The Purrrrfect game viewing experience!
Ben Forbes
It is impossible to describe the overwhelming privilege I felt at meeting one of Okonjima's cats face to face. Far from tame, this was a young cheetah hunting for himself carefully monitored by the AfriCat team whose end goal is to release injured big cats back into their natural environment. They have an impressive 83% success rate.
Sitting in the fine red sand of Namibia I am in my element. Combining that with the close company of one of the most efficient hunters on the planet creates one of the most exhilarating experiences of your life. Seeing a cheetah from a vehicle is a privilege, to encounter one on foot blows your mind.
You can do this at Okonjima. I defy anyone to be unmoved by the contented purring of an adult cheetah in his element. The experience goes far beyond game viewing and becomes an in-depth study of a beautiful predator. After an hour, with the sun slowly sinking behind us, he nonchalantly disappears into thicker bush leaving me with the best big cat photos in my collection and a euphoria that returns whenever I see a set of calm amber eyes looking back at me from a photograph.
The scientific work undertaken by the team at AfriCat is fascinating and the passion displayed by the Hanssen family and their staff is captivating.
Perhaps what makes the Okonjima experience so special is the fact that your base on the reserve is one of the finest bush lodges in the country. After a morning spent tracking cheetah on foot, it is hard to beat the stunning 180°C open views from the thatched cottages at Bush Camp.With roughly 100 meters between each cottage, you are easily forgiven for thinking that this is your own private slice of Africa.
TRAVEL AGENT / TOUR OPERATOR:
Africa Exclusive, March 2005 issue
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