Birding on Okonjima
During an African safari in the Okonjima Nature Reserve you’ll partake in a number of thrilling activities – from game drives that focus on finding the elusive leopard, to hiking trails and tracking cheetahs on foot – each of which offer spectacular bird viewing opportunities. Over 250 bird species have been spotted at Okonjima, making our reserve a birders paradise. Alongside our predators and diverse wildlife, guests can expect to see up to 100 species during a short stay, and even more if the annual rains have recently fallen. Spending hours out in the bush each day, our knowledgeable guides make birding on Okonjima an exciting activity as they share the passion for our Namibian birdlife.
The landscapes within the Okonjima Nature Reserve, with its elevated sandy plateau between the major escarpments of the Omboroko Mountains, boasts mixed woodland and acacia thornveld plains, making it the perfect birding destination. Keep your binoculars at hand as you drive along the gravel roads to Okonjima, in the woodlands surrounding each lodge, and alongside the river beds where you’ll find larger trees.
Birders are sure to tick off a few lifers, such as the Dwarf Bittern, Green Sandpiper, four Courser species, Hartlaub’s and Orange River Francolin, Ruppell’s Parrot, Violet Woodhoopoe, Damara Hornbill, Monteiro’s Hornbill, Bradfield’s Hornbill, Carp’s Tit, the Bare-cheeked Babbler, the Rockrunner, White-tailed Shrike, Crimson-breasted Shrike, and the Chestnut Weaver to name a few.
PLEASE NOTE this is not an activity that can be booked.
Bird encounters take place during our Okonjima Nature Reserve afternoon and morning drives. Bird watching also forms part of our self guided activity option whereby clients can take part in walking trails on their own and spend time in the bush in search of our indigenous wildlife.
Birdwatching can be a very meditative activity, and often provides those taking part with the opportunity to spend a time in a quiet place without any distractions.
Getting out and experiencing the ‘small & difficult to find’ natural world around you has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety and depression.
Here are some quotes from birders across the globe:
“I think the most important quality in a birdwatcher is a willingness to stand quietly and see what comes. Our everyday lives obscure a truth about existence – that at the heart of everything there lies a stillness and a light.”
Sometimes I think that the point of birdwatching is not the actual seeing of the birds, but the cultivation of patience. Of course, each time we set out, there’s a certain amount of expectation we’ll see something, maybe even a species we’ve never seen before, and that it will fill us with light. But even if we don’t see anything remarkable – and sometimes that happens – we come home filled with light anyway.”
― Lynn Thomson,
“There is an unreasonable joy to be had from the observation of small birds going about their bright, oblivious business”
― Grant Hutchison,
Come birding with us …
