Travel reviews by J & K from jackievokes@gmail.com

"Very beautiful lodge with lovely room and views towards the falls.

The staff were welcoming and helpful and the food was delicious. It was well placed within a 20 minute walk of the bridge linking to Zambia with views of the falls and gorge and only 10 minutes to the national park. Situated close to a good local restaurant within a few minutes walk."

"Beautiful intimate and peaceful lodge by the river. The room was stylish, large and clean with a balcony overlooking the river. The staff were were exceptional; welcoming, friendly and helpful, and also very talented! We were treated to some great singing and dancing at dinner times and the food was fabulous.

The game drives were very good. Our guide Solani was very experienced and combined exciting rides with a patient and relaxed style around the animals. We had a sighting of wild dogs, which was incredible. It was very cold first thing in the morning on the vehicle, but we were kept cosy with hot water bottles, blankets and coffee. Sun downers were a treat.

We did the evening river cruise, which provided a different and equally enjoyable aspect to our stay. Sightings of various birds, hippos and even an elephant feeding in the water at the river's edge. Topped off again by a drink and snacks, whilst watching a beautiful sun set."

"This was a camp with a real 'bush' feel to it, with rooms spread widely around a large water hole.

Our room was right at the end of a walk right through the bush, which was a bit nerve- wracking as lion, leopard and elephant pass through to the waterhole and also the camp; however, our guide, T.J, kindly escorted us during daylight, as well the usual during the dark. The room itself was beautiful, large, clean with a terrace overlooking the waterhole, with great sightings of grazing animals and elephant.

The staff were welcoming and friendly and seemed to appreciate our efforts to say a few words in Setswana. The food was delicious and plentiful.

The game drives were really exciting, in many cases going off road to get sightings. It was fascinating to watch T.J and the tracker, Iba, at work, driving through the bush and sometimes getting off the vehicle to locate tracks and, ultimately, the animal.

We saw many animals; lion, leopard, hippos, hyena and many elephant and giraffe. Drives continued after dark allowing sightings of more nocturnal animals, such as wildcat and spring hare. It was very cold in the early mornings, but we were given warm ponchos and hot water bottles, so were quite snug in the vehicle.

We also did the evening river cruise and spotted an elephant crossing the river, a monitor lizard and many birds. Sun downers, as with the game drives, a treat."

"Olive Grove was very welcoming. It felt like a peaceful, secluded little haven in Windhoek.

We were only there for one night, but it was a nice way to start our trip.

Nice little touches, such as complimentary port before bed time."

"What a fabulous place. Chic, yet comfortable. Relaxed and quietly efficient with welcoming, friendly staff, for whom nothing was too much trouble. Our guide was really good, too and we had him all to ourselves for the couple of days we were there. The food was delicious. In fact the food throughout our trip exceeded expectations. Nice sundowners, too.

We were particularly delighted with our own 'Kulala', which afforded a great view, but with complete privacy and the opportunity to sleep under the stars (although admittedly we did sneak back inside when it got cold - a double duvet might have helped, but it was not an issue)

We opted for a balloon flight and champagne breakfast and were thrilled with the whole experience. Highly recommended if you can do it."

"We stayed 2 nights at the Strand, which is a large hotel overlooking the ocean. It was very nice and we had some good food in one of the restaurants (Brewer and Burtcher, we went back there the following night just for drinks) . We wouldn't have wanted to stay longer, preferring the isolation of the more remote areas and the lodge type accommodations, but you cannot fairly compare a large town hotel with these.

Swakopmund itself was a bit cold, which we had expected, but we fitted in some quad biking, after a bit of confusion at the hotel whereby one of the staff seemed very keen on a particular company and booked us in when we had said we wanted to think about it first and consider other options. It all worked out in the end, though."

"What a fantastic lodge, cleverly built into the rocks. We were upgraded to the only suite for the one night we were there, which was a wonderful treat. Elevated accommodation with a vast bedroom and lounge area, outside bath with a private view and large decking area. We were hot and tired after a long drive and decided to postpone sightseeing to make the most of it (plus the all inclusive bar) .

The food was delicious, as we found throughout our visit to Namibia. The only thing we would have liked in hindsight was a mosquito net. The mosquitos were a bit pesky despite the insect repellant and 'Doom' spray, and I got quite badly bitten. That aside we would have loved to have stayed longer."

"What a fantastic lodge, cleverly built into the rocks. We were upgraded to the only suite for the one night we were there, which was a wonderful treat. Elevated accommodation with a vast bedroom and lounge area, outside bath with a private view and large decking area. We were hot and tired after a long drive and decided to postpone sightseeing to make the most of it (plus the all inclusive bar) .

The food was delicious, as we found throughout our visit to Namibia. The only thing we would have liked in hindsight was a mosquito net. The mosquitos were a bit pesky despite the insect repellant and 'Doom' spray, and I got quite badly bitten. That aside we would have loved to have stayed longer."

"We stayed here for one night. We were impressed by the singing welcome and goodbye. Even the chef joined in.

Our thatched cottage was comfortable and we had a nice view. The night we stayed, a bush dinner was set up, which was great fun. The BBQ was delicious and the bar staff didn't seem to mind that we kept them up late afterwards."

"Ongava Lodge is beautifully located with the open lounge and dining area overlooking the waterhole. Nice ambience. We weren't lucky enough to see the rhinos on our game drive (although we saw a small lion family with two adorable cubs) but we did see one at night at the waterhole. There is a hide which enables close up views and the rhino hung around for quite a while.

Our room was a little way from the main lodge and waterhole, but very private. We could relax on the deck and watch the procession of animals making their way across to the waterhole.

As we found throughout our trip the food was delicious."

"Onguma Tree Top was very different. A small lodge with only 4 rooms linked by an elevated walkway overlooking a very busy waterhole. This was a real treat. Very quiet and relaxing watching the comings and goings at the waterhole from our bed or the deck.

The evening safari on the property was great and we got a close up look at a family of lions and once again excellent sundowners and sunset.

The food was fantastic and was prepared in front of us by the chef. The staff, as everywhere, were welcoming and friendly. Another place we didn't want t leave!"

"This was the last leg of our trip. We had enjoyed every single place we had stayed and we certainly weren't disappointed with Okonjima. Another beautifully designed lodge with great staff and good food.

We were impressed with our massive room with a private view from the bed. We also had a separate 'viewing' room, equipped with 2 chaises longues, a fridge, tea, coffee and biscuits, and overlooking a tiny waterhole, with plenty of birdlife to keep us entertained.

We were lucky enough to see leopard and it was really interesting to learn about all the conservation work that goes on here. I would have liked to have seen the wild dogs, but understand they had been moved earlier on in the year, which can't be helped. An excuse for another trip!"