Reviews of safaris to NamibRand Nature Reserve

"Superb

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Some comments sent already [Ed: in lodge review pages - linked to below], no major suggestions, all went really well. Many thanks!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip as a whole was excellent - we have never had a better holiday and will remember it forever with great affection." Read full review: 36 nights in Africa; 28 on a Namibia trip

"Expert Africa could not have been more helpful - this is our second trip with them and we would definitely use them again.

Namibia is an amazing country. The people are friendly, the roads are ideal for self-drive with a little bit of adventure thrown in, and the lodges are consistently of good quality.

There is something for everyone here - deserts, wildlife, tranquility and excitement. Highly recommended." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"we have, we guess, become bitten by the Africa bug. We had a great time though we know that our measures of enjoyment are not necessarily those that others might use. This was our first trip to Namibia and it lived up to expectations. Stunning landscapes, extraordinarily nice people, a history that you should learn about to understand the place.... and for those that live in great cities, just amazingly empty. What will we remember? Sabina said to us that we shouldn't waste money on hiring a 4x4 but suggested we got a vehicle that had good ground clearance. We went with this.

On our drive back from Wolwedans to Windhoek, having still not seen any major rain, we had to drive over a small range of mountains, and on the way to the main pass I realised that it had rained here and the road was largely washed away. But we got over the pass and I said it should be easy from here.My partner took over as we drove down to the plains, and the we remembered that if it rains in the mountains, the water has to go somewhere. When we drove into the second bit of flooded road which seemed to run as far as we could see in front of us, we swapped driving again, and after a couple of hiccups, we got through. Thanks for your suggestion Sabina, in a VW Golf, we'd still be sitting in the middle of a fllor, and as you know, not many cars come along in Namibia ....... We will of course go back; the deep south around the Snake River is there to visit and then we'd like to go along the Caprivi into Botswana and Zambia....

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Our experience of Expert Africa is that you are content to let people work out their own routes for particular sections of a trip and then help with areas where they are less confident. It probably reduces your income but it means that we feel that you are helping us work out what we want to do, rather than just selling us a package. This is more like the old time 'outfitters' who helped you buy your kit and suggested the best routes, than a travel agent. It suits us well and makes us feel confident in following your advice.

Thanks Sabina and you helped us enjoy your country." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 25 on a Namibia trip

"This was a truly fabulous trip. We loved the country. In particular, the landscape was so varied but consistently breath-taking. This meant that the long drives in between destinations were as much of a treat as the excursions in between.

We were very pleasantly surprised by the standard of food and service throughout the country and the warmth and friendliness of the people everywhere we went - and more generally, by what an easy place Namibia is to travel around. The game viewing (not just at Etosha) also exceeded our expectations. Returning home has been even more difficult than usual, but I have come back determined to encourage my friends and family to visit Namibia. We certainly plan to return and see more of this beautiful country.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Only a couple of very minor points around car hire:

1. It is worth recommending to clients in the very helpful pre-pack you send out that if they need to buy a new tyre, it is worth phoning ahead to check the nearest town (which could be over a hundred kilometres away) has a spare in stock. We made the mistake of assuming we could get a replacement tyre for a Nissan X Trail which meant we wasted time travelling from Etosha to Tsumeb when in fact the nearest tyre available was in Otjiwarongo, another 200 km or so away.

2. Partly for the above reason, you should recommend/insist upon clients having two decent spare tyres.

We were very impressed with Expert Africa (as was everyone we met who had booked through you) and would certainly use you again." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"we loved Namibia and every single aspect of the trip went like clockwork. Its a very special country with amazing organisation coupled with a true sense of isolation" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"A special treat to celebrate 25 years of marriage - an adventure in Namibia. Spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, delicious food, & great company. We have brought home so many memories of a truely amazing place and thousands of photographs!

A special thank you to Maruska, for patiently explaining all the various options and helping us construct our special trip. Thank you!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Fantastic holiday, but not happy about attitude of wilderness safaris when our Namibia Airline flight was cancelled. We informed them be e-mail at 6.30 am on that morning and think that the initial demand of £950.00 to continue our holiday schedule was totally unreasonable. We think they could have rearranged transport for us to continue on that day, within the timescale they had, we would like to say we were very impressed with the guides and staff at the lodges.

They were all extremely friendly and helpful and we were able to learn a little of Namibian culture. Also, the wildlife was amazing.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"wow

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

find a better airline to get to Namibia ?" Read full review: 34 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia is not the country to go to for lashings of big game. If you want that, it's Botswana, then perhaps Tanzania and then Zambia. Namibia is a destination where the scenery plays as much a part of the experience as the game. Accordingly, if you're full-on animal spotters like us, the country can disappoint a little.

Having said that, there is plenty of fun to be had, the accommodations are delightful, the light aircraft trips are spectacular, the scenery is indeed amazing - and, of course, there are the unforgettable black rhino. We did not self-drive, and met many people who were finding that experience fairly challenging (but others we met were loving it). All in all, we enjoyed the visit, but probably would have wanted to speed it up here and there, and maybe cut down some of the 2 night stays where one had done everything within 24 hours.

Not sure either about Etosha - some marvellous moments, but not up there for us with the truly great African game parks.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

1. People can do Erongo fully in one night if they have a late afternoon flight home from Windhoek.
2. On private safaris, issue guests with a voucher making it very clear what is included and what is not (eg local beverages)
3. Seriously consider whether Kulala Desert Lodge is suitable
4. Wolwedans and Sossuvlei did not merit 4 nights - could this be done in for speedy types like us?
5. Clarify that Erongo and Damaraland scenery are actually really quite similar - we had expected Erongo to be a sort of green and pleasant land!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip