Namibia: reviews from our travellers

"The trip was going really well until I discovered at Fish River that Namibia had been put on the red list and all flights had been cancelled.

My other abiding memory will be how unbelievably windy it was and how the wind did not drop overnight. Swakopmund was probably the only place where it was not blowing a gale the whole time.

It was so bad that one or two of the lodges provided ear plugs so that you were not kept awake by the sound of your tent trying to fly off to the Kalahari." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"We had a fantastic trip to Botswana and Namibia. We felt very safe traveling as all camp staff are vaccinated and tested. The guests as well since the airlines won't let you board without a Covid test.

The experience visiting the different parts of the Okavango delta is not to be missed. The amount of animals is amazing.

We also visited two camps in Namibia, our favorite country in Africa. The scenery is out of this world and so varied you never get tired of looking at it.

Expert Africa did a great job helping us plan this trip and Megan was incredibly helpful in working around airline flight cancellations and changes. She also helped us get all of our Covid tests scheduled for country transfers.

This was our second trip with Expert Africa and both went very smoothly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I can't think of anything you could do better." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"Planning a trip in these confusing times was a bit of a challenge. Originally planned for 2020, we were more than ever looking forward to travelling.

Despite airlines cancelling our flights (twice, without explanation), camps closing down and last minute unsure entry requirements, Expert Africa never backed down and delivered everything we hoped for. The camps were well chosen as were the proposed drives.

Contact with the office was equally good and our questions were always quickly answered. We have nothing but positive comments on Expert Africa, especially considering this must have been a very difficult period for everyone working in this line of business.

Thank you for all the work you've done. We're back next year." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"It was remarkably better than I had even hoped. A trip we won't soon forget.

The Covid-19 restrictions were unpleasant but once we departed Airworld we were fine.

My one concern is the cost, which makes this hard to recommend to most of my relatives though I have friends who could afford it." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"This was the trip of a life time for me - a dream I've had since I was a kid [ I'm 65 ] I'm so glad I finally went ! my only real regret is that I should have stayed a month or more , instead of 21 days.

I limited myself , and my agent , by saying I wanted to keep the cost down . Big mistake ! In hindsight I would have gladly spent a bit more money on this epic adventure !Especially with the long flight [ I live in Hawaii ] I want to give my heat felt thanks , to my excellent agent Sabina , and Expert Africa for the outstanding , highly detailed planning . When it came time to figure out the timing for my Covid test , and two back to back border crossings , to Botswana and Zimbabwe, my head started spinning . plus all the reservations , rental car, multiple transfers etc. I could not have done it without her . I know that with the 12 hour time change , when my arrival time drew near , Sabina had to work after hours , to make all the last minute arraignments - she did it all , and made it look easy ! I normally wouldn't have filled out a form like this , but I had to - just try my best to show my appreciation .

It was a pleasure doing business with Sabina and I can't thank her enough I highly recommend Expert Africa - I have zero complaints .

Aloha from Hawaii - R

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None at all" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"The whole trip was amazing.

Sabina was very patient as we kept organizing and then reorganizing, including delaying a year because of Covid. Very knowledgeable and a lot of good advice.

I was a bit hesitant about driving alone (particularly after the rental car company's mandatory video), but the driving was easy and fun, and no problems.

Overall every lodge was great, the staff amazing and the country is stunning." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"We enjoyed Namibia, especially during Covid times when there are so few people.

One lodge, Ai Aiba was disappointing and felt “low end”- our travel consultant should have suggested a different place.

The other issue was with Etendeka and Tok Tokkie: my wife and I found the description quite misleading: there is nothing Luxury about Tok Tokkie, and it should have been presented as a camping trip with no tent. I believe that Etendeka is similar. Expert Africa should have made it very clear that conditions are very basic and that it can get freezing cold, windy and sandy at night and the bed is a very basic foldable one, and this was not conveyed to us clearly. While Mandulea was also not luxurious, it did have some basic comforts like light, real bed, shower and toilettes which worked well for us.

On the positive side, Onguma and Hoodia exceeded our expectations and were superb." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"My family had high expectations for this Namibia trip, but it exceeded all of them! All of the lodges were excellent, staff amazing, and the food delicious.

In terms Covid, all staff wore masks and, from what I understand, were vaccinated.

Lastly, Maruska at Expert Africa went above and beyond to help us plan the trip and ensure it went smooth and safe. She helped us defer from 2020 to 2021, including changing the entire route due to lodge availability. She helped us find a Covid testing site prior to our return and informed about the very last minute entry requirement changes, which we would've missed otherwise. We are now looking forward to booking our future trips with Maruska and Expert Africa!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None, everything was excellent." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"It's hard to know where to start. Perfect, amazing, unforgettable.

The personalised advice on the itinerary, accommodation, and activities great from Sabina our local advisor with a true passion for Namibia. Then COVID-19 hit and Sabina was understanding, flexible and made endless changes always with a smile and a laugh. Ultimately it was due to her reactivity, solution orientated approach and ability to adapt and make changes at short notice that we were able to spend an amazing and unforgettable family holiday in an amazing country, indeed were privileged to regularly feel like we had Namibia to ourselves. We were alone on Dune 45 for a good hour.

Sabina was available to reply to all our questions however minor and even helped us with an NEW reservation that we had made directly with the park, she really couldn't do enough to make our holiday amazing.

What a country, we were intimate with wild elephants, lions and a leopard.

For me Expert Africa is the only place to go for a holiday in Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I really struggle to suggest any improvements. The trip was amazing, the service from Sabina and then Chris when COVID made things really complicated was faultless/first class.

The reception at Windhoek from the folk at Wilderness Safaris was a great start to the trip but there is nowhere to rate it on the feedback forms." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"This was my first trip to Africa. It won't be my last. I traveled with 2 friends who had been to southern Africa 3 times previously, one time using Expert Africa. I was extremely impressed with how smoothly the trip went, and how well chosen the itinerary was.

We wanted to see animals of course, but 2 of us are birders, and one is a fisherman. The fisherman had wonderful catches at Kwara and Setari, and the birding was wonderful throughout the trip. And the animal sightings far exceeded my expectations. I want to especially commend the trackers at Kwara and Lagoon, Mike and Ken. I did not expect to see nocturnal animals, but they were able to show us some wonderful creatures, lesser bushbaby, African wildcats, serval, scrub hares, bat-eared foxes (we saw those in the daytime too), small spotted genet. I was really thrilled.

The accomodations were far more luxurious than I had expected, and the food was overall superb. All the travel arrangements worked perfectly.

Maruska Adye-Rowe, who handled this trip for us, was great. The trip was delayed for a year due to covid, and really evolved. She dealt with our changing ideas very well. First it was a shorter trip to Botswana and Victoria Falls, then that got lengthened, then we added the time in Namibia.

Maruska stayed on top of the covid testing situation. On our way, during our layover in NY, Maruska called to tell us the entry requirements for Namibia had changed, and she'd arranged covid testing for us at our hotel at the Johannesburg airport the evening we arrived." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari