A wonderful place for tourists and wildlife alike: Mount Etjo
Mount Etjo Safari Lodge first opened its doors to tourists some 25 years ago and has since surely developed into one of the leading tourism establishments in this entire land. But it's about much more than visitors of the homo sapiens variety, for Mount Etjo is really all about wildlife. Owned, and operated very much hands on, by the celebrated conservationist Jan Oelofse and his charming wife Annette - both born Namibians - Mount Etjo has expanded over the years to now cover an area of some 30,000 hectares and is home to both a huge variety of wild animals and some quite marvellous birdlife too.
It wasn't always like this though. In 1975 Jan Oelofse first leased the 5000 hectares of land comprising Mount Etjo, then a cattle farm. He had a vision involving his great love for nature, he was determined, and he already had gained huge experience working with wildlife in other countries. But he only had 700 dollars to his name, and thus first made his home and office under a huge Acacia tree, telephone attached to a branch ! An extensive knowledge of wildlife was not all that he had gained by now though, for Jan had already pioneered a ground-breaking, innovative, safe and successful method of capturing wild animals alive. Today his methods are widely used and this incredible technique of live capture is indeed known and utilised the world over as 'The Oelofse Method'. It has indeed revolutionised game capture, especially conservation practices all over Southern Africa and more so has provided a humane and satisfactory means of trans-locating animals without incurring either major stress to the wildlife or indeed losing so many animals entirely, as with previous processes. After leaving Namibia as a young man, your host at Mount Etjo had worked in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), found fame if not fortune in Hollywood - when at the onset of the sixties, he trained all the animals for a John Wayne movie, Hatari, which co-starred Elsa Martinelli, Hardy Kruger and Red Buttons amongst others - and had then continued his huge learning curve whilst working for the Natal Parks Board in South Africa.
But Namibia was his true heimat, and so, putting his enormous skills and talent into practice, Jan Oelofse set up his own game capture business. At the same time, he began introducing many species onto his own lands. White Rhino were brought in during 1975, with Elephant arriving some ten years later. Rare species such as Roan and Sable Antelope found their new home here too, and his purchase, in 1981, of the neighbouring farm Okonjati together with a formal acquisition of the previously leased Etjo lands allowed the creation of the Okonjati Game Sanctuary, today a proud and thrilling testimony to Jan's life work. But meanwhile, developing alongside this wonderful and carefully stocked game reserve, was the Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, designed to allow visitors and tourists to enjoy both the pristine scenery and the abundance of game within its boundaries. Mount Etjo can presently accommodate 44 guests in its 22 rooms, two of which are luxury apartments. These finely furnished suites offer visitors their own sitting room and a private dining facility, along with a small garden and jacuzzi. However, the remaining 20 extremely spacious double or twin rooms are all most delightfully fitted out too, sporting huge bathtubs in their lovely en suite facilities, with half of the rooms having the option of a whirlpool bath too. All the rooms look out onto a most picturesque and well manicured garden setting, complete with a generously sized swimming pool, whilst a short walk away lies a beautiful lake, which attracts much game and birdlife as well as being home to some hippos. Evening meals are served in a huge lapa, with a lovely camp fire area for everyone to congregate around and enjoy. A second restaurant caters for breakfast time, whilst two spacious lounges offer space galore in which to relax. Manager Frieda Tromp, four years in the job, has the wellbeing of all guests very much at heart. Besides having a great eye for that all important detail and she shows an obviously good working relationship with all her staff. An ideal foil for mine hosts. Indeed guests at this lodge will undoubtedly enjoy its admirable ambience, the fact too that everything is so well ordered and pleasurable, testimony no doubt to an enterprise of many years standing, but nevertheless one that has been carefully and excitingly developed apace with the times. No-one and nothing has stood still at Mount Etjo, the emphasis continuing to be on providing visitors with the very best. And it is so refreshing to feel part of it. Who else, in charge of some 80 staff, would have had both the wherewithal and foresight plus the great affection for their staff to build a school, close to their main lodge buildings, thus allowing children of the workforce to study virtually on their own doorsteps. 48 children currently attend the school, under the tutelage of three teachers. What upliftment for this small but happy band of workers and their families. It is even now an accepted daily ritual that the lodge provides breakfast for each child before they attend school. Another recent addition is a wonderful museum, housed close to the reception area. It is situated in the same building as the Mount Etjo curio shop - which in terms of its stock not only of artefacts but also of some lovely clothes and a wide range of books on nature, tourism and things Namibian, leaves some Windhoek shops standing. The museum has some most interestingly developed exhibits : for instance, various wildlife species are designated by showing examples of their spoor (tracks) and their droll (dung) which would allow you to instantly recognise the species next time you're out there in the veld. Various grasses are bought to life in the same sort of realistic manner, and there is a great deal more of interest besides. Pride of place, though, surely goes to the section - beautifully illustrated with some fascinating archive material - that highlights just some of the legendary events in Jan Oelofse's continuingly rich life. A fulsome tribute already.
So to the activities themselves : the feature, without doubt, of any visit to Mount Etjo, being the game drives. Either take an early morning or late afternoon departure, or quite likely both. You'll enjoy three hours of fascinating travel through untrammelled surroundings, and probably spot a host of wildlife. Anything from Black Rhino to Damara Dik-Dik, along with perhaps Black-Faced Impala, Red Lechwe, Bushbuck, Burchells Mountain Zebra, Kudu, Springbok, Oryx, and Giraffe together with the species mentioned already, and doubtless many more too. It is estimated that there at least 6000 animals across the whole of Mount Etjo and Okonjati. The larger predators, such as lion, leopard and cheetah, are kept in a separate but vast 4000 ha area of the sanctuary and, extremely popular with guests, is a nocturnal visit to watch these big cats being fed at close quarters. Guided walks can be taken too through nature, in particular to visit either the Dinosaur prints or some equally fascinating fossilised Buffalo tracks. It is from the latter that Okonjati takes its name. Etjo itself means a 'place of refuge', but its place in history was assured when, in April 1989, it housed an extraordinary session of delegates from the United Nations, a meeting which led to first a cessation of hostilities and then to independence for the Republic of Namibia. Mount Etjo; visit, relax and enjoy. You'll find the lodge on the on the district road D2483, 42 km from its junction with the B1 tar road between Okahandja and Otjiwarongo. If approaching from the Kalkfeld and Omaruru direction, simply follow the 'Dinosaur Tracks' signs out of Kalkfeld and join the western end of the D2483 (17km).
Tel +264 67 290173
E-Mail [email protected]
Website www.mount-etjo.com.na
It wasn't always like this though. In 1975 Jan Oelofse first leased the 5000 hectares of land comprising Mount Etjo, then a cattle farm. He had a vision involving his great love for nature, he was determined, and he already had gained huge experience working with wildlife in other countries. But he only had 700 dollars to his name, and thus first made his home and office under a huge Acacia tree, telephone attached to a branch ! An extensive knowledge of wildlife was not all that he had gained by now though, for Jan had already pioneered a ground-breaking, innovative, safe and successful method of capturing wild animals alive. Today his methods are widely used and this incredible technique of live capture is indeed known and utilised the world over as 'The Oelofse Method'. It has indeed revolutionised game capture, especially conservation practices all over Southern Africa and more so has provided a humane and satisfactory means of trans-locating animals without incurring either major stress to the wildlife or indeed losing so many animals entirely, as with previous processes. After leaving Namibia as a young man, your host at Mount Etjo had worked in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), found fame if not fortune in Hollywood - when at the onset of the sixties, he trained all the animals for a John Wayne movie, Hatari, which co-starred Elsa Martinelli, Hardy Kruger and Red Buttons amongst others - and had then continued his huge learning curve whilst working for the Natal Parks Board in South Africa.
But Namibia was his true heimat, and so, putting his enormous skills and talent into practice, Jan Oelofse set up his own game capture business. At the same time, he began introducing many species onto his own lands. White Rhino were brought in during 1975, with Elephant arriving some ten years later. Rare species such as Roan and Sable Antelope found their new home here too, and his purchase, in 1981, of the neighbouring farm Okonjati together with a formal acquisition of the previously leased Etjo lands allowed the creation of the Okonjati Game Sanctuary, today a proud and thrilling testimony to Jan's life work. But meanwhile, developing alongside this wonderful and carefully stocked game reserve, was the Mount Etjo Safari Lodge, designed to allow visitors and tourists to enjoy both the pristine scenery and the abundance of game within its boundaries. Mount Etjo can presently accommodate 44 guests in its 22 rooms, two of which are luxury apartments. These finely furnished suites offer visitors their own sitting room and a private dining facility, along with a small garden and jacuzzi. However, the remaining 20 extremely spacious double or twin rooms are all most delightfully fitted out too, sporting huge bathtubs in their lovely en suite facilities, with half of the rooms having the option of a whirlpool bath too. All the rooms look out onto a most picturesque and well manicured garden setting, complete with a generously sized swimming pool, whilst a short walk away lies a beautiful lake, which attracts much game and birdlife as well as being home to some hippos. Evening meals are served in a huge lapa, with a lovely camp fire area for everyone to congregate around and enjoy. A second restaurant caters for breakfast time, whilst two spacious lounges offer space galore in which to relax. Manager Frieda Tromp, four years in the job, has the wellbeing of all guests very much at heart. Besides having a great eye for that all important detail and she shows an obviously good working relationship with all her staff. An ideal foil for mine hosts. Indeed guests at this lodge will undoubtedly enjoy its admirable ambience, the fact too that everything is so well ordered and pleasurable, testimony no doubt to an enterprise of many years standing, but nevertheless one that has been carefully and excitingly developed apace with the times. No-one and nothing has stood still at Mount Etjo, the emphasis continuing to be on providing visitors with the very best. And it is so refreshing to feel part of it. Who else, in charge of some 80 staff, would have had both the wherewithal and foresight plus the great affection for their staff to build a school, close to their main lodge buildings, thus allowing children of the workforce to study virtually on their own doorsteps. 48 children currently attend the school, under the tutelage of three teachers. What upliftment for this small but happy band of workers and their families. It is even now an accepted daily ritual that the lodge provides breakfast for each child before they attend school. Another recent addition is a wonderful museum, housed close to the reception area. It is situated in the same building as the Mount Etjo curio shop - which in terms of its stock not only of artefacts but also of some lovely clothes and a wide range of books on nature, tourism and things Namibian, leaves some Windhoek shops standing. The museum has some most interestingly developed exhibits : for instance, various wildlife species are designated by showing examples of their spoor (tracks) and their droll (dung) which would allow you to instantly recognise the species next time you're out there in the veld. Various grasses are bought to life in the same sort of realistic manner, and there is a great deal more of interest besides. Pride of place, though, surely goes to the section - beautifully illustrated with some fascinating archive material - that highlights just some of the legendary events in Jan Oelofse's continuingly rich life. A fulsome tribute already.
So to the activities themselves : the feature, without doubt, of any visit to Mount Etjo, being the game drives. Either take an early morning or late afternoon departure, or quite likely both. You'll enjoy three hours of fascinating travel through untrammelled surroundings, and probably spot a host of wildlife. Anything from Black Rhino to Damara Dik-Dik, along with perhaps Black-Faced Impala, Red Lechwe, Bushbuck, Burchells Mountain Zebra, Kudu, Springbok, Oryx, and Giraffe together with the species mentioned already, and doubtless many more too. It is estimated that there at least 6000 animals across the whole of Mount Etjo and Okonjati. The larger predators, such as lion, leopard and cheetah, are kept in a separate but vast 4000 ha area of the sanctuary and, extremely popular with guests, is a nocturnal visit to watch these big cats being fed at close quarters. Guided walks can be taken too through nature, in particular to visit either the Dinosaur prints or some equally fascinating fossilised Buffalo tracks. It is from the latter that Okonjati takes its name. Etjo itself means a 'place of refuge', but its place in history was assured when, in April 1989, it housed an extraordinary session of delegates from the United Nations, a meeting which led to first a cessation of hostilities and then to independence for the Republic of Namibia. Mount Etjo; visit, relax and enjoy. You'll find the lodge on the on the district road D2483, 42 km from its junction with the B1 tar road between Okahandja and Otjiwarongo. If approaching from the Kalkfeld and Omaruru direction, simply follow the 'Dinosaur Tracks' signs out of Kalkfeld and join the western end of the D2483 (17km).
Tel +264 67 290173
E-Mail [email protected]
Website www.mount-etjo.com.na
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