Ojiwarongo & Okonjima Holidays

Track endangered rhinos and pangolins with the help of the AfriCat team and anti-poaching units at Okonjima. You’ll move quietly on foot, getting up close to rhinos as they graze or lie in the shade. At Okonjima, they are also lucky to have a population of ground pangolins, one of the four pangolin species living on the African continent.

It’s an incredible feeling being out in the bush near these magnificent rhinos, immersed in nature. You’ll get to ask the experts about the species and how they’re protected in this 22,000-hectare reserve.

Pangolins have become a hot topic over the last 15 years as the most highly-trafficked animal in the world. Along with the AfriCat Foundation, they conduct research for conservation purposes and share it with other pangolin projects worldwide.

To track the pangolins, you will need to head out very early in the morning. You might be woken up at 2 am with a to-go cup of coffee, then you’ll venture into the bush with researchers and the anti-poaching unit. If you’re fortunate enough to locate a pangolin, you will observe them from a respectful distance in silence so as not to disturb the animals, which are classed as a vulnerable species. It’s an amazing experience to walk through the bush at night with a headlamp on, searching for these scaly prehistoric animals.

Take game drives in Okonjima Nature Reserve to spot leopards and endangered species. Okonjima is also home to the AfriCat Foundation, which has been researching leopards here since the 1990s. Some of the leopards are fitted with tracking collars that allow them to protect and monitor the population while they roam freely within the reserve.

The reserve sprawls over 22,000 hectares of mountains, plains and riverine thickets where a strong population of leopards thrives. They’re such elusive, stealthy animals that are difficult to find in places like Etosha, so it's always a highlight when you catch a glimpse of one at Okonjima.

Sightings aren’t guaranteed – the leopards might be sleeping in a thicket or guarding their kill up in a tree – but the tracking collars mean it’s a lot easier to spot them than on a traditional safari.

If you do find a leopard, about fifty per cent of the time you’ll see a brown hyena nearby hunting for food scraps. They’re another key species your guide will look out for, along with rhinos. Expert guides will tell you all about the species you encounter and the challenges they face. There are plenty of nature trails to enjoy in the reserve too, as well as night drives where you can spot everything from bat-eared foxes to owls and aardwolves.

Learn about big cat conservation at the AfriCat Carnivore Care Centre, which is home to rescued cheetahs that unfortunately cannot be released into the wild. Perhaps they’re injured, elderly or arrived at the centre at such a young age that they’ve never learned to hunt. Now, they act as ambassadors for their species and live peacefully in up to 50-acre enclosures on the Okonjima Reserve.

The centre is a by-product of AfriCat’s rehabilitation programme, which was launched in the 1990s to rescue cheetahs and leopards from livestock farmers. Since then, the foundation has expanded with the aim of protecting all carnivores in Namibia. You can learn about AfriCat’s mission and predator programme at the information centre and clinic.

You’ll also get to see the cheetahs; there are only a few left in the centre, which is a good thing because they want to move away from keeping animals in captivity and show guests wildlife in its natural habitat instead. They live in a stress-free environment, are fed a balanced diet and receive annual veterinary health checks. It’s a great opportunity to get up close to these fantastic beasts.