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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs A from Swindon

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

2

Countries visited

1

Lodges stayed in

13

Excursions taken

0

My Sep 2012 trip

Namibia between 4 Sep 2012 and 14 Sep 2012

Trip rating: Excellent
"A year in the planning, returning to 3 places previously visited, so expectations high and we had an amazing time.

We drove nearly 3000kms in 9 days and saw some unforgettable wild life. We are already planning a return for your 30th anniversary to the Caprivi Strip!.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No, unless you can instigate direct flights from the UK!"

Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch

Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch

"Great cheetahs and meercats"

1 night Arrived 5 Sep 2012
"Well worth booking the stilted chalets - very spacious and well appointed with stunning views."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Canyon Lodge

Canyon Lodge

"More commercial than some lodges"

2 nights Arrived 6 Sep 2012
"Stayed 2 nights after long drive from Bagatelle - given very private cosy chalet (no 25) with wonderful views.

Excellent buffet food. Very friendly staff."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Island Cottage

Island Cottage

"Self catering stop off"

2 nights Arrived 8 Sep 2012
"To keep costs down, stayed 2 nights self catering, adequately appointed.

Sea view to the right hand side now mostly blocked by the building of a large house next door. Arrived Sat pm and found only Portuguese supermarket open with limited produce. New Spar supermarket open on Sunday am saved the day!"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Good
Facilities
Good
Desert Homestead

Desert Homestead

"Return to Desert Homestead"

1 night Arrived 10 Sep 2012
"Very friendly and helpful staff who allocated us our requested, in advance, end of line chalet. Also gave me use of personal cell phone to confirm return flights when lodge PC on blink. Excellent pack lunch.

Need to upgrade check out procedure as bills written up manually which caused some delays when more than one person wanted to leave at the same time. Food not as good as five years ago (appeared to have changed management since then) pork chop instead of local game."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Erongo Wilderness Lodge

Erongo Wilderness Lodge

"Return to Erongo"

1 night Arrived 11 Sep 2012
"New managers (2 weeks in role) greeted us warmly and we were able to select our own tented room as only one other couple staying that night. Much improved since last visit 5 years ago as tents no longer thatched but made of canvas with much larger decking area to admire stunning views. Proper lockable doors ensured security.

Enjoyed walk with knowledgeable guide to view sunset and saw baboon troop, cliffspringer and the ubiquitous hyrax. Given bottle of champagne to celebrate our wedding anniversary and enjoyed a delicious dinner outside near the lit boma. Good attention to detail - partially unlit walkway due to temporary shortage of bulbs was rectified by staff for return trip after dinner. All staff cheerful and helpful."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Okonjima Plains Camp

Okonjima Plains Camp

"Return to Africat"

1 night Arrived 12 Sep 2012
"We spent our 20th wedding anniversary here and had such an amazing experience (included being upgraded to the Bush Suite) that we planned the whole trip to coincide with our 25th anniversary.

We booked a View Room which was spacious, well equiped, private and with great bathroom/wet room facilities. Game drives as fabulous as last time although saddened to be informed by Chris that the 4 cheetahs we had seen on our previous trip had all died. However, Norman our guide managed to find us a hunting pack of 3 cheetahs on the day we arrived and TJ the leopard eating his kill on the day we left."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent

One of the best holiday experiences we've had

Namibia between 2 Sep 2007 and 14 Sep 2007

Trip rating: Excellent
"Very impressed with the knowledge of Expert Africa staff. Tracy Lederer guided us through the myriad options of where to go, what to see and where to stay. We had a good natured tussle planning the itinerary over the amount of nights in any one place but she was proved right in saying you need to rest for more than 1 night after driving along the Namibian gravel roads!

Although she advised against driving up the skeleton coast due to the risks involved, this was something we particularly wanted to do, and we were able to achieve this because local conditions were fine on the day.

It was a defiunite advantage that Expert Africa staff knew the country so well and had visited the various lodges they recommended. I am sure our upgrade at Okonjima was due to the special relationship they have with the Africa Project.

All in all, the 10 day trip was one of our best holidays ever (and we have visited 63 countries). Although we had done our own research for several months before booking the holiday, we definitely benefited from the guidance and advice we received from Expert AFrica. I will definitely use the company again."

Arranged By Tracy Lederer


Desert Homestead

Desert Homestead

"Relaxed base to visit Sossuvlei"

2 nights Arrived 3 Sep 2007
"Excellent welcome after long drive from Windhoek. Charming accommodation (spacious and stylish walk in shower room) in thatched rondavel, well spaced from its neighbours and with views over grassland to the horizon. Friendly and flexible service from all staff.

Excellent food and non menu items made to order (although I did have to explain to the cook how to make eggy toast!) Went horseriding at sundown and met my non-riding husband for drinks in glorious setting. Everyone seemed genuinely keen to ensure that we enjoyed your stay."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
The Stiltz

The Stiltz

"Swaks's stylish tree house"

1 night Arrived 5 Sep 2007
"Only stayed one night but upgraded to family room (2 bedrooms and small sitting area). Warm welcome from staff who showed us to treehouse and explained all the facilities (including the radiator which was very welcome later on once the temperature dropped to 60F).

Kettle provided with tea and coffee and well stocked mini bar (reasonably priced). Excellent shower - open to the rafters as are the bedrooms. Stylish and spacious main room with plenty of space to unpack and good storage. Good birdwatching from the sofas out over the lagoon although the traffic from the road from Walvis Bay to Swap could be heard and seen.

We dined at the Tug (pre booking essential) also designed by the same architect round an existing old boat - worth a visit if only for a drink. Breakfast is enjoyed in a large room with views out to the lagoon. Very amenable staff will cook breakfast to order - plenty of choice of both food and beverages."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Twyfelfontein Country Lodge

Twyfelfontein Country Lodge

"Crocodile for dinner"

2 nights Arrived 6 Sep 2007
"Less personal than other accommodation due to size and government ownership but perfectly acceptable for a stop-off in the area. Good size rooms in blocks of 8, 4 back to back with the front 4 overlooking the valley and the back 4 facing the rock the Lodge is built into.

On request, staff moved us to quieter room as pathways link all rooms leading to Reception. Despite its size, from a distance the main reception building and blocks of rooms blend in very well to the surroundings. Rooms facing rock are quite dark and shower facilities are basic and could do with refurbishment but everything was clean.

Wonderful raised open air bar area with adjacent dining room giving spectacular views over the landscape. Breakfast and dinner served buffet style with plenty of choice of roast meats - incuding crocodile (which tastes like gamey chicken!). Fuel at nearby airstrip very useful. Hired bikes to go exploring but gravel roads don't make for a very comfortable cycle ride.

As we left the next morning (9.30am), saw 3 mature desert elephants eating from a branch snapped off a tree in a dry river bed next to the Abu Habib campsite."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Average
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Okaukuejo Camp

Okaukuejo Camp

"Wildlife on your doorstep in National Parlk"

1 night Arrived 8 Sep 2007
"Government run campsite inside Etosha National Park undergoing renovation on our visit. Stayed in newly refurbished (semi detached) rondavel (well soundproofed) within sight of waterhole. Stylish walk in shower and 4 poster bed with mosquito net. Deposit required on arrival of 500N$, returned once chambermaid had checked room before departure. Kettle and fridge.

Supper and breakfast taken inside giant tent as restaurant still being built. On site mini supermarket caters for campers, next to small tourist shop and post office.

Despite size of site, everyone conscious of need for quiet at waterhole and we saw large groups of elephants, zebra, warthogs, giraffe, wildebeest and oryx and a mother and baby rhino. Total petrol station on site. Large pool (very cold). Needed torch to find way back to room after dinner."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Mushara Lodge

Mushara Lodge

"Relaxing witth the hornbills"

2 nights Arrived 9 Sep 2007
"Greeted immediately on arrival by receptionist with baggage trolley. Offered refreshment at bar whilst checking in - very stylish vaulted sitting area with whicker or leather sofas and tables partitioned by wooden screens into small areas with a central aisle leading to an open sided vaulted dining room (the latter frequented by squirrels after titbits).

A further sitting area outside the large shop had a selection of new books and some left by visitors. All furnishings made of wood with natural fabrics and lighting provided by ostrich egg chandeliers or porcupine lampshades (I wanted to buy one from the shop but it was £60!)

Accommodation was in thatched lodges with large bedroom/sitting area, well spaced from its neighbour. Generous bathroom - with bath - and separate WC and shower. The verandah had a table and 2 chairs and overlooked the grassed swimming pool area with the thatched reception/dining room behind. Outside lights meant we could make the most of the early evening sitting outside our room with a drink. Kettle and mini bar provided. Local wildlife in evidence (iguana, hornbill and squirrel)

Excellent food and wine , and the waiting staff and chef sung to us after the meal. Visited the Omibili Foundation about half an hours drive away and spent an enjoyable couple of hours experiencing life at the Foundation including listening to a school choir and visiting the vegetable garden. Small shop sells souvenirs."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Okonjima Bush Camp

Okonjima Bush Camp

"Anniversary treat not to be missed"

1 night Arrived 11 Sep 2007
"Booked a Bush Camp chalet but on arrival we were upgraded to the Bush Suite. Amazing thatched chalet with 2 double bedrooms, inside and outside showers, separate bathroom, kitchen, dining area and sunken sitting room. Set apart from the Bush Camp with its own swimming pool, floodlit waterhole and completely private verandah with spectacular views across the Namibian bush. The chalets have khaki green canvas flaps that can be rolled up to allow a breeze and the sound of wildlife.

The thatched reception and dining area was open at the front to enjoy the view of the waterhole and there is a small pool and gift shop. The game drives are taken open topped jeeps with noweldgeable and friendly guides. The afternoon one starts at 4pm and we went tracking the radio collared leopard and were lucky enough to see one up close sitting against a giant anthill. We followed him for a while until he wandered off through the bush. We also saw a variety of other wildelife on the 2 hour drive and the guide obligingly drove into the undergrowth for better photos opportunities.

After a quick change it was back to the main reception for a drink round the outside fire to discuss the next morning's game drive. After a delicious a set course dinner (mussels, kudu steak and lemon sponge and custard), we were taken to a floodlit hide to watch porcupines fight over kitchen scraps.

Woke at 6am for early morning game drive to view cheetahs as part of the rehabilitation project run by Africat. This is an an amazing experience not to be missed - you won't believe how close you get to the animals. Brunch is served around 10am and as we were celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, the staff gave everyone sparkling wine (we also got a card and some flowers).

This holiday was a special anniversary trip and was booked round the stay at Okonjima- which surpassed all our expectations. Staying at Okonjima is not cheap but the experience of getting up close to the big cats and staying in such a remote location is worth every penny. I have never experienced anything like it and I imagine it would be difficult to replicate the experience anywhere else."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Erongo Wilderness Lodge

Erongo Wilderness Lodge

"A night under canvas"

1 night Arrived 12 Sep 2007
"A totally different setting from Okonjima but very special in its own way. Set against the backdrop of the Erongo Mountains there are 10 luxury tented chalets linked by wooden walkways. The tents are thatched and have a small verandah, kettle and fridge. The shower room/WC are built into the rocks and open to the elements in part but privacy is maintained.

The dining room is reached up natural stone steps, passed the small swimming pool,and gives wonderful views of the surrounding mountains. We had a delicous dinner of potato and leek soup, salad, oryx and panatone and at breakfast next morning watched the local (love)birds swooping on breadcrumbs.

As this was our last night we were content to relax and didn't go on any excursions except for a sundowner walk to the top of a mountain in the company of a Belgian honeymoon couple."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent

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