Reviews of trips to Swakopmund & Walvis Bay

"Namibia exceeded our expectations and that credit can be attributed to Expert Africa and the very attentive and super patient Sabina.

We had corresponded with Sabina for some months before finally and very late confirming an itinerary. This was due to our schedule and various decisions that we were waiting on before being able to commit, therefore our itinerary was amended multiple times due to availability of lodges and car hire.
We have no complaints at all with the service of Sabina and Expert Africa, and have no hesitation in recommending or in using Expert Africa again to book a trip.
We encountered no problems with our reservations, paperwork or logistics and felt the coordination with Wilderness Safari,s was exceptional.

The recommendation of the Sandwich Harbour trip with Turnstone Tours was superb and one of the highlights of our trip. Highly recommended for other travellers.

We live in Nigeria so the ability to drive ourselves in an African Country was fantastic and we throughly enjoyed Namibia, the scenery, the accommodations and warmth of the people.

I have written fairly extensive reviews of our various experiences and sincerely hope that these are taken in the constructive manner that they are intended and not as direct criticisms.
We have lived in numerous Countries, some more challenging than others and are well aware of the often difficult balance of customer expectations, staff training and the logistics of the environment.

On a side note I became unwell towards the last two days of our trip, thankfully when back in Windhoek, and from our point of view when we were still in Namibia and not back in Lagos where we live as this would have necessitated medical evacuation.

On the day of our departure I was admitted to MediClinic in Windhoek and that afternoon underwent emergency surgery for acute appendicitis. After four days in hospital I joined my husband at The Hilton and after a further check the following Saturday with the surgeon (the thoroughly lovely Manoj Kamble) we flew later that day.

I can only add that my medical emergency did nothing to dampen our love of Namibia and its people, and I can assure other travellers who may have a concern about an unexpected medical emergency that I received superb first class care from the Hospital, surgeon, nurses and all the medical and administrative and ancillary personnel, and at no point did we feel that I was receiving anything but exceptional care.

As I was admitted on a Sunday there were some administrative issues with contacting our Insurance Company (International SOS) so we opted to pay and claim which was not a problem for us as we are very familiar with our insurance and know this option to be fine, however it is fair here to note that an unexpected hospital stay can be costly and so therefore some sort of insurance provision is mandatory.

At this point I would like to add that Bidvest car rental were very cooperative with our unexpected circumstances when my husband went to return our rental car on the appropriate day, and with finding us another suitable small vehicle for local use.

We had some issues with changing our flight with SAA but this was more to do with the SAA staff who were uncertain how to manage our changes. This was resolved eventually but had we needed to we would have contacted Expert Africa/Wilderness Safari for assistance.

Whilst you obviously did not request feedback for the Hilton Hotel I will add that my husband stayed there seven nights and me for two as a result of my hospital stay. It was well located with all the standard facilities and amenities that you would expect from The Hilton chain. Room service was good and they had a fantastic roof top bar which I managed to enjoy before we left.

My husband became very familiar with Windhoek during our unexpected extended stay to the point where his beer was poured for him without asking on arrival at the bar at Joe's Beerhouse.

We both sincerely look forward to another visit to Windhoek in the future and hopefully to explore the Caprivi Strip and the Falls,

Many thanks to Sabina and all who helped make our trip very special with wonderful memories.
You are a credit to your organization.

Sincerely,
Anna & Malcolm

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None at all - Superb service from our very first enquiry to booking and returning home." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip to Namibia was memorable, Expert Africa gave us excellent tips, they are by far the best travel agency we used to travel to Southern Africa (we are regular travelers to this part of the globe).

They are very knowledgeable, professional and responsive." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"One of our best trips in Africa, self driving is a must.

We loved every experience, big thanks to our trip organizer Maruska" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"A great trip. Very varied. Friendliness wherever we went. A lot of miles, many on poor roads, the rest on very good (and quiet) paved roads. The standard of lodges was, on the whole, very high. The food was better than expected. Most of the extra activities were good and the country was as dramatic as we hoped. Virtually no mosquitoes at this time of year.

We changed plane at Jo'burg. No biometric checks in transit or any problems with forwarded luggage." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"We had a wonderful holiday in Southern Africa. There are so many memories- we tried to name our 'top 10 best moments' but it was impossible as each day offered something new and exciting. We will definitely be back to this lovely part of the world before too long.

Thank you to Tracy Lederer for her advice and organisation - everything ran very smoothly and exceeded our expectations." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip was fantastic. It was well organised by Expert Africa and Sabina, our agent was accurate and helpful at all times. The book and advance information was invaluable, from packing lists to maps, money advice and maps, everything was just brilliant.

We traveled with three children, aged 10, 13 and 15 and our route, accommodation and destinations worked for us all. It is not easy finding places to accommodate a family of five and we appreciate that every lodge was ready with the extra beds and big rooms.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

The main roads were easy to drive on and although parking in towns can be a little confusing with some people claiming to be there to 'watch' the car while you leave it there, and then expect you to pay them, we never had any problems and if in doubt we found residential streets to park on.

Take a cool bag/blocks in your luggage! We used these every day and the lodges were happy to freeze the blocks for us for our picnics each day.

Two weeks is just enough time to see a great deal of Namibia and if we could have extended by a week then maybe we could have made it to the Caprivi Strip; but like all things in life you have to cut your cloth accordingly and we managed to fit so much into our two weeks." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia is a fantastic country and one that is relatively easy to allow children to experience a range of what Africa has to offer. There is a difficult balance between time available, distance travelled, quality of roads, type of accommodation, variety of experience etc but we got it about right for our three, but what works best will vary for everyone. We met some who travelled far more than we did and survived!

Even in early spring, our kids found the temperaturte difficult in the middle of the day, but the mornings and evenings were fine - so think carefully about when to go and when to travel. Five is a difficult number to travel with - but everywhere we stayed, the accommodation worked well. We could have travelled less, avoided Damaraland, or stuck more to the tar - but that would have detracted from the overall experience.

Overall, excellent.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Couldn't really fault it.

Thank you." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"We have traveled as a family a reasonable amount and have all agreed that our trip to Namibia was an absolute highlight.

It is a stunning, dramatic, beautiful and haunting country. Mountains, canyons, deserts, seascape and fantastic wildlife, all coupled with welcoming friendly, warm and engaging people.
We'd encourage anyone to go - and probably go now before development changes Namibia irrevocably.

A major part in our trip being such a success was the guidance, planning, support and recommendations provide by Expert Africa and especially Josh Flatman. To put is in some context Josh arranged a fantastic agenda for two of us, which was then changed to be the whole family - he approached this difficult task with relish and was able to find fabulous accommodation for us all with the minimal of fuss. I cannot praise him highly enough.

It is clearly the collective experience at Expert Africa, research trips undertaken by the staff to Namibia and the connections that they have in country which enable them to provide a first class tailored service. Thank you all, and Josh especially, so much.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Only two suggestions; one minor, one more important:

- Minor. Please mark exactly where Bullsport is on the map. We had a in impression is was north of the junction of the D1206/C14, coming from Reheboth, and took the wrong turn. It's some 300 m south of that junction!

- More material. The B1 road south between Okahandja and Windhoek is currently undergoing major works to turn it into a highway rather than a regular road. This causes long delays for blasting etc. and the works do mean that there is some dangerous driving from locals when overtaking. Do leave plenty of time when returning to Windhoek for the airport etc.
We were warned to expect this by the staff at Erongo Wilderness Lodge so left plenty of time but don't be tempted to think it will be quick based on the road being tarmac." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip to Namibia exceeded our expectations. The only hardship was the bumpy roads which made up about 2/3 of the roads we travelled on. Apart from that all the accommodation was really really good, the food was always great and amazing considering how remote some of these places are and the service was always very good. We can definitely recommend an Expert Africa trip to Namibia. 2 weeks is a good length of time - you may want to consider staying somewhere for 3 nights so you have a little breather - maybe in Swakopmund." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Unbelievable! Great trip - and good to go way we did - ie start with Bagatelle heading south and then west. In this way we appreciated what each place had to offer - in terms of location, animals, etc. If we had started at Okonjima - well - all others would not compare well.

The animals at Etosha would also overshadow the animals at the other lodges - eg tracking desert elephants at Doro Nawas was great - but if we had already seen the herd of 20 at the waterhole each night in Etosha - it would have lost some of the attraction and adventure. Each place was unique - so thank you - it was not like we were comparing one 5* place to another one...
Animals were sort of unque at each to a point eg loads of deer types at Bagatelle, Ostriches at Hoodia & the desert, desert elephants and Doro, all various things at Etendeka, everything at Etosha, chill out - dik diks, warhogs and snakes( !!) at Mushara and the cats at Okonjima.

Suggestions:
*Car - ours was not happy on the gravel roads and did not cope with the D road - better to have a larger, more suitable car. warn all re the dust - you could not see what colour the car was when we returned it.......or our clothes!!!
*Laundry : good to have every 5 days included in package. So dusty there - we collected loads and ended up hand washing through some things by day 11. But we were also in Jo'berg for 4 days before Namibia and cape Town 4 days after Namibia.
*If in one place for the night - maybe let us know their activity list so we can get to the place in time and not miss activities?

But - cannot fault you - truly brilliant holiday which we all loved!!

Marusha - hope you have a healthy baby girl now and many thanks for pulling this together for us,

thanks,

Lynne, Rob, Sam & Matt" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip