Tamboti Luxury Campsite Review

En route from Waterberg Wilderness Private Nature Reserve to Etosha National Park, we camped for one night within the Onguma Private Reserve, just outside Etosha’s eastern Namutoni Gate. I chose this reserve for its convenient location – we were amongst the first vehicles to gain entry to the eastern edge of the park in the morning. I also wanted to explore this less-visited side of the reserve.

Inside the main building was a restaurant which overlooked a waterhole. Unfortunately, we didn’t eat there because it was fully booked for the night. At dusk however, we did enjoy some sundowner drinks and sightings of endemic black-faced impala and tiny Damara dik-dik – lovely! Adjoining the reception area was also a small shop where for very reasonable prices, you could buy souvenirs, postcards, maps of Etosha, cold drinks and firewood (which gets delivered).

Our site – no.4 – was located about 400m from the main reception area. A large concrete block to one side of the site housed a toilet and a separate, relatively stuffy but spacious bathroom with a sink and shower. Water pressure was ok, but the temperature alternated from freezing cold to scalding hot and all of us had the same experience.

The ground was soft, sandy and neatly raked, with thorny bushes encircling the entire site. We couldn’t see our neighbours at all and only heard them starting their car the next day. At dusk, we ordered firewood to light our firepit, and received multiple visits from a tiny, curious golden shrew as we were eating dinner.

At daybreak, we left the campsite and just as well - the queue had already started to form for entry into the park. The photos below show the cars in front of and behind us when we got in line, waiting for Etosha park gates to open.

Our opinion: Fantastic location as it provided excellent access to the eastern side of Etosha National Park (Namutoni Gate). Facilities could be improved but were perfectly adequate, especially for the price.