pangolin.li
klammer links
 travel@pangolin.li

Namibia 2003

 klammer rechts
klammer
www.pangolin.li home

pfeil  Travel directory

pfeil  Namibia 2003 Main

pfeil   Part 1 Etosha
pfeil   Part 1a Animals
pfeil   Part 2 Otjitotongwe
pfeil   Part 3 Highlands
pfeil   Part 4 Van Zyl's P.
pfeil   Part 5 Marienfluss
pfeil   Part 6 Kaokoveld
pfeil   Part 7 Damaraland
pfeil   Part 8 Twyfelfontein
pfeil   Part 9 Namib
pfeil   Part 10 Wolwedans
pfeil   Part 11 Gamsberg
pfeil   Panorama pics

pfeil  Namibia '03 Gallery
contact
last updated: 30-Jul-2005

Text/pictures subject to copyright by pangolin.li

Document made with Nvu
klammer

Klammer

Part 2 - Otjitotongwe Cheetah Reserve

Travel Details

Route and Distances: From Okaukuejo we took the tarmac road C38 for 106 km (excluding a short deviation near Okaukuejo); 9 km before Outjo we turned to the C40 (tarmac) to Kamanjab for 105 km. Otjitotongwe then lies 10 km to the North off the main road, on a dirt road accessible with a saloon car. There is a shorter way from Okaukuejo to Otjitotongwe via the dirt roads 2710 and 2694.

Otjitotongwe Cheetah Park

Cheetah cub Otjitotongwe is a cattle farm near Kamanjab, a part of which has been converted to a Cheetah sanctuary in the 1990s, after raids of cheetahs on their livestock. So instead of killing the cheetahs, the farmer family trapped them - and there they stayed, because they couldn't be put anywhere else. Some of the cheetahs are tame and live like big house cats around the farm. Others are wilder and live in large enclosures. At the time we were in Otjitotongwe, there were 3 cubs, but I heard they are no longer allowed to let them breed today.


Otjitotongwe appeals more to the heart than the brain. It doesn't have the research aspect of Africat or Cheetah Conservation Fund who tackle the decline of cheetah numbers in Namibia from a scientific viewpoint; nevertheless, my feeling is that the whole Nel family is in love with these cats, that they really care for them, and that they would do much more if they were allowed to do so. Cheetahs seem to be a very political issue in Namibia (let's see what becomes of the Brown Bear that came back to Switzerland in July 2005 after being extinct here more than 100 years ago - he will also be a political issue, I'm sure).

All politics left behind, Otjitotongwe is a beautiful lodge with the unique plus that you can see cheetah from REALLY close. Meaning you can pat them, caress them, play with the youngsters. You can go so close that you hear them purr like kitties, only a bit louder. But better just do this with the ones around the farm house, and only as long as one of the Nel family is around! The other, half-wild cheetahs in the enclosures are fed daily from a bakkie (pickup truck) - an impressive spectacle especially if you think about why kids are not allowed to join the drive... There are lots of great photo opportunities!

We arrived after noon, so we could join the cheetah tour later - first near the farm house and then feeding the half-wild cheetahs. JJ and Micha had been in Otjitotongwe on their previous trip, and they mentionned that the whole "cheetah tour" had gotten much more organized and less personal, but for me as a first-timer it still felt great.

Cheetah and me JJ playing with cheetah cub
Cheetah Cheetahs waiting for dinner


Snake tree

Otjitotongwe lodge

The lodge consists of 6 thatched-roof bungalows (built quite close together). We stayed in a round one which was small but cosy. There is also a round small pool (the water was rather cold when we stayed there), a bar and a restaurant. The food was good and plenty...

The next morning, we went for a short walk to the "snake trees" or Phyton vines, gnarly root-like things growing to become real trees. Apart for this botanical treat, also the view across the northern plain was wonderful.

Otjitotongwe was the perfect stay between Etosha and Kaokoveld for us, so I'd really go again if I could spend a day in this region.

Top of page

Go to:
<Part 1 Part 3> Namibia 2003 Main Travel directory
klammer