Reviews of safaris to NamibRand Nature Reserve

"Once again Expert Africa delivered a memorable holiday and we would have no hesitation in booking again." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Overall, our trip to Namibia was amazing. The accommodations were as expected and mostly first class, with two notable exceptions: Olive Grove Guesthouse and Damaraland Camp.

The scenery and wildlife in Namibia were exceptional and we would love to return again and again and again. If we did return, however, there are some aspects of the trip that would merit closer attention.

For example, the transitions between camps were sometimes problematic. As mentioned in my review of Scenic Air, the fact that they do not inform passengers of their flight times more than a day in advance makes planning arrival times very difficult. In order to catch our flight to Sossusvlei, which we expected would be in the early morning, we arrived in Windhoek the previous day and overnighted at the Olive Grove. Check out time was 10 am yet we weren't picked up until 12:30 so since late check out had not been arranged, we sat in the reception area waiting for two and a half hours (after already having spent the previous afternoon in transit as well as killing time all morning waiting for our pick up).

When I emailed Tracey, she explained that no other scheduled flights serviced airports close to Sossusvlei Desert Lodge but what frustrated us was not so much the wait as not having a choice about the wait. If Tracey had mentioned during our trip deliberations that we had a choice of a regularly scheduled flight to an airport 30 or 60 minutes drive away from the Lodge versus Scenic Air's unpredictable scheduling to the Lodge's airstrip, we at least would have been prepared for the wait. Furthermore, once we got to Sossusvlei, we discovered a fairly major airport within about 30 minutes of the lodge and another within about 60 minutes of the Lodge, both of which offered regularly scheduled morning flights. Our group came to the clear consensus that we would have preferred a flight to one of these airstrips as that would have saved us at least a half day of waiting.

Our return connection between Sossusvlei and Windhoek and then onward from Windhoek to Hoanib also seemed to be less efficient than it could have been. During trip deliberations, Tracy told us that the only way to get directly between Sossusvlei and Hoanib was via expensive charter flight so we elected to spend a night in Windhoek. But, while waiting on the tarmac at Doro Nowas, we encountered a couple who had flown in from Sossusvlei and were about to board the Wilderness Safari flight to Hoanib. I understand that these people did not fly from Sossusvlei Desert Lodge airstrip but it just seems that a little creativity - and perhaps an hour long drive from the Lodge to a different air strip - could have saved us another day in transit.

We also encountered more problems with our transfers than should have been the case; when we arrived at Eros from Sossusvlei, no one was there to pick us up. Our pilot had to call Wilderness Safaris, who then had to call a subcontractor/cab to come get us. When we arrived at Eros from Okonjima, Barnabus (from Wilderness Safaris), gave us cards that indicated we'd be picked up from the Olive Grove the next morning at 5:30 am. When we told him that we had to catch a flight leaving Windhoek International Airport that afternoon at 3, he called the office and arranged for us to be picked up at noon. When no car had arrived by 12:15, we had an Olive Grove staff member call Wilderness on our behalf and found out that they didn't plan to pick us up until the following day at noon!

Bruce and I were also frustrated that our Expert Africa package did not arrive prior to our departure. Tracy explained the late mailing by saying that she didn't realize we planned to travel within South Africa before arriving in Namibia but in our trip planning deliberations, I did tell her of our plans. Even Peter only received his package a day before he departed Australia and complained that it would have been nice to receive the package at least a bit in advance in order to have an opportunity to read and review the materials.

Another frustration concerned luggage restrictions. We are seasoned Africa travellers so well aware of the luggage limits required when travelling by small aircraft. However, Tracy insisted that even more strict limits applied to Namibia and our luggage must not exceed 10 X 12 X 24 so we ditched our much used Africa travel bags and bought smaller ones. Yet, when we arrived in Namibia, we found that everyone - including our travel companions - exceeded the 10 X 12 X 24 limits at least somewhat. Our old, reliable, Africa travel bags would have been perfectly fine - and would have made our packing much easier and our travel much more comfortable.

Another issue that arose during trip deliberations that turned out to be a false issue concerned our weight. Even though we provided Tracy with our weights before we made the final payment on our trip, we were later told that because we as a party exceeded the weight limits normally allowed for two men and one woman, we would need to either limit our total luggage weight to 15 kg per person or pay an extra $1,650 US. Needless to say, we were shocked, both because we are not particularly large people and because this felt like a bit of a scam having come up after having paid our full fare.

After some back and forth, Tracy managed to get the company to "acquiesce" to allowing us 20 kgs luggage per person which at the time seemed like a win. But, when we boarded each of the Scenic Air flights, we discovered that the "fourth" seat they had wanted us to pay $1,650 US for was never even used as a seat. For each and every flight we were on, it was folded down and part of the luggage compartment. Never was there a fourth passenger and never was our luggage even weighed!

I understand this issue has everything to do with safety; however, we can't be the only Expert Africa clients affected and I don't understand why this isn't dealt with before a quote is provided. Alternately, Tracy should have negotiated the outcome on her own before asking us to pay an extra $1,650. Only if she were not able to achieve the ultimate outcome (which was essentially no change) should she have gotten us involved and stressed out! In light of all the issues surrounding luggage size and weight, we packed less than we would have otherwise and found ourselves less comfortable throughout our travels. I sighed several times wishing I had a warmer sweater or a nicer outfit to wear to dinner. Small things, I know, but they add to the comfort and enjoyment of a trip." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"The highlights in some sort of order :
Hoanib Camp *****

Edo's Camp ****
Ongava Tented Camp****
andBeyond Soussusvlei Desert Lodge ****
Mack Air ****
Desert Air ****

Okonjima Bush Camp ***
Olive Grove Guest House ***

Wilderness Air **
Damaraland Camp *

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Tracy organised my/our safari really well. She had to blend in two different itineraries and there was a fair bit of juggling to be sorted through and she did it well.

The only arrangement that I found a bit frustrating was to find out that Wilderness Air did fly direct from Sousessvlei through to Hoanib, albeit from an airstrip a bit of a drive from Soussusvlei Desert Lodge. I felt that it should have been feasible to organise a transfer (perhaps at extra cost) to fly direct from Soussusvlei and avoid an overnight at Olive Grove in Windhoek which was really a """"wasted"""" travel day which might have been better spent at Hoanib.

And I think Expert Africa need to talk closely with Wilderness Air - the latter seems to have some problems." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"It was a truly wonderful transformative experience and I cannot thank you enough.

Tourism in Namibia will boom." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"This trip is one we have wanted to do for a while. We were invited to a wedding in Franschhoek which gave us the excuse to do it.

We had a good idea where we wanted to go, and Tracy very skilfully interpreted this and put the trip together for us - nowhere did it disappoint.

We would do it again at a different time of year - spring being the ideal time to see the Western and Northern Cape. We'd stay longer at Klein Aus.

If we hadn't been booked to come home, we could quite easily have spent a couple of days in Windhoek and readied ourselves to go in another direction...........hopefully there will be a next time." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia 5th-25th February 2016.

Amazing holiday, we will be back.

Holiday exceeded our expectations in almost every aspect. Stunning varied country. Charming people. Self driving much easier than expected regardless of the 3000km covered. Felt safe and secure at all times, Friendly well stocked garages. The exchange with GDP made this an extremely reasonable holiday.

Highlights.Nice Restaurant, Windhoek. Wolwedans Lodge. Anchors Restaurant, Walvis Bay. Doro Nawas. 3hr old baby elephant.
Lion kill, Hobatere. For comfort we recommend, Ongava, Musharraf & Okonjima Lodges. Grootberg was a disappointment and Oyster Box let down by it's staff." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"A fantastic trip that surpassed our high expectations. I don't think that there is anything that we would have done differently.

The highlights were Erongo Wilderness Lodge, the drive across Etosha National Park, the drive down the Skeleton Coast, Swakopmund, the trip to Sandwich Harbour and last, but very definitely not least, Sossusvlei Desert Lodge.

Namibia proved a wonderful country to visit, with a very welcoming people, all of whom seemed to have a great sense of humour.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No, we wouldn't hesitate to recommend Namibia as a destination and Expert Africa as the company to organise a visit." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"An outstanding trip that exceeded all our expectations of scenery, animals, accomodation and welcome.

All the guides were good, but Francois at Hoanib and Suama at Kulala were outstanding - perhaps the best guides we ever have had. Francois in particular was keen to go the extra mile to make our trip special." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"Excellent holiday. Lots of interesting things to see and Namibian people very welcoming." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Thanks Tracy for organising such a fabulous trip, it all went like clockwork, and was so well thought out, thanks to EA we seemed to get the best rooms, in several places, in fact another guest asked how we managed it!

All the stays suited us perfectly, we really felt that it was all tailored perfectly for us.

The trip guide was really helpful, and the guide book well used." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip