Reviews: Kayaking with seals

"Jeanne was a superb guide - warm, helpful, friendly and knowledgeable. The equipment was well thought through, complete and in good condition making us feel safe in her hands. We then saw seals (as much fun as expected) dolphins (hoped for but truely a delight to see so many ... and so close to the canoes) ... and then the unexpected lottery win of not only seeing a Southern Right Whale but being close enough to touch it with a paddle as it surfaced right beside us - had we the inclination and presence of mind! Finally, if the cake needed any further icing, to have Jeanne on hand to take some excellent photographs and then the kindness to send them on to await our return was wonderful." Read more about this whole safari

"Great thrill. One of the things to do before you die .................

Jeanne is a first rate operator. We really, really, really enjoyed the morning in Walvis Bay. We got absolutely soaked despite all the wet weather gear because of our incompetence, but we laughed so much that we soon dried off. We didn't stop talking about it for days after.

The trip was superb, well organised, very safe (despite several members of our party being very apprehensive rght up to launch time) and great fun. The fact that Hazel, one of Jeanne's team, bought her 2 year old with her gave some confidence to the doubters. The seals were a delight, the small dolphins (Benguelas?) came almost on board and we saw bottle-nosed dolphins and whales from a respectful distance - just as well for some of our number, given their size and the speed they were travelling at! The dolphins and whales I mean, not our team - they were appallingly slow most of the time and absolutely lacking in sea skills, unlike the bay's natural inhabitants.

The kayaks were very easy to drive (?) despite our total absence of experience - we did plan to take lessons before we went, just in case, but you know how time flies when you don't really want to do something ................... Glad we didn't bother with training, it was much better to go out on the water without a clue what we were doing. We would have forgotten anything we learned anyway in all the excitement.

Don't let any of your clients pass up the opportunity to try the experience, they wouldn't know what they had missed" Read more about this whole safari

"We had a very enjoyable day out on the water with Jeanne. She is very knowledgeable, especially about birding, and knows the area like the back of her hand. There was only 1 other couple with us which made it quite personal. We had never done kayaking before and it's very hard on the upper body. However it was good fun and we could get close to the seal colony. We also saw a couple of dolphins and had a nice snack on the beach afterwards. We would certainly recommend this to anybody who likes the outdoors and a bit of exercise." Read more about this whole safari

"Kayaking with Jeanne was just as good.

Not only was it a real whiz to be in among the seals leaping around, but we also had a sneakily satisfying feeling from being so much closer in to the beach than the boats could go …..

There was a swell of roughly a metre out on the sea, but it still felt manageable in the good kayaks. Jeanne, like Ernest at Turnstone, is an enthusiast with the ability to communicate well.

These two trips were among the most memorable parts of the holiday. I also took the chance to play 9 holes of golf among the hundreds of Springbok and a few new fawns at Swakopmund, where they were helpful in hiring clubs and lending balls." Read more about this whole safari

"Jeanne trip was excellent from start to finish. We learnt a good deal about Walvis Bay Lagoon and were looked after well. Little details like the tent edloo for ladies and the tea and sandwiches we didn't expect.

It was excellent to be able to get so close to the seals and more so than the speed boats who sat high in the water and didn't have the pleasure of a whole group of seals swim behind and play around you.For me its probably a day I will remember forever, two dolphins played under our canoe as I was at the front they were at arms reach, could you get closer?" Read more about this whole safari

"we were hoping this wouln be THE highlight, but sickness prevented" Read more about this whole safari

"Jean is wonderful and the whole family had an incredible morning with her. We were lucky to see 5 or 6 Atlantic bottlenose dolphin very close as well as all the seals.

Again something I have reccomended to people already." Read more about this whole safari