Gabus Game Ranch

Gabus sits on a six-thousand-hectare game ranch outside Otavi in northern Namibia, placed squarely between Windhoek and the Caprivi Strip — three and a half hours from the capital, three and a half hours from Rundu, and ninety minutes from Etosha's Namutoni Gate. Most guests arrive in transit; most stay longer than they planned.

The lodge holds seventeen rooms across several categories. Luxury rooms are spacious en-suite twins or doubles with a private terrace roughly fifty metres from the waterhole; you can watch game from the chair on your terrace at any hour. Standard rooms share a terrace and are closer to the bar and lounge. Thatched rondavels are smaller but air-conditioned and en suite, each with a private terrace. The family room connects a main bedroom to a children's room — with a double bed, crib, and a supply of books and toys — through a shared bathroom. Campsites have a concrete base, a shelter roof, electricity, and a water basin, and sit fifty metres from the lodge facilities.

The waterhole is lit at night, so game viewing runs from early morning until the end of an evening drink. Game drives cover the ranch in an open vehicle, with giraffe, zebra, oryx, eland, impala, springbok, black wildebeest, waterbuck, cheetah, leopard, jackal, and brown hyena all recorded on the property. Horse safaris run for riders of all levels. Guided hiking trails range from short nature walks to half-day routes into the Uiseb mountains, and a guided excursion to stalactite caves in the Uiseb range, thirty-five kilometres from the lodge, can be arranged. One of four wineries in Namibia operates nearby and offers tastings.

The restaurant serves buffet meals, with vegetables partly grown on the ranch. The kitchen accommodates dietary requirements if notified before arrival.