Reviews of Grootberg Lodge
Wildlife sightings and reviews
98 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Grootberg Lodge and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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85% success
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13% success
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"Unforgettable"
The views of the pass are spectcular. It is really exciting to be able to photograph eagles from above !
Also many other birds – lovebirds, hornbills etc and (although we did not personally go) the rhino tracking was very well received.
After a few thousand kilometres of driving, we treated ourselves to massages and were not disappointed. Very well trained and thoughtful practitioners.
Rooms simple but comfortable with a fantastic view.
The staff here are happy, relaxed and very friendly and helpful.
Great fire in the restaurant to keep you warm (absolutely necessary in June)." See all these reviews: 26n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
Zebra
4 sightings
"Grootberg Lodge review"
Food fine, although we were a little jaded by constant game steaks by then.
Elephants and giraffes were seen close by." See all these reviews: 30n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
The staff sang for us after supper!
Stunning location." See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
However it is worth pointing out that it is a locally run conservancy, and as such, more basic than the other places that we stayed at. This was a bit of a shock at the beginning, but we quickly acclimatized.
Grootberg also had the most spectacular sundowner spot. We went rhino tracking here with my 11 year old son and we were very succesful, sneaking up close to 3 black rhino. This was a long day though, crossing some very rugged terrain." See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia
Black Rhino
3 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Oryx
10 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Grootberg Lodge review"
The food was fine, but limited options were available at times.
We did the rhino tracking one morning, the long ride was very uncomfortable, and we only saw one rhino with her baby. The wifi signals were extremely unstable, and very frustrating to use. Some of the other lodges did not have the same issue with wifi.
Out of all the lodges we have stayed, I would be reluctant to return to Grootberg due to the issues that I’ve mentioned." See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia
Black Rhino
1 sighting
"Grootberg Lodge review"
We were slightly disappointed by the trips. We went on a walking safari but the guide had come form the campsite and didn't know the route and didn't have much knowledge.
The evening Sundowner Drive was disappointing as we only saw Oryx, but the sunset was beautiful." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
Oryx
1 sighting
Zebra
1 sighting
"Grootberg Lodge review"
While we did not see a huge amount of game we saw lions, vultures, herds of zebra and an African wild cat on the drive to the lodge, we went through Etosha.
I went Rhino tracking it was too bumpy for my husbands bad back, it was a fantastic day and I was rewarded with a Black Rhino sighting, the scenery was stunning too.
My husband stayed and relaxed by the pool and had a massage." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Giraffe
3 sightings
Zebra
3 sightings
"Grootberg Lodge review"
Lots of interesting little things to see as well as the springbok, zebra etc - damsel flies, scorpions, snake and birds" See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana
Giraffe
4 sightings
Oryx
7 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Not recommended for rhinos"
We arrived too late for an afternoon activity on our first day, and had pre-booked rhino tracking for our second day (although, again, they didn’t have any record of this). The terrain here is extremely rocky, which makes for very bumpy game drives. I wouldn’t recommend it for anyone with back problems! We found the game to be very sparse and also extremely skittish – the fact that trophy hunting was done here until very recently certainly shows.
We drove for around 3 hours before reaching the target rhino area, where our tracker (only one – I got the feeling there were supposed to be 2 or 3 of them, but it was rhino tracker change-over day, where one set of trackers go in and another come out) searched for several hours to find fresh tracks, but with no success. For most of this time we were just sitting in the jeep waiting, which got extremely dull after a while. If we had known in advance that this is what it would be like we would have taken a book to read! We found out later on that they have had a big problem with poaching over the last few years, and they are now down on only 5 rhinos, so your chance of seeing them isn’t very high.
Also no power sockets in the rooms, so you have to charge devices in the main area. No wifi. The pool was empty. In general the lodge staff are friendly and helpful (especially the assistant manager Silvie)." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia
So when they arrived at Grootberg, the lodge was not expecting them. The team at the lodge did their best under the circumstances, but the pool hadn’t been filled and their rhino-tracking activity was far from the usual standard that we’d expect.
We’d have expected the rhino tracking to be a long and bumpy day, on rough rocky tracks. However, with a full complement of rhino-trackers from the community we would have expected the expedition to be more interactive and more successful.
We’ve apologised to these travellers in a very tangible way.
"Africa Specialist | Namibia"
Giraffe
3 sightings
Oryx
1 sighting
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Zebra
3 sightings
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