6-Day Wildlife Safari: Etosha, Okonjima & Waterberg (Namibia)

Tour overview

This 6-day wildlife safari targets Namibia's best big-cat and rhino experiences alongside classical Etosha game viewing. Okonjima Nature Reserve — home of the AfriCat Foundation — offers radio-tracked leopard and cheetah viewing at close range, while Waterberg Plateau protects rare roan and sable antelope on a sandstone table mountain.

Etosha's floodlit waterholes bookend the trip with elephant, lion and endangered black rhino drinking metres from your camp chair. The route suits wildlife enthusiasts who want predator focus before the open-pan drama of Namibia's flagship park.

Places you visit

Key stops along this itinerary — customise dates and lodges when you enquire.

Windhoek (Start)

Okonjima Nature Reserve — AfriCat

Waterberg Plateau

Etosha National Park

Windhoek (End)

Day-by-day itinerary

Windhoek to Okonjima

Drive north from Windhoek to Okonjima (approx. 2.5–3 hours). The AfriCat Foundation rescues and rehabilitates cheetah and leopard — afternoon activity focuses on carnivore conservation.

Safari activity | AfriCat leopard tracking

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Radio-tracked leopard viewing with AfriCat guides from an open vehicle — close-range predator encounters at respectful distance on the Okonjima reserve.

Afternoon leopard tracking activity with AfriCat guides — radio-collared leopards often viewed from open vehicle at respectful distance.

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Drive time: Windhoek–Okonjima approx. 2.5–3 hours
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Okonjima Plains Camp or Villa

Day 1 | Accommodation

Options based on your package

Luxury: Okonjima Villa, Okonjima Bush Suite
Mid-range: Okonjima Plains Camp

Okonjima — cheetah and carnivore activities

Morning cheetah walk or cheetah tracking drive (activity schedule varies). Afternoon game drive on the reserve for giraffe, oryx, red hartebeest and brown hyena.

Safari activity | AfriCat cheetah tracking

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Morning cheetah walk or tracking drive — habituated cheetahs often viewed at close range, followed by an evening presentation on AfriCat conservation work.

Evening presentation on AfriCat conservation work — rehabilitation, human-wildlife conflict and Namibia's carnivore research.

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Okonjima

Okonjima to Waterberg Plateau

Morning activity, then transfer to Waterberg Plateau (approx. 2 hours). The sandstone table mountain rises 200 metres above the surrounding savannah and protects rare roan and sable antelope on the plateau rim.

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Afternoon guided walk or drive at the plateau base — rare antelope species protected on the plateau rim. The Waterberg was the site of a decisive battle in 1904; today it is a national park focused on rare species recovery.

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Drive time: Okonjima–Waterberg approx. 2 hours
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Waterberg Wilderness Lodge or Plateau Camp

Waterberg to Etosha National Park

Morning plateau excursion (guided walk on marked trails or 4×4 to viewpoints). Continue north to Etosha (approx. 3–4 hours). Check in at Mushara Lodge, Etosha Safari Camp or Halali.

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Evening waterhole vigil at camp — elephant breeding herds, lion and black rhino often appear at dusk.

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Drive time: Waterberg–Etosha approx. 3–4 hours
Meals: Breakfast, lunch & dinner
Accommodation: Mushara Lodge, Etosha Safari Camp or Halali

Etosha full-day game drive

Full-day Etosha circuit — Etosha Pan, Goas waterhole, lion prides, elephant breeding herds, black rhino at dusk. Floodlit waterhole after dinner — one of Africa's great wildlife spectacles.

Safari activity | Etosha floodlit waterhole session

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Full-day pan-edge game drive followed by evening at the floodlit waterhole — black rhino, lion and hyena often visit metres from your camp bench after dark.

Day 5 | Accommodation

Meal plan: Breakfast, lunch & dinner

Etosha lodge/camp

Etosha morning — Windhoek

Final dawn waterhole session or short game drive on Etosha's pan-edge roads — last chance for black rhino, lion or elephant at the water before departure.

Dawn drive or waterhole session, breakfast, return to Windhoek (approx. 5 hours). Optional stop at Okahandja craft market for wood carving en route to the capital.

Waterberg Wilderness Lodge protects rare roan and sable on the plateau rim; Mushara Lodge and Halali rest camp offer Etosha pan-edge game drives and floodlit waterhole viewing.

Drive time: Etosha–Windhoek approx. 5 hours
Meals: Breakfast; lunch en route

6-Day Wildlife Safari: Etosha, Okonjima & Waterberg (Namibia)

Tour overview

Places you visit