Reviews of safaris to Damaraland

"This was our first time in Africa and Namibia was fantastic. We didn't know much about the country but told Tracey what we wanted to see - dunes, Skeleton Coast, Etosha - and she put together an itinerary which covered everything and more e.g. she suggested Okonjima which we loved. And I think she gauged our accommodation preferences really well - we loved most places we stayed at.

The food was much better than we thought - plenty of fresh fruit & vegetables and vegetarian options at the majority of places, and a cold beer or nice wine could always be found.

Namibia felt safe and welcoming. So much to see - varied scenery, great experiences (kayaking) and of course some of the most unforgettable wildlife viewing, more than we expected. A photographer's delight!

We took 3 weeks and the pace felt good, and I'm glad we did in the order we did.

We will definitely go back to Namibia, we'd love to go back to Etosha and also visit the north Caprivi Strip.

The Bradt guide provided was way better than the DK one I had also bought - it was a great source of current info, facts and generally good reading - thanks!

An excellent holiday, wonderful memories.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I wish we had upgraded the car - the saloon car we had was fine and coped with every road, but it was much slower to get around - I'd recommend to others that it would be worth it." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"wow

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

find a better airline to get to Namibia ?" Read full review: 34 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia is not the country to go to for lashings of big game. If you want that, it's Botswana, then perhaps Tanzania and then Zambia. Namibia is a destination where the scenery plays as much a part of the experience as the game. Accordingly, if you're full-on animal spotters like us, the country can disappoint a little.

Having said that, there is plenty of fun to be had, the accommodations are delightful, the light aircraft trips are spectacular, the scenery is indeed amazing - and, of course, there are the unforgettable black rhino. We did not self-drive, and met many people who were finding that experience fairly challenging (but others we met were loving it). All in all, we enjoyed the visit, but probably would have wanted to speed it up here and there, and maybe cut down some of the 2 night stays where one had done everything within 24 hours.

Not sure either about Etosha - some marvellous moments, but not up there for us with the truly great African game parks.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

1. People can do Erongo fully in one night if they have a late afternoon flight home from Windhoek.
2. On private safaris, issue guests with a voucher making it very clear what is included and what is not (eg local beverages)
3. Seriously consider whether Kulala Desert Lodge is suitable
4. Wolwedans and Sossuvlei did not merit 4 nights - could this be done in for speedy types like us?
5. Clarify that Erongo and Damaraland scenery are actually really quite similar - we had expected Erongo to be a sort of green and pleasant land!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Again we had a wonderful time we met some extraordinary people and explored a really beautiful country at our own pace we could not ask for more Even our episode at weavers rock has given us some moments of laughter So again you will here no complaints from here" Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 21 on a Namibia trip

"It was a great experience.

We saw a lot of game in Etosha and enjoyed the activities and the beautiful sights in Damaraland and Sossusvlei." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"This was a great trip and Tracy helped us a lot with fixing it up and working out where to go. Thank you so much. I was slightly worried about not staying any longer than 2 nights in any place but this turned out to be right for the majority our trip. On reflection the only thing we found that we would have changed was in Etosha. The trip from Okaukuejo to Mushara was a long one considering that we had already done the main waterholes immediately east of Okaukuejo the day before and we basically bypassed them. By the end of the day we were very tired. It probably wasn't helped by the flat tyre we had. I would suggest thinking about stopping for 1 night in Halali camp. We didn't have time to do any waterholes north or west of Okaukuejo.

Sandstone trip from Swakopmund was a good trip. The driver had not long started working for the company. He was a good driver and was cautious driving along the beach. However he was a bit less good at the birds and all 4 of us knew more than him.

Swakopmund. We had two great evening meals. The first in the Jetty restaurant was superb and then at the Tug which wasn't quite as good but was enjoyable too. Great fish well presented, good service and a lively atmosphere. Highly recommend both. Neither very expensive by UK standards.

Driving. We had three long drives but set off early on all three and had arrived in time to do afternoon activities or just rest for a while. The drive from Swakopmund to Doro Nawas took about 6 hours. The coast salt road is a s good a tarmac with little traffic. The first 50-80 kms going in land on C35 were easy but the further we went the less good it became. There had been some recent grading work on some sections. We stopped in Uis. Petrol easy although one of the petrol stations was closed. Had coffee in the restaurant in town sorry forgotten its name. This was ok.

We didn't stop at Brandberg because of time really. The road was less good after Uis but ok. The D2612 was less good quality than before and needed a number of times to slow down. However it was in the process of being graded and the sections already done are in good condition. We got to Doro Nawas in time for the evening activity and this meant we had seen desert elephant really well that evening.

From Doro Nawas to Okaukuejo was a good trip. The gravel road was ok to Khorixas and then is tarmaced all the way. We stopped at the petrified forest which was good and worth seeing. We also stopped at the bakery in Outjo which was excellent as recommended.

The drive from Mushara to Windhoek was easy on the tarmac road with little traffic. We stopped at Otjiwarongo. The Kameldorn Garten had closed and we ended up in fast food restaurant.

Internal flights were excellent. All the pilots were helpful and friendly. The best flight was from Sossusvlei to Swakopmund. This went up the valley across Deadvlei and Sossusvlei, across the desert and then low up the coast past a couple of wrecks and many fur seals on the beach. Brilliant.

The internal flights in Botswana were all very good as well. All on time except when we had to wait for the other passengers to sort their luggage. We managed to find a bag which fitted the dimensions for the little planes. However it didn't seem to matter too much in Namibia but did in Botswana. We found a bag from Eagle Creek(American company on website but bought in Hathersage Derbyshire) a duffel bag which was the right size but quite expensive at £80. We also used some packing cubes for shirts, toiletries etc which made life very easy. the other passengers had a framed bag which was twice the recommended size and spent 40 mins arguing with the local airline and then having to put half their stuff in another bag provided by the airline.

We took a suitcase with us and it was easy to leave both at Windhoek and Maun airports with Wilderness. The only problem was we couldn't open it when we got back to Windhoek! Eventually opened at home.

Etosha. We really enjoyed Etosha. We could have done with more time. We in the end did not visit any waterholes to the west of Okaukuejo as we decided to do those east of there on our first day and then travel halfway on the second day before visiting waterholes. In the end we were very tired by the time we arrived at Mushara. The NWR map is useful. Waterholes:
Ombika Brilliant start. Many elephant, Oryx, Zebra, Springbok, Impala
Okaukuejo as stated elsewhere some great sightings. Worth visiting even if not staying. 8 rhino the highlight.
Aus Kudu, springbok, oryx, hartebeeste,
Nebrowni spotted hyena
Salvadora 3Lion with zebra kill, Jackal, lots of Wildebeest crossing Pan
Halali middle of day Giraffe, impala
Goas 53 elephant including many young in the middle of day. Really playing in water
Nuames more elephant
Near Springbokfontein Black rhino trying to mate
Dik dik drive many dik dik. Leopard seen by others
Klein Namutoni Elephant zebra giraffe kudu impala springbok
Most of the others were dry or had little game." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"After spending months planning our trip and then refining it with Tracy, it more than lived up to all our expectations. Everywhere over our 3,500 trouble free kms driving ourselves around Namibia and 32 nights of luxury tents and lodges in the most wonderful parts of Namibia and Botswana we were met with warm welcomes, friendly smiles and staff and guides determined that we would enjoy what they had to offer. The arrangements Tracy had made worked smoothly, our flight transfers in Botswana all went to plan.

Everywhere we stayed, we wished we could have stayed longer.

We were particularly impressed by Wilderness Safaris wherever we met them - as agent, lodge operator or transfer operator.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We cannot think of anything that could have been done better!" Read full review: 34 nights in Africa; 23 on a Namibia trip

"Our first and foremost comment is that Expert Africa is the best!

From helping us plan a dream trip (great job of listening to our needs and wants) to executing all the details without any flaws. The entire trip went very smoothly, allowing us to enjoy the adventure travel without worry.

Their knowledge of Namibia and Botswana is excellent and this allowed them to place us at the best properties and have a great time. I highly recommend Expert Africa to all that plan a to southern part of the Africa continent." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"A wonderful trip which made me want to do it all again!" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"We were expecting great scenery and lots of wildlife and we weren't disappointed.

Private lodges perform far better than NWR lodges but this is no doubt reflected in the price. NWR lodges do have the best locations however in relation to National Parks (particularly Sossus / Deadvlei).

Late for dinner one day as we didn't know the clocks had changed!

The one disappointment was the kayaking trip. Booked with Jeanne Meintjies who was much recommended but was dumped at the last moment with another provider (still awaiting explanation from Expert Africa). I believe it was because I was the only person booked that day.

Bradt guide states that 200 rand notes are not accepted in Namibia. We only read this after we had obtained our currency (largely in 200 rand notes) and a couple of days before we travelled. Managed to exchange some notes at Heathrow thanks to Covent Garden FX but found in practice this was not necessary and out of date information.

Feedback response:
We have looked in to issue regarding the kayaking and can confirm that both of Jeanne's vehicles had to be taken in for repairs unexpectedly, hence this traveller was switched to another operator who offers the same excursion." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip