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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Accra family from UK

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

1

Countries visited

2

Lodges stayed in

11

Excursions taken

0

Possibly the best safari in the world.

Namibia and 1 other country between 25 Jul 2008 and 16 Aug 2008

Trip rating: Excellent
"This was a fantastic holiday.The adjectives that come to mind are not sufficient. The variety of landscapes, sights, activities and experiences were wonderful. It was a really good family holiday also. There was something for all our children to do and they got something out of every place we went to. However, the highlight of the trip for our 6 year and 3 year old was the car being pulled out of sand in road works on a minor gravel road in the Caprivi Strip by a huge six-wheeled grader - and particularly the bit where the driver forgot to put the grader's handbrake on and had to chase it down the hill and jump into the cab! Our 10 year old cannot say what the best part of the holiday was. It was all great. We agree.

Namibia is a great country and should be on everyone's list of places to see. The people are friendly. It feels safe and there is none of the lurking tension that you feel at times in South Africa. We'd say it was like South Africa, but better. There is such a variety of things to do and places to see. The desert is stunning. The dunes at Sossusvlei should be on your list of 50 things to do before you die. Swakopmund was so relaxing and it was just nice to potter about there. The food was delicious - seafood near the coast, game inland - and cheap. The smell and sound of the seals at Cape Cross will stay with us forever! Etosha is (insert your own superlative here - words escape us)! The numbers and variety of animals is mind-blowing - and all from your own car window. You do safari at your pace and go where you want to go without 20 other camera toting tourists in the vehicle with you. While there are lots of other people in the park with you, it never seems busy. The roads are largely empty and you could be the only vehicle at a waterhole on many occasions. We had the fortunate experience of a leopard cub ambling about in the road in front of us without a care in the world and eventually leading us to its mother, with no other cars in sight. Try doing that in Kenya! The Caprivi Strip is an undiscovered gem. The river camps and lodges are all perfectly sited and the opportunities to see riverine wildlife are fantastic. Again, there are few other tourists around (for the present), but once word gets out this is sure to change. There is none of the mass safari tourism of East Africa in Namibia. See it while it stays like this.

We also enjoyed finishing the holiday off at Victoria Falls while relaxing at the Zambezi Sun. Victoria Falls is another 'must see' and again adjectives do not sufficiently describe the experience. Our only regret was not seeing more of Botswana, but time did not allow. People we met who had been to the Kalahari and Okavango Delta were impressed.

It was very helpful and consderate of Sabina to contact us in Swakopmund to inform us that the garage in Kongola had closed and so fuel was not available there.

This was probably our best holiday ever with memories to last a lifetime."

Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo


Haus Sonneneck

Haus Sonneneck

"Perfect start to our holiday in Namibia"

2 nights Arrived 25 Jul 2008
"Very welcoming and helpful owners - and sausage dog! The family room was perfect for us, it was very large, so even though there were beds for all 5 of us, it didn't seem small or squashed. The room was comfortable and well appointed. The minibar and use of fridge was good. The private patio outside was lovely and the children enjoyed playing out there. The breakfast was great with a good selection of food and very relaxed, which was just what we needed after our long flight.

We liked the peaceful location, but also liked the fact that we were able to get to the centre of Windhoek in very little time. Gisela and Rudolph made us very welcome as did Ulli (?) the dachshund. The pool area was nice but as we were there in winter, not in use! This was the perfect start to our holiday!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

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

Betesda Rest Camp (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)

"Unbelievably peaceful Rest Camp"

2 nights Arrived 27 Jul 2008
"We enjoyed the fantastic scenery around Betesda as well as how incredibly quiet the surroundings were. The dining room (large thatched hall) experience was pleasant, the staff were friendly and the food was good. It was close enough to visit Sossusvlei/Sesriem easily for the day.

The rooms had very thin walls and the noise from the next room was clearly audible. I'm sure the occupants next door could hear our kids too. However, on our second night the next room was vacant, so no noise! Although an information leaflet in the room explained why tea and coffee were not provided in the room (due to the power/generator situation) it would have been nice to have some way of making a hot drink in the evening - even if it was by way of a flask of hot water provided to the room.

Overall however, we all enjoyed our stay here and particularly the peaceful location."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Brigadoon

Brigadoon

"Our children's favourite place!"

3 nights Arrived 29 Jul 2008
"This was one of our highlights of the holiday, the staff were incredibly helpful, especially Margaret in booking our Living Desert Tour, lending us sand boards and giving us directions on where & how to use them, as well as recommendations (tried and liked) for restaurants! She was also really helpful when we were trying to find a Nissan garage to replace our lost hub-cap (unsuccessfully)!

It was wonderful to have the independence of a self-contained appartment. The voucher sent to us to confirm our booking stated we were on a B&B basis - but it was self-catering. This was fine. It just would have been nice to know before we arrived. The kids loved the apartment and the freedom to roam around the rooms playing or watching DSTV. It was also nice not to have to get up for breakfast for an allotted time. It was very clean, well decorated and well equipped. The opportunity to do our washing and to dry it was great! The location was close enough to the beach and town centre to walk in a few minutes, but in a residential area and so quiet. We think our kids liked this accommodation the most."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Image alt

White Lady B & B, Namibia (this camp has since closed)

"In need of some renovation"

2 nights Arrived 1 Aug 2008
"We stayed in the self catering annex and not the B&B chalets - so we were not able to comapre the two forms of accommodation. However, the B&B rooms looked nice from outside. The annex we stayed in was in need of work. It seemed some renovation had taken place already, but much more was needed. The furniture was old and tatty. The melamine was coming off bookcases and kitchen units. The old air-conditioning unit was still in the wall with cut wires hanging from it. The curtains in the childrens' bedroom did not fit properly, the window frame had cardboard wedged into it to stop it rattling. There were cracks and holes in the plasterwork, damp patches on the ceiling and the bathroom needed replacing.

It was good to be able to make our own drinks and cook for ourselves (if we had wanted to). However we were not prepared for this and so had no supplies with us. There are very limited dining options in Uis and on our second night, the owner had infomred the one restaurant in Uis (run by her sister) that we did not wish to eat there - without checking with us first - so it was closed for the night. Fortunately the Brandberg Rest Camp restaurant was open to non-residents and we could eat there instead. This gave us the opportunity to meet the legendary Basil!

We felt that although Uis was well placed to visit the White Lady in the Brandberg Mountains, it was too far to visit Twyfelfontein, the Organ Pipes and the Pertrified Forest in the time that we had. We had hoped to include these on our trip. As it was, we felt that given the experience we had in Damaraland, this could easily have been missed from our itinerary as were were not able to go to the places mentioned above. However, what we saw of Damaraland was stunning.

The owner was very welcoming and did apologise about the closure of the restaurant on our second night. It was a very peaceful location. The town is a bit run down (as you would expect for an ex-mining town), but interesting and we hope that tourism can add a bit of an economic boost to the place."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Average
Service
Good
Facilities
Average
Rooms
Poor
Food
Good
Etosha Safari Camp

Etosha Safari Camp

"Excellent value safari camp outside Etosha"

2 nights Arrived 3 Aug 2008
"A great location, close to Andersson Gate which meant we could stay in the park right up until sunset, which was great. The camp was also very peaceful. The tents were well equipped and we all enjoyed our stay here. Hot water was available all day in the very well equiped en-suite bathroom - we particularly liked the circular shower! We were booked on a B&B basis, but decided to eat dinner there as well.

The buffet dinner was excellent value and very good (as was the breakfast). The staff were friendly and the dining room was very good. The shop in reception was well stocked and reasonably priced, much to the children's delight! Although we didn't use the pool it appeared clean and well-frequented by others.

We had a very enjoyable stay here and it served as an excellent base and introduction to western Etosha."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Namutoni Camp

Namutoni Camp

"Luxury in an historic setting in Etosha Park."

2 nights Arrived 5 Aug 2008
"This is an excellent camp. Very well run and maintained. The rooms were very well appointed, well designed and felt luxurious. Very clean and spacious. The bathrooms were particularly impressive! The camp was quiet once the park gates closed and it felt very exclusive. The fort area (restaurant, shops, etc) was very scenic/photogenic and a great place to take dinner and/or breakfast outside in the open air (even in winter). The central fire in an old converted water tank was great to sit and stare at after dark. The food was very good.

The staff were friendly and helpful. The raised walkways between rooms, pool area, the fort, etc were a nice touch as were the mongooses greeting you for breakfast in the morning and the warthogs and jackals wandering the site at sundown. The night safari was a highlight of the time in Etosha.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The only disappointment was that we had to split up into two rooms, when the rooms were more than big enough to accommodate us all with extra beds (an extra bed was included in one room as it was). We felt that Namutoni was a better camp than either Okaukuejo or Halali in all respects other than the amount of animals at the camp waterhole. However, animal viewing was not a major part of our time at the camp and with the numbers/species of animals encountered on our drives during the day this was not important at all. We would recommend this camp as a highlight of an Etosha safari and definitely the best place to stay in eastern Etosha."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

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

Nkwazi Lodge, Namibia (this camp has since closed)

"Good stopover for the Caprivi Strip"

1 night Arrived 7 Aug 2008
"A good location on the Kavango river with views of the reed beds rather than the river, but this is visible with a short walk down to the banks. The cultural display (dancing, singing and drumming) before the communal meal was interesting and enjoyable - especially for our eldest two. The community work done by the Lodge sounded good also, though we didn't see much of this due to our short stay.

The room was comfortable, if a little dated in decor and furnishings. The bathroom was quite dark. The swimming pool was dirty with cracked/loose and missing tiles. However the food was good (with the central fire acting as the food & people warming system!) and the staff very friendly. We only spent one night here after our longest drive and so perhaps did not really get to experience the Lodge at its best."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Average
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Ndhovu Safari Lodge

Ndhovu Safari Lodge

"Fall asleep to the sound of hippos grunting"

2 nights Arrived 8 Aug 2008
"Fantastic location on the Okavango River and very close to Mahango National Park (an undiscovered gem). There is a herd of hippos living on the island just off the banks from the camp. These can easily be viewed from the tents and the viewing platform at the Lapa bar/dining room. The hippos are active at night, with regular grunting, squawks and splashing to be heard - just be careful leaving your tent after dark as they come up onto the banks of the camp - as evidenced by the huge footprints!

Horst is an excellent host and mine of information - as was Chris his assistant from South Africa (good luck with the UK Ancestry visa!). The locally employed staff were all friendly and helpful and the food introduced by the cook each evening (a surprise each night) was delicious. Horst and the staff couldn't have done more to make our stay enjoyable.

The tents were well appointed, though the bathrooms could do with a few extra bamboo stems in the screen for privacy! The tents were better than just good, but no option between good and excellent exists so we ticked good. The sundowner cruise on the river was informative and peaceful. Our guide, Joshua, was very good with the children. The Mahango National Park was excellent in terms of being able to drive yourself around it and the opportunity to see 'riverine' species of animals. Even afer Etosha we were still able to see five new species of animal here. It was also largely empty of tourists. The nearby Popa Falls were also worth a visit and our kids had a great time playing in the shallows. Although we didn't attempt it, other guests said that travelling into Botswana and the Okavango Delta was easy from here.

We thought that you ought to know that the Shell garage in Divundu just before the bridge (travelling from Rundu to Katima) has closed. The Engen garage before it (ie closer to Rundu) is open and was in the process of being renovated by the owner when we were there. The garage also has a fairly well-stocked supermarket (as towns on the Caprivi Strip go). There is no garage on the other side of the bridge.

Another high point of our trip and a great time had by all."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

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

Camp Kwando

"A room in the river!"

2 nights Arrived 10 Aug 2008
"On arrival we found that we were booked into two seperate tents far from each other. The manager was not expecting the children to be so young and had not been informed at the booking stage. The camp manager realised that the tents allocated were not suitable and moved us to the family chalet. However, as he said at the time, this chalet was affected by the unusually high river level the camp was experiencing and so only one bathroom could be used (several other tents on the river front had been abandoned altogether because of water level problems) and the chalet had to be accessed by a sand bag 'stepping stone' walkway. The single bathroom was not a problem for us although a curtain on the bathroom window would have been good as this was overlooked by the tents behind us - we had to improvise a 'bathmat curtain' ourselves. There was also no light in the bathrooms - only light spilling in from the main room (not great for midnight toilet calls!).

The activities offered were good - we did the sundowner river cruise and a safari into Mudumu National Park. The park was disappointing in terms of wildlife seen - just a few warthogs, zebra and impala. The riverside location again was great - with hippos, a variety of frogs and other wildlife very audible at night. The food and service in the dining room/bar was good with a good selection of items available at the breakfast buffet and breakfast cooked to order. The dinner menu was whatever the cook decided for that evening, but both meals we had were filling and delicious. We had the opportunity to meet the Swiss owner on our second night who had come to stay with her family. She made a point of talking to us as we had small children, asking us about our stay, explaining the river level problems - and made us feel welcome.

In hindsight, we probably could have done the drive from Divundu to Katima without breaking the journey here and had more time in other locations. There seemed less to do in this area than the Divundu/Bagani area and the wildlife we encountered had been seen elsewhere."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Average
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
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Chobe Safari Lodge (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)

"More geared to large tour groups"

1 night Arrived 12 Aug 2008
"The service here was good to avergage, but this option is not available below.

This was a large and somewhat impersonal lodge compared to the others we stayed in on our holiday and the term 'lodge' is somewhat of a misnomer. This is really quite a large hotel. The rooms were well appointed and comfortable with good facilities. The buffet dinner and breakfast were huge with possibly the largest selection of food I have ever seen in a hotel anywhere (I mean, Kudu sausages for breakfast!). However, the attitude of some of the dining room staff in the evening left something to be desired. We were told that no table was available for us at dinner as we had not booked in advance. However, we were booked at the Lodge for one night on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis and would have thought that the Lodge was aware that we would be at dinner that evening. The reception staff made no mention when we checked in that booking a table for dinner was necessary. A table was eventually arranged for us, but not until the dining room supervisor had made it plain that it was all our fault and had verged on rudeness. That said, our table waitress was most polite, friendly and helpful - and other hotel staff were polite and friendly.

The activities available were numerous and the early morning river cruise booked was very good. The facilities were all well looked after and it was a pleasant hotel, but not the type of lodge we were used to or expecting."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Avani Victoria Falls

Avani Victoria Falls

"A superlative experience."

3 nights Arrived 13 Aug 2008
"The slightly disappointing experience at Chobe Safari Lodge left us a little in trepidation of what to expect at the Zambezi Sun. Would it be another large impersonal hotel? Large it may be, but the hotel excelled in every other way. The location is fantastic. While not having the views of the 'smoke' from the falls that the Royal Livingstone has, the 5 minute walk to the falls and unlimited access is fantastic. The Falls are everything you've ever heard and read - and then some.

The adjoining rooms were great - not very large but big enough - comfortable and were very well appointed. The animals wandering around the hotel grounds (zebras, vervet monkeys, giraffes) were great entertainment for the kids. The choice of restaurants was good, though we opted for the Squires bar only for our two nights eating in the hotel. The staff here were really very helpful and friendly - as were the main restarant staff at breakfast. The breakfast buffet had a vast array of food to choose from and was very good.

The activites available from the Activity Centre seemed limitless. We did the sundowner cruise on the African Queen - pleasant but not quite like the 'up close' experiences in Namibia and Botswana. We also did the Livingstone Island trip & the view of the main falls was breathtaking. But it was the falls, which we visited on numerous occasions, that was definitely the highlight and main draw. This was an excellent way to round off our trip and we have recommended the hotel to our friends already."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

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

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