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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by The L Family from Wilts

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

1

Countries visited

1

Lodges stayed in

9

Excursions taken

1

Our fantastic trip to Namibia July '15

Namibia between 16 Jul 2015 and 31 Jul 2015

Trip rating: Excellent
"We travelled to Namibia mid July 2015 staying in the country for 15 nights. We are a family of four with 16 and 14 year old boys.

It was me that did the planning with lots of time on the Expert Africa web site and discussions with the excellent Sabina and Martha. Reading people's feedback, my expectations for the holiday were very high and they were met and exceeded. All the logistics went without a hitch, travelling around was very easy, the lodges were great, and of course the wildlife, scenery and people fantastic.

We planned our trip to visit Namibia with excellent guidance from Sabina and Martha at Expert Africa. I am sure that their knowledge and experience helped to make it a great holiday for us. You can read our experiences on individual lodges and activities on the relevant pages so the following is more general stuff.

The flights to Namibia do get booked up well in advance for mid July as it is a busy time and of course more expensive the later you get so it is best to plan and book your trip at least 4 months in advance. Accommodation also gets booked up limiting choices.

We originally planned to go clockwise - Naukluft Mountains, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaland, Etosha, Central Highlands. However due to the accommodation availability we ended up going the other way. In hindsight was this a problem? No we didn't think so. Visiting Okonjima first was fantastic and seeing Cheetah and Leopards close up (10 - 20m) was amazing. Ok they are radio collared so much easier to find (not guaranteed) but so what! We did see 'wild' cheetah in Etosha, but from what I gather this is by no means guaranteed and leopards even less likely. Okonjima was the best place we visited in terms of the accommodation and trips, and we would have preferred to stay there 2 nights.

Being the end of July it was the dry season and winter in Namibia. We are not very keen on high temperatures and the daytime temps were low to high 20's during our visit which along with low humidity was perfect. Of course night time temperatures were pretty cold - 10 deg C? Namibia doesn't do much heating apart from open fires in the communal areas and blankets / hot water bottles in the lodges. However we took the advice provided and packed and wore layers to keep us warm in the evenings and mornings. This was one of the reasons why we opted for lodges rather than a camping trip to Namibia. Obviously it was a more expensive trip though.

We booked our flights independently saving about £600 but this did impact on our holiday in that we were planning on visiting the excellent Okonjima first. However the flight I booked didn't arrive until 1pm which didn't allow enough time to get through immigration, collect the hire car and the 3.5 hrs drive from the airport, therefore we had to stay one night at River Crossing and then only one night at Okonjima and it would have been better to have arrived earlier and had two nights at Okonjima.

We planned to have two nights at most of the places we went to which makes for a more relaxing trip and time to relax as well as the activities, especially as quite a few of the trips involve early morning starts. Our trip included 2,500km of driving so having relaxing days makes this easier.

We found all the Namibians we met very warm, friendly and welcoming. The reception and service at the places we stayed at was great and In a number of lodges, we were greeted with a song as well as drink and hot towel. They were happy to chat, especially the managers and all appeared to be happy. We very much enjoyed the singing that the staff did after dinner at a number of the lodges.

Food - Our boys are not the most adventurous and at most of the places we stayed at there was either a set menu with no choices or a choice of main menu only. However, they ate just about all that was put in front of them! Game steak was a regular feature, and it was excellent! Breakfast usually included a cooked option (usually eggs & bacon) which set the day off well, especially on an early start. Most places had cold drinks, tea, coffee and hot chocolate availabile throughout the day and cake at tea time so we didn't go hungry! House wine was usually good and drinks usually sensibly prices (relative to UK prices).

Obviously it is a sparsely populated country (about 2 million people) in a country 3+ times the size of the UK so there aren't lots of shops you can just stop at and pick up a snack. So you need to plan ahead a bit, order a packed lunch if necessary but there are good shops in the towns.

In Swakopmund we wanted to do the kayaking with seals as well as sand boarding and you can do both on one day - kayaking in the morning and sand boarding in the afternoon. However it typically gets windy in the afternoon and the sand boarding would not be as much fun. So we opted to spend 3 nights in Swakopmund (at the excellent Organic Square apartments) and do kayaking on the 1st morning and sand boarding on the 2nd day which worked out very well, and the weather for both was excellent. Given we had a long drive from Damaraland and to Sesriem either side of Swakopmund, it made sense as well.

My wife didn't fancy sand boarding so went on Tommy's Tour to see the wildlife etc. Although it got excellent reviews her experience was not that good. Although they found and saw interesting animals, the group was too large (30) and his rather old vehicle had problems and did breakdown once so he was stressed about that. The biggest problem was that there wasn't time to ask questions and quite a bit was in German rather than English.

WiFi - Our boys are not surprisingly used to having a decent broadband connection. As just about all the places we stayed at were remote, some very, the connection speed was poor, and in one place there was no WiFi (only via satellite on a PC which was available for public use). Clearly they were frustrated but we thought it wasn't a bad thing and to be honest there'd was lots to do and see!! We did set one of the boys the challenge of making a video of the trip. Given he had plenty of time in the car, this worked well and he did an excellent job making a 26min video set to music and we will enjoy this for years to come!

Driving - The roads are great whether tarmac or gravel and navigation easy. Of the 2,500km a bit over half was on gravel. We had a 2WD Honda CRV which was fine and our 4 suitcases fitted in the boot under the pull over cover (just!). Obviously you can't go as fast on gravel, and some were more rutted than others but generally they were fine and there was little traffic on the road. You can't drive after dark as there is a high risk of hitting animals, and we did see a lot of warthogs and some other large herbivores close to the road so you do need to keep your wits about you! We didn't get any punctures and the Bidvest (Budget) car pick up and drop off at the airport was easy. Many of the journeys were 3+ hours long and two were 5+. To help the time pass, we download some audio books which we played through the cars audio system via an aux lead and this helped the time pass, as well as some spectacular scenery at times. Fuel was cheap but you do need to pay by cash.

Winter means the dry season, and therefore not much vegetation and animals having to visit water holes. All good news for seeing animals, and we had a great time just sitting by water holes watching the animals come and go. At one in Etosha, when we arrived there were 3 lions and then 5 others arrived over the period of an hour, all greeting the others as they met.

Etosha - we stayed at Okaukuejo Camp. On the way we stopped off at Halali which didn't seem as nice, and the flood lit water hole at Okaukuejo really was fantastic, or maybe we were lucky with the animals and their coming and going. The food and accommodation was fine. We were advised to drive ourselves around which worked well, although the advantage of going with a guide is they talk to each other on the radio so you get a better chance of seeing animals, and of course you can learn from them more about the wildlife, park etc. We did a trip into Etosha from Mushara with a guide and then did the rest ourselves which we think worked well.

Trips - We contemplated going on an organised trip with a guide, the advantages being not having to worry about any organisation when out there and having the opportunity to learn from the guide, and for us and the boys to interact with the others in the group - could be good, or not so??!! However the downside was having to go on specific dates (which wasn't easy) and limited to the

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I think you did an excellent job, but it would have been nice to have had more detail on how the price was made up rather than just a single figure."

River Crossing

River Crossing

"1st and last stop at River Crossing"

1 night Arrived 16 Jul 2015
"We stayed mid July 2015 for 1 night at the beginning and one night at the end of our holiday.

River Crossing Is an easy 20 min drive from the airport, and close to Windhoek and easy to find just off the main road.

The lodges were fine, with a lovely view out over the mountains and sunsets over Windhoek. The food was good and the coffee machine made the best hot chocolate of our trip (according to our 14 year old connoisseur!).

On our 1st night is was very cold, but the lodges had air conditioning which provided heat as well."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Okonjima Plains Camp

Okonjima Plains Camp

"Okonjima should not be missed!"

1 night Arrived 17 Jul 2015
"We stayed for 1 night at the end of July 2015.

Okonjima was our first safari experience in Namibia. Having driven the 3.5 hours from our lodge near the airport, including the long gravel drive, we were welcomed with a drink and warm towel. We had an excellent light lunch in 'The Barn' before going to our fantastic rooms (view rooms). These overlooked the open ground where springbok and a warthog family roamed amongst other animals.

We headed back to the 'barn' for the cheetah tour. Our excellent guide took us out where we soon saw giraffe, kudu, springbok and other animals. Using the radio tracking, after a while he located a cheetah which we drove towards, then disembarked to walk the last 200m. These cheetah had been raised by Africat so were used to humans and we were able to walk up within 20m of three cheetah, and they pretty much ignored us? Getting this close was amazing, and gave us the opportunity for great photos, especially as the sun was just setting. Back on the truck we headed back with blankets to keep us warm and spotted other animals on the way including baboons noisily congregating in a tree for the night. We reflected on a fantastic first day's safari in Africa over an excellent dinner.

Given our great experience the previous afternoon we decided to go on the morning leopard trip. 5.30am wake up followed by a muffin and hot drink to sustain us until we returned for breakfast. Out on the truck it was very cold, but again the blankets did a good job keeping us warm (along with lots of layers on!!). It took a while before we picked it the signal of a leopard. It then took a while before the guide spotted it high up on a cliff. At this point we were pleased to have seen one, but disappointed it was so far away. Given they are pretty illusive, we thought this may be the only one we saw on our trip.

However, after a chat on the radio, we headed off and joined another group who had found a female leopard with 2 cubs, one of which was feasting on the remains of a warthog up a tree! Parked up 5m away, we got brilliant pictures. They hadn't gone unnoticed by a brown hyena who eventually managed to steal a leg that had dropped from the tree. We eventually had to head back to the barn for an excellent breakfast, then sadly pack to move on.

All in all, we had a fantastic time at Okonjima and would highly recommend it. If we had the chance, we would certainly have stayed 2 nights rather than one."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

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

Mushara Lodge

"Mushara Lodge, Edge of Etosha"

2 nights Arrived 18 Jul 2015
"We stayed for 2 nights at the end of July 2015.

Mushara was our 2nd lodge from where we went on safari. After quite a long drive we were welcomed with a cool drink and hot towel before being shown to our beautiful rooms. After settling in, we went for dinner which was excellent, and soon after our deserts, all the staff emerged from the kitchen singing. They proceeded to sing a number of songs, very tunefully and really had fun doing so, much to the enjoyment of all the diners.

Having had a busy few days, we decided that we would have a relaxing morning at Mushara and then head out on one of their tours in the afternoon. It was very relaxing sitting in the grounds by the pool, and amusing to watch the ground squirrels chasing each other around.

After lunch we boarded one of the trucks and headed the 10km into Etosha. Before long we arrived at the first waterhole and were delighted to find a herd of 25 elephants along with giraffe and other animals. Driving round the waterhole we parked up by the track the elephants headed down so they passed us only a few metres away. We then headed off to other water holes and saw lots of other animals including a rhino. One of the advantages of going with a guide is that they are in contact with other guides and before long, we were directed to a cheetah resting under a tree. Our guide was also very knowledgeable about the animals and birds and was able to answer our questions.

The dinner on the second night was again good and the following morning we were sorry to be leaving Mushara, but eager to head to Okaukuejo Camp via a day's journey through the Etosha national park."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

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

Okaukuejo Camp

"Okaukuejo - Waterhole and base for Etosha"

2 nights Arrived 20 Jul 2015
"We stayed at the end of July 2015 for 2 nights

Given the feedback we had read from various sources, our expectations of various aspects of Okaukuejo were met - the shop was basic (you couldn't by ham or cheese for a lunch roll), the buffet breakfast and dinner was OK, the rooms clean but basic. But these are not what you visit for. Being able to walk out from dinner and head to the floodlit waterhole and be presented by an elephant 25m away, followed by family of rhino's was special. We sat in the 'grandstand' where you got a reflection of the tree that stands by the waterhole along with the various animals that almost constantly arrive for a drink.

Up before dawn the following morning to see what was at the waterhole - not much, but some great pictures of zebra and springbok drinking along with their reflections in the still water. After breakfast we headed off to a few waterholes and were lucky to see a pride of eight lions arrive and rest at one, and a whole host of herbivores heading to, drinking at, and walking away from another. Being the dry season, it was worth being patient and spending a while at a waterhole as the animals come and go, and you can observe the animals behaviour, and this was particularly so when we returned to Okaukuejo camp......

When we got back we again sat by the waterhole and watched the evenings events unfold, in the end for about 3hours. For a while, not a lot, although someone said they had spotted a lion close by (I couldn't see it!). After a while it emerged, and sat down, quite a distance from the waterhole. However, this had the effect of stopping any animals from taking a drink. Eventually there were 22 giraffe frustratingly waiting nearby along with Orynx, elephant and others. The black backed jackels eventually disturbed the lion enough and it went to the waterhole taking a long drink before heading off. Rapidly all the animals that had been waiting were then able to quench their thirst, the next nearest waterhole being 10+ km away.

Hopefully this gives you a view as to why we have rated Okaukuejo as excellent, obviously not for all aspects, but the waterhole is pretty special."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Facilities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Doro Nawas

Doro Nawas

"Doro !Nawas - In the wilderness"

2 nights Arrived 22 Jul 2015
"We stayed end July 2015 for 2 nights.

We travelled from Etosha down to Doro !Nawas and stopped off at the Petrified Forest on the way which is well worth a visit. You approach down a long track and first see the main building in the distance which looks rather dark and foreboding! However when you arrive, greeted with a welcome song and drink, you find a relaxing area with fantastic panoramic views including a wide balcony with seating. It was a bit windy so sitting outside you needed to wrap up to watch the sun setting. Before sunset we went out for a walk to the sandstone ridge and across the plain - well worth it.

The lodges were a short walk away (ours were quite close) and beautifully done. Thatched roof, stone floors and canvas walls which did make it a bit chilly at night, but hot water bottles and warm blankets were provided. The vista from the villas was delightful across the plain to mountains in the distance. However the novelty, very much enjoyed by the boys was to be able to roll the beds out of the room and onto the veranda area.

The dinner menu was announced by our waiter in the local Damara 'tongue' which was very interesting. If you don't already know, you will find out what the "!" means in !Nawas. The food was excellent and then we were entertained by the staff singing to us. They really were excellent, the best on our trip, and we found that they had won competitions.

We took Expert Africa's advice and took ourselves around local attractions - rock carvings (v good), organ pipes and burnt mountain (OK but not great), living (Damara) village (interesting to see how they live). We decided not to do the trip to see the elephants which I think was expensive having seen lots in Etosha. We found 'Wilderness Safari' trips to be more expensive than others.

Previous comments mention a telescope to see the stars but it wasn't there, and it would be great to have this given the roof area and no light pollution.

Overall we had a great time at Doro !Nawas and would recommend it."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Image alt

Organic Square (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)

"Organic Square - Nice Accommodation"

3 nights Arrived 24 Jul 2015
"We stayed in July 2015 for 3 nights.

We booked to stay in 2 rooms (parents and 2 teenagers) at the main place, but when we arrived, were offered their new apartments a short drive away which we opted for. It was spacious and nicely decorated with an excellent bathroom. View a bit limited (we could just see the dunes) but it did have a small patio area on the 1st floor to sit out. We booked B&B but as we were in the apartment, the breakfast was supplied for DIY - cereals, bread, cold meat, eggs, cheese etc. Good!!

We were given excellent advice on where to eat and would highly recommend the small (5 tables) pizza place near Organic Square - maybe the best pizza's we have ever had, but you will need to book.

On one day we went kayaking with seals and the next we went sand boarding with Alter Action and were picked up from the apartment - both brilliant fun and highly recommend!

The only downside to being at the apartment was that we were further away from the town and seaside. However it was easy to drive and park so not a big problem."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Kayaking with seals

Kayaking with seals

"Excellent Seal Kayak Trip"

25 Jul 2015 • Morning excursion

Our trip was at the end of July 2015.

The weather in Swakopmund is, let's say, changeable. We made contact with Jeanne the day before to check all was OK, which it was, and it turned out to be a beautiful day. After meeting up bright and early we were driven by Jeanne's partner Bernd around the bay to the point where the seals are. A very interesting trip seeing Flamingo's, the salt works and other birds on the way. He also told us about the local ecology and issues affecting the area.

We were given warm fleece tops and a coat to wear (no wet suits etc, just wear your normal clothes) - all very easy. Into the kayaks and away. Very soon we were paddling around, surrounded by inquisitive seals, the young and 'teenage' seals while the parents looked on from the beach. It was amazing being able to be so close to these 'wild' animals, interacting with them but not feeling as though you are in a zoo.

After getting out we had lunch - a filled roll and hot tea which was welcome after our early start.

Jeanne took some excellent pictures of us which she emailed later that day and we also took our camera out so have great pictures to remember our trip with.

On the way back with Bernd, we had a good discussion. It was very interesting to hear from a 'local' what it was like to live in Namibia.

After we were dropped off, we drove a short distance past the yacht club to a nice area with bars, restaurants, art galleries and bought some very nice wood carvings at a good price from a 'traditional' shack.
Excellent
Kulala Desert Lodge

Kulala Desert Lodge

"Kulala Desert Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 27 Jul 2015
"We stayed at Kulala for 2 nights at the end of July 2015

The drive from Swakopmund to Kulala took around 6 hours, but with amazing scenery on the way. Well worth stopping at Solitaire and visiting the bakery!

The track off the road is long (20km?) and rutted, but it's worth it! The main building had a great veranda for sitting and enjoying the fantastic view as well as indoor areas for a drink before and after the meal. The area round the pool is very nice with plenty of loungers to read a book on although the pool was very cold being winter. The food and service was excellent.

Our double lodge was one of the closer ones with thatched roof and canvas walls with a veranda to sit out and enjoy the view, very nicely done. Being winter it was cold at night but the blankets and hot water bottle kept us warm. However we, and the children decided to sleep out on the roof. This needs to be 'ordered' in advance so that a mattress and bedding can be put up there. It was pretty chilly, especially when the wind blew and we returned to our proper beds, but the boys stayed out both nights - good fun, and of course you get a fantastic view of the nights sky.

Of course the main reason for staying at Kulala is to visit the dunes and we went on the tip offered by Kulala. Early wake up call followed by breakfast and away by 6.30 with just one couple and us in the vehicle. Beautiful views in the early morning light as we headed to the dunes via the private gate into the national park. We arrived at Dune 45 where there were many other people walking up / coming down. At about 80m high it is a bit of a climb but as the ridge was well trodden, it was reasonably easy going. Great views from the top.

Then off to Sossusvlei to see Deadvlei. It really is an amazing place, very photogenic and worth spending time at. Big Daddy (one of the largest sand dunes) rises up 1000m behind Deadvlei and we could see others walking up the ridge and then down the side. Some of the family were tempted to have a go but as we were in a group, it wouldn't have been possible as it would have taken a couple of hours.

The visit to the dunes was relatively expensive (like other Wilderness Safari trips). In hindsight another option would have been to do it ourselves, however only the lodge can use the private gate so it would have meant driving to Sesriem (including the 20km Kulala drive) total about 50 mins, getting a ticket, then driving down the 60km road in the national park to Sossusvlei and if you haven't got a 4WD vehicle, you will need to get a lift the last 5km. This is why we opted to do the early morning Kulala trip. If we has done it ourselves, we would have left late morning and in our own time claimed up a dune (probably not dune 45), had the option of climbing Big Daddy, visiting Sossusvlei and Deadvlei and visiting the canyon. A key point in this is that we visited in the winter so it was cool enough, even in the middle of the day (mid 20's deg C). Kulala was lovely, but if you did want to do the trip yourselves, you may want to consider staying at a lodge close to Sesriem."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
BullsPort Lodge and Farm

BullsPort Lodge and Farm

"Bullsport - Great Mountain Visit"

1 night Arrived 29 Jul 2015
"We visited end July 2015 and stayed 1 night

Although the owners were away, we were well looked after by Jonathan and shown around our nice (luxury) rooms. We arrived in time to go on one of the many marked walks which was good, although we didn't see that much 'wildlife' apart from birds.

The evening meal was around the table with our hosts and other guests which made for an interesting evening. We were able to have a good chat and get a good understanding of what it was like to run a farm in Namibia, and the challenges of farming in a very arid climate with erratic rainfall.

The next day we opted to go on the Quiver Tree Trail trip. After breakfast we boarded the truck and headed off on a 2hr drive up the mountains with regular stops to look at animals and the views. Our guide was amazing at being able to spot animals in the distance. We then got off the vehicle and walked down into a gorge. The transition was amazing. You go from a parched arid landscape into another world with water flowing down the gorge via beautiful pools, massive fig trees, lots of different birds and many spectacular Quiver trees. It is an easy well marked track, but there are diversions with more challenging sections for those that want, which me and the boys did. We were met at the bottom by the vehicle for the short drive back to the farm. We would highly recommend this trip."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
River Crossing

River Crossing

"River Crossing review"

1 night Arrived 30 Jul 2015
"We visited end July 2015 and stayed 1 night before heading home (as well as 1 night at the beginning of the holiday).

We stayed at River Crossing for the last night of our trip to Namibia having driven from Bullsport, after doing the excellent Quiver Tree trail. As with the first visit on the first night of our trip, River Crossing was comfortable with good service, great food and there was a beautiful sunset."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent

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