Our favourite Central Highlands accommodations are relaxed places on private reserves with a surprising array of wildlife. Scenic nature drives can therefore run at a languid pace and sometimes go on after dark to look for nocturnal birds and animals. The private reserve at Okonjima for example is gradually expanding and perfectly tailored to search for semi-tame and rehabilitated big cats and predators.

In the Erongo Mountains, there is stunning kopje strewn scenery, a decent range of wildlife and some ancient rock paintings at Paula's Cave. The Waterberg Wilderness Reserve has superb scenery, a clay pan that can fill up in the rains and attract numerous water birds, and a pleasing variety of animals that includes giraffe, eland, buffalo, leopard, zebra and even white rhino! The rhino theme is continued on the 170 sq km private farm at Frans Indongo Lodge, where black and white rhino, plus other rarities such as black wildebeest and a variety of other antelope can be searched out on scenic sundowner drives.