Reviews of safaris to Damaraland
1068 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Damaraland.
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"A real eye opener!!"
Seeing wonderful animals such as leopard, cheetah, elephants, lions and hordes of antelopes etc. in the wild and with the assistance and genuine affection for their jobs of the local guides, we both feel as though we have experienced something no one else has had...
Obviously, other people are doing the same, but we were made to feel very special by almost all of the people we met and by their staff, and it really made a difference to our holiday. The local people seemed so friendly and attentive to tourists and many countries around the world could benefit from their 'ideas on customer service'. A superb trip all round." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
"We are recommending Expert Africa to all"
We have already recommended Expert Africa to several of our friends who are looking to travel to southern Africa and we will always use yoru services in future trips there. Thank you so much for all your work setting this up, knowing the best places to go, it was really the trip of a lifetime!
Two suggestions: we traveled by car from Gaboronne to Kasane (which we suggested and wanted to do) but wouldn't again because the road from Francistown to Kasane is the most horrendous road we have ever been on...I can't believe they even let cars attempt it...huge craters in the road big enough to swallow a VW mini-bus, we ended up driving way over on the shoulder to avoid wrecking the car. It doesn't look like this road is going to get fixed any time soon, either so please insist that people need to hire a 4x4 vehicle if they are going to drive on it.
Likewise with the road to the Rhino Camp (it wasn't as bad as the road in Botswana). It would have been wiser for us to hire a 4x4. While we managed to travel fine on these roads, the stress of not wanting to damage the undercarriage (which was not covered in the insurance) and the rush to get to the Rhino camp pick up location on time--made us with we had a vehicle with more clearance.
Overall it was a wonderful trip. Again thank you Maruska for all your hard work getting this together. We will look forward to using Expert Africa again on our next visit to southern Africa.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service
I think I've put these into the regular comments. Hard to say how it could have been improved at all. Expert Africa ROCKS!" Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
"Overall trip review"
Maruska always answered any questions we had with a very detailed email response and promptly called whenever we'd set up a time/day to talk by phone. We appreciated the detailed information and the inclusion of the Bradt Namibia guide. The Bradt Namibia guide we found to be even more helpful once we were on our trip, reading it regularly as we made our way from place to place. The descriptions and information was very helpful, the "notes for travelers" were extremely helpful as well.
We felt so well prepared for this trip from all the information Expert Africa provided us, there were no surprises and things unfolded seamlessly.
The reviews on your web site were helpful to us as it provided us with information, insight in regards to what we could expect. We like that they are unfiltered and when Expert Africa would comment/respond to a review that was less than favorable. We really hope our reviews will be helpful to other travelers and are sorry it has taken us so long.
The recommended length of stay was helpful and we felt accurate based on our experiences. The length of stay for most of the places we stayed was 2 nights and we wondered if that would feel too quick, however, we felt very satisfied as we went from place to place. We felt like we'd experienced the activities and seen as much as we could within out stay. While we enjoyed all of our accommodations if we were to highlight some it would be Onguma Tented Camp, Etendka Camp, Khwai Tented Camp, and Mapula Lodge. Onguma and Mapula were definitely luxury experiences were are not necessarily accustomed to, however, we enjoyed them completely - we appreciated the simplicity of Etendka and Khwai.
We are already planning on another visit to Southern Africa and we would readily work with Maruska and Expert Africa again!
Suggestions to help improve trips and service:
The only thing we might do different was a 2WD car with more clearance. Many of the roads we traveled on weren't much different than roads we drive in Alaska, however, in Alaska we have a 4WD vehicle with more clearance than what we had. So, driving on some of the roads in a 2WD vehicle was different for us. We understand that because of our trip budget we pretty much had to go with the car we had and things really did work out well. However, if someone can afford it we believe a 2 wheel drive vehicle is sufficient for the self-drive we did in Namibia but having one with more clearance than an economy sedan would be better." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
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For the most part the lodges were excellent and all the locals we met really helped to make our holiday special.
The information pack provided by Expert Africa, including leaflets / maps and a guide to the region was really useful and great to have with us." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
"Awe-inspiring Namibia"
Absolutely nothing is small scale, from the dunes, desert, coast and salt-pan to the welcome of its people and animals.
Suggestions to help Expert Africa improve our trips and service
Maruska and Gwynneth were so impressive in every aspect of our arrangements, and Wilderness Safaris also proved to be very competent ground agents, so we're hard pressed to think of any tweaks.
If we're being really nit-picky then our view of Swakopmund means that two nights wasn't really ideal for us, but we do realise that it's a lot to do with personal choice and might be difficult to ask enough questions to deduce this. All we can say is that it is very 'small-town', so people with lots of travel experience might have issues with it (in the winter at least) in comparison to the rest of Namibia." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
"Fabulous Namibia"
We have travelled worldwide over a number of years and I have dealt with probably hundreds of travel agents. Maruska was definitely one of the best agents I have ever worked with anywhere.
Thanks you, Maruska, for a fantastic job!!!
Suggestions to help improve service:
Expand your service into other countries in Africa and we will definitely book with you again!!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
"Unforgettable Namibia!"
1. the distances from one to another place does not seem very long if you see the distance in kilometer on paper, but in reality it can take you quite a long time, especially when a big part of your trip is on gravel roads. Some travel days were in that sense quite tough for us.
2. our bank card has been skimmed in Tsumeb. Looking back, we probably know that it happened when some 'very helpful' guy wanted us to help with our transaction at an ATM. Of course, we have not been careful enough, but please be aware, these guys seem to be experienced and it all goes very fast, without any violence whatsoever.
Okay, those are the only two (minor) complaints, but overall our two weeks in Namibia were great! We have seen a lot of different things and have done a lot of things. All the lodges we have stayed in were unforgettable in their own way, however Desert Homestead, Doro Nawas, Etosha Aoba Lodge and Erongo Wilderness Lodge stand out. We really like the lay-down sandboarding near Swakopmund and also enjoyed the surrealistic landscape of the Sossusvlei. The most unforgettable thing of our holiday was, however, the Etosha National Park or more in general the game watching in Namibia. It is at times breathtaking to see wild animals at very close distance. We would like to recommend a trip to this beautiful country in all its elements to everyone!
Suggestions for improvements:
We experienced your service as very helpful and useful. We cannot think of anything to improve it." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
"Namibia"
It's hard to say what's so great about Namibia, for me it was the sheer isolation and desertedness of the place (especially coming from London), driving for hours and maybe seeing 1 or 2 other cars. Lovely, friendly people. Guides who were all really passionate about what they do and their country, and proud of their country and their way of life.
An amazingly clean country, everyone really cared about keeping it clean and tidy, preserving their resources, looking after the wildlife, the environment etc.
Suggestions for improvements:
Your brochure is excellent compared to others I've used.
The only thing missing is an estimated price for the accommodation. This would be really helpful so we know whether we're choosing the most expensive or cheapest accommodation, and therefore, if for example, your quote is a bit high, we could've looked at choosing accommodation that might've brought the price down a little." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
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With a trip such as this there were 'highlights' just about everyday (which itself tells it's own story) but, that said there was, of course, still a personal 'pecking order' which for us would be this: spending 3 nights/2 full days with Bruno Nebe at Mundulea was, quite simply, a dellight and a real priviledge and was, by a long way, the best highlight for us.
Next would be Zebra River Lodge which was so relaxing and where the welcome and hospitality from our (stand-in hosts) Merle and Thom oozed genuinenss and care (something we found rather llacking at most of the 'up-market' lodges where it felt like everything was done to a standard format of 'one size fits all' mentality rather than looking at the requirements of the individual guest.
Joint 3rd would be our day spent with Allie and the trackers at Desert Rhino Camp and with Wayne, Alexandra and Heidi on the Sandwich Harbour trip. Finally our very sincere thanks to Maruska who organised every part of our trip from start to finish with both professionalism and great proficiency and, at at all times a really friendly disposition - even in the face of my multiple e-mail enquiries and on the occasion when I answered her call on my mobille with a greeting of "Hi babes!" (mistakenly thinking it was my wife Joy calling!!). She was even kind enough to say that it made her day!
On that note thanks once again to Maruska, Chris and all the staff at Expert Africa for masterminding such a wonderful holiday. We are now saving our pennies so that hopefully we can undertake another big trip in the not too distant future" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 18 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.
Camp Kipwe
With unusual, igloo-like rooms, open-air bathrooms and beautiful scenery, Camp Kipwe is well placed for nature and cultural excursions.
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.
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.
