Encounter

Where the wild is met most directly.

Lodge overview

Encounter by Ongava is an immersive safari camp set deep within Ongava Game Reserve. Unfenced and surrounded by Mopane woodland, this is a place of immediacy, where wildlife moves freely through the landscape and the experience feels alive, unscripted, and close.

Here, guests do not observe the bush from a distance. They are part of it.

Spacious walk-in tents offer comfort without separation from nature, allowing you to relax fully while remaining connected to the rhythm of the land. Thoughtful details ensure ease, while the sounds, movements, and encounters of the wild remain ever present.

This is safari as it was meant to be - intimate, authentic, and deeply connected to place.

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A Place of Immediate Wonder

Every stay in the bush carries its own quiet magic, yet there is something uniquely powerful about a tented camp. It brings you closer, not only to the landscape, but to the subtle movements and rhythms that define it.

At Encounter, your senses sharpen naturally. The rustle of Mopane leaves in the evening air. The soft tread of a waterbuck passing near your tent. A rock hyrax slipping between the rocks. An elephant pausing at the nearby waterhole, close enough to hear the steady rhythm of its breath.

Here, you are not removed from the wild, you are within it.

And while nature sets the stage, thoughtful comfort ensures that the experience remains effortless. This is the balance that defines Encounter: immersion without compromise, wilderness experienced with ease.

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Our fully equipped safari tents blend luxury and comfort with the authentic ambience of an African safari.

At the heart of Encounter is the thatched dining area, a welcoming space to gather, dine, and unwind. From here, the landscape remains ever-present, with eland, waterbuck, rhino, elephant, and occasionally lion moving through the reserve as the day shifts into evening.