Ondjou Safaris Namibia

Hentie, a born Namibian and a hunter since childhood, began by studying at an agricultural college in South Africa, but his love for wildlife, hunting and his urge for adventure encouraged him to become a professional hunter. In 1999 Hentie founded his own hunting operation called Van Heerden Safaris which today is known as Ondjou Safaris.

Hentie began as a Hunting Guide before becoming a Master Hunting Guide then obtaining his professional hunter license in 2003. He then went on to pass his big game professional hunter exam in 2008. Since 2009 Hentie has guided clients from around the world in communal conservancies, starting off with plains game hunting in the Damaraland communal conservancies. In 2009 the opportunity arose to obtain a big game concession he was looking for.

Stefan was born in Germany and moved to Namibia as a teenager. After completing school, he decided to pursue training as a professional hunter and obtained his hunting guide license in 2008 at the age of 18. Growing up on his family’s farm, he developed a deep connection to hunting from an early age. Since then, Stefan has been hunting both for the family business and as a freelance professional big game hunter.

Between 2013 and 2016, he completed training as a foreign trade merchant in Hamburg, Germany, and worked in this field for two years. However, the call of the wild brought him back in 2016, when he took over the family business.

Stefan is a passionate hunter who places great importance on sustainable game management as well as ethical and active hunting practices.

Denise was born and raised in Dresden, Germany. Her love for travelling brought her to the African continent where she met her husband Hentie on a hunting farm in Namibia. She moved to Namibia in 2005 after completing her studies in International Tourism in Germany. As Van Heerden Safaris grew, Denise started working for them after hours as her office hours were spent working for a car rental company in Windhoek. After Clara was born in 2007, Denise decided to work full time for Van Heerden Safaris as their office manager and cook in the hunting camps in Damaraland. More than a year later she and Hentie became parents for the second time when their son Leon was born.

When Ondjou Safaris was founded in 2009, there was no doubt she would take over the administrative and accounting portfolio as well. Although the office work swallows up most of her time, she loves spending every spare minute in the “bush” photographing and attending the hunts.

Angela, or Mrs. Merkel (the German Chancellor) as we sometimes jokingly call her, is the soul of the hunting team. She was born in Gobabis, which is in the east of Namibia and has raised 3 children almost on her own. Angela learned to cook in a hotel in her hometown and got introduced to cooking for international clients in 2007. It was a strange coincidence that Ondjou Safaris was looking for a chef in 2011 and Angela was looking for a new position. Since then she has been the head chef in the Caprivi as well as the camp assistants supervisor.

No matter whether Angela is cooking over a primitive camp fire in Hereroland, in a grass hut kitchen in the Caprivi or a well-equipped farm kitchen, she will always prepare you amazing dishes. Because she goes about her work with such heart and soul it also makes each clients’ visit to Namibia a culinary journey.

Lucia Danises is the chef and camp manager of Ondjou Safaris at Leadwood Camp. She has been part of Stefan’s family business for more than 15 years and is, in many ways, already part of the family herself.

With a strong background in hospitality, she completed an apprenticeship in the tourism industry and further gained valuable experience during several months in various tourism establishments in Germany. This combination of professional training and international exposure is reflected in both her cooking and her understanding of how a high-quality safari camp operates.

Lucia is regarded as the heart and good soul of Leadwood Camp. Her warm personality, attention to detail, and natural sense of hospitality create a welcoming atmosphere that guests immediately feel upon arrival. Whether in the kitchen or managing camp life, she ensures that every stay is both comfortable and memorable.

Lourine was born and raised in Dzoti Conservancy and joined the Dzoti team in 2017. Angela and her are alternating in the kitchen. Her delicious soups, the famous buffalo tongue starter, she prepares so well, and her Crepe flambe will be remembered by many hunters long after the safari. Her initiative to celebrate successful hunters when returning to camp, motivates all ladies in camp to join her in joyful carols and traditional dancing.

Mathews was born and raised in Dzoti Conservancy and has been part of our Dzoti team since the beginning. He started off as a tracker, but we quickly saw the potential in him to be more than that. He is a quick learner and very reliable. The camp and trophy maintenance is his department. His ability to pick up a new language easily, came in handy, when he suddenly had to communicate with many German people in his new job. When his son was born, Mathews even decided to give him a German name (Sven). His tasks are happening in the background, but his work is contributing to the success of a hunting safaris just as the tracker finding the trophy the client came to hunt for.