Reviews of safaris to Central Highlands

"thoroughly enjoyed ourselves....would do very little different if starting again. it should be said that we had very fixed ideas long before contacting Expert Africa, and it was a bit of a debate whether to book through you or do it ourselves. Because of this my comments below are frugal and at times we might have been a handful for Sabina. I have to say I am very glad we booked with you and that we were assigned one person...Sabina.

Sabina's advice to stay a couple of nights in some places was probably correct and at Sossus Dunes Lodge and Erongo we could have certainly done with the extra night. We booked flights independently and then Air Namibia stopped flying from the UK. We weren't allowed onto the replacement BA flight at Heathrow and if Expert Africa hadn't sorted it at a moments notice we wouldn't have got there!

Sabina had to rebook everything because of the revised flights which would have been difficult for us alone. We had an accident and we were really grateful for the support from you that was always available on the end of the phone. I should also say that if you hadn't made extra insurance readily available, we would now be very out of pocket...naively we would have thought that the car hire would cover it.

Suggestions for improvement:

no since approaching perfection!
I would certainly recommend you...and my photos are already drumming up new business!" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia is certainly an interesting and beautiful country to visit. Highlights were driving through the dramatic desert scenery, climbing the dunes, seeing the seals at Cape Cross, watching a rhino family drink at Okaukuejo's waterhole, seeing crocodiles on the Angolan bank of the Okavango river, and the relaxed and friendly atmosphere at Ghaub guest farm. Having travelled fairly widely in Africa, the thing that perhaps surprised us most was how few people there are in Namibia (2.2/km2) - even the towns seemed empty!

It was interesting that none of the lodges (except Ghaub) offered child portions for their meals, even for very young children, which unfortunately resulted in food being wasted.

Cash was easier to find than expected with ATMs in even the smallest towns and at many petrol stations, which was good as food and supplies seemed generally quite expensive.

Expert Africa certainly organised the trip well - Tracy was always happy to answer queries, replied rapidly to my emails, and kept us posted with any changes. We had originally asked for self-catering as much as possible and I realise that in many places this is not possible, but where we were quoted only bed and breakfast we sort of assumed there would be facilities for catering for ourselves which was not always the case - this was perhaps our fault for not clarifying this before leaving. Otherwise, the voucher system worked well and everything was booked as expected (except for the family room at Haus Sonneneck). The route was clearly marked and lodges were easy to find." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"Excellent, very glad we didnt camp! so every room was a luxury in comparison. The food was cheaper than expected.
This was one of the best holidays I have had and would definately reccomend it to others and certainly with Expert Africa

I would like to have known that when in towns it is usual to pay a guard $10 to look after the car.

There was a little confusion as Brandberg white lady were expecting us for 2 nights, which is what we wanted, so there was some mis communication here. we had to pack up and leave for Omoruru." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"I think the individual feedback says it all - we were enchanted with our accommodation, captivated by the people, intoxicated by the countryside, the flora and the fauna, not to mention the sea life.

The planning was perfect - we had been closely advised by Expert Africa and found the timings to be spot on - no stay in one place was too short, no stay too long. We were priviledged to have 40 days and the luxury of being able to enjoy two countries, we felt, at our leisure." Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 24 on a Namibia trip

"Officials generally were not very helpful or pleasant eg at border, NWR park receptions (Hobas, Sossusvlei, Anderson gate - exception Ai-Ais).

Betesda - one night here before Sossusvlei would have been enough, then straight on to Rostock Ritz for 2 nights from Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei - 4 wheel drive ticket is now NA$110pp
Solitaire - a must to stop off for petrol and atmsophere at Moose's for apple crumble and coffee - general buzz of overlanders

Etosha
Is it right that the park fees are not included in the Park Lodge accommodation costs?
Saw 11 lions watched game herds approaching Springbokfontein waterhole.
Etosha Pan look out is a must
Lunch stop at Namutoni, really liked the atmosphere and cleanliness of this site, nicely laid out.

Cape Interliner bus service to Livingstone was 1.5 hours late leaving Tsumeb and 3 hours late at Livingstone.

Exceptional help and planning from Sabina in organising our trip, thank you!

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Definitely we would recommend Expert Africa." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"Having never been to Africa, we were apprehensive about taking off on our own into a huge country, with gravel roads, wild animals and potential problems. We need never have worried.

It was an amazing experience - wonderful landscapes, animals everywhere, lovely helpful people and the space, peace and freedom to do what we wanted, backed up by a superbly organised trip courtesy of Sabina. She had gently taken my initial plans - totally unrealistic! - and guided us to something manageable and fitting the sort of holiday we wanted. The walking, horseriding, lodges that benefitted the community directly, Africat, Etosha's waterhole - everything on the wish list was there, and more. Her suggestion of Erongo has ended up as my favourite place on the trip - wish I was back there now!

The issues with the car hire were something everyone was having to deal with - it was not an Expert Africa issue, just down to a lack of roadworthy vehicles in Namibia, and having seen at least 2 crashes where hire cars were written off, we can understand they have problems keeping cars on the road. People we met who had an accident couldn't speak highly enough of Sabina's helpfulness about getting them a replacement and their holiday back on track.

Namibia was a very special place - we learnt so much about a very different way of life and our 2 week trip felt as if we had been there for months - time seemed to stand still and itwas dfficult to know even what day it was! Three words to sum up Namibia for us - Space, Silence, Smiles.O

Oh, and animals of course - everywhere." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip to Namibia beat all expectations. We had less than two weeks so we concentrated on the central highlands and game spotting. Namibians were, to a person, friendly and helpful.

Olive Grove is a peaceful place to start and wind down at the finish. The choice of Erongo was a great opener, followed by the countless game of Etosha.

Mundulea was the definite highlight, and Okonjima was a great finale as it made sure we saw the cats.

Suggestions for improveMent:

No suggestions, the service was excellent." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"Truly wonderful holiday for our first African experience." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"We were wery satisfied with the service from Gwynneth and expert africa and had a fantastic tour to Namibia. We will return to Africa again and if possible use Expert Africa again.

There were only to mistakes a) we did not get the 4wd car we asked for and b) we did not get a familyroom at Kulala Winderness Camp as indicated in our confirmation invoice due to a booking mistake. However, everything else went fine during a one month long trip staying many different places." Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip