Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs R from Berkeley

What a wonderful country

On this trip, I visited Namibia between 27-Jul-2010 and 23-Aug-2010 and I travelled with 1 other person.

We loved it, with very few exceptions. It was a joy to discover that we could drive ourselves around this huge African Country and feel safe, and welcome everywhere.

The scenary is just vast, diverse, unspoilt and stunning. Wildlife abounds and offers exceptional viewing. We saw many animals that we hoped to see as well as an amazing variety of birds.

The accomodation was generally of an excellent standard which considering the remoteness of some lodges was a credit to all concerned.

The staff on the whole were friendly and helpful .

The locals were friendly and didn't hassle us - do wave at them as you go by! We did give some people lifts but there is conflicting advice about this. The Bradt guide suggests that it is normal and very much appreciated but written advice from the car hire company suggests that this is a dangerous practice and should not happen.

Don't underestimate distances nor the quality of some of the roads which both can make journeys very tiring.

Internet and mobile phone access was patchy to say the least so don't expect to be able to communicate home etc. We also posted letters etc most of which have yet to arrive home after well over a month!

Our actual itinerary seemed to work well with 2/3 nights at each place, as you need to have some "down" time from driving and to enjoy relaxing at the lodges etc. If we had to do the same again we would have three nights at Canyon Lodge, only two nights in Swakopmund and three nights at Okonjima. We may also have decided to drive from Okonjima to the airport for an afternoon flight - thus missing out Windhoek altogether.

We hope to return.....the Caprivi Strip beckons plus a return visit to Okonjima!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We have found Expert Africa very professional and very helpful. The website is simply excellent and even this feedback form impressive.
We strongly recommend that Tracey or someone visits Camp Kipwe and Mushara Bush Camp (we don't believe you have been to these places) to see for yourselves how lovely these places are.

Keep up the excellent work and we will highly recommend you to anyone we know wishing to visit Africa. We know who to turn to for our next African trip!

Thanks.

Feedback response

We pride ourselves on the fact we have visited pretty much all lodges that we sell, however sometimes, with new lodges, it can take a bit of time before we have someone travelling through the area.

Chris McIntyre briefly visited Mushara Bush Camp at the end of last year, and agrees that it is a super little lodge. Also two of our Namibia specialists will be staying at Mushara Bush Camp this autumn, one of whom will also be staying at Camp Kipwe.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch, Namibia 28-Jul-2010 review: Great introduction to Namibia	Good
Canyon Lodge, Namibia 30-Jul-2010 review: Impressive lodge design in stunning location	Excellent
Desert Horse Inn, Namibia 1-Aug-2010 review: Wild West Movie Set!	Good
Sossusvlei Lodge, Namibia 4-Aug-2010 review: A Great Base for Sossusvlei	Good
Little Kulala, Namibia 5-Aug-2010 review: Luxury in the desert	Excellent
Sam's Giardino, Namibia 7-Aug-2010 review: Beethoven - Public Relations Manager!	Good
Camp Kipwe, Namibia 10-Aug-2010 review: Excellence in the making	Excellent
Etendeka Mountain Camp, Namibia 12-Aug-2010 review: The "Boni" show	Excellent
Etosha Safari Lodge, Namibia 15-Aug-2010 review: Large hotel/lodge - functional	Average
Mushara Bush Camp, Namibia 17-Aug-2010 review: Kudu visits in the night	Excellent
Okonjima Main Camp, Namibia 19-Aug-2010 review: Walking with TV stars.	Excellent
Olive Grove, Namibia 21-Aug-2010 review: Ideal last stop	Good