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Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek

aerial view of Windhoek on a fly-in safari

Windhoek is modern and bustling

perched overlooking the city

the Independence Museum - takes you back in history

city centre is dotted with bistros and curio shops

Municipal buildings add to the green centre.

Windhoek

Reviews of trips to Windhoek

1053 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Windhoek.

Showing 911-920 of 1053
Duration
Arrival date
Mrs B
London

"The most memorable holiday we have had"

I visited Namibia between 20 Aug 2010 and 5 Sep 2010
"Quite unforgettable. The scenary, the people, the animals at Etosha, the roads(!). Such a colourful experience
I can see why people return (we met one guy on his 10th trip)

We feel that we have been away for a month.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

The only thing is perhaps to reiterate to travellers that the GWR lodges in Etosha are pretty basic compared to private lodges (at least Halali is - Namatoni looked rather better and that is the impression we got from other travellers and apparently another one is opening in the north of Etosha that is good too)

Also, I think that Uk drivers do need to understand that the gravel roads are very very different from tar roads. We found driving on them for hours an uncomfortable experience. Some of the D roads and those round Grootberg were terrible. Maybe they are good compared to most of Africa but not compared to Europe" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms M
North London

"Dream holiday"

I visited Namibia between 18 Aug 2010 and 3 Sep 2010
"This was the best holiday ever and worth the expense.

We have fallen completely in love with Namibia. It was my present to my son for his 18th birthday (which we spent climbing sand dunes in Sossusvlei) and it is an experience he will always remember. We stayed in some wonderful places (with only one disappointment), ate some excellent food, met some lovely people.

It was a lot of driving (just under 2,800 km) on some quite scary roads and I would definitely get a 4x4 again, but it was never dull and the scenery was always spectacular, the roads were empty and well signposted. By the end of the holiday a five hour drive was nothing.

I will have trouble finding another holiday to match this one, so I'll start saving for my next trip to Namibia now. Sabina was very helpful and knowledgeable throughout and found us some wonderful places to stay.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I can't think of anything." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs S
Scotland

""

I visited Namibia between 14 Aug 2010 and 1 Sep 2010
"The trip was a holiday of a lifetime and the special service you organised for us made us feel very very welcome.

The places we stayed will be etched in our memories for ever, and we couldn't believe how lovely the scenery was, and how friendly and professional all the staff were. As for the food, it was fantastic and putting on weight says it all !!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep up the great work and enthusiasm. It was a joy to sit back, take 'expert' advice and leave you everything to the professionals.

Thanks again." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs S
Surrey

"Sparks and Shands in Namibia"

I visited Namibia between 14 Aug 2010 and 1 Sep 2010
"An excellent trip with many exceptional highlights, kayaking with Jeanne and walking at Sandwich Harbour with Ernst being among the best!. We would like to return as there is so much yet to see.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Maintain the present enthusiasm and attention to detail." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P and Ms
USA

"Overall feedback"

I visited Namibia between 14 Aug 2010 and 28 Aug 2010
"Wonderful "once in a lifetime" trip. Sabina was spectacularly helpful and knowledgeable. I will wholeheartedly recommend Namibia and EA to friends and family! Some comments and constructive criticism:

Positives:

1. Self drive is easy, totally doable and a great experience. We did not have any punctures or mechanical problems but were glad to have the high clearance of the four wheel drive. That being said never engaged anything but two wheel drive the entire time but appreciated the security.

2. Very safe - people were friendly and approachable and we never felt concerned about security or safety in any way. What a relief and pleasure.

3. No health hazards - since Namibia is a very dry country most water comes from bores and hence, while flavor can vary it is very clean. We had no GI issues despite carrying an extensive armory of treatments. Also regarding malaria - prophylaxis is adviced by US health authorities but noone we met in Namibia considered the country to have any Malaria, at least below the caprivi strip and particularly in the winter months (June-August).

4. Great roads - seriously, for a country with only 1.5mm people it is remarkable how good the roads, signage etc are. We had no problems and found it easier to drive around Namibia than to drive from New York to Boston (although need to be comfortable driving on gravel surfaces).

5. Variety of activities - unlike some of the other destinations we considered, Namibia offers much more than "just wildlife". While we saw plenty of animals, birds and reptiles, we also saw many different landscapes, experienced the ocean and had some exposure to the local culture - much more enriching than just a traditional safari experience

6. Variety of travel and accomodation approaches - Namibia is approachable in many ways, from small tour buses, to camping, to self drive to fly in/fly out. This is different to other locations that require, for example, fly in.


Some suggestions, requests and comments:

1. Cash - EA should alert clients that gas/service stations don't take credit cards or atm cards in many parts of Namibia. Self drive clients should take at least N$2000 in cash with them at all times. It takes over N$1000 to fill the tank of one of the double tank self drive vehicles. Contrary to suggestions some ATM machines would also not recognize my ATM card from the US (provoking panic!) although in large cities (WH and SW) things were fine.

2. Tips - clearly guides on safaris make most of their money on tips. I had no idea how much to tip a guide for example for taking us on a two hour trip into the desert or driving us to an activity? EA could helpfully give more guidance on this matter.

2. Beef up offerings of "active" activities - Namibia seems well set up for the older couples tourist but seems light on offerings for actively minded travellers (Swapokmund and Mundulea notwithstanding). I would suggest adding to the offerings of such activities in some locations; even where "nature walks" are offered they are not very well described or promoted, perhaps because the lodges/camps don't make any money on those activities.

3. Do more at the coastline - Namibia has several thousand miles of coastline but the array of activities related to the coast seems thin. We enjoyed the kayaking from Walvis Bay very much and perhaps should have taken another day in Swakop to venture down to Sandwich Bay. The whole notion of the Benguela current, and the history of the coast and the islands in the south, seem underdeveloped to me and seems to offer more opportunities and activity. The surf around Swakop is better than anything i see except on the very best days in California and the water, despite all the hype, is warmer than california as well and wetsuits are easily rented in those places. Why not start a surfing school in Swakopmund? Or windsurfing or kiteboarding in the walvis bay lagoon? Maybe these things are already available but it would seem a missed opportunity. What Namibia offers most is "animals plus other things" rather than "just animals.." and the more of the "plus other things" there are the more people will come and the longer they will stay.

4. Connect with local populations - sometimes we felt as though we were just going from one Wilderness Camp to another and not having any interaction with the local population. We learned a lot from our guides and the staff at the camps but as noted below they mostly came from other parts of Namibia and had little to say about the history or culture of the area we were visiting. I would like to see EA and WA (see below) develop some program where visitors can interact with the locals in the vicinity of the camps, learn about their culture, history etc. I know this is possible in some locations but perhaps we missed them.

5. Balance Wilderness Adventures/Safaris experiences with other experiences - we stayed at three Wilderness Adventures properties (Ongava, Doro Nawas, Kulala) and enjoyed them very much. They offer consistently great locations, excellent design, high standard of service. Their guides are "good generalists" but sometimes don't have the attention to details and small things of other guides (one guide at Doro Nawas told us the Levine family arrived at Twyfelfontein in 1974 whereas they left in the 1960's). My standard on guides is whether they pick up poo - if so, they are really paying attention, otherwise they may be just driving and animal spotting.

Sometimes the W-A places have a bit of a corporate feel, and their activities are often limited to just game drives, with few individually directed or physically active activities and guides who just focus on finding specific "big five" animals. They have lots of European groups visiting which seems to be good business but can also constrain the options in terms of access to activities for individual travellers. I would have though EA could find other accomodations in the same areas as the WA properties that are more "idiosyncratic" and authentic and offer the same activities and aspect." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr B x 2
Kaiseraugust

"Awesome Trip - Expert Africa are pros"

I visited Namibia between 13 Aug 2010 and 28 Aug 2010
"Maruska and Sabina were both awesome in setting up the trip and details.

Sabina was extremely helpful and responsive when we had an issue with the vehicle. The attention to detail was very good and the process for booking, payment, confirmations, etc were very efficient and customer-friendly.

I will book another trip in the future with the Expert Africa team." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr SB
NW London

""

I visited Namibia between 12 Aug 2010 and 30 Aug 2010
"Overall a fabulous holiday.Very relaxing. A truly stunning country.

In the context of an excellent holiday - a few pieces of feedback

1. I think we should have been recommended a 4x4 car - hadn't realised what the roads were like, and would definitely have appreciated that! We were consistently the only guests at lodges who were in a small car

2. Swokupmund was not worth visiting. .The purpose of our trip was to see the country, not a seaside resort, so we had always seen this as simply a stopover. During the planning of the holiday, we'd pushed quite hard for just a one night stop over there, but Expert Africa had been quite insistent that we would need 2. This was a wasted day, which was disappointing. We should have either been allowed to take the one night, or instead, should have taken 2 separate nights out in the countryside.
Recommendation - try to understand what's important for people's holidays (for us towns were absolutely not important)

3. Palmwag was disappointing" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs T
Ireland

"Our holiday of a life time!"

I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 11 Aug 2010 and 25 Aug 2010
"The trip was to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary, and it was fabulous.

We have been to Namibia and Zambia before, but this was so very different.

We loved every bit of it and all the arrangements ran like clock work." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms A & M & Miss E
UK

"Namibia will steal your heart and mind"

I visited Namibia between 10 Aug 2010 and 26 Aug 2010
"Our trip was absolutely fantastic. Well planned, well organised and flowing from one adventure to the next.

The best holiday experience of our lifetime. Thankyou so very much.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service

We could not improve on anything about our experience" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs S
NL

""

I visited Namibia between 9 Aug 2010 and 25 Aug 2010
"A fantastic experience, many thanks.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

your service was perfect thank you" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 911-920 of 1053
99%
1053 reviews of Windhoek by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
1020
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Where to stay in Windhoek

Our suggestions for places to stay in Windhoek


Olive Grove

Olive Grove

In a quiet Windhoek suburb, Olive Grove is one of our favourite guesthouses: stylish, with a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and excellent food.


89% (382 reviews)
Galton House

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.


90% (166 reviews)
Elegant Guesthouse

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.


87% (132 reviews)
River Crossing

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.


81% (126 reviews)
Villa Violet

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.


90% (122 reviews)
Haus Sonneneck

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.


86% (103 reviews)
Hilltop Guesthouse

Hilltop Guesthouse

A long-standing favourite, the small, owner-run Hilltop Guesthouse is comfortable, smart and good value.


91% (55 reviews)
Weinberg Hotel

Weinberg Hotel

In a quiet upmarket suburb of Klein Windhoek, the stylish Weinberg has a friendly, welcoming atmosphere and luxury facilities.


93% (42 reviews)
GocheGanas

GocheGanas

For somewhere to really pamper yourself, Gocheganas Lodge & Spa offers wildlife combined with extensive wellness treatments.


93% (40 reviews)
Heinitzburg Hotel

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.


85% (41 reviews)
Olive Exclusive

Olive Exclusive

The Olive Exclusive is perhaps Windhoek's most luxurious boutique hotel but remains a friendly and unpretentious place to stay.


93% (39 reviews)
Etango Ranch Guest Farm

Etango Ranch G. Farm

Etango offers simple, clean, comfortable accommodation and it’s the closest accommodation to Windhoek International Airport.


85% (24 reviews)
Immanuel Wilderness Lodge

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.


81% (18 reviews)
Rivendell Guesthouse

Rivendell Guesthouse

Rivendell Guesthouse offers great value, relaxed accommodation in a homely atmosphere with helpful and extremely friendly staff.


89% (16 reviews)
Sun Karros Daan Viljoen

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.


77% (15 reviews)
Avani Windhoek Hotel

Avani Windhoek Hotel

The Avani Windhoek Hotel and Casino lack the personal touch of Windhoeks smaller guesthouses but is well located in the heart of the city.


80% (11 reviews)
Hotel Thule

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.


90% (10 reviews)
Omaanda

Omaanda

Omaanda offers luxury accommodation and wildlife viewing within easy reach of the international airport and Windhoek City.


94% (10 reviews)
Pension Palmquell

Pension Palmquell

Stay at the Pension Palmquell in Windhoek, whilst on holiday in Namibia.


89% (9 reviews)
Ti Melen Guest House

Ti Melen

Overlooking Avis Dam, Ti Melen is on the outskirts of Windhoek, yet only 10-minutes from the city's amenities.


100% (2 reviews)
Desert Express

Desert Express

The Desert Express runs from Windhoek to Swakopmund on set departures. Recently this schedule has been somewhat erratic.


80% (1 review)

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