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Namaqualand
Namaqualand

Namaqualand is a very remote area.

It is famous for its flower season from late August until early September.

Namaqualand

67 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Namaqualand.

Showing 41-50 of 67
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs D
Cheltenham

"My May 2013 trip"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 20 May 2013 and 7 Jun 2013
"It was a great experience. Drove almost 5,000km with no punctures in 2WD SUV.

The planning and booking were made an easy experience with excellent first hand knowledge which was so helpful.

The Namibia Guide book was the most useful we have ever had with so much useful detail.......perhaps it should be suggested to help planning as there is so much useful info.

10/10 to Expert Africa

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P
Twickenham

"SA 2013"

I visited South Africa between 6 Feb 2013 and 27 Feb 2013
"Re car hire with Budget; they no longer require copy passport or drivers licence. In addition the CT office is not familiar with the form at at the back of your handbook to be signed by them on the return of the car. I think it is essential and they need to be encouraged to get used to this practise.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No thanks unless you can persuade B.A to let you use your client,s air miles!" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr R
Chicago, USA

"A Wonderful Relaxing Experience"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 8 Dec 2012 and 28 Dec 2012
"We are very happy with most of the services and suggestions provided by Expert Africa. The lodge choices were excellent overall. We were also very happy that we decided to follow the recommendation of renting a 4x4. It made the driving much more comfortable and worry-free. Gwynn was a pleasure to work with. She is obviously very knowledgeable and passionate about her home country. The map provided was perfect! We had no problems at all driving ourselves.

I do have to mention two small bumps throughout the process. The first was a problem with the bank transfer from the US. Even though it is clearly explained in the instructions, I wish someone would have made it stand out. There are pages and pages of instructions to read and things are easily overlooked. It would be great if you could have a small list of highlights, including payment instructions. We ended spending over USD$300 to correct the bank transaction problem.

I was also disappointed about our lodging arrangements in the Kalahari. When we first discussed the lodging we were told that we were going to have to stay each one of the three nights at different places because everything was booked. To our surprise, when we arrived in Mata Mata and called !Xaus we were told that they had plenty of rooms available. They told us that they had availability when Expert Africa made our reservations. We ended up losing our entire payment for our night at Mata Mata Rest Camp which was not pleasant." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Weymouth

"My Nov 2012 trip"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 6 Nov 2012 and 28 Nov 2012
"WONDERFUL. A really great holiday over three weeks, NWR will not spoil it, a blip on the trip.

We would recommend a larger car than a Toyota Aygo, even though everyone said it could and indeed it did see us through the journey, a 4X4 with higher ground clearance and sand road capability would have been very desirable. With a small car, we were scraping gravel a lot of the time.

Cape Town, Primi Royal Boutique at Camps Bay, highly recommended as an option.

We stayed at some lovely locations and met some wonderful people as chosen by Expert Africa, thank you and well done.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None, you're doing a great job, keep at it." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr C & Mrs K
UK

"My Sept 2012 5088Km trip."

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 20 Sep 2012 and 13 Oct 2012
"I can't find enough superlatives to describe the overall experience of the trip (despite the few difficulties listed in the wider feedback). In fact, even the tyre problems, listed at the begining of the document, were a part of the overall experience and have now become a signifiicant part of the 'adventure' and of the telling.

This was very well organised and the accomodation excellent. I can't thank Sabina enough.

A great trip though hard work at times. Deffinitely not a holiday for those with poolside inclinations but what an adventure.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Some additional recomendations for any one doing a similar trip at this time i.e probably wanting to see the flowers. Don't miss out a trip round the cape for wild protea. Don't miss out Kirstenbosch. On the journey north take the coast road from Cape Town and take in the West Coast National Park with the Postberg reserve. The flowers are stunning and there are also game and bird viewings to be had. The coast road is good with good tarmac. Make sure your car has a ZA sticker on the back as the Namibian police at the Orange river border will threaten to fine you if you don't get one put on at the service station just after the border.

As soon as you get into Namibia go to the service station anyway and get your type pressures checked and deflated to about 1.80 - 2.00Atm for the gravel roads or you risk having punctures." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs Judd
London

"South Africa and Namibia 2012"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 16 Sep 2012 and 7 Oct 2012
"Great trip with lots of good memories." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs T
Glasgow

"september trip to cederberg and Namibia"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 8 Sep 2012 and 23 Sep 2012
"we really appreciate the approach of expert africa in allowing us the freedom to outline our wishes and make individual arrangements as needed but can rely 100% on your expertise in arranging venues and other aspects so efficiently. We like the personal touch and feel we know you well!

Gwyneth was able to help us when we had a problem with vehicle hire (see below) this was timely and efficient!

We have often recommended your services and have no hesitation whatsoever in planning to 'use'you for our next trip which is already formulating in our minds!

We also appreciate the extra information and notes, additional items you supply

The comprehensive feedback is appreciated as we know you continually monitor and check on venues and arrangements

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Please don't relax your careful 'quality control' which makes you such a reliable company and such good value for money!

Our only suggestion is that for (the presumably small number) guests who wish as we did to make driving part of our holiday and who want 4x4 vehicles you consider linking to one of the specialist 4x4 suppliers. Budget SA really did not come 'up to the mark ' in this respect.

They advertise 4x4 vehicles but then do not supply as expected...in our case we effectively were provided with a 'bakkie' from the truck hire division The trouble with this is they are not on site at the airport and when we had a problem with the vehicle allocated we had to await the truck hire manager to arrive and as you know he then was not very helpful in allowing an alternative vehicle!

Also the idea that vehicles for use in Namibia should have a double fuel tank was completely denied by both the car hire staff and the truck division manager (despite what I think is a statement on their website)" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr S & Ms R
Surrey

"Wonderful trip, marred by two theft incidents"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 29 Aug 2012 and 18 Sep 2012
"Our itinerary was based on Expert Africa's innovative and well thought-out Black Wildebeeste holiday menu. The latter was modified to accommodate two nights in Hermanus, by cutting a night each at Cape Town and Clanwilliam. There was also a detour through Etosha West - achieved by switching one of the suggested three nights at Okaukuejo to Dolomite Camp. These adjustments proved to work very well for us.

The timing - late August to mid-September - was, we thought, perfect. There was spectacular whale-watching in Hermanus and we were able to visit the idyllic Postberg Nature Reserve (within the West Coast National Park), which is open only during the short spring-flower season. Temperatures generally were pleasant (though one needs to be prepared for cold spells - and rain interludes in the Cape) and the dry season in Etosha made for excellent game (but zero mosquito) viewing.

We suffered thefts on two occasions - one involving a hotel room safe in South Africa and the other a car break-in with damage, near Walvis Bay. These incidents (and their fall-out) dampened our spirits temporarily, but were outweighed by the pleasures experienced on each and every day. Overall, this trip ranks as one of our most enjoyable holidays in years of travelling." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr F & party
Portugal

"Another Expertly arranged trip to Africa"

I visited South Africa between 10 Oct 2011 and 30 Oct 2011
"We would surely recommend this trip to KTP and Northern Cape. The Kgalagadi is definitely for those who already have some experience on wildlife and self-driving and are happy with what it comes and enjoy every inch of it (landscape, Flora and Fauna, from the smallest to the biggest). It really lets you feel little in this world.

We tried to be out of the main camps and thus, have been at all the wilderness camps and surely enjoy them all. The shops at the main camps offered actually more than we were expecting, like OTC medicines, tea, coffee, water and other drinks, biscuits and even some frozen meat (at Twee Rivieren they even had ice cream!).

Augrabies is more family friendly and thus less wild but with impressive landscapes.

This trip was another great experience in Africa and, as always and once again, expertly arranged by Expert Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None we can think off." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 14 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W-J
UK

"Kasane to Cape Town – 3000 miles in 3 weeks"

I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 8 Aug 2011 and 28 Aug 2011
"Initially even we thought we were slightly bonkers with this ambitious itinerary but after extensive and detailed planning everything went smoothly (with the exception of Elegant Farmstead cancelling our booking at the very last minute in favour of a large group; if this is typical of their attitude maybe they're not suitable for EA's independent travellers).

We had a FANTASTIC time!!!! Whilst some drives were long they were perfectly manageable with two drivers, a flask of coffee and our trusty MP3 player to entertain us. The roadside picnic stations provided good places to stop and eat a bit of lunch – there are plenty of supermarkets in the towns to buy provisions, including a 5 litre bottle of water. Most lodges charge for water (about N$13 for a small bottle) so it makes sense to buy a big one in a supermarket (about N$20) and top up your little bottles from it. There seemed to be far fewer parking guards about than on our previous trips and, we were surprised to see, even petrol station attendants don't seem to expect tips any more.

Garden Lodge provided a gentle start to our marathon trip with good company, tasty food, an excellent boat trip and lots of cats and dogs to play with. Kasane is an interesting little frontier town, buzzing with activity though not the place to stock up for a long trip. Don't be surprised to see a warthog trotting across the road in the middle of town.

The brand new Ngoma lodge is excellent (see review) with loads of animals to see, excellent food and great staff. We highly recommend it. It is one of the few places that provides free water – we promised to take our Ngoma bottles all the way to Cape Town; after many refills they finally met their demise at security in Cape Town airport!

We returned to Garden Lodge to have our car delivered and set off for the border next morning. Crossing the border into Namibia is no problem at all and after stocking up at a supermarket in Katima Mulilo we set off across the Caprivi strip. Roads in the Caprivi are, as Chris's book says, long, straight and can be quite tedious though you need to keep an eye out for wandering cows, goats and dogs (and the occasional human).

Arriving at Ndhovu in the early afternoon, we spent a couple of hours on our deck on the river bird-spotting. Next day we took a trip across to Buffalo (suggest pre-booking if you want to do this) and then drove ourselves to Mahango in the afternoon.

It was a long drive to Ghaub the next day but switching from 'Caprivi time' meant we gained an hour; we had been debating whether the hour was going backwards or forwards and it was only when the guard at the vetinary gate greeted us with a cheery 'Good Morning' that we were certain! After two nights peaceful rest we set off to Okaukeujo. We arrived at Etosha in good time and managed to visit several good waterholes on the drive across the park.

We spent most of the next day in the park and then moved on to the big surprise of the trip; Taleni. We'd wanted to spend two nights at Okaukeujo but had been unable to get a room despite booking very early. Taleni is just outside Etosha and we loved it. It does attract some large groups but the staff use the different dining areas to give couples or family groups privacy and peace.

A comfortable morning's drive brought us to Gocheganas, just south of Windhoek, which proved an unexpected pleasure. We had been booked to stay at Elegant Farmstead but they had cancelled our booking at the very last minute (after we arrived in Namibia). As it turned out Gocheganas fitted in with our itinerary much better and we thought the place was excellent. Thanks to Sabina for organising the change for us; in the days before BlackBerrys and the internet this could have been a major problem but in this case was (almost) painless.

The drive to Bagatelle, for some reason, took longer than anticipated; the roads were good and we'd calculated the distance but it just took longer! However we arrived in comfortable time and enjoyed watching the waterhole, excellent food and company and, of course, the meerkats!

Next, off to Fish River Canyon. Until Keetmanshoop the B1 is a good tar road but you then have to venture onto gravel. The road is bumpy and undulates with the landscape, which is beautiful, and you may even meet a train! The canyon itself is fantastic and there are few people about; such a contrast to its rival in the USA!

We left Canon Lodge in the sunshine and headed for the border with South Africa. The crossing itself was painless though there was a notable diminishment in friendliness of immigration staff on the South African side. Heading down the N7 the weather turned and we found ourselves in rain and/or cloud. As we had plenty of time we went down to Skilpad to see the flowers with which we were disappointed. However, driving back over the mountains they were lovely.

It absolutely tipped it down overnight (not ideal in a room with an iron roof!) and we set off for the marathon drive to Cape Town with some trepidation. Driving over the mountain passes in heavy cloud was 'entertaining' to say the least (particularly when we were held up by major roadworks – waiting time at least 20 minutes). We stopped off in Clanwilliam which we thought a lovely town.

The sun came out as we arrived in Camps Bay. We'd arranged our own accommodation here; there are lots of good guest houses .
The place has clearly been spruced up since the World Cup and there are some excellent new restaurants. We ate at The Codfather – excellent but shellfish is very expensive, Ocean Blue – just as excellent but less pricey, and The Kove – best steak Martin had all trip and great staff. Tuscany Beach was also highly recommended by our guest house.

We did the tourist bit – open top bus tour (don't forget to use the vouchers printed on the back of the ticket!) boat trip and lunch at the V&A – recommend The Greek Fisherman and City Grill Steakhouse – then the bus back to Camps Bay. The following day we drove (yes we hadn't had quite enough!) down to Cape Point where there seemed to be bonteboks around every corner (even on the beach) and few other visitors about.

Finally off to Hermanus and the whales. You really can see them from the coastal path, though the boat trip out to sea is well worthwhile too. The town is lovely and there are some excellent wineries to visit nearby.
Overall, a wonderful trip which we'd wanted to do for years. What's next???????

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

If only travel to Africa was less expensiver!

The name says it all - you are the Africa Experts and although we do shop around we come back time and time again.

Perhaps a minor point is that you should consider regular travellers' previous trips before saying they can't do something" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 41-50 of 67
99%
67 reviews of Namaqualand by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
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Where to stay in Namaqualand

Our suggestions for places to stay in Namaqualand


Annie's Cottage

Annie's Cottage

Annie's Cottage is a small, good-quality guest house in a good location near the centre of Springbok.


83% (28 reviews)
Ndedema Lodge

Ndedema Lodge

Ndedema Lodge is an elegant Victorian House in the heart of Clanwilliam. Here you'll find four individually decorated en-suite bedrooms with large Victorian baths, separate showers, air-conditioning and fresh flowers throughout.


86% (26 reviews)
Mountain View Guest House

Mountain View

High on a hill overlooking Springbok, Mountain View Guest House has 10 suites. Most have a private patio and their own entrance, and outside you'll find a peaceful garden with indigenous plants and also a small swimming pool.


87% (19 reviews)
Farmhouse Hotel

Farmhouse Hotel

The Farmhouse Hotel is located in the seaside town of Langebaan with sweeping views of the Langebaan Lagoon. An ideal place to explore the remoter west coast.


87% (17 reviews)
Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve

Bushmans Kloof

Bushmans Kloof Wilderness Reserve, a luxury 16-room lodge and spa, offering game drives, visits to the area's prolific rock art, botanical tours, nature trails and hiking.


97% (15 reviews)
Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel

Strandloper Hotel

Set in the quaint fishing village of Paternoster, Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel has beautiful views over the dunes, to the seemingly endless sandy beach and sea.


95% (4 reviews)

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