Reviews: Coast and Sandwich Harbour

"This was a fantastic day out. Expert Africa had booked us with their preferred tour operator and we would recommend them without hesitation.

We were picked up at 0830 from the guesthouse by Rudi along with another couple also staying there and then driven to Walvis Bay where we collected another guest. We felt 5 was rather too many for the vehicle and it was a bit squashed but fortunately we all go on together and it worked out ok.

Walvis was awash with flamingos and we spent some time watching them before driving on towards Sandwich Harbour. Rudi needed to kill time to allow the tide to go out which would allow safe access to Sandwich Harbour so we were able to stop a lot to take pictures of the salt evaporation pans and all the birds (pelicans, spoonbills...) we found along the way. We also stopped to look at some interesting beaches with pink sand and Rudi was able to explain everything.

Eventually Rudi thought it was safe to get through and we continued on. We could see where the dunes came down to the sea leaving a small strip of safe, hard sand to drive on. Using a professional team such as the one EA booked for us is essential for this. We witnessed a nasty accident just ahead of us where a driver misjudged it. There were several cars around but no-one had a mobile signal to call for help. Rudi was the only one who had a Sat Phone and so was able to summon help and an ambulance. As we had helped the occupants of the vehicle out of their car, we lost an hour and a half while we waited for help for them but as soon as it arrived we were able to make our way through easily. Rudi drove us up into the dunes overlooking the harbour, dropped us off to come down by ourselves and drove down to set up lunch on the beach.

The views from the top were amazing and it was fun running down the dune. Lunch was lovely with a warm lasagne, cake and fruit. It was disappointing there were only a few birds in the lagoon but at a different time of year it must be a wonderful sight.

After lunch Rudi drove us back through the dunes, up and down, which was exhilarating before taking us all home again. It was a good day and we can recommend it." Read more about this whole safari

"Turnstone Tour to Sandwich harbour with Rudy. Returned to Walvis Bay to find that with a guide it has much more to recommend it than previously thought (flamingoes on the lagoon, nice housing, lots of information about the running of the salt field)

Drove along the beach to Sandwich Harbour - stunning to see the dunes from the other side and to see them meet the sea. Shared the trip with another German couple & climbed the dunes before having superb lunch on the beach (homemade lasagne & salad with dressing followed by homemade apple pie - bravo to their lady from Lesotho for her cooking).

Wildlife highlights were seeing 2 ostrich parents and their babies in the dunes, plus seals and dolphins in the sea. Lots of birds spotted. Rudy was straightforward & fun with a great sense of humour, Hugh really liked him and had no issues understanding him which, with his hearing loss, does make a difference. Really fun day, definitely Hugh’s favourite trip." Read more about this whole safari

"Super tour around the harbour and the sand dunes!

Stunning juxtaposition of scenery between the sand dunes and the ocean. very nice lunch provided on the beach.

Knowledgable guide who was great at giving more and more information.

Loved it!" Read more about this whole safari

"This is a wonderful tour, which introduced me to places (and people) I would not have encountered otherwise. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and very good company for the day, as were my travel companions. I learned a lot about the history, geology, flora and fauna of the areas we visited. It was fascinating and I would recommend it to anyone visiting this part of the Namibian coast." Read more about this whole safari

"This was a mix of a tour. We weren't quite expecting the beach out to Sandwich Harbour to be so covered in dead seals and pups, it was quite macabre and unexpected.

Our tour guide was very knowledgable and seemed to be the owner and was clearly very passionate about the wildlife issues. We didn't get much history of sandwich harbour and we had to google at the top of the dunes to confirm that we were looking over it.

Not quite like the other guides, we seemed to gloss over the flamingos which were just a brief stop in a car park while tires were deflated.

An interesting day but not quite what was expected. The dune bugging to find a lunch spot was fun and the lunch lovely." Read more about this whole safari

"Very scenic trip, good guide, ( Leon?) riding on and over dunes exciting and fun, beautiful scenery, very worthwhile" Read more about this whole safari

"This is a very popular tour and you will pass a lot of other vehicles doing the same thing.

Less wildlife/birding than I was expecting. More of an 4x4 dune adventure.

Nice lunch but a bit gritty as we had a very windy day and the sand got everywhere!" Read more about this whole safari

"Great excursion and good guide.

Only negative was that Julia was served Oryx Lasagne for lunch, despite her having previously requested no red meat." Read more about this whole safari

"We thoroughly enjoyed our trip with Leon. He was very knowledgeable and fun. We enjoyed the dune driving and spectacular scenery. The lunch provided was also very tasty." Read more about this whole safari

"Brilliant tour. we were lucky to have Bruno who is an exceptional guide with amazing knowledge about the local area as well as being very well informed on a whole range of topics!

The dunes were spectacular and we enjoyed a fantastic lasagne lunch at the top of the highest dune.

Impressive driving skills too!" Read more about this whole safari