Onduli Ridge

The six suites at Onduli Ridge are tucked between the camp’s granite boulders, designed with earthy tones to blend in with the natural rocky landscape. The suites are open, allowing plenty of light and fresh air, as well as stunning views of the other-worldly scenery. The spacious bedrooms feature air-conditioned beds with an Evening Breeze system to keep you feeling refreshed and well-rested no matter the climate. The bed can also be rolled out onto your private deck to enjoy the amazing views during an afternoon nap, or to watch the stars traverse across the sky in the evenings.

The suites have a wall of shutters to either offer some privacy or let the outdoor landscape into your suite. Because of this, guests can feel immersed in the beautiful vistas at all times. The suites also feature open-air bathrooms, complete with stylish double basins and a luxurious rain shower.

Guests at Onduli Ridge can look forward to three delicious meals each day, all freshly prepared by the expert culinary team. Enjoy continental breakfast in the mornings, followed by Onduli’s mouthwatering ‘tail treats’ while exploring on a game drive. Dinner can be served outdoors under the stars, or in the dining room, which features a curved floor-to-ceiling window that offers incredible panoramic views of the sweeping savannah plains.

Outside, guests can warm themselves beside a roaring fire pit while savouring delectable meals, such as freshly made pizza from the camp’s outdoor brick oven. Meals can also be paired with refreshing drinks from the camp’s fully stocked bar.

Venture out across the rocky plains and look out for the incredible desert-adapted creatures that roam Damaraland. Guests can expect to find a wide array of wildlife including steenbok, kudu, porcupines, mountain zebra, desert-adapted elephants and black rhinos. Predators such as lions, leopards, cheetahs and hyenas can also be found, lounging in the sun during the day after a successful night of hunting. The specially-designed safari vehicles feature additional rooftop seats, ideal for photography enthusiasts looking for uninterrupted views to capture the perfect safari images.

Explore Doro Nawas at your own pace on a nature walk around the conservancy. Guests will be able to look for the reserve’s prolific birdlife, with 14 near-endemic and 1 endemic species. Nature walks also allow guests to explore the unique landscape and follow clues left by animals, such as tracks and dung, that will lead to exciting wildlife viewing. Guests will be accompanied by a knowledgeable guide who will be able to teach you about the ecosystem and small factors that have an impact on it.

Track one of the world’s only two groups of elephants that have adapted to surviving in the desert, or the last population of free-roaming black rhino. Guests will be accompanied by a master tracker who will keep you safe, as well as teach you about these remarkable animals that have overcome many obstacles to survive. Get up close to these amazing creatures and get a sense of their sheer size.

Sleep out under a blanket of dazzling stars and learn the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere on a night on a star bed. Guests can enjoy sleeping in the privacy of their own private deck on an air-conditioned bed, taking in the mesmerising sight of billions of stars above.

Venture out on Onduli Ridges e-bikes, fully powered by solar, and explore the vast plains where dry riverbeds and rocky outcrops provide fun terrain to ride along. Guests can explore the nearby craters, and take in the magnificent scenery during this fun and relaxing activity.

Travel to the mountains and view the incredible rock art at Brandberg. This World Heritage Site is home to a selection of artwork that dates back 1,000 – 6,000 years and offers an insight into the lives of our ancestors. Learn about ancient traditions and beliefs as they have been depicted on cave walls, and view famous pieces such as the White Lady, and animal engravings that document historical water sources.

Onduli Ridge is part of Ultimate Safaris, which supports conservation and community projects in the areas that they operate in. Ultimate Safaris uses 2.5% of its commercial revenue for its philanthropic branch, Conservation Travel Foundation, which goes to help projects such as rhino and predator conservation and the improvement of school buildings in rural and remote areas.

Ultimate Safaris also pay a wildlife sightings fee to the Doro Nawas Conservancy, helping to raise additional conservation funds for the area.

Rhinos are often hunted for their horns, as some believe them to be useful in creating traditional medicines. However, rhino horns are made up of keratin just like human hair and fingernails. Save the Rhino Trust (SRT) works to stamp out rhino poaching in Namibia, providing training and a rapid response team to prevent harm coming to critically endangered black rhinos, as well as deter and apprehend poachers. Ultimate Safaris supports SRT by covering operational costs as well as funding the construction of anti-poaching camps in Damaraland which have been crucial in supporting the rapid response teams.

Despite being one of Africa’s most threatened species, it is not well-known that Angolan giraffe populations are under threat. Therefore, Ultimate Safaris has been working to provide support with the collaring of desert-adapted giraffes. Each year, giraffes are collared to aid with monitoring them and ensuring that they are safe from potential harm, helping to protect and hopefully restore their numbers.

Pack for Conservation was established by the Conservation Travel Foundation in order to provide field uniforms and anti-poaching gear. Guests can support this project by purchasing these products on a cost-recovery basis. Donations are bought online and delivered to the Conservation Travel Foundation to coincide with guests’ visits so that they can be present when the Save the Rhinos Trust receives the uniforms and gear guests have provided. Ultimate Safaris’ aim is ‘the acquisition of these uniforms and gear will make this replacement and the continuing growth of the programme sustainable.’ Uniforms and gear are purchased locally and also help to support the local economy.

The AfriCat Foundation works to protect Namibia’s wildlife through a number of projects including research on rare and endangered species, research on captive carnivore health, sustainable metapopulation management of hyenas to prevent inbreeding in fenced-off national parks, and conservation management. AfriCat is supported by Ultimate Safaris who donate to help fund their annual health checkups of captive predators, and their many vital research projects.

The Lionscape Coalition consists of a number of Africa’s top tourism operators who are collaborating in order to protect lions through educating guests on conservation and encouraging them to support lions. Ultimate Safaris are one of the Lionscape Coalition’s Pride Members, meaning that each year they donate $50,000 USD to the Lion Recovery Fund – all of which goes to projects that support lion conservation.

Ultimate Safaris provide financial support for the Early Warning Rapid Response Unit, which works to prevent human-wildlife conflict with fully mobile units that help assist and support communities that can be affected by conflict with lions. The response unit help to find peaceful solutions to prevent lions from killing livestock or getting too close to human populations to avoid violence. By providing support to assist with vehicles, running costs and salaries, Ultimate Safaris is helping the units to protect both rural villages and the predators that may stray too close.

Grootberg Primary School is a rural school that Ultimate Safaris has been supporting since 2008. Ultimate Safaris has helped upgrade the school’s canteen, provided mattresses and blankets, donated equipment for a school computer centre, helped with the planting of citrus trees on the school grounds, and set up a volunteer programme for teachers to help with the running of the school and support of its students.

Ultimate Safaris provides educational programmes to children from the local community, as well as a self-help programme for people of all ages, to help support local people and broaden their opportunities. Additionally, community members are able to attend skills workshops that focus on teaching craft skills that can benefit the entire community as well as help individuals to earn an income and provide for their families.

Bunny Cottage is an orphanage for disadvantaged children. Ultimate Safaris supports Bunny Cottage by providing donations of food and essential supplies that support the day-to-day running of the orphanage and ensures that the children living there have all of their needs met.

At Onduli Ridge, everything is powered by clean, renewable energy collected via the camp’s solar panels. By utilising Namibia’s sunny weather and using it to power the suites, kitchens, e-bikes and electric safari vehicles, Onduli Ridge is limiting the environmental impacts of the camp and keeping carbon emissions to a minimum. The silent vehicles also cause less disruption to wildlife during game drives, as the sound of engines can startle animals.