Reviews of safaris to Southern Namibia

"Namibia. 14 days was the absolute minimum time for the trip- would have really liked a couple of extra days to reduce a bit of driving. (Our choice I know). We found all the places in Namibia delightful/interesting to stay in- all different but great fun with their own charms. THe roads overall are not bad- many are sealed with long, straight stretches. Many of the unsealed ones were fine too but there were three really bad ones-luckily not too long.Certainly wouldn't put us off returning for another visit.

The meet and greet Wilderness Safari team at Windhoek airport were very helpful, efficient and patient, and we appreciated their little lounge to use while waiting.

We did have a truly great memorable trip with too many highlights to single any out. Felt totally safe. The people are charming and the ethos about tourism is impressive.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Cant comment on the brochure as dont think I ever saw one. Found the feedback form a bit tedious to fill in so hope it is helpful.

But we did have a really great trip and have been recommending Expert Africa to anyone interested in travel to Africa from New Zealand" Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Totally loved the whole experience and can't wait to go back. For my taste I would say that there was a huge amount of time spent in the vehicle, and even with two drivers I would have ideally liked larger gaps between days of driving (though of course the whole country is magical to look at). Having suggested the itinerary myself its not really a comment on Expert Africa's advice, but maybe that could have been stressed even more than it was?" Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"We have done a fair bit of travelling and do not often return to the same place as there is still so much more to see. However, Namibia is an exception, this being our third trip.
It has everything, beautiful scenery, wildlife, friendly people. The roads are quiet and tourism is still relatively low key. It also feels so much safer than some other African countries.
With Expert Africa our trip was well organised and everything went seamlessly. We would use this company again." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"This was a memorable trip. We highly enjoyed the contrast between the dry areas of the Kalahari and the lush waterways of the Caprivi. We thought the trip was very well paced by Maruska.

All arrangements went smoothly and we appreciated the advice on how to deal with roadblocks and the crossing into Botswana and back,

One of our objectives was to hike as much as possible. As it turned out, only Waterberg Wilderness Lodge and Erongo Wilderness Lodge offered enough opportunities for a day or two of walking but we realize that was the maximum feasible within the parameters we set ourselves.." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"We had a wonderful trip, we really enjoyed our slow drive around Namibia. Claire fulfilled all our requests for specific rooms (i.e. far from main areas, with good views) as well as booking us a balloon trip in Sossussvlei and the best table at The Jetty in Swakopmund. All our expectations were met.

2 points which will be useful: 1) There are no longer ATM's in Etosha, and petrol stations do not take cards. You have to arrive in Etosha with enough cash.

2) Nam $ 3000 in cash was stolen from a hotel safe - luckily our passports and credit cards were not taken. Best to keep cash and cards with you at all times. Of course this could happen anywhere in the world, it's just in Namibia we were carrying more cash than usual." Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 27 on a Namibia trip

"We had such high expectations and they were all met ,even in extremely remote locations.
The standard of accommodation ,food and service is overall very high.
At no time did we feel nervous or threatened and the driving is a challenge but was fun and an unforgettable experience.
Sharing the driving and hiring a proper 4WD vehicle is strongly advised
Don't just dream about driving through Namibia, book it and do it for the most wonderful experiences and memories

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"Most of the accommodation that Expert had booked was very good although we didn't find the staff, on the whole, as welcoming as we would have expected.

Once at the accommodation, in general, we found assistance with activities poor & some activities were just provision of a driver. We would have been happy to pay for such activities if they took us to places we couldnt get to on our own and offered more educational/informative elements.

However, we loved the country - the scenery was absolutely amazing - so varied and so devoid of people & we saw loads of birds and animals - BRILLIANT !!" Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 23 on a Namibia trip

"This was our second trip to Southern Africa and was very different from our previous organized group (36) excursion as we were only 6 and planned the trip ourselves with huge help from Expert Africa.

[Ed: this 'previous organised group of 36 was not organised by Expert Africa.]

The desert scenery that covers about 2/3 of Namibia proved to be beautiful and diverse. We always felt comfortable wherever we went and we were constantly impressed by the friendly and helpful people.Getting around was no problem at all and communication was easy as English is spoken everywhere.

We highly recommend visiting this country as it is different from rest of Africa, very unique.

One word of caution regarding the roads which are asphalt on the main arteries but gravel elsewhere. The gravel roads are generally wide and well laid out but the washboard effect of the roads results in loud and somewhat rough ride, of course very dependent on the vehicle used. So if renting a vehicle, consider that it will spend a lot of its time on gravel if you want to see the best scenery on the "roads less travelled".

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We were very pleased with the arrangements suggested and made by Expert Africa and Sabina's knowledge of Namibia proved invaluable.

The pros and (if any) cons of the resorts, hotels, safaris and itinirary were clearly communicated to us to allow us to makeour decisions for our final itinerary.

We give full credit to Sabina's patience with our many "twists and turns" in our itinerary and we wound up wth a terrific self drive trip in a beautiful country." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"We had long wanted to visit Namibia, and it exceeded all our expectations. The tourism offer is really strong and the people we met at all our destinations were friendly and charming, as well as the people we encountered in the wider community. It rivals Costa Rica as one of the friendliest countries we have ever visited. The wildlife (we are close to safari novices) was all that we hoped for, and our three children (aged 13, 9 and 3) really enjoyed their encounters too, and exploring the camps we stayed at. Our children are well travelled and survived the long drives largely - but not always - in good humour. We met other families with younger children who also seemed to be coping, and frankly Namibia is only going to attract those families who have already travelled fairly widely anyway.
Expert Africa organised a great itinerary for us in the time available (we booked with only 2 months to go and should have booked earlier), and we met a safari travel industry consultant whilst in Namibia who only had words of praise for the company, and in particular its commercial independence compared with many operators, who are often incentivised to recommend some destinations over others. This was very good to hear, as the travel industry is opaque and it is often impossible for clients to tell which agency has incentives with which locations, and therefore may be making recommendations more in their own interest than in those of the client. The level of detailed information provided on the Expert Africa website is also extremely helpful in terms of making choices.
We would recommend Namibia to anyone who will listen. For those who are widely travelled, this is a destination that will surprise and delight, especially if you love wide open, remote and stunning deserts and mountains, and don't mind driving 4-6 hours each time you relocate. (If you don't have time for such journeys you better fly but you will miss out on the sense of vastness that driving provides.)
Next time we would want to explore up into the far north west to see the Skeleton Coast sand dunes in all their glory.
Finally, we mislaid a couple of items during the trip and the London team were helpful in contacting camps to see if our possessions could be relocated. In the end the camps themselves located them and we hope our missing items will arrive shortly!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"We have travelled all over this world but this holiday is up there with the best few. It was a real adventure from start to finish.

We saw so many amazing sights and stayed at some amazing places.The service we received for management and staff alike was wonderful. If it hadn't have been for two things - not being able to see the Fish River Canyon, and the stay at the Ongava Lodge, we would say it was a perfect holiday but unfortunately this spoilt it somewhat.

Thanks to expert Africa for all arrangement which were perfect." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip