Onguma Nature Reserve

Why base yourself on Onguma

Onguma Nature Reserve is a 35,970-hectare private reserve on the eastern boundary of Etosha National Park. Its entrance sits 500 m from Von Lindequist Gate, so you can be inside the park minutes after breakfast, then return to a private reserve where lion, leopard, rhino and elephant roam free of the day-visitor crowds.

The reserve runs six lodges and two campsites, and that spread is its real strength. A family on a mid-range budget, a couple celebrating a honeymoon and a photographer chasing hide time can all stay on the same land, at prices from NAD 540 per adult camping to NAD 30,400 all-inclusive.

• The closest private reserve to Etosha’s eastern gate. Namutoni and Fischer’s Pan are just inside the park, and your morning game drive starts before most self-drivers have cleared the gate queue.
• Night drives, walks and hides that Etosha itself cannot offer. Park rules end at the fence; on Onguma you can do sunrise and sundowner drives, guided walks and sessions in the Onkolo photographic hide.
• One rate sheet, no seasons. Onguma publishes a single rack rate valid 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027, which makes budgeting straightforward.
• Every budget covered. Two fenced campsites, two mid-range lodges, a fort, a tented camp, a walking camp and a flagship villa-style camp.

Location

Eastern boundary of Etosha National Park; reserve entrance 500 m from Von Lindequist Gate, camps 10–20 minutes inside

Reserve size

35,970 ha private reserve with six lodges and two campsites

From

NAD 3,060 per person sharing, dinner-bed-&-breakfast (Onguma Bush Camp Rondavel)

Mandatory levy

Rhino Conservation Levy NAD 350 per person per night at lodges (NAD 80 at campsites), billed separately

Best for

basing an eastern-Etosha safari on one reserve, from camping to full luxury

The Onguma camps at a glance

All lodge rates are quoted in Namibian dollars, per person sharing, and are valid 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2027. The mandatory Rhino Conservation Levy of NAD 350 per person per night (NAD 80 at the campsites) funds rhino protection on the reserve and is always billed separately, for adults and children alike. Children under 3 stay free where camps accept them; children 3–11 pay child rates at Bush Camp and Forest Camp.

Published 2026/27 rack rates (1 November 2026 – 31 October 2027) from the lodge’s official rate sheet. We confirm live availability and any specials when you enquire.

Check availability & book at published rates

Activities across the reserve

All camps share one activity menu, bookable on any campsite or DBB stay. Guided Etosha game drives cost NAD 1,930 per person for four hours. On the reserve itself, sunrise and sundowner drives are NAD 980 per person, the mid-morning Onkolo Hide session is NAD 720 per person (minimum age 7, minimum two guests), and guided nature walks are NAD 980 per person for guests 16 and older. All-inclusive camps build two scheduled activities per day into the rate.

Getting to Onguma

Drive north from Windhoek on tar via Otjiwarongo and Tsumeb, then follow the signs for Etosha’s eastern entrance. The reserve gate is 500 m from Von Lindequist Gate, and each camp lies 10 to 20 minutes further along good reserve roads. Fly-in guests use the Onguma or Mokuti airstrips, with lodge transfers included.

Add a night or two inside the park

Namutoni

The old fort in the east, beside Fischer’s Pan.

from NAD 1,840

Halali

Central and quieter, with its own floodlit waterhole.

from NAD 1,400

Onkoshi

Fifteen chalets on the edge of the pan.

from NAD 3,180

Plan a route through several camps →

Explore more

• All Etosha accommodation
• Etosha National Park camps
• Onguma Bush Camp
• Onguma Forest Camp
• Onguma The Fort
• Onguma Camp Kala
• Onguma Tented Camp
• Onguma Trails Camp
• Tamboti Luxury Campsite
• Leadwood Campsite
• Etosha park gates and hours
• Best time to visit Etosha