During the early 1900s, the Herero people, missionaries and the Germans utilized the Okonjima Plateau as a watering-point stopover, and as a refuge for their horses, during outbreaks of horse-sickness due to its high altitude (1700 meters above sea level).

Cattle farmers began settling in the area in the 1920s, and in 1970, the Hanssen family purchased Okonjima as their family cattle farm. The family faced the same conflicts with predators that every other farmer had experienced, but soon realised that the typical solution of ‘killing the predators’ was not solving the problem. They found a solution that enabled them to protect their calves and minimized losses, while also conserving and appreciating the predators and local wildlife.

In 1986, to supplement their cattle farming income, the family started hosting birdwatching visitors. Eventually, they decided to stop cattle farming altogether and focus on eco-tourism. The last of their cattle were sold in 1993, and the farmhouse was converted into a guesthouse. Eco-tourism proved to be more financially viable than cattle farming, allowing the family to conserve the environment and its wildlife rather than be in conflict with it.
Read more about the Okonjima Hassen here:

The Okonjima Lodges are owned by the Hanssen family, who moved to Okonjima in 1970. The land comprising the Okonjima Nature Reserve (ONR) is owned by a family trust to ensure it remains intact.
The Hanssen family is of Danish descent. The late Mr. Valdemar James Hanssen, born in Namibia and passed away in 2006, had Danish ancestry.
Mrs. Rose Edith Hanssen (née Bagot-Smith), who was born in Zambia and passed away in 1992, had British ancestry.

Okonjima is a family owned and run business. The family undertook all day-to-day management from the time the guestfarm was first opened, including reservations, check-ins, guiding, cooking and farm management.
Today they still oversee operations and all senior management report to the family as directors of the company.
The family still live on Okonjima.

‘Ondjima’ (adapted to Onjima) is the name of the CHACMA BABOON in the Oshi-Herero Language.
Okonjima therefore means – The Home or the Place of the BABOON

Okonjima Lodges can accommodate 78 people in total. (excluding guides and pilots)
50 in Plains Camp; 18 in Bush Camp; 4 in the Bush Suite and 8 in the Luxury Villa.
In addition there are 5 private, campsites that can accommodate up to 30-40 people in total depending on the size of the camping groups.

Okonjima began welcoming guests in 1986 and the family house was converted into a guest lodge in 1992.
When Bush Camp opened in 2001, the original farmhouse, turned guestfarm, was renamed – Main Camp.
The Villa was built in 2005 and Bush Suite in 2006. Plains Camp opened in July 2014 and replaced the old Main Camp. Bush Camp was revamped in 2015.

It’s something we are considering for the future. . . It could perhaps be a venture for the next generation, but at present there are no current plans to build a Spa.

The hotel star-rating system is not applicable to eco-tourism facilities, where services and amenities such as room service, mini bars and hotel gyms are not indicative of higher quality service or accommodations.
Okonjima offers accommodation options for all preferences, ranging from rustic but comfortable campsites with shared swimming pools, Wi-Fi, and power, to the luxurious and exclusive Villa and Bush Suite. In Namibia, lodges are graded based on reputation, good service, and the unique experiences they offer.

With financial assistance from the Perivoli Foundation and Okonjima, the Perivoli Okonjima Country School operated from 2011 until 2020. It provided grade 0 to grade 5 education for the children of all family and staff that lived on Okonjima.
It was closed during Covid and was not re-opened after Covid when Okonjima converted to an off-site and shift system for staff wherein staff families remain at home and Okonjima staff live onsite only when on-duty.

As of October 2023 (post covid), Okonjima has 127 permanent employees and 64 contractors.

The ONR was created to take back habitat for wildlife. It was re-wilded from four former cattle farms which had justified the killing of predators, shot out most of the game and degraded the land. The ONR was created to protect habitat for wildlife, to re-introduce and protect the wildlife that thrive on it and to regenerate the land and improve the ecosystem that ensures its viability.

he ONR was created in stages as the family gradually acquired more farms bordering the original family farm of Okonjima, made possible by increasing income and financial stability.
In 1999, in preparation for starting the Cheetah Rehabilitation project, the 4,500-hectare (45 km²) Okonjima/Tusk Trust Cheetah Rehabilitation Nature Reserve was created.
In 2010, a separate and larger park, the 16,000-hectare (160 km²) Okonjima Private Nature Reserve, was enclosed with a perimeter predator and game-proof fence, to facilitate more cheetah rehabilitation. In November 2011, the two reserves merged into a 22,000-hectare (220 km²) area and were renamed the Okonjima Nature Reserve (ONR).
The ONR meets the minimum size criteria of a conservation area (20,000 hectares) taking into consideration the average rainfall (viable conservation areas can be smaller in areas of higher rainfall).
The final version of the ONR was created by merging four adjacent farms and building a 70km electrified fence around the entire perimeter. “

The ONR is owned by a Hanssen Family Trust to ensure that it can never be broken up.

ONR
In 2020, Okonjima undertook a detailed comparison of farms in the area.
An average farm in the area is about 5,000 hectares or 50km². Annual turnover for the average cattle farm was x *, for mixed cattle and hunting it was x * 1.5, for a pure hunting farm is was x * 6 and for pure ecotourism it was x * 11.
As such eco-tourism was found to be substantively more profitable than any other form of typical land use. It is important to note however that eco-tourism requires significant investment before the income starts flowing, particularly if the facility cannot benefit from existing nearby attractions such as national parks or places of interest.

The size of the ONR is 22,000 hectares or (220km² | 55 000acres ) including the slopes of the highlands.
This includes a 2,000 hectare fenced-in area in the south of the Reserve which houses the lodges and staff accommodation for the safety of families and their children. The perimeter fence surrounding the Reserve is 70m long. The ONR is not a tidy rectangle or circle, but is about 24km long and 20km wide at the longest and widest points.
The original Okonjima farm #128 is 5 400 hectares (ha). During the development of the Okonjima Park 4 additional farms, Ombujongwe – 7 500 ha, Joumbira – 4 000 ha & Marathon – 4 500 ha, were included to create the now 22 000 ha, private nature reserve.
The Okonjima farm boundary traces a central plateau, at an altitude of 1 700 meters, surrounded by the Omboroko Mountains (remnants of Etjo Sandstone are evident).
• Highest point: the Hidden Valley – altitude 1 900m
• Vegetation: Tree-and-scrub savannah, interspersed with Yellow Wood (Terminalia sericea) and a number of Acacia species.
• Average annual rainfall: approx. 450 mm.

he initial plan was not to fence the Reserve, but to co-exist with all the neighbours which operate as cattle, game or hunting farms.  

However, over time the animals in the Reserve have come to learn that humans are not a threat.  When they wander into neighbouring farms however, they are at risk.  It was therefore necessary to build the fence to reduce the risk of ‘human-acclimatised’ animals from crossing over to farms where they are likely to be shot – this applies to antelope as well as predators.  

In addition, the fence serves to prevent cattle from coming into the ONR for better grazing.  The 70km long perimeter fence is 2.4 meters high and is electrified with 18 solar powered energizers every 8km.  Seven positive wires are positioned as follows: two (one on either side of the fence) 35-40cm above the ground to stop animals from digging underneath but high enough to enable pangolin, tortoises and python to not become entangled in them.  Two cross wires (one on either side of the fence) at the height of 75cm and away from the fence to prevent antelope bulls, such as orxy and hartebeast, from fighting through the fence and destroying it and hurting themselves.  

Finally, three positive wires on the inside of the fence form an over-hang on the top of the fence to stop animals, in particular leopards, from climbing over the fence.  This fence stops the movement of approximately 95% of antelope, 70% of warthog, aardvark, porcupine and jackal and 80% of carnivores from crossing over into neighbouring farms; but allows pangolin and pythons through unharmed.

Animals move to ensure access to food, water and mating opportunities.
The fence prevents them from doing this and it is thus imperative that the Reserve is able to provide the necessary resources that the animals need to thrive i.e. that it is a functioning, sustainable ecosystem within the fences.

To a significant extent this appears to have been achieved; there is enough grazing for the herbivores and enough prey for the carnivores and we have not recorded any excess mortality due to intra or inter species conflict. The Reserve does not have to be restocked due to too much off-take by the predators; rather we occasionally have to capture and remove some game to avoid over-grazing. The Reserve has not been in existence long enough to affect genetic diversity, but genetic testing is planned to monitor genetic diversity, specifically because of the movement constraints caused by the fences.
The leopard research has shown that despite the fences there is movement of leopards in and out of the Reserve and some individuals regularly cross the fences. It seems less likely that brown hyena are able to get out or come in and the herbivores are not able to get in or out at all. Burrowing animals however can relatively easily burrow under the fence and smaller animals often make use of the holes made until they are closed up. The fences therefore affect species differently. While some of these effects on the wildlife are negative, the fences also have positive effects, in particular creating a safe habitat for them.

Specific adjustments have been made to traditional fence design to reduce the chances of wildlife being killed or injured by the fence. This includes electric wires at chest height of large antelopes to prevent them from fighting through the fence and raising the bottom electric wire higher off the ground (it is currently 35cm off the ground).
As the bottom wire is quite high off the ground, animals such as jackal and warthogs are able to dig under the fence. The entire fence line is therefore checked daily to close off any of these holes. These changes have been effective at preventing pangolin, as well as tortoises, monitor lizards and aardvark deaths, due to electrocution on the fence.

Animals in the ONR are generally self-sustaining, relying on the available grazing or prey in their environment. However, during exceptional circumstances, such as the severe drought of 2019, it became necessary to provide supplementary food for some of the herbivores due to the inadequate rainfall.

Unfortunately, 2024 appears to be following a similar pattern to 2019, with some of the lowest rainfall figures recorded in over a century. This suggests that, once again, additional measures may need to be taken to ensure the well-being of the herbivores within the reserve.

The Species List of the Okonjima Nature Reserve lists 6 amphibians, 171 birds, 71 mammals and 10 reptiles that can be seen in the ONR.

When the Okonjima Nature Reserve was created the objective was to restore the area to the way it was before cattle farming.
During the cattle farming era some species had been over-hunted and others were forced out by the cattle. The Hanssen family therefore brought in impala, springbok, plains and mountain zebra, giraffe, hartebeest, wildebeest, eland, and rhino – all of which were native to this area. Many species did not have to be supplemented however – including leopard, brown hyena, baboon, warthog, kudu, orxy, steenbok, dik dik and common duiker.

In general yes, all species in the ONR were naturally occurring in the area. The original objective of the ONR was to return the land to the way it used to be before it was a cattle farm; therefore the majority of introductions were of game that traditionally occurred here, such as impala, springbok, zebra and giraffe. However sable, waterbuck and blue and black wildebeest were also brought in on a trial basis. The blue wildebeest, sable and waterbuck are thriving and so are considered a successful introduction to the Reserve. The black wildebeest did not do well however and were removed. There are no plans to introduce any other ‘non-traditional’ species.

Yes, we do conduct game counts and wildlife censuses in the ONR to effectively monitor the animal populations. These counts are typically performed annually. However, the last game count was in 2021 due to a shortage of funds following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Traditionally, game counts were done manually from hides overlooking water holes, during the full moon over a period of seven consecutive days in the dry season. In recent years, we’ve transitioned to aerial counts for greater accuracy and coverage. Looking ahead, we plan to use live cameras at water holes to conduct game counts.

Additionally, we are exploring new methodologies, such as using camera traps, and are interested in comparing these results with those from aerial counts and water hole cameras to enhance our monitoring techniques.

Yes, following years of good rain, there is a possibility of the number of herbivores to exceed the carrying capacity of the Reserve. Game farms experience overgrazing as much as or even more than cattle farms.

We therefore monitor the situation in the Reserve and occasionally need to remove a number of game in order to avoid overgrazing. This is particularly necessary for big game whose numbers are not kept in check by the leopards. There is also a possibility that the density of leopards will become too high, but even more than other species it is likely that leopards will self-regulate or adapt to the situation by increased migration, infanticide and interspecies conflict or increased tolerance. It is unknown if brown hyena will exhibit similar self-regulation or adaptation however.

Yes, following years of good rain, there is a possibility of the number of herbivores to exceed the carrying capacity of the Reserve. Game farms experience overgrazing as much as or even more than cattle farms.

We therefore monitor the situation in the Reserve and occasionally need to remove a number of game in order to avoid overgrazing. This is particularly necessary for big game whose numbers are not kept in check by the leopards. There is also a possibility that the density of leopards will become too high, but even more than other species it is likely that leopards will self-regulate or adapt to the situation by increased migration, infanticide and interspecies conflict or increased tolerance. It is unknown if brown hyena will exhibit similar self-regulation or adaptation however.

Leopards and brown hyena are naturally occurring in this area. Their density may be higher than in other areas however, because of the high prey density and the protection offered by the Reserve. The leopards, in particular, may have identified the Reserve as a ‘safe place’ compared to the surrounding farms where they are persecuted.
The brown hyena, as scavenges are probably benefiting from the high density of leopards.

Yes, at the moment, prey numbers are more than adequate for all the predators. If anything, the number of prey may be more than the carrying capacity of the Reserve, especially because rains have been relatively low and late in 2023.
In the first half of 2024 we estimate we currently have about 4,000 head of game in the ONR; compared to the estimated carrying capacity of 2,500-3,000. Meanwhile the estimated offtake by the leopards is about 2,000 per annum, based on an assumption of 25 adult leopards taking a big kill every 5 days.

It is unlikely that the fences are reducing the genetic diversity of the wildlife in the Reserve if only because there have not been enough generations of species since the Reserve was created.

In addition, the initial populations of many species such as impala, springbok, zebra, giraffe, orxy, kudu were sufficiently large that genetic diversity would be wide. As we know that leopards are able to move in and out of the Reserve we are not worried about the genetic diversity of the leopards.
However, it is possible that in time genetic bottlenecks may occur within the brown hyena population as they are much less likely to get in or out of the Reserve and new individuals have never been brought in. Finally as mentioned some species of game which were reintroduced as small groups, may benefit from some new genes by bringing in a few individuals.

The objective of the ONR is to create a protected, but natural and sustainable ecosystem for wildlife. However because it is fenced, a certain amount of management is necessary.

Also, because it has been created from former cattle farms, further ‘re-wilding’ is necessary. The major ‘management’ activities in order of importance are: maintaining the water sources, maintaining firebreaks to protect from fire, maintaining the fences, maintaining the roads to ensure access of guests and staff, occasional removal of excess game to avoid overgrazing, clearing encroached bush, beautifying water points and removal of old farm infrastructure.

“The Okonjima Nature Reserve boasts a substantial, naturally thriving population of leopards and brown hyenas, which pose significant competition for any cheetahs introduced to the ONR. Additionally, the size of the Reserve may not be sufficient to accommodate Namibian cheetahs, which typically have home ranges exceeding 1,000 square kilometres.
However, cheetahs in regions with higher prey density, such as we have in the ONR, tend to have smaller home ranges, possibly indicating cheetahs’ ability to adapt to the conditions within the Reserve.
Between 2000 and 2018, a majority of the formerly captive cheetahs that were rehabilitated into the ONR, successfully acquired hunting skills and became self-sustaining. But, a significant proportion of these cheetahs were killed by leopards within two years of their release.
This led us to conclude that the Okonjima Nature Reserve is not a suitable location for rehabilitating captive cheetahs. However, future plans for the ONR include significant amounts of de-bushing and the creation of open plains that would be sufficient to sustain a large springbok population.
Once this has been achieved, if the Ministry of Environment, Forestry, and Tourism (MEFT) was seeking a suitable release site for a coalition of wild cheetahs, we would welcome the opportunity to reintroduce cheetahs to the Reserve.”

When the Okonjima Nature Reserve was created, there were no lions in the area as they had been killed off or driven out by cattle farms that dominated the area.

As the Reserve already had a high naturally occurring population of leopards and brown hyena, no additional predators were brought in except for cheetahs, spotted hyena and wild dogs that were rehabilitated into the Reserve from AfriCat’s carnivore care facility.

Lions in AfriCat’s Carnivore Care Centre, formerly captive lions, cannot be rehabilitated into areas where they may come into contact with people. Now there are no plans to introduce lions because they would significantly impact the balance of the Reserve. In addition, lions breed rapidly and the population would soon exceed the carrying capacity of the Reserve. Excess would then need to be removed and suitable habitats for lions are severely limited.

The ONR is too small to sustain elephant. Elephant would need at least 100,000 hectares (the ONR is 22,000 hectares) in an area with less than 500mm of rain.

The population density of leopard and brown hyena in the ONR is very high and potentially near saturation.
As the apex predators within the ONR, they can severely impact the sustainability of the ecosystem which would suggest a benefit to relocating some out, in order to maintain the balance of the ecosystem.

However predators are also believed to exhibit “adaptive self-regulation” because of the impact they can have on their ecosystem and leopards in the ONR do appear to have adapted to the high density environment. A key objective of AfriCat’s research is therefore to monitor the wildlife in the Reserve in order to see if problems are developing, such as excess conflict between the leopards or cub mortality, potentially indicative of a need to intervene and ‘manage’ the leopard or brown hyena population.

In general however the principal of the Reserve management is not to interfere with the ecosystem unless absolutely necessary.

he advantage of expanding the ONR would be to create more protected habitat for more wildlife, including species for which the ONR is currently too small, such as cheetahs or wild dog.
The ONR has only recently met its objective of becoming a thriving and sustainable ecosystem.
The ONR meets the minimum size criteria for a conservation area, taking into consideration rainfall. The wildlife in the Reserve are thriving; there is enough grazing for the herbivores and more than enough prey for the carnivores. The leopards and brown hyena appear to have adapted to the high density and there is no evidence of excessive inter or intraspecific conflict. Therefore, rather than acquiring more land, the family prefer to focus on improving the ONR in its current form and evaluating is success as a conservation area.

The security of ONR benefits from being relative far from any main roads. However, the ONR is ensuring the security of the animals in the Reserve through a variety of means. We specifically only have a few rhino in order to avoid the ONR being a target for rhino poachers. They therefore do not require feeding (because there is enough gazing in the Reserve for the small number of rhino) which further enhances their security as no one knows where they are.
Information about the pangolin is restricted to a small number of individuals and all data is removed from staff phones and data collection online systems on a regular basis. An Anti-Poaching-Unit (APU) patrols the Reserve on a daily basis and the fence is also checked daily.

Finally, access to the Reserve is controlled at a security checkpoint at the B1, security cameras are mounted at key entrances and AfriCat’s camera trap system captures animal and human activity throughout the Reserve.

Guides do not need to be armed when walking with guests in the Reserve, because the Reserve does not have lions, elephant, black rhino or hippo which are the species most likely to attack humans. Leopards, brown hyena and white rhino are very wary of humans, especially when on foot and are not a danger.

No wild leopard has ever jumped onto a car in the history of Okonjima or AfriCat and we are not aware of this happening anywhere else.
Wild animals have a natural fear of humans, even the leopards of Okonjima, and although Okonjima leopards are generally comfortable around cars and humans, they are not going to jump on to a car out of curiosity. Okonjima guides know the individual personalities of the Okonjima leopards and understand leopard behaviour. We treat them with respect and take precautions such as not approaching too close; keeping an eye on them at all times so we will see if something is bothering them; not blocking their path or getting between them and their kills or their cubs.

We also ask our guests to treat them with respect – don’t stand up or move around in the car; don’t flap your arms; legs or clothing out of the vehicle; don’t call or shout at them; don’t throw anything at them; refrain from talking loudly; screaming or crying – all of which might agitate them or pique their interest.

Finally, if a leopard appears agitated or annoyed by our presence – we will move away.

Leopard behaviour in the ONR might be different to elsewhere, because they have adapted to the high density conditions of the Reserve.
Alternatively, the common belief that leopards are always solitary may not be based on adequate data. Leopards are generally hard to study as they are secretive and noctournal. In order to definitely say that all leopards are always solitary, except when they are mating or with their cubs, would imply that researchers have been able to be with leopards all the time for long periods. Because of the high frequency with which we are able to see our research leopards and because they don’t feel threatened by humans and do not run away, we may be seeing very normal leopard behaviour, that just has not been seen or documented elsewhere.

In the ONR we do occasionally see male leopards with cubs we believe they have sired and sometimes the mother of the cub is also be present. We do not often see leopards of the same sex together however, unless one is the offspring of the other.

The ONR features a diverse landscape with both high elevation areas and low-lying terrain.
A stretch of the Omboroko Mountain Range runs through the Reserve in the south. The Okonjima sandveld plateau lies between the north and south ridges of the Omboroko range. The plateau is 1700m above sea level and the highest point is 1900m above sea level at the southern most edge of the Reserve. (see Hidden Valley Hike)

From the base of the northern ridge, the ONR is an undulating mixture of bushveld savannah with numerous riverine thickets. Several river systems crisscross the Reserve and feed numerous man-made dams, remnants of the cattle farming days. These dams, together with a complement of additional man-made waterholes, several fed by solar powered pumps, provide water for the wildlife of the Reserve. Several types of acacia are common tree species as well as buffalo thorn (Ziziphus mucronate), karee (Searsia lancea) (formerly known as Rhus lancea) , apple-leaf (Philenoptera violacea) (formerly known as Lonchocarpus capassa) and shepherd’s tree (Boscia albitrunca). The ONR also has a significant amount of encroached thornveld thickets – blackthorn (Senegalia mellifera) (formerly known as Acacia mellifera) and sicklebush (Dichrostachys cinerea) – which we are slowly clearing away to make way for more thornveld savannahs.

As a result of over grazing during the cattle farming days, about 75% of the ONR is currently bush encroached (thornveld thickets). The objective is to clear most of the encroached bush in order to have about a third of thornveld thickets, a third mixed woodland and a third open thornveld savannah.

As a result of over grazing during the cattle farming days, about 75% of the ONR is currently bush encroached (thornveld thickets). The objective is to clear most of the encroached bush in order to have about a third of thornveld thickets, a third mixed woodland and a third open thornveld savannah.

The ONR employes a variety of methods for bush clearing, following significant amounts of trial and error in the different contexts and environments of the Reserve.

The most effective method in heavily encroached areas is clearing by heavy machinery, such as tyre doses, and in moderately encroached areas by moveable trolley saws. Significant attention is paid to effectively removing encroached bush, while disturbing the grass and soil as little as possible and safeguarding the larger bushes and trees. The cut bush is currently burnt, but in future the plan is to make ‘bio-char’ from the cut bush and plough it back into the soil in order to reverse soil degradation, increase carbon sequestration, and enhance the productivity of the land.
‘Bio-char’ is made by burning the cut bush at high temperatures in the absence of oxygen. Currently piles of cut bush can be seen in some areas of the Reserve; these were destined for production of a greener form of cement, but the cement factory is no longer able to make the improved cement and so these piles of cut bush will instead be made into biochar on Okonjima.

More about BIO-CHAR:

Bio-char is a form of charcoal produced through a process called pyrolysis, which involves burning organic material, such as cut bush, at high temperatures in a low-oxygen environment. This method prevents the biomass from combusting completely and instead converts it into a stable form of carbon.

The production of bio-char not only reduces the volume of organic waste but also offers several environmental benefits. It sequesters carbon, which can help mitigate climate change by locking carbon in a stable form for centuries. Additionally, when added to soil, bio-char can improve soil fertility, enhance water retention, and promote beneficial microbial activity, leading to healthier plant growth. The process also produces by-products like bio-oil and syngas, which can be used as renewable energy sources.

It will take about 10-15 years to clear away all the encroached bush that we want to clear and will cost between N$45 and 50 million (US$2.3-2.6 million).