Namibia: reviews from our travellers

"My goals were to show my grandaughter:

1. conservation efforts in southern Africa,
2.a glimpse of how average people live/work in rural and urban areas,
3. some of the geology and animals of Namibia and Botswana.

All goals met and we had a wonderful time!!!

The only thing that didn't work out was that I did not realize that virtually none of the shops/restaurants in either countrywould accept American Express credit cards. Even at the airports! I had allowed enough cash for gasoline, camp tips and misc but was relying on my AMEX card for the bulk of shopping and meals. This made for a very tight trip, especially at the end in Windhoek where we totally ran out of cash.

Please let people know which credit cards are accepted in these two countries!" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"We learnt so much about Africa on this trip but through our experiences we also learnt some new things about ourselves.

The time spent at Swakopmund was a welcome break from the rigours of travelling by jeep. Okinjima equally offered the perfect balance. If we had to change one thing it would be the trip to Linyanti which was probably one safari too much. However if we had then we would have missed the buffalo, lion kill ......" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 2 on a Namibia trip

"Maruska was absolutely excellent and came back to us very quickly with an answer to every question we asked. The itinerary was perfect and we wouldn't have changed anything.

All the details which make a difference had been sorted out - I can't tell you how much nicer it is to find hotels expecting you to be a vegetarian than having to explain it at each venue as if they don't know.

The information you gave us in the form of maps and directions was also amazingly thorough." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"The service form expert africa has been excellent and Sabina has been a mine of help and information to us. She has done everything we asked for and kept us in touch every step of the way. I have already recommended you to other friends and would use you again without hestitation.

Your brochure itself is worth having just to look at and gives an accurate and enticing description of what we have seen.

There is really only one thing I would have changed and that was the car. Technically you are right to say that it is manageable in a 2wd car. It would however have been so much more comfortable in a 4wd. We had no punctures and no breakdowns but the bumping and shaking on the rougher gravel roads was testing if only worying about shaking the car to bits.

As for Namibia it lived up to and exceeded all our expectations. Neither of us wanted to come bcak to England the holiday was that good. The scenery is so varied and the people so friendly that I would go back any time. Like many we have hundreds of photographs and hours of video so that I can make my own DVD to remind us of a fabulous time." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"This was a trip of a lifetime and we can't thank the staff who dealt with us enough - The childen loved it (9 and 13) I shall recommend Namibia to all our friends. It was a marvellous trip.

Maruska got the trip absolutely right for us and could not have been more helpful and efficient.

I shall certainly use expert Africa again." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"To experience Namibia to its full we drove alot of miles, nearly 2000. The people were friendly and very welcoming.

We were glad we arragned for an extra spare tyre even though it was not needed. We did however meet other tourists who did experience punctures & had to have tyres repaired.

Sabina was extremely heplful when planning the trip." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"The trip was well organised, long drives nicely broken up, acommodation at times even exceeded high expectations. We felt that Claires recommendations for alternative accomodation were particularly good.

It is our feeling that the situation in Etosha will need careful monitoring. If the prices continue to rise dramatically then Hobatere might make a more cost effective alternative. The metalled road to Hobatere once complete also makes this more accessible.

We both felt that Etosha may try to price itself at luxury prices. Game drives at night in Etosha were 450 Namibian dollars, ridiculous compared to Hobatere." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"Fabulous trip and we were looked after extremely well by Expert Africa - they truly know the countries and say when they don't.

Maruska recommended exactly the type of accomodation we wanted and suggested a great mix of differing experiences. We were delighted in particular that she recommended Etendeka to us - just wish we could have stayed longer.

And the Mokoro Trail in the Okavanga is out of this world" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"We thought Namibia was a beautiful country which exceeded our expectations. A photo opportunity around each corner with the everchanging scenery. We found the various cultures and languages interesting and the click language extraordinarily difficult!

Botswana was wonderful with the luxurious camps and great gameviewing. Maun had a good feel to it as a vibrant town." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"Fantastic trip, enjoyed ourselves thoroughly and really love the country. There is some great scenery. Enjoyed every single location. We stayed at some wonderful accommodations and had some really nice hosts. We hope that some day, we will be able to go back again and would definitely use your services!

At times, we found the driving to be tiring and would have preferred to have been in a 4WD vehicle which would have ridden the bumpy bits better.

With all the travelling, we found that it would have been much better to have had at least 3 nights at each place, and perhaps this might need to be suggested to other travellers. It took most of the day to get from one place to the next, hence we only really had 1 day at any location other than Etosha to get the 'feel' of it. It would however, have given us a real dilemma as even with the benefit of experience, it would be impossible to choose somewhere to miss out of the itinerary ... and we could not afford a 3 week trip!!

We found dealing with souvenir sellers (and beggars) difficult at times. It is hard to know when you are getting ripped off - which we experienced at least once - and as we are not used to bartering, we felt uncomfortable that we might be being unfair to them by going too low. However, they do seem to be very good with their psychology in their selling. Particularly found Outjo (as described in the guide book) and Uis to be intimidating places for this." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip