Okonjima Nature Reserve is a 22,000-hectare private reserve in Namibia, set at the base of the Omboroko Mountains between Windhoek and Etosha National Park.
Okonjima is family-owned and offers 5 different accommodation options and various guest experiences ranging from Leopard and Pangolin tracking to guided hikes. Okonjima is home to the AfriCat Foundation an NGO based on the reserve, founded in 1991 and registered in 1992, responsible for the research and conservation work. “Protecting wildlife requires more than vigilance alone. It also depends on understanding the animals being protected and the ecosystems they inhabit,” says Wayne Hanssen, Owner of Okonjima. “For more than three decades, the AfriCat Foundation has conducted ecological research on Okonjima Nature Reserve, creating one of Namibia’s longest-running wildlife datasets, specifically for Leopard and Brown Hyena. Research on carnivore ecology, animal movements, habitat use and biodiversity has informed reserve management, helping conservation decisions evolve alongside emerging challenges.”
Okonjima Nature Reserve did not begin as reserve. It was built from four cattle farms, deliberately re-wilded and consolidated into a single protected area big enough to hold a working ecosystem. Okonjima Lodges, the Reserve, and the AfriCat Foundation grew out of that project as three separate, independently run entities, though the line between them is thin in practice: AfriCat is based on the Reserve, studies it, and shapes how it is managed, while Okonjima houses and guides the guests who choose to visit and in turn directly fund that work. AfriCat’s Leopard Monitoring Project is one of Namibia’s longest-running leopard research projects, using VHF telemetry and camera traps to follow individual leopards over two decades. And its Pangolin Research Project is one of the few in the world tracking free-roaming pangolins. Beyond the animals themselves, the research asks a broader question: how much can a fenced, protected reserve actually deliver for conservation, and what does that tell other reserves facing the same constraints.
Much of the data comes from Okonjima’s own guides, who log sightings and behaviour on every drive and get briefed on new findings in return, which is why they can point guests to a specific collared leopard or tagged pangolin by name. The funding runs the other way: Okonjima covers AfriCat’s core costs, so researchers spend their time on long-term fieldwork rather than fundraising, and AfriCat’s presence is a large part of why guests choose Okonjima in the first place. Read more on the Okonjima–AfriCat partnership.
Okonjima’s ecosystem, shaped by AfriCat’s research, has proven ideal habitat for leopard, brown hyaena and pangolin, making the reserve one of the more reliable places in Namibia to see all three. Guided safari activities include early-morning game drives, leopard tracking, sundowners in the acacia thornveld, and guided nature trails across the property on foot.
Okonjima is malaria-free and open exclusively to staying guests, with no day visitors. Accommodation ranges from Campsites and Plains Camp through to the Luxury Bush Camp, Private Bush Suite, and the African Villa, the only lodge set in the heart of the reserve, with its own waterhole, private chef, private host, and infinity pool. Every tier gives direct access to AfriCat’s active research within the reserve and to guides who work alongside it daily.
Okonjima sits roughly a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Windhoek, or a one-hour flight to the reserve’s own private airstrip. Etosha National Park is a similar distance beyond the reserve, making Okonjima a natural stop between the two. Okonjima also forms part of the Naturally Namibia circuit, for travellers building a wider Namibian route.
| Size | 22,000 hectares / 55,000 acres / 220 km² |
| Location | Otjozondjupa region, base of the Omboroko Mountains, between Windhoek and Etosha |
| Distance from Windhoek | 2.5-hour drive or 1-hour flight |
| Runs the reserve | Okonjima (family-operated, accommodation and safari experiences) |
| Runs the research | AfriCat Foundation (NGO, founded 1991, registered 1992) |
| Key research | Leopard Monitoring Project, Pangolin Research Project & Brown Hyena Research Project |
| Wildlife | Leopard, brown hyaena, pangolin, white rhino and other reserve species |
| Accommodation | Luxury Bush Camp, Private Bush Suite, African Villa, Plains Camp, Campsites, |
| Access | Guests only, no day visitors |
| Health | Malaria-free |
No. Activities and reserve access at Okonjima are exclusively available to guests staying at one of our camps.
Okonjima is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive or a one-hour flight from Windhoek, and a comparable distance from Etosha National Park, making it a convenient stop between the two.
Okonjima is the family-operated reserve and lodge group. AfriCat is the separate NGO based on the reserve that runs research for key species such as the leopard and pangolin and brown hyena.
The Luxury Bush Camp is a traditional safari camp setting. The African Villa is the only lodge within the heart of the reserve, with its own waterhole, private chef, private host, and infinity pool, sleeping up to 8 adults.
Yes, Okonjima sits in a malaria-free area of Namibia.
No. Activities at Okonjima are exclusively available to guests staying at one of our camps.
When night falls at Okonjima, a hidden world emerges. Through AfriCat’s extensive camera trap network, While You Were Sleeping reveals rare nocturnal moments that shape conservation research and deepen our understanding of wildlife after dark.
Before the first coffee is poured at Okonjima Nature Reserve, the Anti-Poaching Unit has already spent hours in the field, and researchers from AfriCat Foundation have logged another night of tracking. On World Ranger Day, we look at the quiet, unglamorous work that keeps Namibia’s rhino and pangolin populations safe.
When night falls at Okonjima, a hidden world emerges. Through AfriCat’s extensive camera trap network, While You Were Sleeping reveals rare nocturnal moments that shape conservation research and deepen our understanding of wildlife after dark.
Drought is not an anomaly at Okonjima. It is the rhythm the land has always moved to. As the world marks World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, we look at what three decades of watching this Namibian landscape have taught us about resilience, recovery, and the cost of getting it wrong.
When night falls at Okonjima, a hidden world emerges. Through AfriCat’s extensive camera trap network, While You Were Sleeping reveals rare nocturnal moments that shape conservation research and deepen our understanding of wildlife after dark.
Some of the most memorable wildlife photography moments at Okonjima Nature Reserve are often the quietest. A brown hyena scent-marking at dawn or a pangolin illuminated by a research lamp can leave a lasting impression because they are backed by thirty years of conservation knowledge.
Confirmed Bookings – Excluding block / Group bookings
Okonjima would like to make all our tourism partners aware that we have changed our cancellation policy for confirmed bookings to 60 days prior to arrival.
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