ONDULI ENCLAVE is finally open
After almost two years of planning and a year of building, we are delighted to introduce what will be Namibia’s premier villa experience, ONDULI ENCLAVE. Built as a privately serviced stand-alone villa near ONDULI RIDGE in Damaraland, our newest venture has once again been created in line with our commitment to help preserve wild places through impact investments that have a positive effect on the environment and its custodians.
NOW OPEN with official pictures, ONDULI ENCLAVE will be Ultimate Safaris’ premier private retreat, setting a new benchmark for villa experiences in Namibia, and our belief is that it will be competing with the very best villas in Africa.
AT A GLANCE
° An exclusive use villa with three glass-fronted super king size suites
° Mini bars along with an ice cream and sorbet freezer, local craft gin bar, and an artisan coffee and tea station in each suite
° Fully climate-controlled suites
° Large bathrooms with double inside and outside showers
° Suites with private decks boasting wood-fired hot tubs, sun loungers and shaded sitting area
° Interleading lounge / children’s room between two of the suites
° Minimum 4 / Maximum 10 (maximum 6 adults)
° Star beds
° Private swimming pool and sun deck
° Private guide, chef and butler
° Open-air art collection
° Fully inclusive stays including all premium drinks as offered (excluding spa offerings)
° Experiences and activities include searching for the desert adapted elephants, star gazing, solar e-biking, rock art viewing, nature drives, and walks.
° Artisan tea and coffee
° Crafted pizza evenings
° Spacious private lounge, dining room, interactive open plan kitchen, campfire circle and pizza boma
° Open year-round
° Minimum 2-night stays (3 nights recommended)
° Children very welcome
° 100% solar powered
° 100% water reclamation
° Waterhole for wildlife viewing
° Use of the Swarovski binoculars provided in each suite
° Wi-Fi throughout the venue
OVERVIEW
Onduli Enclave, also named after the resident giraffe of the area, is the privately serviced and stand-alone villa addition to Onduli Ridge which is separate from the main lodge and runs independently from it. Designed, developed, fitted and furnished by our co-founder, Tristan Cowley and the help of an incredible tribe that is beginning to make its mark with these sorts of developments, Onduli epitomizes mindful environmental integration and consideration, and the Onduli Enclave is a venue that allows guests the luxury of being at one with nature, whilst enjoying the ambience of Namibia’s most exclusive and luxurious villa. Onduli Enclave is built high up (12 meters high to be precise) against a south facing granite outcrop affording magnificent views of the Brandberg, Namibia’s highest mountain to the south, the dispersed cathedral-like granite inselbergs to the southeast, and the Doros Crater to the west. The Enclave blends into its surroundings perfectly, maximizing the views of this most extraordinary landscape, and every space becomes a viewpoint whether from the bed, the desk, or the bathroom. Frameless glass stacking doors can be opened completely, blurring the lines between the indoors and nature, or closed when needed to take account of personal preference or local weather conditions. Three fully climate-controlled suites have super king-sized beds which can be rolled out onto your private deck for a night under a billion stars as required. Each suite also has a sleeper couch to accommodate a child, and there is an interleading lounge / children’s room with another sleeper couch between two of the suites that is available for larger families. The villa exudes refinement and meticulous attention to detail meeting all requirements, from private sun decks with individual wood-fired hot tubs (where water is recycled after use and it is fired with environmentally responsible wood) and shaded outside seating areas at each of the three suites, double inside and outside water-saving rain showers, private pool, pizza boma with a fire circle, magnificent art installations and plenty of places to relax and laze, all connected by floating wooden decks. A private lounge and dining room, with an interactive open plan kitchen, make up the communal area, along with numerous outside areas for sitting and relaxing. World class meals prepared by a private chef and served by a private butler combine with the exceptional activities offered by a private guide to provide a genuinely unforgettable stay of exceptional quality, while everything blends effortlessly into the natural surroundings.
AREA
Onduli Enclave is located on a private concession in the Doro !Nawas Conservancy in the heart of Damaraland, and a mere 30 minutes away from the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein. The landscape consists of rugged folded hills, plains, and wooded river valleys in a largely semi-desert and sparse savannah. Boasting some of the most magnificent views of Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg, as well as the typical cathedral-like granite inselbergs of Damaraland, Onduli Enclave is within striking distance of other geological attractions such as the Doros Crater, Burnt Mountain and the Organ Pipes. Named after the Doros Crater, Doro !Nawas means ‘the place where rhinos roam’ in the Khoekhoegowab language, and the area is home desert-adapted black rhino, desert-adapted elephant, desert-adapted giraffe as well as general plains game and predators such as cheetah, leopard, lion, spotted and brown hyena.
CAMP SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability forms the foundation of each of our properties, and our Eco Awards ratings bear testimony to this. Onduli Enclave is no different as all power is produced by solar energy, negating the need for any use of fossil fuels. As Onduli is situated in a desert environment, water is in short supply, so all used water runs through a sophisticated reclamation plant. It is then used to water gardens in our staff village which means there is no wastage. Solid waste is sorted on site according to recycling guidelines and driven out on the same transport that brings in operational supplies before being disposed of at recycling plants in Windhoek. The villa was also designed and built to ensure that, should we ever decide we need to remove it, this can be done quickly and efficiently, ensuring the site is returned to its original pristine condition.
EXPERIENCES
We recommend extended stays to get the full benefit of time spent at the Onduli Enclave and to explore one of Namibia’s most remarkable and amazingly diverse areas. Your time with us will be both exhilarating and life enriching, and it can include nature drives and walks as well as excursions to track unique desert wildlife. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of Twyfelfontein is within reach of an afternoon Solar E-Bike ride, and you have the option to ‘wheel’ your bed out to spend the night under a blanket of a billion stars. Trail Treats will surprise you along the way whilst our Journey Magicians ensure each moment spent at the Onduli Enclave is as perfect as possible. Here is a summary of all the experiences on offer:
Desert-adapted elephant activity
Track members of one of only two populations of desert-adapted elephants in the world.
Desert-adapted black rhino activity
Learn about the world’s only population of free-roaming black rhino, but only on extended stays of 3 nights or more.
Desert-adapted giraffe activity
Head out with a guide to track, locate and monitor giraffe in the area, learning about our conservation efforts with regards to these animals.
Star Beds
Have your bed rolled out onto your deck and sleep under a blanket of a billion stars.
E- biking
Explore the area on e-bikes bikes with a biking guide, and maybe even head out on a Giraffe Conservation Activity by e-bike.
Rock art
View and learn about art of a bygone era, giving insight into our origins.
Nature Drives
Explore the area by vehicle, learning about the intricacies and complexities of this fascinating ecosystem.
Nature Walks
Explore the area on foot, learning about the smaller factors that also impact on the ecosystem.
Trail Treats
Let us surprise you with the most amazing surprises as you explore this magnificent area.
IMPACT
Doro !Nawas Conservancy
This is an area that was plagued by ventures that did not produce the promised beneficial impact it needed. However, this changed with the opening of Onduli Ridge in 2021. Onduli Enclave will bring even more investment to both the community and local conservation efforts through conservation levies raised and through the support provided by the Conservation Travel Foundation.
Giraffe Conservation Foundation
Onduli Ridge, and now also Onduli Enclave, pays homage to the desert adapted giraffe found through Namibia’s north west region. In June 2020, fourteen Angolan giraffe were relocated from private farmland in central Namibia to the Doro !Nawas Conservancy through a joint project undertaken by the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Namibia’s Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Ultimate Safaris’ Conservation Travel Foundation, and private donors, The intention was to boost the existing small giraffe population in the area and to improve its genetic diversity, while also increasing the local tourism potential for the land custodians.
Save the Rhino Trust (SRT)
Onduli Ridge and Onduli Enclave support a Rhino Ranger team ensuring crucial rhino monitoring in conjunction with SRT. Ever since May 2020, even before the completion of the Onduli Ridge, all Doro !Nawas Conservancy Rhino Ranger costs (salaries, subsistence, uniforms, etc.) have been covered by Ultimate Safaris.
Wildlife Credits
Onduli Ridge and Onduli Enclave pay a wildlife ‘sightings fee’ to the Conservancy for every sighting of high-profile game (rhino, elephants, giraffe, lion, etc.), thus raising substantial additional income for local conservation purposes.
Granietkop Campsite
As part of our contribution to the host Conservancy, Ultimate Safaris will manage and operate the Granietkop Community Campsite on behalf of the Conservancy on a pro bono basis (opening in 2024).
Aerial photo/video service/inquiries: info@traveltonamibia.com
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