Namibia: reviews from our travellers

"Loved Namibia and we will definitely return. It was great to be able to do it ourselves rather than be on a tour and mixing camping with staying in lodges worked very well for us. We were pleased that we went to Kaokoland and to see the Bushmen at Nhoma, it made the trip that much more special. The country was so interesting with such varied landscapes and things to do.

Expert Africa (Maruska) had done a great job in doing the bookings and in giving us information about where we were going. It was excellent having the map with the route shown and the accomodation wriitten in. Chris McIntyre's book was invaluable. I have recommended Expert Africa to many people and haven't been able to praise them highly enough.

Many thanks Maruska." Read full review: 27 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Very very good. Each lodge had some advantages and some disadvantages, but on the whole they were really good. We had no real problems on the trip and some very good experiences (and animal sightings). It was one long safari, but that was really what we had wanted.

The one contact we had with Wilderness Safaris was good too - through the delay at the airport with the car hire, and the fact that we took one wrong turning on the motorway, we were on course to arrive too late in Waterberg. Wilderness had an emergency phone no and she arranged for the Waterberg gate to stay open, so that problem was solved.

We were also very satisfied with the whole procedure between our first enquiry and the actual trip. Maruska was extremely helpful and efficient, patiently giving us detailed answers to any question we had." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"I think the individual feedback says it all - we were enchanted with our accommodation, captivated by the people, intoxicated by the countryside, the flora and the fauna, not to mention the sea life.

The planning was perfect - we had been closely advised by Expert Africa and found the timings to be spot on - no stay in one place was too short, no stay too long. We were priviledged to have 40 days and the luxury of being able to enjoy two countries, we felt, at our leisure." Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"Officials generally were not very helpful or pleasant eg at border, NWR park receptions (Hobas, Sossusvlei, Anderson gate - exception Ai-Ais).

Betesda - one night here before Sossusvlei would have been enough, then straight on to Rostock Ritz for 2 nights from Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei - 4 wheel drive ticket is now NA$110pp
Solitaire - a must to stop off for petrol and atmsophere at Moose's for apple crumble and coffee - general buzz of overlanders

Etosha
Is it right that the park fees are not included in the Park Lodge accommodation costs?
Saw 11 lions watched game herds approaching Springbokfontein waterhole.
Etosha Pan look out is a must
Lunch stop at Namutoni, really liked the atmosphere and cleanliness of this site, nicely laid out.

Cape Interliner bus service to Livingstone was 1.5 hours late leaving Tsumeb and 3 hours late at Livingstone.

Exceptional help and planning from Sabina in organising our trip, thank you!

Suggestions for improvements:

Definitely we would recommend Expert Africa." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"As a whole it was terrific as it offered so many differnt experiences. The staff at all camps were helpful, I would certainlyrecommend it to people." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Having never been to Africa, we were apprehensive about taking off on our own into a huge country, with gravel roads, wild animals and potential problems. We need never have worried.

It was an amazing experience - wonderful landscapes, animals everywhere, lovely helpful people and the space, peace and freedom to do what we wanted, backed up by a superbly organised trip courtesy of Sabina. She had gently taken my initial plans - totally unrealistic! - and guided us to something manageable and fitting the sort of holiday we wanted. The walking, horseriding, lodges that benefitted the community directly, Africat, Etosha's waterhole - everything on the wish list was there, and more. Her suggestion of Erongo has ended up as my favourite place on the trip - wish I was back there now!

The issues with the car hire were something everyone was having to deal with - it was not an Expert Africa issue, just down to a lack of roadworthy vehicles in Namibia, and having seen at least 2 crashes where hire cars were written off, we can understand they have problems keeping cars on the road. People we met who had an accident couldn't speak highly enough of Sabina's helpfulness about getting them a replacement and their holiday back on track.

Namibia was a very special place - we learnt so much about a very different way of life and our 2 week trip felt as if we had been there for months - time seemed to stand still and itwas dfficult to know even what day it was! Three words to sum up Namibia for us - Space, Silence, Smiles.O

Oh, and animals of course - everywhere." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip to Namibia beat all expectations. We had less than two weeks so we concentrated on the central highlands and game spotting. Namibians were, to a person, friendly and helpful.

Olive Grove is a peaceful place to start and wind down at the finish. The choice of Erongo was a great opener, followed by the countless game of Etosha.

Mundulea was the definite highlight, and Okonjima was a great finale as it made sure we saw the cats.

Suggestions for improveMent:

No suggestions, the service was excellent." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"Truly wonderful holiday for our first African experience." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"We were wery satisfied with the service from Gwynneth and expert africa and had a fantastic tour to Namibia. We will return to Africa again and if possible use Expert Africa again.

There were only to mistakes a) we did not get the 4wd car we asked for and b) we did not get a familyroom at Kulala Winderness Camp as indicated in our confirmation invoice due to a booking mistake. However, everything else went fine during a one month long trip staying many different places." Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip