Reviews of Dabis Guest Farm
(95%) From 17 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Beautiful Farm but Awkward Experience
As part of our road trip through Namibia we arrived at Dabis Farm at around 5:00 pm. The owner came out of the house and said "you are late" before even proceeding to greet us.
We were a bit taken back by the comment about being late since we were not aware that we had to be there at a certain time. After that initial, however the owner became quite friendly and took us on an interesting tour of his farm followed by a delicious home cooked dinner. Our room was comfortable and clean. We were well impressed and pleasantly surprise about his environmental stewardship.
One major criticism we have about Dabis, was that during the farm tour we stopped for a sundowner. The owner pulled a cooler with beverages from his vehicle and asked us what we would like to drink. Later before dinner, he asked us if we would like any wine since he was going to drink some himself. The following morning while we were checking out the owner's wife emerges from the kitchen with a list of the beverages we consumed and a final amount owed for them. It was a surprise to us since neither of them ever let us know the price for drinks beforehand.
The bill was for N$115 and we paid with a N$200 note which was all we had. She was very frustrated and asked us several times "are you sure you don't have any change". She then made a point of calling her husband on the telephone and told us she had to break into the kids piggy bank to give us our change. We felt that the way it was handled was very petty since she had a N$100 dollar note. She went through a lot of hassle and made us feel unwelcome (since she asked us several times to look in our pockets) so she could collect another N$15 (< USD$ 2). Our lodging was not inexpensive and it left a bad taste our mouths to have to leave the guest farm on that sour note.
A real highlight of the trip
Just found this experience so fascinating. It was a real pleasure to learn so much from Jorg about the environment, living in Namibia and hear all their plans for farming in this country - what works in his environment with relation to plants, people, weather etc.
Michelle is a wonderful cook, the food was all presented so beautifully, the children, dog, cats, chickens etc just injected a bit of real life into our holiday and it was just great to talk to them both about life.
Dabis Guest Farm
No longer run by Steve and Jenny, who moved away from the property around 18 months ago, Steve's brother Jorg and his wife Michelle provided a warm welcome and good food.
The farm drive was interesting, although we had been under the impression that the cost was included with the accommodation so were slightly surprised when charged N$130pp - not a huge amount and not a problem, maybe we had misunderstood the arrangement.
Excellent hosts on a most interesting farm
It was a farm but did not disappoint either in interest, facilities or friendliness
Read more about the whole safariA highlight of my trip
My stay here was one of the real highlights of my trip.
The owners were charming and the food was delicious. However, what really made it special was the enormous enthusiasm with which Jorg Gaugler told me about the area and his work in making his farming and other projects sustainable.
I found this absolutely fascinating.
Dabis Guest Farm review
We received an exceptionally friendly welcome from Joerg and Michelle (and by Nala the Rhodesian Ridegback) and we immediately felt part of the family. Joerg is clearly one of the world's enthusiasts and while we were unable to arrive in time for the farm tour, he showed us around and gave us some fascinating insights into his innovative approaches to farming, especially into breeding sheep suited to the terrain.
(By the way they mentioned in passing that they had been delighted with the people who had come to them via Expert Africa but had been having some - unspecified - problems with your local agents).
Dabis Guest Farm review
We chose this guest farm based on feedback from other customers and they were not wrong. This was genuinely one of the highlights of our trip to Namibia!
We travelled to Dabis from Desert Horse Inn via the D707 and Duwisib Castle. This made for a scenic and interesting day.
Jörg and Michelle made us feel very welcome. After tea and cake, Jörg took us on a tour of the farm and explained his approach to sustainable farming in the semi-desert region. It was fascinating to hear about the challenges and opportunities of living in this part of Namibia. We had a generous dinner of various dishes that had been cooked in their solar oven and a delicious breakfast including produce from their farm and other local farms in the area.
This was a very personal experience and made a welcome change from several nights in resorts favoured by coach parties. I'd recommend that anyone travelling in this part of Namibia take the time to spend a night here.
Dabis Guest Farm review
The farm is run by Jora and Michelle. We were welcomed by Michelle & stayed in room 2 which was more than adequate, Simply firnished but very clean with an area to sit outside & relax. There were no other guests staying at the time we were there.
The gardens are lovely to walk around & there is also a swimming pool & tennis court. We had an afternoon tea with the family & then went on a game drive with Jora which was extremely interesting. Michelle does all the cooking herself & the food was excellent. One of the best meals we had throughout our entire trip.
Learnng about their way of life was extremely interesting & as hosts you could not fault them.
Dabis Guest Farm review
This was another unforgettable experience for us - to actually spend a little time with a Namibian family who were very welcoming and informative. We didn't arrive at the farm until about 4pm so we missed the usual afternoon coffee and cake (our fault not theirs) but there was still time for Stefan to take us on a drive around the farm n the back of his truck before the sun went down.
After a welcome hot shower (the temperature having dropped considerably once the sun disappeared although Stefan did look after us with warm blankets in the truck) we went over to the family house where we were served a delicious and hearty meal and then spent an enjoyable hour or two chatting to Stefan about growing up in Namibia and their life on the farm. Jenny was busy elsewhere coping with the two young children (c 3yrs and 18 months and another expected in September).
Our room was basic but very clean and comfy with extra blankets and hot water bottles available.
We wish Stefan and Jenny the best of luck for the future.
An informative and homely stay
We learnt so much about farming in this hostile environment and their wonderful initiatives for a sustainable future. The rooms were simple and clean and our hosts most accomodating.
Food was virtually all from the farm and nicely cooked. We would recommend a stay over here as "must do" to learn more about life in this wonderful country.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
