NAMIBIA - Little Ongava, Etosha
Etosha National Park is Namibia's premier wildlife destination and one of Africa's largest game reserves. Large herds of wildlife teem around the waterholes and the endless plains offer breathtaking vistas. Located in central-northern Namibia, Etosha National Park takes its name from the world famous Etosha Pan - one of the many large saltpans formed by the wind in this flat region.
Etosha means 'great white place' in the local language, a name derived from the blinding white salt bleached earth that stretches 75 miles east to west and 35 miles north to south (covering over 3,000 square miles). Etosha National Park itself covers a vast area of over 12,000 square miles, protecting an incredible wealth and diversity of both fauna and flora.
The Etosha Pan is a parched wasteland most of the time, but occasionally a few rivers and the unpredictable heavy summer rains can fill the pan. If rains have been good, the Etosha Pan can attract over a million flamingos to its salty waters. The salty nature of this environment does not support much vegetation, but its edges give way to a surprising variety of vegetation types: from mopane to the tall tamboti and terminalia woodland in the east; and to the open acacia-strewn plains, grasslands and dwarf shrub savannah in the west.
A low row of dolomite hills, evocatively called the Ondundozonanandana Range, provides relief to the otherwise flat surroundings - home to the endemic Anchieta's dwarf python and the local rock hyrax.
The Ongava Game Reserve shares a boundary with the Etosha National Park and wildlife moves freely between the two areas.
ACCOMMODATION:
Little Ongava has only 3 spacious, luxurious and private accommodation units, each with its own plunge pool and a sala. The en-suite bathrooms have both indoor & outdoor showers, as well as a bath with a magnificent view. The camp dining and lounge areas share the same wonderful views of the waterhole below. Relaxed, stylish meals are enjoyed at Little Ongava - under thatch or under endless African skies.
ACTIVITIES AND WILDLIFE:
Activities revolve around day and night wildlife-viewing drives, visiting hides that overlook waterholes and walks with experienced guides. A hide at the camp waterhole offers great photographic opportunities. Game drives and daytrips into the easily accessible Okaukuejo area of Etosha National Park are rewarding, with sightings of lion, elephant, gemsbok, springbok, red hartebeest, and white and black rhino. Guests at Little Ongava share a dedicated guide and Land Rover, ensuring the best possible nature experience at one of Africa's great wildlife destinations.
Game found in both Ongava Game Reserve and Etosha National Park includes springbok, gemsbok, wildebeest, Burchell's zebra, Hartmann's mountain zebra, waterbuck, red hartebeest, giraffe, eland and the endemic black-faced impala.
Elephant and lion frequently move between the Park and the Reserve, as do both black and white rhino. From Little Ongava, guests can also visit numerous springs and pans in search of lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe, red hartebeest and black and white rhino.
Perched on the top of a rise overlooking a nearby waterhole, Little Ongava is known for its panoramic vistas of the surrounding African savannah. The Ongava Game Reserve is unique in that it is one of the few private game reserves in southern Africa where there is a chance of seeing both black and white rhino.
Birdlife within the Ongava Game Reserve is prolific, with over 340 species to be seen - amongst them 10 of Namibia's 14 endemic bird species. Specials often seen are Short-toed Rock-Thrush, Bare-cheeked Babbler, Violet Wood-Hoopoe, Carp's Tit, Hartlaub's Francolin, Red-necked Falcon, the Sociable Weaver with its enormous communal nests, the miniature Pygmy Falcon and the brilliantly coloured Crimson-breasted Shrike (Namibia's national bird). Others include Ostrich, the impressive Kori Bustard and raptors like Greater Kestrel, Lanner Falcon and Pale Chanting Goshawk.
HISTORY OF ONGAVA:
The Ongava Game Reserve was formed in 1991, when shareholders of Ongava converted four unproductive cattle ranches into a highly productive 30,000 hectare private game reserve that is now a haven to large concentrations of wildlife. The boundary is unfenced, allowing a host of wildlife to move between the Ongava Game Reserve and the Etosha National Park. This region also acts as a buffer to protect farms to the south from being invaded by hungry big game and predators.