Reviews of safaris to Damaraland
1126 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Damaraland.
"Amazing country, excellent holiday"
Expert Africa organised a great itinerary for us in the time available (we booked with only 2 months to go and should have booked earlier), and we met a safari travel industry consultant whilst in Namibia who only had words of praise for the company, and in particular its commercial independence compared with many operators, who are often incentivised to recommend some destinations over others. This was very good to hear, as the travel industry is opaque and it is often impossible for clients to tell which agency has incentives with which locations, and therefore may be making recommendations more in their own interest than in those of the client. The level of detailed information provided on the Expert Africa website is also extremely helpful in terms of making choices.
We would recommend Namibia to anyone who will listen. For those who are widely travelled, this is a destination that will surprise and delight, especially if you love wide open, remote and stunning deserts and mountains, and don't mind driving 4-6 hours each time you relocate. (If you don't have time for such journeys you better fly but you will miss out on the sense of vastness that driving provides.)
Next time we would want to explore up into the far north west to see the Skeleton Coast sand dunes in all their glory.
Finally, we mislaid a couple of items during the trip and the London team were helpful in contacting camps to see if our possessions could be relocated. In the end the camps themselves located them and we hope our missing items will arrive shortly!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
"Our 2017 Namibia Trip"
The joy of climbing into a hired car and driving off to a destination where everything is booked for us could be habit-forming. It all worked perfectly except for the last night and that only went wrong because we hadn't realised that the clocks were due to change. We were afraid of the dark!
The one place that could do better was the Twyfelfontein Sauna and Spa: we only got to sleep there by wetting towels, ringing them out, and laying them on the bed. In the morning they were bone dry.
Namibia is a country with a wealth of "things to do" so it was a win-win deal. We couldn't fail to have a good time.
One extra note; we flew to Windhoek from Durban via Gaberone in a 40-seater jet with Air Namibia. A really great start to the trip. Unfortunately it only flies on alternate days so we had to use SAA Boeing 777 via Joburg for the return." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
"Our First Time in Namibia"
Not only is Namibia a fascinating place but Expert Africa made the trip easy.
We enjoyed the Self Drive and the itinerary which was planned.
The standard of accommodation and level of service and food were beyond our expectations." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
"Our month in Namibia/Botswana"
"Marg and Phil's Return to Africa"
We were delighted with the personal touch and attention to detail that Maruska provided. We had enough information from telephone calls, emails, books by Bradt and your web site to approach this section of our trip with confidence. We did not have to do the planning and make reservations as Maruska, arranged everything. We made some accommodation changes a few days before we left for our holiday and a last minute reversal on our Car Hire, (which involved a new company and an eventual refund) and were relieved at how efficiently those changes were handled.
Maruska's response of making sure we were first and foremost satisfied with our itinerary and happy with all arrangements was most refreshing and reassuring.
We have spoken very highly about your service with friends and family highlighting the ethos of your company. Thank you for everything. Marg and Phil Crosby-Jones" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip
"March 2017 trip"
One of the highlights was that the trip was to celebrate a special birthday and several of the hotels kindly acknowledged this.
There is so much great stuff to see and we didn't feel too rushed spending a couple of nights in each place.
Marked up map was very useful." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
"Overall trip"
Excellent planning by Claire Scott and other staff. The only problem we experienced was that the air conditioning in our private vehicle didn't work.
Neither we nor our guide realized it until we were already away from Windhoek so there was no opportunity to fix it.
We asked these travellers about their private guide, and they commented:
Johann was outstanding in every way. Knowledgeable, helpful, thoughtful, always pleasant and easy to be with. He has a great sense of humor.
He made sure we made the most of every activity and went out of his way to enhance our experiences.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No suggestions. We couldn't ask for a better trip." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
"Our trip to Namibia in March"
The accommodation was all of a very high standard and all the activities were good - though there was some variability which meant we haven't rated all of them as excellent.
We hope that we will have the opportunity to go back to Namibia to revisit most of the locations we covered and to see more of the country." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
"A lovely introduction to Namibia"
The dreadful car made driving on rough roads no pleasure." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
"Don't go at the height of the rainy season!"
The over riding thing that went wrong was the weather. I knew it was the rainy season and had hoped that March would see something of a wind down. On the contrary, according to every single local that we met, we were at the very height of it. The outcomes varied from the inconvenient (cold showers and damp towels) to an inability to get off main roads/tracks, getting wet and cold, being sent off to Etosha at the peak of the rainy season so nothing was there, and looking at clouds instead of the sun.
I had expected Kenyan style clouds building in the afternoon, rain and then a clear sky again but everywhere north of Swakop and indeed at Windhoek as we left there was considerable and persistent cloud (but not all the time by any means), together with heavy rain.
I would have liked a MUCH clearer warning of this.
The second problem was the car which was not fit for purpose, in terms of suspension at least. A car is just a car until it doesn't work in which case it drags everything down.
With those two caveats we had a good time. The bookings that (for me) didn't cut the cake were the Strand Hotel (but I don't like hotels), Doro Nawas and Ongava. The other side of the coin was excellent visits to Hoodia, Etendeka, Mundelea and Okonjiwa." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
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Inspire meWhere to stay in Damaraland
Our suggestions for safari camps in Damaraland
Doro Nawas
Comfortable rooms and a convenient location make the community run Doro Nawas a great base for exploring Damaraland.
Mowani Mountain Camp
Mowani is a beautiful and stylish mountain retreat in southern Damaraland; it makes a great base for visits toTwyfelfontein.
Damaraland Camp
Setting the standard for community partnerships, Damaraland Camp offers a beautiful location, a range of activities – and a genuine welcome.
Camp Kipwe
With unusual, igloo-like rooms, open-air bathrooms and beautiful scenery, Camp Kipwe is well placed for nature and cultural excursions.
Desert Rhino Camp
Desert Rhino Camp offers a rare opportunity to track black rhino on foot in one of the last true wilderness areas – an amazing experience.
Etendeka Camp
Etendeka is an owner-run camp in the remote and less visited north of Damaraland. The camp is renowned for it's spectacular guided walking trails.
Grootberg Lodge
On the edge of an ancient plateau Grootberg Lodge has a stunning location and arguably the best views of any lodge in Namibia.
Twyfelfontein C'try Lod.
A large lodge set among the rocks, Twyfelfontein Country Lodge is a convenient base for visiting the rock engravings, which are only 4km away.
Spitzkoppen Lodge
Spitzkoppen Lodge provides stylish accommodation in an area of scenic grandeur with guided access to sites of ancient Bushman rock art.
Palmwag Lodge
Palmwag Lodge has a great location by a spring in the Uniab River and offers access to an area where you can see a variety of desert-dwelling animals.
Huab Lodge
Huab is a classic little Namibian Lodge which is slightly off the beaten track in a lesser visited part of Damaraland.
Brandberg White Lady
Brandberg White Lady Lodge, nestled at the foot of its namesake, makes a good base from which to visit bushman rock paintings including the 'White Lady'.
Vingerklip Lodge
Vingerklip Lodge occupies a lovely location, but is a little too far east for guests to visit Damaraland's main attractions.
Khowarib Lodge
Khowarib Lodge has a great location overlooking the Hoanib River. This is one of the few places to offer authentic Himba village visits.
Onduli Ridge
Onduli Ridge is a luxurious, low-impact luxury camp offering top-notch guiding in a remote wilderness area of Damaraland.
Malansrus Camp
Within easy reach of Twyfelfontein, Malansrus offers a simple but comfortable base for visits to the rock engravings or seek out desert-adapted elephants.
Etendeka Walking Trail
The Etendeka Walking Trail promises to offer a back-to-basics walking and camping experience in one of Namibia's most remote and untouched wilderness areas.
Ozondjou Trails
The simple Ozondjou Trails gives a unique perspective on living with Damaraland’s desert-adapted elephants and how tourism is key to protecting them and the livelihood of the people.
Palmwag Sleep-out
Palmwag Sleep-out is a simple camping experience and a great way to enjoy the remote beauty of the vast Palmwag Concession
Camp Doros
Small, intimate and with excellent eco-credentials, Camp Doros is set above an ephemeral river within a remote community concession of Damaraland.
Sorris Sorris Lodge
Overlooking the Brandberg Massif, Sorris Sorris is probably the most luxurious lodge in southern Damaraland.
