Safari House: Private, Exclusive Use Accommodation in Etosha Heights

Safari House is a traditional four-bedroom Namibian farmhouse, booked for exclusive use, in the 60,000-hectare Etosha Heights Private Reserve. The reserve shares a 65 km boundary with Etosha National Park along the park’s southwestern edge, and the house is close to Safarihoek Lodge. Run by Natural Selection, it suits families and small groups who want a private, self-paced safari rather than a shared lodge.

What Makes Safari House Different

No other guests stay in the house, and it comes with its own private chef, guide and safari vehicle. The day runs on the guests’ schedule, whether that means an early start to look for rhino or a leisurely morning. Game drives aren’t shared with anyone else. Only two other lodges operate on Etosha Heights, Safarihoek and Etosha Mountain Lodge, so guests get Etosha-area wildlife without the crowds of the national park.

Accommodation at Safari House

Four air-conditioned en-suite bedrooms, each with an indoor shower, sleep up to eight guests. Inside are a sitting room, a dining area and a fully equipped kitchen. Outside, a shaded wraparound veranda with a braai and outdoor seating overlooks a waterhole just beyond the garden fence. There’s also a swimming pool, a fire pit, a second thatched braai area and outdoor dining, set in a fully fenced garden with a private viewing hide at the far end. A dedicated pilot/guide room gives a visiting pilot or private guide somewhere to stay at the house, and the house is fully solar powered.

Location & Getting There

Safari House sits within the Etosha Heights Private Reserve on Etosha’s south-western boundary (measured to neighbouring Safarihoek Lodge; Safari House is close by on the same reserve).

• Swakopmund: Option 1: 559km (about 6h drive via B2 and C33 – mostly tarred). Option 2: 497km (about 6h drive via C35 – mostly gravel).
• Khorixas: 197km (about 2h45min drive).
• Andersson Gate Etosha: 112km (about 1h40min drive).
• Outjo: 158km (about 2h drive).
• Windhoek: 473km (about 5h30min drive).

Activities & Experiences

With a private guide and vehicle, guests choose what to do and when. Activities on Etosha Heights include:

• Game drives: Early-morning and late-afternoon drives on the reserve. Species seen include lion, cheetah, elephant, giraffe, wildebeest, eland, kudu, hartebeest, springbok, oryx, black-faced impala and Hartmann’s mountain zebra.
• Rhino: Etosha Heights has both black and white rhino, and guides take guests out to track and look for them. A dedicated anti-poaching team protects the rhino around the clock.
• Night drives: Drives after dark with a spotlight, looking for nocturnal species rarely seen during the day.
• Photography hide: A double-storey photography hide at nearby Safarihoek Lodge overlooks a busy natural waterhole, and a livecam streams it online.
• Guided walks: Walks on foot with your guide, for a closer look at the reserve at ground level.
• Birding: The reserve has a wide variety of birds, including species endemic to this part of Namibia.
• Spa treatments: Wellness and spa treatments can be arranged at extra cost.

Nearby Attractions

Safari House shares the Etosha Heights Private Reserve with Etosha Mountain Lodge and Safarihoek Lodge. See our guide to accommodation and top lodges near Etosha National Park for other options outside the park, or our complete Etosha safari guide for the wider park.