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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by E & D from New Mexico

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

4

Countries visited

5

Lodges stayed in

31

Excursions taken

3

Can I come back every year?

Kenya between 1 Dec 2020 and 23 Dec 2020

Trip rating: Excellent
"What was special for me on this trip, my second to Kenya and fifth to Africa, was the opportunity to see more of the country at eye level. Meaning that in driving ourselves around we could more easily stop in little towns and villages along the way.

Kenya, like much of Africa, is bustling with people walking to and from work in the larger cities and towns, or shuttling a goat to market on the back of a motorbike, or working a corn field with a hoe. The individual sellers in a street stall or market are invariably friendly and, they are always happy to show you what they've got and encourage you to negotiate if you like something. The park rangers and guides love sharing their knowledge of the plants and animals.

These are what earn Kenya the nickname, the warm heart of Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I WAS SUPER IMPRESSED AND THANKFUL THAT RICHARD CAUGHT A MISTAKE IN MY FLIGHTS which gave me time to correct the oversight. I ran into a snafu with my outbound flight that caused me to have to rebook on a different airline and would not have noticed the error on the return flight until I got to the airport, potentially either missing my flight or losing my last day of the trip.

So kudos again, Richard, for your thoroughness!

[Ed: This traveller booked her own flights. As is our usual practice, we'll always try to bring any flight issues the the attention of our travellers as/when we become aware of them, even if our travellers have arranged their own flights.]"

Arranged By Richard Trillo


Four Points Nairobi Airport

Four Points Nairobi Airport

"So convenient"

2 nights Arrived 1 Dec 2020
"Nicest staff throughout all areas of service, from guys who waited patiently at the airport for me to emerge (bag went missing and I had to fill out reports) to front desk to the wait staff and the guy who took my laundry in the morning after I tried to handwash it, being my only shirt, and it was still wet.

Because I was without my luggage, I canceled the birding I had planned to do the first day and instead treated myself to an aromatherapy massage in the rooftop spa. Well worth it."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Tortilis Camp

Tortilis Camp

"First nights in Amboseli"

2 nights Arrived 4 Dec 2020
"Due to traveling during the covid pandemic, we didn't really know what to expect in the camps. There were fewer visitors and hence less staff but the level of quality was not diminished in any way.

We loved our bush walk with the experienced guides and shared a great drive with Ben Stilet, a local Maasai guide who joined us in our vehicle. Since we had unintentionally strayed a bit off the beaten path on our first game drive (i.e. gotten lost at night in the deep, dark backside of Amboseli), we were happy to invite Ben to go with us the second time out.

We had wonderful viewings of elephants and hippos, sunk up to their bellies in the swampy grasslands, and all the gazelles, buffalos, flamingos, etc one could ever want to see, all backlit by rainbows."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Tawi Lodge

Tawi Lodge

"Swim under a view of Mt Kilimanjaro"

2 nights Arrived 6 Dec 2020
"The setup at Tawi takes full advantage of amazing views of Mt Kilimanjaro when the clouds lift. We enjoyed a lovely rain shower our first afternoon there which cleared the air and put some snow on the peak.

We were somewhat lazy in our time here, doing one game drive in Amboseli, and taking a camel ride around the Kimana Conservancy. The garden at Tawi was so lovely that it was an inducement to sit beside the pool and just relax.

The food was delicious and inventive, with daily menus written on a blackboard. A lot of the food was grown at the lodge."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Watamu Treehouse

Watamu Treehouse (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)

"Watamu Treehouse review"

5 nights Arrived 16 Dec 2020
"We loved our stay at the Treehouse. It was the perfect place to relax at the end of two weeks of safari.

Having seen many wondrous animals and vistas, we were ready for some beach life mixed in with a bit of yoga. The walks to town and to the Crab Shack for a dinner prepared by the local community were great experiences, more down-to-earth than the typical outing in the bush.

We kayaked in the mangroves of Mida Creek, snorkelled in the Marine Reserve, and ate delicious meals both at the Treehouse and out and about. People were friendly and happy to have foreigner visitors returning to their area, which has taken a hard blow from the tourism disruption caused by coronavirus."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Macushla House

Macushla House

"Love this quaint and quiet place"

1 night Arrived 21 Dec 2020
"If you really want peace and quiet in Nairobi, a bit of a rare commodity, this place is for you. It is tucked away in a corner of the Karen neighborhood, close to Giraffe Manor and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Nairobi orphanage.

The kitchen staff was very kind to prepare a big picnic lunch for us and our guide so we could stay out in Nairobi National Park all day. The style of the property is Colonial, and the public areas include a sitting room with wifi, two dining areas, a living room with a big fireplace, and lovely gardens around the pool."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good

Best Best Best

Kenya between 16 Jan 2019 and 5 Feb 2019

Trip rating: Excellent
"We started with an outline of what we wanted to do on this trip and then sat back and let Richard Trillo fine tune all the details. Everything worked in the most extraordinary fashion, so seamlessly, that one could have imagined this was a trip arranged and run countless times, not just for us.

From Richard's front-end suggestion to stay at Macushla House and have a driver to explore around Nairobi, to the last days at Sarara appreciating the remarkable conservation successes achieved through a joint venture with the Samburu people, I wouldn't change one thing.

Expert Africa earns my loyalty every time, and I think it is safe to now call myself an Africa addict."

Arranged By Richard Trillo


Macushla House

Macushla House

"Quiet place to land"

2 nights Arrived 17 Jan 2019
"I couldn't imagine a more prefect place to spend a few nights in Nairobi.

This gem of an old manor house has a beautiful garden, lovely colonial-style furnishings and just exudes a feeling of graciousness.

The quiet at night was a great treat after many long hours of travel and just in case you woke up forgetting where you were, a troop of some 40 black-faced vervet monkeys clambered across the roof in the morning."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Nairobi Giraffe Centre visit

Nairobi Giraffe Centre visit

"n/a"

18 Jan 2019 • Morning excursion

Excellent
Nairobi Elephant Orphanage visit

Nairobi Elephant Orphanage visit

"Maarifa"

18 Jan 2019 • Morning excursion

Go at five o'clock and adopt a baby for as little as $50 and then you can watch the babies return from the forest to their stables for the night
Excellent
Crowne Plaza Nairobi Airport

Crowne Plaza Nairobi Airport

"Great idea from Richard"

1 night Arrived 19 Jan 2019
"Because my niece was flying into JKIA at 4am to start our safari that morning, Richard suggested I move to this hotel at the airport to allow L. to have breakfast with me, a shower and brief nap, before setting out at 7am.

Perfect for the above reasons, and also somewhat comforting to my niece due to the very high level of security, especially in light of recent troubles in the business district in Nairobi. The hotel is new and very up-to-standard.

By the way, the buffet offered at dinner and breakfast is not to be missed."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
El Karama Lodge

El Karama Lodge

"Best "surprise" of the trip"

3 nights Arrived 20 Jan 2019
"El Karama (meaning "Answer to a Prayer") was the best surprise of the trip for me because I had the mistaken impression that it would be the roughest of our lodges. If this was true once upon a time it certainly is not the case now. From being greeted with cold washcloths and tasty juice, strolling into the lounge by the sparkling pool, with its walled garden, bird feeders and fab landscape paintings by matriarch Lavinia Grant, to being taken to our banda alongside the Ewaso Nyiro river, all was designed to welcome us home.

Lovii, the manager, would not take no for an answer when we protested he was doing too much for us, and Andrew, our guide, was just the sweetest young man. Being young took nothing away from his expertise, however, and the highlight was his finding an aardwolf.

As is so often the case, the best birding could be done within the perimeter of camp. On my way up to the car to leave, I saw a Cardinal Quelea, a rare bird for this location."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge

Il Ngwesi Eco-Lodge

"Rhinos on foot"

3 nights Arrived 23 Jan 2019
"I doubt you will ever have the experience of walking through the bush and coming upon two full-grown white rhinoceri except here. The rhinos have been hand-reared at Il Ngwesi and live inside a 300-hectare protected sanctuary but that doesn't mean they're not wild. We weren't sure of seeing them and when we did, we stood very still and quiet so as not to frighten them. That might seem silly given the size and strength of a rhinoceros but I am sure they were very concerned, and for good reason.

Visiting Il Ngwesi not only means you help the Maasai community owners of this lodge protect their rhinos, but also promote greater sustainability in the community, balancing the interests of the grazers with the wildlife. The lodge has helped to provide schools, health clinics, and water as result of eco-tourism. This is what is all about.

We had many wonderful walks in the bush with James Olekinyaga as our guide, and big hugs to Marcy and the other staff at the lodge for a very special send off with dances and singing. We loved our visit."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Lewa Wilderness

Lewa Wilderness

"Lewa Wilderness review"

4 nights Arrived 26 Jan 2019
"I could write volumes about our fantastic time at Lewa but will spare you, except to say that if we could only visit one place in Kenya to see the greatest number of birds and animals, to experience expert guiding with true warmth and friendliness, be served the most tasty array of foods prepared fresh from the lodge's own garden, and feel treated to luxury while not being too grossly decadent, this would be it.

Emma and Will Craig and their staff have mastered the art of providing unique and rich experiences tailored to each of their guests' desires."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sarara

Sarara

"Sarara forever"

3 nights Arrived 30 Jan 2019
"We had the great luck of staying at Sarara when Nicky and Tim were hosting. They are old-time Kenyans who know everybody and are so thoughtful and gracious in making sure we were always having fun and being well looked after. Amenities such as tea or coffee brought down to the room before our 7am rides with Lenawalla, or knowing there were kikoy-wrapped towels for use after a splash in the pool overlooking the waterhole below.

Sarara is such an inspiring example in the new model of engaging with the local community to create eco-tourism that benefits everybody. The Samburu staff and guides had such pride in their place to share with us and it was like visiting old friends. The walk to the Singing Wells is a must-do, as is a trip to Reteti, the elephant orphanage."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sarara Treehouses

Sarara Treehouses

"Perfect place for our last stop"

2 nights Arrived 2 Feb 2019
"Wow, the Samburu people and the Bastards have created the MOST wonderful new camp, truly not-to-be-missed. The hillside setting for the main lodge is backed by the Mathew Range, which you can enjoy gazing up at while floating in the pool, and yet I never could spot the lodge while we out on a game drive. The treehouses are set below the hill, accessed from a raised walkway that takes you by magnificent, huge old trees and under which elephants and other wildlife can pass at night. But you won't probably won't hear any of the happening t because you are going to be so cozy and blissed out by the quiet and dark that you will be deeply asleep.

Robert, our guide, was a total delight and expert in all things natural. On our last morning we scarcely had climbed into the safari truck before he and John, our Namunyak ranger, spotted a pack of wild dogs hunting for breakfast. We waited while they zoomed in and out of sight, until suddenly popping out of the brush right in front of us. Unforgettable!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent

My Jul 2012 trip

Zimbabwe and 2 other countries between 11 Jul 2012 and 29 Jul 2012

Trip rating: Excellent
"Fantastic.

Malawi and Zimbabwe proved to be two great countries to combine on this trip. There were many similarities. We found the staff in the camps and the people we met along the way to be very friendly, helpful and interested in us. The high standards of our guides impressed us, from Chris the manager at Mkulumadzi who personally took us on a walk and on a boat up the Shire River, to Richard Chamwala at Mvuu who delighted in sharing all things big and small with us. In our book you can always tell the best guides when they like finding the little birds and bugs to point out, not just the hippos fighting 30 feet away from the boat, both of which Richard did.

Our guide Nduduzi Ndlovu at Camp Amalinda in Matobo Hills was great at listening to us and discovering our interests, as evidenced by the wonderful day we spent with him driving through the park and the local communal lands, visiting a school, and hiking up to a cave with ancient paintings. He not only knows 7 languages but also knows where to find a zonkey!

Even our drivers that took us from one camp to another (or to an airport) were excellent, like Mike from Wilderness Safaris who stopped the car several times so we could see and talk to people and who also helped me buy a tchenge (those colorful traditional fabrics that woman wear as a wrap) in a roadside market.

We went to both countries in the hope that our visit would encourage and support the conservation of wildlife and wild areas. We also came to really appreciate the people of these two countries, where life has not been easy but there is a great determination to carry on and do better.

Claire at Expert Africa, with assistance from Chris, shared many insightful comments from personal experience so that we came up with this list of places to visit that really suited us. As usual, all details were handled and executed perfectly on the ground. This is really saying something because we gave quite short notice of our desire to travel.

And next time I will really believe you when you say that it gets cold in July at night!"

Feedback response

See E & D's Malawi, Zambia & Zimbabwe picturesin their own gallery.

Arranged By Claire Scott


Mkulumadzi Lodge

Mkulumadzi Lodge

"Mkulumadzi Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 11 Jul 2012
"We had 3 very nice days here. There's the wonderful Shire River as the water feature, a variety of habitats to explore on land, a good variety of birds and wildlife and plenty to fill our days. Chris and his staff were fantastic.

The food was, unfortunately, the worst we have had in Africa. Their attempt at gourmet fell flat, and we were actually looking forward to the dry cereal every morning. Too bad, as it made an otherwise lovely stay memorable for the wrong reasons."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Terrible
Facilities
Excellent
Mvuu Wilderness Lodge

Mvuu Wilderness Lodge

"Mvuu Wilderness Lodge review"

3 nights Arrived 14 Jul 2012
"What a great place. We stayed in room #8, its deck overlooking the lagoon, with the sounds, smells and the drama of every animal trying to stay alive. Can't say enough about the guides and staff, and the food was wonderful.

We had a chance to visit the re-forestation project that the school is doing and must take my hat off to all those involved."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Kawaza Village

Kawaza Village

"Kawaza Village review"

1 night Arrived 17 Jul 2012
"We have a mixed review for this stop on our trip. As an overnight experience, I found the "genuine traditional village experience" to be a bit staged.

Our hosts wanted to make sure we did a few things on the list of activities they offered, which included a must visit to the "traditional healer" (who had converted to Christianity for healing guidance), and sleeping on a rank foam pad with very dirty sheets and eating day old (or three) re-hydrated chicken and pumpkin leaves.

After much insistence I was allowed to visit the school and share some poster art and supplies with the kids, but it's not on their list of activities so it was going a bit against the grain. The villagers were very friendly and the kids allowed us to join their soccer match. Like I mentioned, it was a mixed-bag. One last note, it was the only place on the trip where something personal went missing."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Poor
Rooms
Average
Food
Poor
Facilities
Average
Ruckomechi Camp

Ruckomechi Camp

"Ruckomechi Camp review"

1 night Arrived 18 Jul 2012
"We stayed here just one night as a transfer stop and loved the place. Beautiful location and wonderful staff.

As I recall there were no guides qualified to do walking safaris at the time we visited. It was good to be back on the Zambezi."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Vundu Camp

Vundu Camp

"Vundu Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 19 Jul 2012
"This camp was right up my alley. The rooms were comfortable yet not pretentious, the staff was friendly without being overly-enthusiastic (which some staff tend to be), and the owner and guide Nick was what I like in a host, answering questions and asking about things he wanted to know about us, but in an honest, genuine exchange.

We love to walk in the bush, and this was the best walk ever. About an hour in, on our way to a wild dog den, we had to do some very quick lateral shuffling to get out of an ele's path, Nick then found the den, we sat down and watched the pack return, the puppies come out and be fed, the vultures come in to join the feasting, just incredible! We had stay as long as we dared, as the light was beginning to fade and we had about 4 km to traverse to get back to the vehicle. It was on the return that we were saw the dust cloud of the buffalo, were mock-charged by a lone female maybe looking for her calf, and heard the hyena very close by.

At this Nick said it was getting dark, we could maybe go on rather than investigate, although we all knew this is what we all wanted to do so, after an nanosecond of consultation we headed into the the thick bush to see what we could see. Nick stopped dead about 30 meters in, turned and said "lion, large male", we turned left and kept moving toward the heart of the activity (maybe another 20-30 meters), stopped and could hear and see a pack of wild dogs on the flank, the buffalo herd was moving off ahead of us, the hyena and lion to our right (or behind). At this point it was agreed that we had used up enough the daylight and needed to move off. 20 minutes later (we must have really been moving along) we were back at the vehicle and on our way to camp.

At no point did we feel in any danger. Nick's astute understanding of the situation and conditions and our ability and willingness to follow ever instruction and stay close together (we are very fit, have walked in the bush through all types of terrain and habitat and hopefully our vulnerabilities and limitations) made this feel we had done something very special, but not an experience for everyone.

Go and spend three days or more at Vundu if you like to walk and canoe. It's the best!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Ivory Lodge

Ivory Lodge

"Ivory Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 22 Jul 2012
"We didn't plan this part of our trip as well as we should have. In order to see Hwange in all its wonder you have to be able to either stay in the park or plan to be in the park all day, for several days. The distances are great and ones experience will be limited if you don't give enough time to penetrate this vast park.

The "Painted Dog Conservation" center outside the park was a good place to learn about the wild dogs and their roll in the ecosystem. Very informative.

Ivory Lodge is a nice place, although the car camp which is attached is a bit noisy, and we understand that it is being expanded. It would keep us from going there again as it felt more like a public facility than we were hoping for.

The water hole at the camp was a treat."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Amalinda Lodge

Amalinda Lodge

"Amalinda review"

3 nights Arrived 24 Jul 2012
"On our approach into the Matoba Hills area we were preparing ourselves for a bit of disappointment, with its dry and seemingly uninviting landscape. This quickly changed to an absolute wonderland of nature's rock sculptures, head-high grasses and stunning vistas.

Our guide, Nduzi Ndlovu, was priceless, although we did figure out on the third and final day that we weren't finding black rhino because he and our accompanying park ranger were afraid to stumble over the often-angry creatures in the bush. Fair enough.

The lodge was spectacular, our room without equal, and the staff was top-notch."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Bulawayo Club

Bulawayo Club

"Bulawayo Club review"

2 nights Arrived 27 Jul 2012
"Wonderful old building and nice staff. The room was a bit noisy at night so ask for one that faces away from the streets.

Good food, and we enjoyed a couple of special cultural events in Bulawayo. Nice town!"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good

Everything we hoped for and more

Namibia between 27 Apr 2010 and 21 May 2010

Trip rating: Excellent
"Fabulous and unforgetable

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

It would be hard to design a better trip. The only suggestion I could make to do differently would be to select automatic transmission. We spent a fair bit of time driving getting places and after I ground the gears a few times David decided he'd better do all the driving. On the other hand, maybe this might be a strategy for some."

Feedback response

See E & D's Namibia holiday pictures and you can also read about their trip here.


Olive Grove

Olive Grove

"Olive Grove review"

1 night Arrived 28 Apr 2010
"We loved the simple but classy details of the room (bathrobes, nice soaps, deep tubs, fine linens) and the service was excellent. Staff was very welcoming and on the spot to help with any needs.

I loved that it felt like we were staying in a friend's country home, with the kitchen immediately adjacent to the dining area.

Quiet for being so near to the heart of Windhoek. We only went into Windhoek on our last day but found it to be pleasant and easy to explore - especially the Craft Centre. We happily spent the last of our Namibian dollars there and felt it was very good value."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Okonjima Plains Camp

Okonjima Plains Camp

"Upgraded to Bush Camp"

2 nights Arrived 1 May 2010
"We were happily surprized to find that we had been upgraded to the Bush camp due to a large group being booked in at the Main camp. After staying at the Bush Camp we appreciated why the cost is higher but felt it would have been well-worth it.

The guides Albert and Jacques were dedicated to finding us a leopard, we saw three hyenas rolling in a waterhole, photographed a sleepy Spotted Eagle Owl quite close by, and really enjoyed getting to know the other guests at dinner.

Best of all was a stop in at the Africat clinic where annual health checks for the cheetah were being given and we learned more about the lives of this threatened species and all that Africat is doing to protect and promte them."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Huab Lodge

Huab Lodge

"Klipspringer at dawn"

2 nights Arrived 3 May 2010
"Jaap was a delightful guide - relaxed and enthusiastic for the animals and landscapes of Huab. Our favorite part was getting up for an early walk with Jaap, fueled with Rooibus tea and lovely homemade bread, and seeing a Klipspringer silhouetted on a rocky hillside in the first light of the day.

I also found the hot springs to be quite the right thing to visit at the end of the day and loved getting to it via a path cut in the tall grass alongside the bank of the Huab River.

If you are driving yourselves, as we did, it is best to be aware that the road in from the highway is about 30kms. The road is fine but don't be in a hurry - there is much to enjoy in the scenery on the drive."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Hobatere Lodge

Hobatere Lodge

"Hobatere has lots of birds!"

3 nights Arrived 5 May 2010
"Overall we had a wonderful time at Hobatere and would happily visit it again. Tobias and Martin were outstanding guides. We saw eland, giraffes, oryx, zebras, springboks, a pride of lions, bat-earred foxes, jackals, even a zorilla! A lion passed under the treehouse in the middle of the night when we camped out there.

Food was fabulous, even the picnic that we took with us to the treehouse. Sean and Bettina are doing a great job on behalf of the family operation.

Our only beef was with the fact that the treehouse floor and deck railings had been treated with creosote just before we got there, so the smell significantly affected our enjoyment. Apparently the creosote is needed to deter termites but we recommend it is applied in the off-season only!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Okaukuejo Camp

Okaukuejo Camp

"Truly amazing sights at the waterhole"

2 nights Arrived 8 May 2010
"It was utter magic to walk up to the waterhole at the edge of camp to discover 4 adults and 1 baby Black Rhino drinking, their strange shapes reflecting in the black still water at 7:30pm. We returned at the same time the next night and there they were again, only this time very skittish due to the presence of at least 2 lions waiting in the dark just beyond the reach of the floodlights.

We were pleasantly surprized by the good quality of our private suite and despite the large number of guests at the dining hall, had no trouble with either food or service."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Halali Camp

Halali Camp

"Restful camp in the heart of Etosha"

1 night Arrived 10 May 2010
"We thought this might be the low point of our trip but instead found Halili to be more than acceptable. There are several good waterholes nearby, in addition to Halali's own, and we enjoyed sharing a beer around the campfire with some Australian visitors that we had met at two of our other stops.

Since we had our own car we explored on our own. One of the best sights was a troop of Banded Mongooses splayed out in the white gravel road, enjoying the reflected heat."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Onguma Forest Camp

Onguma Forest Camp

"Lions, Snakes and Giraffes at Sunset"

2 nights Arrived 11 May 2010
"The best part of Etosha Aoba is the fact that it is in a private park that equals 1/3 the size of Etosha and as of January 2010 no hunting is allowed, which is probably why a big lioness just stood and watched us in our car from about 20 feet away.

We went on the sundowner drive with Sam and highly recommend it. The sunset view over Fischers Pan was quite spectacular, with giraffes chewing on bones and rubbing necks while we enjoyed a cold G+T.

Also be sure to have your camera or sound recording device with you at dinner as the ladies choral group sing a brief song each night in their native Damara language and they are wonderful."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Nhoma Camp

Nhoma Camp

"A Special Place"

3 nights Arrived 13 May 2010
"Going out with Jonas, Hart, David and Kaece to see whatever they might find in the bush was a great experience. They were successful at finding and extracting honey from a tree, they dug up a water root and used its liquid to wash honey from their arms, and made string from a plant called mother-in-law's tongue. They laughed and talked and generously gave us an arrow after demonstrating how it was made.

Estelle and Arno made us feel at home at Nhoma. We were concerned that we might feel like intruders at the San people's camp next door to the lodge but instead found the people were very friendly and warm - the kids especially. Their lives are not easy and it is difficult for them to make a living that is not in conflict with their old ways. We hope that our visit helped at least a bit."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Mundulea Reserve

Mundulea Reserve

"A hiker's treat"

3 nights Arrived 16 May 2010
"We thoroughly enjoyed the guides and staff at all the places we stayed but none more so than Bruno Nebe. Bruno grew up in Namibia, the son of a professional hunter, and learned tracking skills from a Bushman.

We booked our stay at Mundulea for our second-to-last stop because we figured by then we would have seen a ton of animals and we would enjoy walking with Bruno just to see what we could see outside the confines of a vehicle. We learned about many different types of thorny acacia, all designed to snag and trip, and how to tell one dung pile from another. Whenever Bruno saw some poop he put it into his pocket until he had 6 samples and then laid them side-by-side under the shade of a marula tree – his outdoor classroom. He showed us how to ID the rhino’s dung by the bits of twigs nipped off at a 45 degree angle that it contained and how another one’s insects parts revealed it to be from a badger.

By the end of 2½ days we felt like we had walked a lot of the 13ooo acres. We never saw Hooker, the last male Black Rhino of the subspecies Bicornis chobensis, nor any of his gal friends. We did see scuff marks where some eland bulls had tussled and we watched a warthog watching us back before he trotted away with his tail pointing skyward. We dodged a swarm of wild honey bees in the mini-Grand Canyon we climbed through and passed by a pile of bones from a Kudu that had probably fallen to his demise.

We were informed and enchanted by Bruno’s knowledge of this special place."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Lagoon Lodge

Lagoon Lodge

"Best location in Walvis Bay"

2 nights Arrived 19 May 2010
"If you enjoy looking at sunsets over the ocean with flamingos in the foreground, this is the place!

Day trip to dunes and coast (Sandwich Harbour) arranged by Expert Africa:

Worth every minute.

Astonishingly exciting and vivid, but also lovely peaceful moments hiking up the dunes and dabbling our toes in the ocean. Bruno produced a puff adder out of a little clump of bushes and answered our endless questions about the environment/history of the area.We felt lucky to be guided by Bruno, with all his years of experience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Coast and Sandwich Harbour

Coast and Sandwich Harbour

"The best outing ever"

20 May 2010 • All-day excursion

Worth every minute.

Astonishingly exciting and vivid, but also lovely peaceful moments hiking up the dunes and dabbling our toes in the ocean. Bruno produced a puff adder out of a little clump of bushes and answered our endless questions about the environment/history of the area.We felt lucky to be guided by Bruno, with all his years of experience.
Excellent
Olive Grove

Olive Grove

"Olive Grove review"

1 night Arrived 21 May 2010
"Just as good at the end as the beginning. We went into Windhoek on our final day and can highly recommend a visit to the Craft Centre."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent

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