Windhoek · 30 km north of the city on the B1
Near Windhoek, Namibia
A thatched safari lodge on a 7,300-hectare private reserve just half an hour from the capital. Green lawns under old camel thorn trees, a mountain backdrop, two pools, and game drives where white rhino, giraffe and most of Namibia’s antelope are almost guaranteed.
The stay
Okapuka — Herero for “small animal” — lies 30 km north of Windhoek off the B1, at the foot of the Otjihavera mountains. It is now part of the Gondwana Collection, and its 7,300 hectares of savannah and riverine bush make it the easiest real safari from the capital.
The lodge is an oasis of lawns and ancient camel thorn trees. Thatched rooms are set around the grounds, each with a veranda, and from the restaurant terrace you can watch warthogs and antelope grazing side by side.
Game drives in open vehicles head out through the reserve, where white rhino, giraffe, ostrich and almost all of Namibia’s indigenous antelope live. It is a gentle introduction to the bush on your first night in the country, or a last taste of it before you fly home.
Where you will sleep
Standard Classic rooms, Classic Safari King and Twin rooms, and one two-bedroom Luxury Safari Suite — all en-suite and air-conditioned, with a veranda onto the lawns. Rates are bed and breakfast.
Four comfortable rooms with a queen-size bed, an en-suite shower and air-conditioning.
The veranda opens straight onto the lawns, where warthogs and antelope wander past in the late afternoon.
The best-value way to stay at Okapuka.
Six generously sized thatched rooms with a king-size bed, an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning and a private veranda.
More space than the standard rooms, in the same quiet setting of lawns and old camel thorn trees.
Ten roomy twin rooms with two single beds, an en-suite bathroom, air-conditioning and a veranda.
Two pairs of these rooms inter-leave, which makes them a good fit for families of four.
Children up to 5 stay free, and children aged 6 to 13 pay half the B&B rate.
The lodge’s only suite, sleeping up to four.
It has two separate bedrooms — one with a king-size bed, one with twin beds — each with its own en-suite bathroom, plus a shared, cosy lounge between them.
Ideal for a family or two couples travelling together. Book early, as there is just one.
What to do
Because it puts you in the bush without the long drive. Many Namibia trips start with a night in Windhoek; staying here instead means your first evening is spent on a sunset drive, not in a city hotel. It also sits on the B1 north, so it is a natural first stop on the road to Okahandja, Waterberg and Etosha.
Guided drives run three times a day. Each lasts about two and a half hours in an open 4x4, with refreshments and light snacks included, and a guide who will explain the plants and wildlife as you go.
For other places to stay in and around the capital, see our Windhoek accommodation page.
Photos
Choose a gallery, then tap any photo to see it larger. Use the arrows to move through them. There are more on the full photo gallery page.
Video
A look around Windhoek, then the drive south-west to Sossusvlei — a road many guests take after a night at Okapuka.
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Send us your dates and number of people and one of our team — a real person — will reply with the best price, and honest advice if another option would suit you better, or if this one is not available on the dates you want.
You pay the lodge's own rate. Our service costs you nothing on top.
You pay the lodge's own rate — nothing on top.
A person who knows Windhoek and the roads out of it reads every enquiry.
We have been booking Namibia for decades.