Travel reviews by Mr Z & Mrs O from NL
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
7
Excursions taken
0
Unforgettable Namibia!
Namibia between 31 May 2009 and 14 Jun 2009
"First of all, we would like to mention two issues:
1. the distances from one to another place does not seem very long if you see the distance in kilometer on paper, but in reality it can take you quite a long time, especially when a big part of your trip is on gravel roads. Some travel days were in that sense quite tough for us.
2. our bank card has been skimmed in Tsumeb. Looking back, we probably know that it happened when some 'very helpful' guy wanted us to help with our transaction at an ATM. Of course, we have not been careful enough, but please be aware, these guys seem to be experienced and it all goes very fast, without any violence whatsoever.
Okay, those are the only two (minor) complaints, but overall our two weeks in Namibia were great! We have seen a lot of different things and have done a lot of things. All the lodges we have stayed in were unforgettable in their own way, however Desert Homestead, Doro Nawas, Etosha Aoba Lodge and Erongo Wilderness Lodge stand out. We really like the lay-down sandboarding near Swakopmund and also enjoyed the surrealistic landscape of the Sossusvlei. The most unforgettable thing of our holiday was, however, the Etosha National Park or more in general the game watching in Namibia. It is at times breathtaking to see wild animals at very close distance. We would like to recommend a trip to this beautiful country in all its elements to everyone!
Suggestions for improvements:
We experienced your service as very helpful and useful. We cannot think of anything to improve it."
1. the distances from one to another place does not seem very long if you see the distance in kilometer on paper, but in reality it can take you quite a long time, especially when a big part of your trip is on gravel roads. Some travel days were in that sense quite tough for us.
2. our bank card has been skimmed in Tsumeb. Looking back, we probably know that it happened when some 'very helpful' guy wanted us to help with our transaction at an ATM. Of course, we have not been careful enough, but please be aware, these guys seem to be experienced and it all goes very fast, without any violence whatsoever.
Okay, those are the only two (minor) complaints, but overall our two weeks in Namibia were great! We have seen a lot of different things and have done a lot of things. All the lodges we have stayed in were unforgettable in their own way, however Desert Homestead, Doro Nawas, Etosha Aoba Lodge and Erongo Wilderness Lodge stand out. We really like the lay-down sandboarding near Swakopmund and also enjoyed the surrealistic landscape of the Sossusvlei. The most unforgettable thing of our holiday was, however, the Etosha National Park or more in general the game watching in Namibia. It is at times breathtaking to see wild animals at very close distance. We would like to recommend a trip to this beautiful country in all its elements to everyone!
Suggestions for improvements:
We experienced your service as very helpful and useful. We cannot think of anything to improve it."
Terra Africa, Namibia (this camp has since closed)
"Terra Africa review"
1 night
Arrived
1 Jun 2009
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Desert Homestead
"Desert Homestead review"
2 nights
Arrived
2 Jun 2009
"A beautiful lodge, an easy laid-back atmosphere, a very warm staff, and pretty well-located for a trip to the Sossusvlei area make Desert Homestead an excellent place to stay a couple of nights."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Beach Lodge
"Beach Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
4 Jun 2009
"Situated at the north end of Swakopmund in a quite rich neighbourhood (at least, that was our impression), Beach Lodge does not have the warm African atmosphere which we found in lodges in the wilderness. Obviously, this is not something you can expect from a city accommodation.
The staff, however, was friendly and we were even upgraded to, as we suppose, the family suite, with a nice view at the atlantic ocean and a bath in our bedroom. During our stay we went sandboarding, which was very kindly arranged by the Beach Lodge staff.
The restaurant (The Wreck) also needs a positive remark, as the food was very good and the service was also great!"
The staff, however, was friendly and we were even upgraded to, as we suppose, the family suite, with a nice view at the atlantic ocean and a bath in our bedroom. During our stay we went sandboarding, which was very kindly arranged by the Beach Lodge staff.
The restaurant (The Wreck) also needs a positive remark, as the food was very good and the service was also great!"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Doro Nawas
"Doro Nawas review"
2 nights
Arrived
6 Jun 2009
"Moving your bed to your own veranda and sleep under the Namibian stars was an unforgettable experience. The spacious and tasteful lodge was overall a very nice and charming place to stay. A special note for the hot water bottles we got before we went to sleep: they were very welcome, because it was pretty cold at night.
In our opinion, the food and service were both very good as well. However, we felt that the woman we thought was the manager was a little too formal and 'professional', which did not really add to the relaxed and warm African atmosphere.
Doro Nawas is pretty well-located for a self-drive to the Twijfelfontein area. Since the prices of the trips are fairly high if you book them at Doro Nawa, we suggest that people drive themselves to the highlights. The high prices (more than 1,000 Namibian dollars for the morning drive) were also the reason that we did not attend the desert elephant drive. Instead of that, we took an afternoon guided walk through the surroundings of the lodge, which was a very pleasant and exciting walk, as the guide told us a lot in a relaxed pace and since we came across pretty fresh cheetah prints."
In our opinion, the food and service were both very good as well. However, we felt that the woman we thought was the manager was a little too formal and 'professional', which did not really add to the relaxed and warm African atmosphere.
Doro Nawas is pretty well-located for a self-drive to the Twijfelfontein area. Since the prices of the trips are fairly high if you book them at Doro Nawa, we suggest that people drive themselves to the highlights. The high prices (more than 1,000 Namibian dollars for the morning drive) were also the reason that we did not attend the desert elephant drive. Instead of that, we took an afternoon guided walk through the surroundings of the lodge, which was a very pleasant and exciting walk, as the guide told us a lot in a relaxed pace and since we came across pretty fresh cheetah prints."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Halali Camp
"Halali Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
8 Jun 2009
"Our stay in the Etosha National Park (for us the main attraction of Namibia) was unforgettable. The first night we sat at the Moringa waterhole (Halali's own floodlit waterhole) we encountered five rhinos (including two youngsters). Two of them were argueing with two bull elephants. Breathtaking!
The great possibilities to watch game alone is a reason to stay a couple of nights inside the park in one of the three camps. We only stayed at Halali, but I think if you come back we will probably spend some days in the others camps as well. About Halali: the rooms were good, the food was reasonable and the overall atmosphere was okay too. The camp does not have the class and tastefulness of the lodges we stayed in outside Etosha, but everything is just fine and staying in the middle of the park compensates a lot!
We made one guided morning drive, which was mainly very cold. Our guide was a very nice guy, but we did not saw a lot, so we have the feeling that you simply need a lot a luck to see the more special animals. On our own drives through the park we have seen, besides the widespread game species, a leopard, lions, a lonesome rhino, hyenas, many giraffes, and massive herds of elephants."
The great possibilities to watch game alone is a reason to stay a couple of nights inside the park in one of the three camps. We only stayed at Halali, but I think if you come back we will probably spend some days in the others camps as well. About Halali: the rooms were good, the food was reasonable and the overall atmosphere was okay too. The camp does not have the class and tastefulness of the lodges we stayed in outside Etosha, but everything is just fine and staying in the middle of the park compensates a lot!
We made one guided morning drive, which was mainly very cold. Our guide was a very nice guy, but we did not saw a lot, so we have the feeling that you simply need a lot a luck to see the more special animals. On our own drives through the park we have seen, besides the widespread game species, a leopard, lions, a lonesome rhino, hyenas, many giraffes, and massive herds of elephants."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Facilities
Excellent
Onguma Forest Camp
"Etosha Aoba Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
10 Jun 2009
"The Etosha Aoba Lodge is situated quite close to the east entrance of Etosha National Park, however the drive through the bush from the main road is quite a long drive. The location, however, is beautiful.
The lodges are spread through the forest and breakfast and dinner are served on a nice, peaceful place behind the welcoming main building.
It is a convenient place to use as a base for game driving in the Etosha National Park, as well as an excellent place to relax after all your experiences in Etosha."
The lodges are spread through the forest and breakfast and dinner are served on a nice, peaceful place behind the welcoming main building.
It is a convenient place to use as a base for game driving in the Etosha National Park, as well as an excellent place to relax after all your experiences in Etosha."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Erongo Wilderness Lodge
"Erongo Wilderness Lodge review"
1 night
Arrived
12 Jun 2009
"Beautiful tents, with bathrooms build in the mountains surrounding the lodge. Very tasteful! Excellent staff, very friendly! Food was also great and the porcupines and lovebirds in the vicinity of the main building were also a nice attraction.
The guided morning walk through the Erongo Mountains was great as well. The guide was a pleasant guy and the views from the Erongo mountains and the klipspringers we saw, were very much appreciated.
However all places we have stayed were excellent in their own way, this was possibly the nicest place we have stayed during our trip to Namibia."
The guided morning walk through the Erongo Mountains was great as well. The guide was a pleasant guy and the views from the Erongo mountains and the klipspringers we saw, were very much appreciated.
However all places we have stayed were excellent in their own way, this was possibly the nicest place we have stayed during our trip to Namibia."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
The overall relaxed atmosphere of the accommodation got us in the right mood for our holiday inmediately."