Reviews of safaris to Damaraland
1066 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Damaraland.
"Namibia trip: Thoroughly reccommended"
If you enjoy astounding landscapes
If you enjoy peace and tranquillity
If you enjoy wildlife (and sometime sharing it)
Namibia is for you.
What you won't get is anything contrived, everything so natural and so sympathetic to the surrounings. Nor will get is a chance to see the full Luna eclipse in the magnificent African sky from the veranda at Frans Indongo Lodge as we were so lucky enough to experience. (not unless you live another hundred years)
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You recommended bags to put around the cases to help avoid the dust. (this is not a criticism) We duly did this. This pesented a problem of its own in that the dust was still there and we still got dusty reaching in the back of the car. The tip is, as were learnt from the manager at Desert Homestead, is to leave the back side windows of the pod open just a little. This creates a through draught taking a lot of the dust back out. This did not solve the problem but cut the dust down by say 70%.
We dispensed with the bags which were by now all split and inside out anyway and patted down the cases to rid the last of the dust at each accommodation stop. As the holiday went on the problem lessened as we encountered more and more tarred roads anyway. Just a thought." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
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Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
This is not a suggestion, just a comment.
The luxury rooms at Olive Grove are not all of them bigger than the standard rooms. Some are, the ones at the second floor. There are two or three by the pool, and even though they are called "luxury rooms" they are small, very small for a couple with a baby sleeping in a cot. Nantie was absolutely kind and generous offering us the executive suite for our two first nights, as their other luxury rooms were occupied." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
"Namibia- would go again and again"
We've already recommended Expert Africa to our friends, and we'd happily book with Expert Africa for our next trip." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
"Namibia Trip"
A lovely country with great lodges and fabulous wildlife. I think we saw the best of everything thanks to the excellent advice from Sabina for whom nothing was too much trouble.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
It was really really cold, not just on game drives but also in tented camps. Windproof jackets need to be recommended at this time of year. Temperatures fell to at least -2 deg. C. We didn't feel prepared for it being quite so cold at nights. We were glad we had our thermal underwear with us! It even snowed at Solitaire two days after we left the area.
I was really glad that you recommended a 4x4 to us and think you should have pushed us in that direction earlier as it really enhanced the trip, e.g. we could fully explore Fish Canyon and the Luderitz Peninsula. Having no experience of 4x4 driving, a short course at the beginning of the holiday would have been useful and we met a woman (Rome, who is Willems neice) at the Barchan Dune Resort who was talking about doing just that in Windhoek where she lives." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 25 on a Namibia trip
"The People, The People, The People"
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Just keep doing what you are doing so well. Maruska was great, listened to us and was very knowledgeable which helped enormously.She was very good, answered our questions very promptly. We also met some other people whose trip she planned and they were also extremely happy with her." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
"Amazing experience"
Recommend you change the Mazambala though - unless there is a change of management!
You will undoubtedly be hearing from us again" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
"Trip of a life time"
It was good to be with Vincent again and he was a very big part of making the trip such a sucess. We particularly enjoyed the camping, it was wonderful to be out away from everything and enjoy the peace and sounds of the bush. And it was wonderful to explore the more remote and wilder areas of Namibia. We would not have attempted this on our own, we also learnt so much more from Vincent and Simpson.
On the self drive part the distance between Lodges was not far so the driving was not tiring. So we always arrived in time to relax and go on an activity in the afternoon. We did a lot more walking on this trip which was great and it gave us more of an opportunity to talk to the guides and other lodge staff, and learn more about life in Namibia. We were very impressed with the high level of service from everyone, with the exception Of Budget car hire. It was also great to have been out with two of Namibia's top guides Vincent and Bruno.
The trip had been extremely well planned and a lot of effort went into it making it such a wonderful trip. However we discovered that there was no need to stay in Walvis Bay on the last night as Swakopmund is just as easy to get to the airport. We felt it would have been better to have spent the last night at Swakopmund and to have dropped the car off at the Budget Office there, with an airport transfer as we had on arrival.
We look forward to planning our next trip with Sabina's help and we are very grateful for everything she has done so far. Plus Vincent and Simpson should get a nomination for guide and camp assistant of the year.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We have nothing to add as we can not think of any possibe improvements that are within your control. Other than to put pressure on Budget to improve their service." Read full review: 26 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
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"Namibia"
Everywhere we went we almost unfailingly experienced friendly, smiling people happy to help us (staff or others). The advice and assistance in planning the trip from Expert Africa was very good." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip
"Interesting to see Namibia "Green""
The lack of variety of wildlife in Etosha was disappointing but expected ,The exposure to the cats at other camps was compensation
The stay at Huab was a welcome rest.
in these weather conditions a low wheel based 2 wheeled drive car was not adequate and we were very lucky not to have caused major uninsured damage to the car.
We cant thank your people in Windhoek enough for helping us to find accommodation when we had to leave Erindi early before our flight home.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
It would be useful to have advance info: about the weather and suitability of the car booked for the camps to be visited
Advise clients to have local sim cards for their phones if necessary, available at the Airport." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip
Where 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.
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.
Camp Kipwe
With unusual, igloo-like rooms, open-air bathrooms and beautiful scenery, Camp Kipwe is well placed for nature and cultural excursions.
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.
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.
White Lady B & B
White Lady B&B, a small, comfortable guesthouse, offers a stepping stone to the sites of southern Damaraland.
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.
Brandberg Restcamp
Brandberg Restcamp is a simple, no-frills place, close to many attractions, offering sundowner drives, guided hikes up the Brandberg and game drives .
Onduli Ridge
Onduli Ridge is a luxurious, low-impact luxury camp offering top-notch guiding in a remote wilderness area of Damaraland.
Ugab Terrace Lodge
Ugab Terrace Lodge is a comfortable stopover between Damaraland and Etosha National Park or Namibia’s Central Highlands.
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.
Damara Mopane Lodge
Damara Mopane Lodge is a large 60 room lodge surrounded by beautiful gardens. It can be used as a comfortable stopover between Etosha and the Skeleton Coast
Huab Under Canvas
Huab under Canvas is a no thrills bush camp offering top notch guiding in a remote wilderness area of Damaraland.
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.
