushara cost an extra £38 per person per drive. Telephone +26467 229106, email info@mushara-lodge.com or take a peek at mushara-lodge.com to find out more.
Where to stay: Ongava Lodge.
Alternatively, if you fancy staying at a lodge actually inside Etosha then it is highly, and I mean highly, recommended that you give the Ongava lodge and wildlife reserve a go. One of the largest private game reserves in Namibia (it covers 125 square miles and is around two-thirds the size of the Isle of Wight), Ongava is a beautiful, truly African lodge nestled on a rocky hillside that overlooks a breathtaking, game-filled savannah that appears to stretch on for miles. One of the country's most luxurious hideaways, it consists of three separate sites: Little Ongava, the lodge and a tented camp.
The tented camp offers the most basic accommodation (if you can even call it that) and is situated along the southern boundary of Etosha and lies in a separate sector of the reserve to the lodge. It comprises of eight large walk-in tents with en-suite facilities, a shared pool and a thatched dining area overlooking a waterhole where meals are enjoyed.
The lodge has 12 rooms, or mini-houses if you like, which lead off from the main thatched communal house perched in the thick of the bush with a swimming pool and lounging area. The air-conditioned brick, rock and thatched chalets are roomy and divine with gorgeous contemporary African design - think high-beamed ceilings, dark wood floors and large windows. They boast wet room-style bathrooms that overlook a hilly drop brimming with shrubs and game. You may even spot a few gazelles, gemsbok - lions even - walking by. You really are out in the wild here. Each chalet also has a private outdoor decking area complete with table and chairs. All meals, which are delicious by the way, are served in the spacious communal living area located in a large thatched building that creates a big comfortable space with dining tables, plus sofas for lounging on. It also just so happens to overlook a floodlit waterhole and the vast savannah (I even caught black and white rhinos coming in to drink while eating dinner). Bliss.
Then there's Little Ongava. This place is even more secluded, with just three chalets, and defines safari chic. It's intimate and exclusive for people who like their lodges small, personal and lavish. It's also a honeymooner's paradise. Each chalet is exquisitely designed and decorated, and each balcony has a plunge pool, outdoor shower and canopy-covered bed for lazing around on the hillside. Each room is completely secluded, making it the place for privacy, relaxation and even romance. Honeymooners staying here are also treated to meals served to the room and a large bubble bath ran for them complete with glasses champagne, so I'm told.
What to do: Activities include game drives into the Okaukuejo area of Etosha. Our tip? Go for a game drive within the private reserve of Ongava where you can expect to spot lions and cheetahs, as well as black and white rhinos, to name a few. Drives at night are also available with complimentary drinks at sundown. Another option is to go on bush walks and rhino tracking by foot across the picturesque land.
Ongava Lodge and Game Reserve, PO Box 58, Okaukeujo, Namibia. Prices start at £146 per person sharing (for the lodge), £297 per person sharing (at the tented camp), and £543 per person sharing (at Little Ongava). Visit ongava.com for more information.
How to book
All accommodation mentioned throughout this feature can be booked through Namibia Tracks & Trails. You can also book this entire trip from Windhoek, via Okonjima, to Etosha (including stays at Mushara and Ongava plus drives in the park) and back to Windhoek (including a stay at the Olive Grove Guesthouse), through Namibia Tracks & Trails, who will allocate you a professional tour guide to drive and escort you from place to place.
How to get there
Air Namibia currently has an African winter special valid for travel between 1 June - 10 July 2010. Fly economy from London to Windhoek via Frankfurt from £790 return inclusive of taxes and British Airways flights from London to Frankfurt. Email reservations@air-namibia.co.uk to book or call 0870 774 0965.
When to go
June and July (winter) are cool, clear and good for game viewing. August-October (spring/early summer) is most popular.
Pictures: From top; some of the wildlife in Etosha National Park; the bush camp, one of the rooms at the outpost and the dining room at the outpost, all at Mushara; one of the rooms and the communal dining area at Ongava lodge; and a baby black rhino.
A trip to Namibia wouldn't be complete without a visit to the magnificent wildlife-packed Etosha National Park. At Etosha you can't book tours inside the park; you have to venture inside the reserve in a vehicle you've hired or with a tour you booked at a lodge where you're staying. Our suggestion? Book your entire trip, from Windhoek to Etosha, through Namibia Tracks & Trails, and they will drive you through the national park too. You will be assigned to a group with a professional guide who will drive you through the game reserve using their trained and beady eyes to help spot some of the park's wonderful creatures. And as one of the continent's greatest wildlife sites and best national parks in the world, the sprawling Etosha will not disappoint. With its arid, salt pan desert, open plains and bush-peppered landscape, Etosha is a beautiful sight before you even get to the wildlife. And what wildlife. I spotted all of the big five whilst here: leopards (a privileged sight indeed), lions (with cubs to boot), elephants, white and black rhinos, and African buffalo. If that wasn't enough, also expect to see giraffe, zebra, gemsbok, wildebeest, springbok, dik dik, ostrich, jackals, warthogs and hyenas (if you're lucky). The careful, well thought out game management at Etosha has ensured the protection of many African species, making it one of the continent's greatest success stories. In fact, no rhinos have been killed by poachers here for years, and numbers are on the up.
Where to stay: Mushara Lodge.Extravagant? Yes. Luxurious? Yes. Sumptuous? Double yes. Situated just a mere eight km from the Von Lindequist gate and easterly entrance to the Etosha National Park is a beautiful Namibian retreat - the Mushara Lodge. A collection of four different sites - the Mushara lodge, villa, outpost and bush camp - this haven for travellers visiting the park manages to successfully combine the natural wilderness of Etosha with exquisite accommodation and fine cuisine. The main lodge boasts 10 thatched chalets, which are all air conditioned and line the shrubs that surround the swimming pool, as well as a beautiful and cosy communal house, with candle-lit living areas - all dark oak wood, open log fires and traditional African art - dining rooms, a small library, curio shop and bar.
For families the bush camp is the better option, with 16 en-suite tents available, plus a children's pool. The camp also offers a complimentary child-minding service and has a children's play area. The outpost, which is the newest of the Mushara retreats and houses just 16 guests, will appeal to a more discerning traveller with a grand communal house - think crisp white contemporary interiors mixed with African artefacts - for lounging and dining, plus a large veranda for al fresco eating, a swimming pool and an outdoor campfire with chairs for evenings under the stars. Pathways lead from the outpost through the bush to the eight air-conditioned en-suite cabins that offer privacy and unbridled relaxation with their wooden decked verandas in the thick of the African bush. But the piece de resistance of Mushara is the villa. These two exclusive chalets are perfect for honeymooners or visitors wanting supreme luxury and splendour. What's more, for those without an abundance of time or if you don't fancy the 540km drive from Windhoek, the Mushara Lodge also boasts an airstrip where light aircraft can drop off guests. See, they have thought of everything. Clever people.
Mushara Lodge, PO Box 1814, Tsumeb. Prices start from £107 per single tent per night and £164 per double tent per night at the Mushara bush camp including breakfast and dinner. Children under the age of three go free, while kids aged from four to 12 sharing on a sleeper couch will cost an additional £25 per child per night. Prices for the other sites start from as follows: £106 per person per night (the lodge), £172 per single tent per night (the outpost) and £312 per person per night for two people sharing (the villa). Game drives with guides from Mushara cost an extra £38 per person per drive. Telephone +26467 229106, email info@mushara-lodge.com or take a peek at mushara-lodge.com to find out more.Where to stay: Ongava Lodge.
Alternatively, if you fancy staying at a lodge actually inside Etosha then it is highly, and I mean highly, recommended that you give the Ongava lodge and wildlife reserve a go. One of the largest private game reserves in Namibia (it covers 125 square miles and is around two-thirds the size of the Isle of Wight), Ongava is a beautiful, truly African lodge nestled on a rocky hillside that overlooks a breathtaking, game-filled savannah that appears to stretch on for miles. One of the country's most luxurious hideaways, it consists of three separate sites: Little Ongava, the lodge and a tented camp.
The tented camp offers the most basic accommodation (if you can even call it that) and is situated along the southern boundary of Etosha and lies in a separate sector of the reserve to the lodge. It comprises of eight large walk-in tents with en-suite facilities, a shared pool and a thatched dining area overlooking a waterhole where meals are enjoyed.
The lodge has 12 rooms, or mini-houses if you like, which lead off from the main thatched communal house perched in the thick of the bush with a swimming pool and lounging area. The air-conditioned brick, rock and thatched chalets are roomy and divine with gorgeous contemporary African design - think high-beamed ceilings, dark wood floors and large windows. They boast wet room-style bathrooms that overlook a hilly drop brimming with shrubs and game. You may even spot a few gazelles, gemsbok - lions even - walking by. You really are out in the wild here. Each chalet also has a private outdoor decking area complete with table and chairs. All meals, which are delicious by the way, are served in the spacious communal living area located in a large thatched building that creates a big comfortable space with dining tables, plus sofas for lounging on. It also just so happens to overlook a floodlit waterhole and the vast savannah (I even caught black and white rhinos coming in to drink while eating dinner). Bliss.Then there's Little Ongava. This place is even more secluded, with just three chalets, and defines safari chic. It's intimate and exclusive for people who like their lodges small, personal and lavish. It's also a honeymooner's paradise. Each chalet is exquisitely designed and decorated, and each balcony has a plunge pool, outdoor shower and canopy-covered bed for lazing around on the hillside. Each room is completely secluded, making it the place for privacy, relaxation and even romance. Honeymooners staying here are also treated to meals served to the room and a large bubble bath ran for them complete with glasses champagne, so I'm told.
What to do: Activities include game drives into the Okaukuejo area of Etosha. Our tip? Go for a game drive within the private reserve of Ongava where you can expect to spot lions and cheetahs, as well as black and white rhinos, to name a few. Drives at night are also available with complimentary drinks at sundown. Another option is to go on bush walks and rhino tracking by foot across the picturesque land.Ongava Lodge and Game Reserve, PO Box 58, Okaukeujo, Namibia. Prices start at £146 per person sharing (for the lodge), £297 per person sharing (at the tented camp), and £543 per person sharing (at Little Ongava). Visit ongava.com for more information.
How to book
All accommodation mentioned throughout this feature can be booked through Namibia Tracks & Trails. You can also book this entire trip from Windhoek, via Okonjima, to Etosha (including stays at Mushara and Ongava plus drives in the park) and back to Windhoek (including a stay at the Olive Grove Guesthouse), through Namibia Tracks & Trails, who will allocate you a professional tour guide to drive and escort you from place to place.
How to get there
Air Namibia currently has an African winter special valid for travel between 1 June - 10 July 2010. Fly economy from London to Windhoek via Frankfurt from £790 return inclusive of taxes and British Airways flights from London to Frankfurt. Email reservations@air-namibia.co.uk to book or call 0870 774 0965.
When to go
June and July (winter) are cool, clear and good for game viewing. August-October (spring/early summer) is most popular.
Pictures: From top; some of the wildlife in Etosha National Park; the bush camp, one of the rooms at the outpost and the dining room at the outpost, all at Mushara; one of the rooms and the communal dining area at Ongava lodge; and a baby black rhino.
