---
type: "Article"
title: "On a leopard safari in Namibia’s Okonjima Nature Reserve"
description: "In the Okonjima Nature Reserve in Namibia you will discover surprisingly many leopards! Read here about my close encounter with one of them!"
resource: "https://travelmemo.com/namibia/okonjima-nature-reserve-leopard-safari"
author: "Walter Schaerer"
publisher: "Travelmemo"
photo_count: 13
tags: ["Experience", "Nature", "Safari", "Namibia"]
entities:
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/namibia"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/africa"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/places/botswana"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/experience-travel"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/nature-tourism"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/safari"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/air-travel"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/ontology/topics/itinerary"
  - "https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer"
generated: { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer", at: 2026-07-04T14:26:44+00:00 }
verified:
  - { by: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/katja-birrer", at: 2022-02-12T18:14:52+00:00 }
sources:
  - id: photos
    resource: okonjima-nature-reserve-leopard-safari.md#photos
    title: "Original photography by Walter Schaerer"
    author: "human:https://travelmemo.com/author/walter-schaerer"
timestamp: 2026-07-04T14:26:44+00:00
---

# On a leopard safari in Namibia’s Okonjima Nature Reserve

> Okonjima Nature Reserve in northern Namibia is a private 80-square-mile reserve where radio-collared leopards have been reintroduced and can be tracked on guided game drives, offering remarkably close encounters with these elusive big cats.

## Destination
Okonjima Nature Reserve, located halfway between Windhoek and Etosha National Park, in northern Namibia.

## Getting there
The drive from Windhoek airport takes about 4 hours via highway B1. From the B1 turn-off, a 12-mile gravel road leads to the bush camp. The road from the airport and from Etosha is well-paved.

## Why visit
Leopards have been reintroduced and protected within the fenced reserve, and guides use radio-tracking antennas to locate individual collared cats, making close-up sightings far more likely than in open wilderness areas. The AfriCat Foundation, a non-profit focused on big-cat conservation, is based here.

## What to see
- **Leopard game drive** — Guides use directional radio antennas to track collared leopards by name; the article describes a face-to-face encounter with a 183-pound male named Mawenzi.
- **Giraffes** — A tower of galloping giraffes is mentioned among the reserve's wildlife.
- **Private waterhole** — Visible directly from the bungalow windows at Okonjima Bush Camp.

## What to do
- **Guided leopard tracking safari** — Game drives in a Land Cruiser with a tracker-guide who uses radio-collar signals to locate specific leopards within the large enclosure.

## Good to know
Okonjima originated as a cattle farm in the 1970s; the Hansen family converted it into a nature reserve after repeated leopard attacks on livestock. Various lodges, camps, and a campground are available. The travel agency Rhino Africa is recommended for booking accommodation and tours.

## Photos

```yaml
photos:
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-12.jpg"
    caption: "Leopard Mawenzi in Okonjima"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-4.jpg"
    caption: "Guide Opari mit der Leoparden-Peilantenne"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-6.jpg"
    caption: "Leopard Safari in Namibia"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-9.jpg"
    caption: "Leopard Safari Okonjima Nature Reserve"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-10.jpg"
    caption: "Leopard"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-11.jpg"
    caption: "Leopard Mawenzi in der Abendsonne. Zum Glück wendet er sich vom Jeep ab!"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo.jpg"
    caption: "Eingangstor zu den Geparden des Okonjima Naturreservats"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-23.jpg"
    caption: "«Gääähhn, ist das ein fauler Sonntag...»"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-bush-camp-namibia-travelmemo-12.jpg"
    caption: "Haupthaus des Okonjima Bush Camps"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-bush-camp-namibia-travelmemo-3.jpg"
    caption: "Bungalow des Okonjima Bush Camps mit riesigen Fenstern"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-bush-camp-namibia-travelmemo-4.jpg"
    caption: "Aussicht vom Bungalow auf das private Wasserloch"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/okonjima-nature-reserve-namibia-travelmemo-27.jpg"
    caption: "Giraffes in Okonjima"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
  - url: "https://travelmemo.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/streets-movani-namibia-travelmemo-6.jpg"
    caption: "Streets of Namibia"
    credit: "Walter Schärer"
```