Reviews of Grootberg Lodge
Wildlife sightings and reviews
97 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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"Grootberg Lodge review"
"amazing location"
One of the most impressive remembrance." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
It was another place that had us saying 'wow' because of the view - the whole place just perches on the edge of a cliff - an amazing location and again, community run with direct links back into the local wider community. They were rightly proud of what they have achieved and it was fascinating to hear about how this lodge is changing the lives of the people in such a remote and wild area.
Our only disappointment was that one of their vehicles had a problem and so it was either 'tracking rhinls' or 'tracking elephants' and since more wanted to do elephants, we missed out on the rhino and since we had done the elephant tracking at Doro Nawas, we were left with walks on our own for much of the time. These were well marked and offered amazing views and very close encounters with game such as oryx and springbok. The birds were at about the same level as us for most of the time - excellent views of eagles at nearly 200 feet!
It was very windy again while we were at Grootberg and this made the rooms feel cold - we would have loved a hot water bottle here just to take the chill off at night. It is also a location where you really need a torch as the paths are very rocky, with only a few lights along them and its a long way out to Cabin 1 from the main house - many of the other lodges provided torches so we left ours in the 'bus' - its a long and scary walk back down that hill to fetch it!
Bob, the gentleman who welcomed us, nothing was too much trouble for him, and the young man who looked after the cars at the bottom of the track - he had even cleaned our filthy 'bus' before we left - such lovely people and they deserve every success with this wonderful lodge." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
Our room was comfortable with a great view. We were also fortunate to see quite a lot of wildlife from our balcony - e.g. dassies, klipspringers and lovebirds. It's worth remembering a torch for the walk from the rooms to the lodge which is poorly lit and uneven.
The staff were very friendly and helpful without being over the top - a good balance. Whenever we needed anything or had a question they were easy to find and happy to help. We really enjoyed their song & dance act on our last evening - the staff were obviously enjoying themselves and it felt genuinely spontaneous rather than forced (as it does in many other places we've visited).
We did both the rhino tracking and desert elephant tracking. Both were very long days but were great fun. The rhino tracking is a full day with an early start whereas the elephant tracking is supposed to be a half day (although we returned to the lodge later than we had on the rhino tracking as our guide and tracker (Moses & Barman) didn't want to give up until we'd spotted an elephant!)." See all these reviews: 20n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
We opted to do the Elephant Tracking Trip,which was really good, the guides locating elephants from a footprint in the road! We were also able to see some local villages." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
Warm welcome and our stone chalet with thatch roof was nice, hot water supplied from 17.00-21.00 h by a wood fired "donkey" boiler which was lit at 15.30 h behind each chalet. Not as peaceful as some lodges as there was a lot of kitchen and staff noise in the main lodge as it is small and mainly open plan.
The staff very friendly and the host Simonetta very attentive. Enjoyed an early morning guided walk on the plateau. We went to the Skeleton Coast from Grootberg but found the road to Torra Bay was closed once we reached the Park ( just over 2 h drove from Grootberg). Saw elephants 10 min from Grootberg which was great." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia
"Aspect magnificent."
"Cool mountain views"
Staff were in abundance and all from the local community, they were very friendly and helpful and seemed to love working with tourists.
Plenty of activities, including a self guided walk around the plateau, minimum of two night stay here is recommended. Could have stayed here longer." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
"Grootberg Lodge review"
Our cabin was set right on the edge of the escarpment with a fantastic view from its balcony. The cabin itself was comfortable, water heated from a primative wooden furnace outside - the only complaint was that we would have liked to have had a door on the loo. A certain degree of privacy is nice even when sharing a room with your wife/husband.
Again, we had an extremely friendly welcome from all the staff and good food, though embarrassed by the excessively large portions given us which meant that was unnecessary wastage.
The next day we were driven by our guide, Crossley, down into the Klip valley where we saw wildlife, including an elephant,and were particularly fascinated by some of the large quartz crystals he showed us in an outcrop of rock.
In the afternoon, what better place to enjoy the view than our balcony! The swimming pool, immediately above the cliff edge, gave a new experience as numerous swallows wheeled around and skimmed the surface even when one was in the water.
Our car, parked at the bottom of the hill, was cleaned for us before we left." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 6n in South Africa
"Grootberg Lodge review"
Food was good and the elephant spotting drive great fun.
This lodge is sponsored by the EU and profits go back to the local community which seemed to promote a good feeling towards tourists" See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia
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