Namibia: reviews from our travellers

"we loved Namibia and every single aspect of the trip went like clockwork. Its a very special country with amazing organisation coupled with a true sense of isolation" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"We had a magical time in Namibia! Our trip was so well-organized and perfectly suited to our needs, wishes and budget that we wouldn't have changed a thing about it. This was our first time in southern Africa, and Namibia has indeed spoiled us! The big empty dirt roads, stunning scenery, incredible wildlife, warm hospitality, and eco-conscious mindset all combined to make this an unforgettable vacation. We cannot wait to go back.

Expert Africa's website was perhaps the main reason we chose to work with them over other self-drive tour planners we considered. Working with Sabina - a native Namibian - was also important. She was able to answer all of our questions and address all of our concerns, particularly relating to driving. We are so glad we went with her advice to NOT get a 4WD. Being city people that went against our instincts somewhat, but the price difference was significant and we were 100% satisfied with our Nissan X-Trail.

We did not make our plans early enough to get exactly every lodge we wanted, but the alternatives that Sabina suggested were excellent - especially Onguma Bush Camp. She also did a great job at pointing out details regarding a couple of the lodges that had concerned clients of hers in the past and wanted to make sure we were still okay staying there. We didn't have any major surprises (of the bad kind!) on this trip, and we believe it's because we were well-prepped by Sabina, the very informative Bradt guide, and Expert Africa's website.

The only thing that was consistently different from what we had been told was the driving times. It always took us much longer to get from lodge to lodge than we expected. We definitely made many stops along the way which delayed us - especially during the first half of our trip - but even when we didn't stop much we were inevitably somewhere between an hour and a half to two hours behind the estimate. Thankfully we always left early enough that we were never in danger of driving at dusk or night.

Another issue worth pointing out is that while we essentially did the Caracal Self-Drive as described on Expert Africa's website, our final invoice was a lot higher than what was quoted on the site. We did make several upgrades, such as going with a K-class 2WD instead of a sedan, getting an extra spare tire, spending a night at a premiere waterhole chalet at Okaukuejo, and staying at Okonjima. In the end we paid quite a bit more than what we thought we were going to pay based on the website quotes. We have absolutely no regrets about this in the end, but it's important to know that what is on the website is really the bare bare minimum and that one should probably budget several hundred dollars more per person if more than one or two changes to the itinerary are going to be made.

We had the time of our lives on this trip and didn't want it to end! Namibia is a place unlike any other we've been to. Sabina did a great job at making it all go smoothly and we will definitely be giving her a call as soon as we can get back there!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Excellent and understanding service from your experts. Tracy did a wonderful job of planning our itinerary at such short notice and with a limited budget. We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and thanks to your detailed and very thorough guidance we had no major problems, felt safe at all times and generally had no problems with finding our way around. Well informed and up to date information from Tracy and her colleagues made everything very easy on our first trip to Namibia. You seem to be able to find some of the best places to stay too.

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Get rid of the credit card surcharge." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Overall a fantastic trip and we plan to return.

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Brilliant as it is. Martha took over from Angela and was really helpful. Got back to us quickly with minor changes.

Have recommended Expert Africa to a couple of friends" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"A special treat to celebrate 25 years of marriage - an adventure in Namibia. Spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, delicious food, & great company. We have brought home so many memories of a truely amazing place and thousands of photographs!

A special thank you to Maruska, for patiently explaining all the various options and helping us construct our special trip. Thank you!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"A memorable fifth trip to Namibia and our first fully self driving.

Having travelled all round the country on previous visits, we deliberately confined this trip to the Otavi area & Etosha, so did not have huge distances to cover. Okonjima, Mundulea & Esther Farm were all return visits , eastern Etosha was new to us.

We will not be returning to Okonjima. It was a good stop on our first trip, but we would now prefer to take our chances on seeing truly wild animals, rather than stressed looked radio collared animals. Okonjima has become a large, very commercial operation and has lost its appeal to us.

We had a wonderful time at both Mundulea & Esther Farm - with focus on walking & soaking up all aspects of the ecosystem at both. It was good to spend a few days at Esther Farm as our hosts, Axel & Silkie, were keen to try out having their first purely walking guests. While it is a working farm, they are reducing stocking rates and taking down fences, so there are good numbers of game becoming established on a very varied terrain - including hills & mountains. Axel has a good knowledge of the flora, fauna and geology, so as with Bruno, much time on the walks is spent discussing how they all fit together. Likewise there was much discussion, over excellent meals, about life in modern Namibia.

As ever we had lots of new sightings & experiences from a Leopard Tortoise to hours of torrential rain.

Esther Farm was an easy drive and a good stop between Mundulea and Etosha on the old road to the Namutoni gate.

This was our first visit to Eastern Etosha (we stayed at Okaukuejo on our first trip). We were rewarded with excellent sightings of Rhino, Cheetah, Lions & Elephants as well as many birds & other game in large numbers. The Etosha experience complemented the walking part of the trip.

Special thanks to Bruno, Axel and Silke, and a thank you to Sabina for organising another excellent trip." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"I won't lie, I was dubious about going to Namibia, it was my husband's dream holiday destination which is why we chose it but we both absolutely loved it!

Neither of us had ever been to Africa before and the fact that we could drive round on our own and do our own thing was priceless. We would go back in a heartbeat. Thank you to Expert Africa for everything!

We do think that a 4WD would have been better than a 2WD just because of some of the D roads. We had to turn back round on 2 occasions but this added to the adventure. If we did it again (or when we do it again!) we will be asking for a 4WD." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"Once again thank you for your faultlessly organised trip, and your advice and insight into knowing the sort of things we like to do,and the type of accommodation that we enjoy. All the organisation of accommodation and pick ups went smoothly and precisely, and your choice of accommodation great.

Can't wait to go back!!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Beautifully organised again by Expert Africa and Maruska in particular. Attention, guidance and care second to none. Thank yoi

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Keep on going." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Fantastic holiday, but not happy about attitude of wilderness safaris when our Namibia Airline flight was cancelled. We informed them be e-mail at 6.30 am on that morning and think that the initial demand of £950.00 to continue our holiday schedule was totally unreasonable. We think they could have rearranged transport for us to continue on that day, within the timescale they had, we would like to say we were very impressed with the guides and staff at the lodges.

They were all extremely friendly and helpful and we were able to learn a little of Namibian culture. Also, the wildlife was amazing.

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No" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 20 on a Namibia trip