Reviews of trips to Windhoek
1097 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Windhoek.
Mr & Mrs G
Cottenham
"Honeymoon Trip"
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 16 Nov 2018 and 8 Dec 2018
"We both absolutely loved our trip, and have recommended Namibia to our friends, family and work colleagues.
Personally for us, once we had left Cape Town we were very eager to cross into Namibia. As such we would have been prepared to have driven longer distances to gain an extra day or two in Namibia (e.g. a one night stop half way between Cape Town and Canyon Lodge).
Overall, it was a brilliant itinerary. Tracy was in continuous contact and accommodated our request to be able to explore Kolmanskop. The Expert Africa team are clearly very knowledgeable and well connected, and went out of their way to ensure we could have an incredible honeymoon within the confines of our budget. The pack they sent to us was also very comprehensive (including a detailed road map), and we would recommend them to anyone wishing to explore Namibia (safe in the knowledge their team would be on hand if there were any issues).
Thank you to Tracy and all at Expert Africa - we had the trip of a lifetime and hope to return in the future!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Personally for us, once we had left Cape Town we were very eager to cross into Namibia. As such we would have been prepared to have driven longer distances to gain an extra day or two in Namibia (e.g. a one night stop half way between Cape Town and Canyon Lodge).
Overall, it was a brilliant itinerary. Tracy was in continuous contact and accommodated our request to be able to explore Kolmanskop. The Expert Africa team are clearly very knowledgeable and well connected, and went out of their way to ensure we could have an incredible honeymoon within the confines of our budget. The pack they sent to us was also very comprehensive (including a detailed road map), and we would recommend them to anyone wishing to explore Namibia (safe in the knowledge their team would be on hand if there were any issues).
Thank you to Tracy and all at Expert Africa - we had the trip of a lifetime and hope to return in the future!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs & Mr H
California
"Perfect"
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 5 Nov 2018 and 26 Nov 2018
"NOTHING WENT WRONG! NOTHING! IT WAS LIKE WE WEREN'T EVEN TRAVELING IN AFRICA!
Seriously! Our itinerary was a bit hectic and a million things could have gone wrong and didn't.
The information you gave us before we left was a God send and prepared us for everything.
Really well done, would recommend your company to everyone.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Nope, just keep doing what you are doing.
Oh, maybe ask if customer wants shared or private safari. I didn't think to ask myself as we are always on a private safari so it never came up in my mind.
Tracy - really stellar job, thank you." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip
Seriously! Our itinerary was a bit hectic and a million things could have gone wrong and didn't.
The information you gave us before we left was a God send and prepared us for everything.
Really well done, would recommend your company to everyone.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Nope, just keep doing what you are doing.
Oh, maybe ask if customer wants shared or private safari. I didn't think to ask myself as we are always on a private safari so it never came up in my mind.
Tracy - really stellar job, thank you." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs A & Mr M
London
"My Nov 2018 trip"
I visited Namibia between 4 Nov 2018 and 23 Nov 2018
"A memorable holiday, one of the best we have ever had!
Everything was well organised and we had no difficulties throughout our stay. We drove a long way - nearly 3000km - but it was worthwhile. The itinerary worked well, so generally we had a longish drive between camps but then two or three nights at each camp to relax and enjoy what was on offer.
We are feeling that we will need to return to Namibia to explore those parts which we missed on this visit!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Best advice received from Expert Africa:
1. Take a spare phone and buy a local sim-card at the airport. The local phone was a lifesaver when we had punctures and had to contact the car hire company and tyre repair shops. It was also useful and lot cheaper than using a UK phone to contact tour leaders and camps where we were booked.
2. Pack and divide clothes into two suitcases. One of our cases was mislaid by Air Namibia on our arrival at Windhoek but we had split our clothes as suggested and so we both had change of clothes on arrival at our guest house. Fortunately our second suitcase was delivered to us early the next morning.
Least useful advice received from Expert Africa:
1. Take talking book and music CDs to listen to in the car on long journeys. Firstly, it is impossible to hear anything from the car radio when driving on rough dirt roads - and these roads comprise a very large proportion of the road network in Namibia. Secondly, many cars these days (and our car in particular, a Renault Duster) do not have CD players and instead play from a memory stick. We carried a number of CDs around Namibia!
The vehicle we hired, a Renault Duster, was fine BUT on some of the rougher roads felt a bit like a boy trying to do a man's job." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
Everything was well organised and we had no difficulties throughout our stay. We drove a long way - nearly 3000km - but it was worthwhile. The itinerary worked well, so generally we had a longish drive between camps but then two or three nights at each camp to relax and enjoy what was on offer.
We are feeling that we will need to return to Namibia to explore those parts which we missed on this visit!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Best advice received from Expert Africa:
1. Take a spare phone and buy a local sim-card at the airport. The local phone was a lifesaver when we had punctures and had to contact the car hire company and tyre repair shops. It was also useful and lot cheaper than using a UK phone to contact tour leaders and camps where we were booked.
2. Pack and divide clothes into two suitcases. One of our cases was mislaid by Air Namibia on our arrival at Windhoek but we had split our clothes as suggested and so we both had change of clothes on arrival at our guest house. Fortunately our second suitcase was delivered to us early the next morning.
Least useful advice received from Expert Africa:
1. Take talking book and music CDs to listen to in the car on long journeys. Firstly, it is impossible to hear anything from the car radio when driving on rough dirt roads - and these roads comprise a very large proportion of the road network in Namibia. Secondly, many cars these days (and our car in particular, a Renault Duster) do not have CD players and instead play from a memory stick. We carried a number of CDs around Namibia!
The vehicle we hired, a Renault Duster, was fine BUT on some of the rougher roads felt a bit like a boy trying to do a man's job." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr C & Ms B
Macclesfi
"A wonderful month away from the UK winter!"
I visited Namibia between 3 Nov 2018 and 4 Dec 2018
"This was a wonderful trip.
We were lucky to be able to spend 4 weeks in Namibia, and whilst we covered almost 6000km, we were able to spend 2 or 3 nights in all the camps to get a real feel for the various locations.
We visited some areas in the South of the country, which we hadn't been to before, and these were generally quieter and more remote than the more popular areas such as Etosha. We loved it!" Read full review: 31 nights in Africa; 24 on a Namibia trip
We were lucky to be able to spend 4 weeks in Namibia, and whilst we covered almost 6000km, we were able to spend 2 or 3 nights in all the camps to get a real feel for the various locations.
We visited some areas in the South of the country, which we hadn't been to before, and these were generally quieter and more remote than the more popular areas such as Etosha. We loved it!" Read full review: 31 nights in Africa; 24 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Boghall birder
Roslin
"My Nov 2018 trip"
I visited Namibia between 2 Nov 2018 and 18 Nov 2018
"A great trip. All went smoothly (apart from a couple of punctures). Really well organised by Expert Africa with excellent accommodation throughout. We hope to return to Namibia and will use Expert Africa again.
Wilderness Africa at Airport, especially Grace, were great too. Very helpful." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip
Wilderness Africa at Airport, especially Grace, were great too. Very helpful." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs F.
Aylesbury
"A brilliant introduction to Africa"
I visited Namibia between 23 Oct 2018 and 7 Nov 2018
"Our trip was absolutely wonderful! We saw all the animals we'd hoped to, except for a cheetah. That gives us the excuse we need to return one day.
Our itinerary worked well - about the right number of nights in each place.
Generally, very good food and wonderful, enthusiastic service." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Our itinerary worked well - about the right number of nights in each place.
Generally, very good food and wonderful, enthusiastic service." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs S
Halifax
"First time in Namibia"
I visited Namibia between 22 Oct 2018 and 31 Oct 2018
"This was a most enjoyable holiday and far exceeded our expectations.
Namibia is absolutely beautiful and unspoilt and you don't appreciate its beauty unless you drive between lodges. The holiday was short - 9 nights - very well planned as driving distances, although quite long, were not excessive and we had two night stays in most of the camps allowing early morning game drives on the full day. One does spend a lot of time in cars as the drive between camps is about 6 hours and on arrival you are then taken out on a 4 hour game drive. The camps do not have an abundance of game which is why game drives are long but are pleasantly interrupted with snacks or sundowners depending on the time of day.
The guides were, without exception, excellent, and the standard of the camps was universally very good. Travellers coming from England will find fuel and drinks prices cheap compared with England (diesel is about £0.60 per litre) but it is essential to pay for petrol with cash as fraudulent use of credit cards is reportedly rife, so buy plenty of S Africa rands before leaving England.
Expert Africa warned us of this and it was confirmed several times by locals. It is wise to have some cash in small denominations as everyone, including those at petrol stations, will expect a tip We found this a most enjoyable and well organised holiday and we were given much useful advice by Expert Africa before our departure but despite all warnings the only problem we experienced was a single puncture.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
This was a very well constructed holiday by people who clearly know what they are doing.
We were very well warned about all the potential problems almost to the point of wondering whether we should continue with our plans or not and while this is very important it is probably worth saying to clients that if they are sensible they are no more likely to experience anything untoward than they are on any other motoring holiday, apart from the poor quality of the roads. Unless we were just very lucky!
Many thanks to Claire and Expert Africa for organising a wonderful holiday in Namibia." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Namibia is absolutely beautiful and unspoilt and you don't appreciate its beauty unless you drive between lodges. The holiday was short - 9 nights - very well planned as driving distances, although quite long, were not excessive and we had two night stays in most of the camps allowing early morning game drives on the full day. One does spend a lot of time in cars as the drive between camps is about 6 hours and on arrival you are then taken out on a 4 hour game drive. The camps do not have an abundance of game which is why game drives are long but are pleasantly interrupted with snacks or sundowners depending on the time of day.
The guides were, without exception, excellent, and the standard of the camps was universally very good. Travellers coming from England will find fuel and drinks prices cheap compared with England (diesel is about £0.60 per litre) but it is essential to pay for petrol with cash as fraudulent use of credit cards is reportedly rife, so buy plenty of S Africa rands before leaving England.
Expert Africa warned us of this and it was confirmed several times by locals. It is wise to have some cash in small denominations as everyone, including those at petrol stations, will expect a tip We found this a most enjoyable and well organised holiday and we were given much useful advice by Expert Africa before our departure but despite all warnings the only problem we experienced was a single puncture.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
This was a very well constructed holiday by people who clearly know what they are doing.
We were very well warned about all the potential problems almost to the point of wondering whether we should continue with our plans or not and while this is very important it is probably worth saying to clients that if they are sensible they are no more likely to experience anything untoward than they are on any other motoring holiday, apart from the poor quality of the roads. Unless we were just very lucky!
Many thanks to Claire and Expert Africa for organising a wonderful holiday in Namibia." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr R.
Malmesbury
"My Oct 2018 trip"
I visited Namibia between 18 Oct 2018 and 27 Oct 2018
"Overall we had a wonderful trip and Josh/Expert Africa were excellent.
Josh strongly suggested Desert Homestead Outpost and it was a real highlight for us - the position and relaxing nature of the lodge were wonderful.
Overall the only negative was Hobatere lodge which was recommended and which was definitely below the standards of any other private lodge we've stayed at on two trips to Namibia." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
Josh strongly suggested Desert Homestead Outpost and it was a real highlight for us - the position and relaxing nature of the lodge were wonderful.
Overall the only negative was Hobatere lodge which was recommended and which was definitely below the standards of any other private lodge we've stayed at on two trips to Namibia." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms T.
London
"Road trip of a lifetime "
I visited Namibia between 15 Oct 2018 and 2 Nov 2018
"Fantastic trip that gave us something new to experience every day. The highlights were the amazing free-roaming wildlife, the stunning savanna and desert landscapes and welcoming people. We were also forced out of our comfort zone: we had 4 tyre punctures (!) and we both had very unpleasant food poisoning thankfully on different days.
We were in a hot air balloon 1000 meters above the desert at the crack of dawn and regularly sand-blasted on gravel and sandy roads. In hindsight we should have elected to stay outside of Etosha and we should have tried to arrange it so that we had smaller meals with less red meat. We worked out that we had 9 red meat meals during the period of 16 days! The food was mostly excellent, but was just too hearty a diet at 35-40 degrees.
Also thanks to Tracy's advice we managed to experience the hot air balloon ride over the desert and to discover such gems as Bullsport and Eningu lodge. Our favourite lodge was Doro Nawas for its stunning location and atmosphere, and lovely staff, closely followed by Hoodia, where we had the best food and a most relaxing stay. Okonjima was also a very special place where we saw leopards on our very first ride!
We will be revisiting our memories of this trip for a long time to come." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
We were in a hot air balloon 1000 meters above the desert at the crack of dawn and regularly sand-blasted on gravel and sandy roads. In hindsight we should have elected to stay outside of Etosha and we should have tried to arrange it so that we had smaller meals with less red meat. We worked out that we had 9 red meat meals during the period of 16 days! The food was mostly excellent, but was just too hearty a diet at 35-40 degrees.
Also thanks to Tracy's advice we managed to experience the hot air balloon ride over the desert and to discover such gems as Bullsport and Eningu lodge. Our favourite lodge was Doro Nawas for its stunning location and atmosphere, and lovely staff, closely followed by Hoodia, where we had the best food and a most relaxing stay. Okonjima was also a very special place where we saw leopards on our very first ride!
We will be revisiting our memories of this trip for a long time to come." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr M.
Anchorage
"wonderfull -- will do it again "
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 12 Oct 2018 and 4 Nov 2018
"The trip was excellent, we covered 3000 + km's in 20+ days, driving was fun, less going from Windhoek to Walvis Bay via dirt roads.
Saw all the critter's we came to see multiple times. Next time less camping and more lodging." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Saw all the critter's we came to see multiple times. Next time less camping and more lodging." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
1097
reviews of Windhoek by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
Filter by month
Looking for inspiration on where to travel next?
Visit our trip chooser to explore your options and find inspiration for your perfect African adventure
Inspire meWhere to stay in Windhoek
Our suggestions for places to stay in Windhoek
Olive Grove
In a quiet Windhoek suburb, Olive Grove is one of our favourite guesthouses: stylish, with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and excellent food.
Galton House
A cool stylish sanctuary in a quiet suburb of Windhoek, Galton House boasts a pool and a restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Elegant Guesthouse
The Elegant Guesthouse is a friendly, comfortable establishment with a lovely, tranquil garden, and is a good choice for an overnight stay in Windhoek.
River Crossing
Secluded on a private game reserve between Windhoek and the international airport, River Crossing is a tranquil place to start or end a trip.
Villa Violet
Villa Violet is a friendly, owner-run guesthouse in a residential area of Windhoek, just a few minutes' drive from the city centre and numerous restaurants.
Haus Sonneneck
Haus Sonneneck was one of Windhoek's best pensions just a few minutes' drive away from the city centre, however it has now closed.
Weinberg Hotel
In a quiet upmarket suburb of Klein Windhoek, the stylish Weinberg has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and luxury facilities.
Olive Exclusive
The Olive Exclusive is perhaps Windhoek's most luxurious boutique hotel but remains a friendly and unpretentious place to stay.
GocheGanas
For somewhere to really pamper yourself, Gocheganas Lodge & Spa offers wildlife combined with extensive wellness treatments.
Heinitzburg Hotel
One of the oldest hotels in Windhoek, the Heinitzberg occupies a great hill-top location but can feel like a relic of a bygone era.
Etango Ranch G. Farm
Etango offers simple, clean, comfortable accommodation and it’s the closest accommodation to Windhoek International Airport.
Immanuel Wilderness
Within easy reach of Windhoek, Immanuel Wilderness Lodge is a good overnight option for those who don't wish to stay in the city.
Sun Karros Daan Viljoen
Situated within the Daan Viljoen Nature reserve Sun Karros is a simple lodge with gentle game viewing and bird watching opportunities.
Omaanda
Omaanda offers luxury accommodation and wildlife viewing within easy reach of the international airport and Windhoek City.
Hotel Thule
Windhoek’s Hotel Pension Thule offers stunning views across the city and a reputable in-house restaurant, within easy reach of the international airport.
Ti Melen
Overlooking Avis Dam, Ti Melen is on the outskirts of Windhoek, yet only 10-minutes from the city's amenities.
Desert Express
The Desert Express runs from Windhoek to Swakopmund on set departures. Recently this schedule has been somewhat erratic.
