Young Explorers
- Activities
- Young Explorers
Young Explorers — Family Safari Experiences at Onguma Nature Reserve
The bush has a particular effect on children. Everything is larger, louder, and more immediate than anything they have encountered before. A lion track in the dust, a hornbill in the canopy, the sheer scale of an elephant seen from an open vehicle for the first time: these are the kinds of moments that stay with a child for life. At Onguma, the reserve’s family-friendly camps and Young Explorers programme are designed to make sure those moments happen, safely, naturally, and in a way that is shaped around genuine curiosity rather than a scripted tour.
Important Information
- Young Explorers Walk: Available to children staying at Bush Camp, Forest Camp and Tamboti Campsite. Bookable in advance or at the camp on arrival
- Shared game drives: Children 7 years and older welcome. Children under 7 require a private vehicle booking
- Private family game drives: Available on request, subject to availability, at an additional cost. Advance booking required
- Children under 7 at the Onkolo Hide: Permitted only with an exclusive hide booking
- Walking safaris: Children under 16 years not permitted
- Rates: Please visit Rates page
- Booking: Advance booking recommended for all family activities, particularly private game drives and the Young Explorers Walk, to avoid disappointment
Where Families Stay at Onguma
Not every camp at Onguma is the same when it comes to families, and it is worth understanding the differences before you book.
Bush Camp and Forest Camp -
Built for Families
Onguma Bush Camp and Onguma Forest Camp are the two camps designed with families firmly in mind. Both are fenced, with gardens and lawns where younger children can run and play safely. Family rooms at both camps are specially configured to ensure parents and children share comfortable, well-considered spaces. Child-friendly meals are available, dinners can be served earlier to suit younger appetites, and child snack packs keep energy levels up between activities. The staff at both camps go out of their way to make sure the young ones have the time of their lives while parents enjoy their own satisfying safari experience alongside them.
Age Restrictions at Other Camps
Families considering The Fort, Tented Camp, or Camp Kala should note the following. The Fort does not accommodate children under 7 years. Tented Camp and Camp Kala do not accommodate children under 12 years.
Neither Tented Camp nor Camp Kala can accommodate a third bed. For families travelling with younger children, Bush Camp and Forest Camp are the right choice.
It is not a simplified version of an adult activity. It is designed around the way children actually engage with the world, through curiosity, questions, and the pleasure of discovery. Many parents find it as absorbing as their children do.
Parents from both Bush Camp, Forest Camp and Tamboti Campsite can book the Young Explorers Walk for their children located at Bush Camp.
The Young Explorers Walk
The Young Explorers Walk is an interpretive walking experience designed specifically for children, led by one of Onguma’s experienced guides around the Bush Camp area. It is an engaging, hands-on introduction to the natural world: children learn to identify birds, trees, and insects, to read the landscape around them, and to begin understanding the relationships between the plants, animals, and environment that make up the Namibian bush.
Game Drives for Families
Families can join the regular game drive programme on Onguma’s open safari vehicles. Children aged 7 years and older are welcome on shared game drive vehicles. For families with children under 7, a private vehicle can be booked to ensure the experience is safe and enjoyable for everyone.
Families who want their own exclusive game drive, separate from the regular programme, can arrange this in advance subject to availability and at an additional cost. A private vehicle gives families the freedom to move at their own pace and tailor the experience entirely around what their children find most engaging.
Children's Policy at Onguma
Onguma welcomes children across the reserve and has a clear policy in place to ensure every family has the information they need before they arrive.
- Children under 3 years stay free of charge
- Children aged 3 to 11 years sharing with adults are accommodated at 50% of the rack rate
- Children aged 12 years and above are accommodated in their own room at the full rate
- The above children’s rates are nett rates and include specified meals
- Bush Camp and Forest Camp welcome children of all ages
- The Fort does not accommodate children under 7 years
- Tented Camp and Camp Kala do not accommodate children under 12 years unless the entire camp is booked exclusively
- Camp Kala and Tented Camp cannot accommodate a third bed
- Children under 7 years are not permitted on shared game drive vehicles or at the Onkolo Hide unless a private vehicle or exclusive hide booking has been arranged
- Children under 16 years are not permitted on walking safaris
Please note that children under 7 years are not permitted on shared game drive vehicles or at the Onkolo Hide unless the vehicle or hide has been booked exclusively.
A Word on the Wildlife
Lions, leopards, elephants, and rhinos all roam freely on the Onguma Nature Reserve. This is a working wilderness, not a theme Park, and the experience of being in it is genuine in every sense. The team at Onguma takes the safety of all guests, and particularly younger ones, seriously, and every activity involving children is managed with appropriate care and guidance. The bush here is as wild as it looks, and that is precisely what makes it so extraordinary for a young person to experience.
