Reviews of trips to Swakopmund & Walvis Bay
908 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Swakop' & Walvis Bay.
"Wonderful Namibian Holiday"
2 points which will be useful: 1) There are no longer ATM's in Etosha, and petrol stations do not take cards. You have to arrive in Etosha with enough cash.
2) Nam $ 3000 in cash was stolen from a hotel safe - luckily our passports and credit cards were not taken. Best to keep cash and cards with you at all times. Of course this could happen anywhere in the world, it's just in Namibia we were carrying more cash than usual." Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 27 on a Namibia trip
"Our April 2017 trip to Namibia"
Travelling long distances on the gravel roads with hardly any other cars to be seen gave a sense of the freedom and vastness of the country. Obviously the dunes in Soussusvlei were a highlight as was the hiking in Bullsport.
Travelling times between places were in general underestimated particularly from Swakkopmund to Soussusvlei which took over 6 hours of driving." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
"My Apr 2017 trip"
"Fantastic trip"
Such a different country to the UK and everyone we came into contact with was friendly. We were lucky enough to stay in some excellent hotels.
Driving around Namibia was very easy. Being able to stop the car anywhere to take photos was great and the landscape changed every 50km or so!
We did experience the police road blocks 4 times, but only at one did we have any issues - we would recommend bringing an international drivers licence for peace of mind as although this was not needed, the police seemed to think it was!
Thank you Expert Africa for organising our trip at short notice and for all the advice before departure. We loved Namibia and want to go back and explore more on another self-drive trip!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
"Really enjoyable holiday"
The only downside was Zebra River Lodge - i strongly suggest you drop this accommodation.
Hoodia, Kipwe & Erongo were our highlights.
Two very minor points on your itinerary:
1) I think Hoodia directions are wrong - to be fair it is wrongly located on a number of maps; and
2) Be aware that Kipwe does not provide a laundry service (we had planned to use it but no service exists)." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
"My Apr 2017 trip"
"A trip of a lifetime and not a single regret"
The standard of accommodation ,food and service is overall very high.
At no time did we feel nervous or threatened and the driving is a challenge but was fun and an unforgettable experience.
Sharing the driving and hiring a proper 4WD vehicle is strongly advised
Don't just dream about driving through Namibia, book it and do it for the most wonderful experiences and memories
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
None." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip
"Great but Flawed Namibia trip"
The overall experience was brilliant, but with two major caveats. First, they PACKED the vehicle (Land Cruiser) with EIGHT passengers (there are nine seats, including the driver and passenger seats). There was no storage space available, so water bottles/daypacks/cameras had to be underfoot the whole time. The leg room was minimal in some of the seats, especially for tall people.. The passenger seat has no access to the roof for photos or viewing while on safari. Some seats are more comfortable than others, so we were jockeying on a daily basis for who got the crappy seats. We joked about "business class" seats and coach. It sucked. Safari viewing with the top up was difficult, with seven of us trying to cram ourselves into the small viewing area. The saving grace was that our fellow passengers were all good natured and willing to take their turn in the bad seats.
To add insult to injury, after the first day or so, we noticed the air conditioning in the vehicle was failing. Coolant leak. Lawrence got a recharge the evening of the day we discovered the problem, but whatever caused the leak in the first place wasn't diagnosed - nor fixed. So we didn't have A/C for most of the trip, and some of the days were 40 degrees C. So we had to drive with the windows open. Most of the roads were gravel. It got pretty uncomfortable. It's hot (it's the desert...). Dusty. Every time we encountered a dust trail from another vehicle, we had to quickly close all the windows, opening them after the "smoke" had cleared. In the heat.
There were other problems with the vehicle as well - the doors wouldn't unlock much of the time. The roof leaked when it rained, turning the front row of seats into a pool. There was often a gas smell in the passenger compartment.
This was billed (and priced) as a luxury tour. For most aspects, it delivered that. But the transportation was more what you'd expect from a bare-bones budget travel agency. We'd go back to Namibia in a heartbeat, but I wouldn't book with Karibu unless we had assurances that their transportation wouldn't be packed like sardines, and the equipment was properly serviced." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
"April 2017 in Namibia"
Sabina did a fantastic job in planning our trip and making suggestions and booking restaurants and activities. She put together an excellent itinerary which was perfect for our group of 7 which ranged from 8 to 61!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip
"Well organised trip of a lifetime!"
The first antelope by side of road - day1
Sitting on veranda at first lodge - afternoon of day 1 - watching antelopes , warthog family , lots of birds .
Close enough ( 6 ft) to cheetahs to hear them purr - Day 2
Mongoose pack being harried by 2/3 hawks - herding? - day 3.
Warthog Male trying to kill youngsters - because Female then goes into heat!?
All alone at waterhole in empty west Etosha watching 25 giraffes of all sexes and ages and then enthralled by the herd galloping away - because I spooked them by getting out of car!!
Bird with corn cricket in beak - bashing it on branch like on an anvil
Chasing 'flocks' of hornbills along Hornbill Highway in far north east Etosha !
The noise of seals at Cape Cross - especially deep bellow of males!
Flamingos sieving the water as the tide came in ( went out?) leaving puddles behind
The garden at Mushara Lodge - mongoose hunting snakes in long grass - dik dik grazing - wart hogs grazing and fighting - lots of birds - very cold swimming pool
Elephants coming to Hobaterre lodge waterhole - could reach out and touch but must not!
Lizards everywhere - especially at Erongo - all colours - all sizes!
Huge flocks of cormorants at Cape Cross !
Thousands of pelicans , flamingos , shore birds in Walvis Bay. Watching the pelicans fishing by diving from 10 metres up!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
Where to stay in Swakop' & Walvis Bay
Our suggestions for places to stay in Swakopmund & Walvis Bay