Six suites are set high on a ridge in southern Damaraland, tucked among granite boulders between two south-facing outcrops on a private concession in the Doro !Nawas Conservancy. Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, closes the southern horizon. Below it run gravel plains and dry riverbeds that hold one of only two populations of desert-adapted elephants left in the world.
Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain, closes the southern horizon.
Master trackers work those plains and riverbeds on foot, following free-roaming black rhino for guests on longer stays. Desert-adapted elephants move through the same country, tracked by vehicle across the conservancy’s rocky reaches. The concession is private ground, not national park, so guides can leave the road entirely to follow the animals, and run drives long after dark.
Martin Webb-Bowen ran his own Namibian safari company through the 1990s. Tristan Cowley founded Tou Safaris in 2003, and in 2008 the two men brought their companies together as Ultimate Safaris. What they built at Onduli Ridge, opened in 2021, is small by design. There are six suites and no more, and the granite itself decided where each of them could sit.
The king bed rolls out onto a private deck for nights under the stars
Louvred bi-fold doors open the bedroom fully to the plains. The desert is never shut out, only invited in. The king bed rolls out onto a private deck for nights under the stars, and through the desert heat a climate-controlled system cools the mattress rather than the room. The bathroom is partly open to the sky, with a flush toilet and a hot-water rain shower.
Solar-powered e-bikes stretch the range far beyond camp, pausing at rock formations and old engravings along the way, while guided walks slow everything down to spoor and the fine detail of the desert. Twyfelfontein, a UNESCO World Heritage rock-art site, lies around twenty minutes away by vehicle. The petrified forest, the Organ Pipes dolerite columns, Burnt Mountain and Doros Crater all fall within reach as day excursions, and a visit to the Damara Living Museum brings you into direct contact with the area’s cultural life.
The days at camp loosen. A library and an infinity-style pool look out over the plains, and the dining room keeps a fireplace lit for cool desert evenings. Dinner moves outside to a campfire circle under the stars, where the cooking runs from tapas lunches to Namibian steaks, with pizza nights from an outdoor oven and artisan coffee through the day. Painting supplies wait in every suite. The buildings are set so discreetly into the boulders that arrival can pass almost unnoticed, until the welcome drinks appear.
This is one of only two places on earth with a population of desert-adapted elephants.
The camp runs entirely on solar power, drawing water from its own boreholes and treating wastewater on site so it can be used again at wildlife points. Martin and Tristan put their weight behind the Save the Rhino Trust and the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, as well as the Conservation Travel Foundation, and behind conservation and community work across the Doro !Nawas Conservancy. Onduli takes its name from the Oshiwambo word for giraffe, and the resident desert giraffe are seen often on drives across the conservancy.
For guests on longer stays, master trackers set out on foot across the gravel plains, following free-roaming black rhino at walking pace. Desert-adapted elephants are tracked by vehicle through the conservancy’s rocky reaches. This is one of only two places on earth with a population of desert-adapted elephants. The country rewards the patience of walking it, and because the concession lies outside the national park, guides can leave the road to follow the animals and stay out long after dark, when the plains cool and the tracking begins again.
accommodation
Six suites are built among granite boulders, each with a king bed that rolls out onto a private deck for sleeping under the stars. Louvred bi-fold doors open the bedroom to the plains, and a climate-controlled system cools the mattress, not the room. Bathrooms are partly open to the sky, with a flush toilet and a hot-water rain shower.
activities
Black rhino tracking on foot with master trackers, on longer stays, and desert-adapted elephant tracking by vehicle. Game drives, guided walks and solar e-biking cover the surrounding plains and kopjes. The private concession allows off-road driving and night drives that national parks do not. Excursions reach Twyfelfontein rock art, the petrified forest, Organ Pipes and Doros Crater.
conservation
The camp runs entirely on solar power, draws from its own boreholes, and treats wastewater for reuse at wildlife points. The team behind it supports the Save the Rhino Trust, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation and the Conservation Travel Foundation. Conservation levies and community support flow into the Doro !Nawas Conservancy, funding rhino ranger accommodation and giraffe reintroduction.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
Most guests fly in. You arrive into Windhoek at Hosea Kutako International, and the light aircraft safari charters lift off from Eros, the smaller airport in town, for the roughly one and a half to two hour hop onto a Damaraland airstrip and a short transfer to camp. We can also arrange this leg as a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, timed to your international arrival and flown direct to the strip.
You can drive it instead, but it is a long day of around six to seven hours, much of it on gravel once you leave the main roads. We usually build the flight in to save you a travel day and the corrugations, and we will confirm the exact airstrip and transfer when we plan your route.
Damaraland is a low-risk malaria area, and the risk is seasonal. This dry desert country holds little standing water for mosquitoes, so risk is at its lowest in the cool, dry winter from about June to October, which is the main time to come, and rises a little in the green summer months after the rains.
Health guidance can shift from year to year, so we always suggest confirming the current position with a travel clinic or your doctor before you travel, and taking the usual precautions against bites after dark.
Pack for a big daily temperature swing. Days in Damaraland are warm to hot, often into the thirties, while nights and dawns turn cold, and in the winter months of June to August the temperature can drop close to freezing after dark.
Layers are the answer: light, breathable clothes and a hat for the heat and dust, then a warm fleece or jacket for early game drives and cold evenings, along with something warm to sleep in. Bring sun cream, sunglasses and a scarf or buff for the dust.
Children of all ages are welcome, though the camp suits older children best, from around twelve, given the wild setting and the style of the days. Onduli Ridge is unfenced and wildlife moves through, so younger children need close supervision and everyone is walked to their suite after dark.
Tell us their ages and what they would enjoy, and we will shape the activities and any private guiding to fit.
Onduli Ridge is unusual for so remote a camp in offering wifi in all of the suites, so you can stay in touch if you need to. It is a desert connection rather than a city one, fine for messages and email rather than heavy use.
Our honest suggestion is to use it sparingly. The reason to be here is the quiet and the night sky, not the screen.
The camp asks for a minimum of two nights, and we would suggest three. Two nights give you a proper feel for the country and its desert-adapted elephant, which are tracked by vehicle across the concession.
Black rhino tracking on foot, the camp's signature, is offered on stays of three nights or more, led by specialist trackers across the gravel plains. If following rhino on foot is the reason you are coming, plan on at least three nights, ideally more, to give the trackers room to find them.
rated five stars by our clients
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our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
