Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs R from Northum

"We stayed at this guest house on two occasions. One night on arrival in Namibia and one night before we left. All the staff were friendly and helpful and they booked Joe’s Beerhouse for us and arrange for a taxi to take and bring us back. The first room we stayed in was near the parking area and the second near the pool. The rooms we stayed in were quiet, clean, light and spacious. Galton House is located in very quiet residential area and it felt very safe, especially with the locked gate. We were however told not to walk around after dark, hence the taxi to Joe’s.

Breakfast was good with a choice of cooked to order or continental buffet. We didn’t eat at the Galton in the evening so we cannot comment on that. There are a couple of supermarkets and liquor stores about 5 minutes away, where you can pick up everything you might need for your trip. However you can always find places to stop off for a drink and something to eat, wherever you are going. I would still advise getting some water to keep in the car, more in case of breakdown than anything else.

I used the pool, be warned it is unheated, like most pools in Namibia but nice and refreshing if it is a hot day. We also used the honesty bar, which was good value for money. The wifi is good, although you need to keep reactivating it with a code.

We did go into the centre of Windhoek by taxi on the Sunday when we got back to Galton. I don’t think there would be any befit staying in the centre as the area where Galton is much quieter and is easily accessible to the main roads, whether you are travelling north or south. I would recommend Galton House as a stopping off place."

"This was the second stop on our trip and we really enjoyed our stay here for one night. When we first arrived (early) there was a large group of Africaans still there who appeared to dominate the main lodge area. That said we ordered some lunch and had our welcome drink and introduction without problems. The individual cabins were fantastic, very spacious both inside and out. A massive picture window with a view of the feeding area where there were eland, wildebeest, oryx, ostrich and ground squirrels. You also had a shower in the living room as well as the bathroom area. There is also a turn down service, nice touch.

As we were there early we decided to do one of the self guided walks where we saw red hartebeest, springbok and steenbok on the trail ahead. I would say the walks are not very well marked as somehow we ended up incorporating two other walks as well. Make sure you take plenty of drinking water with you as it is very hot and exposed, but well worth the effort.

The three course dinner was very good with game on offer and some nice wine, you can also have drinks brought to your cabin! Breakfast was good with plenty of pastries and muffins, although the juice was a dilute type it was ok. The only thing we didn’t like was what appeared to be an orphaned meerkat in the dining room in the evening, which diners were picking up and having their photo taken with. We didn’t see any meerkats outside although there seemed to holes. That said I would definitely recommend this lodge."

"This was the third place we stayed on our trip and we stayed two nights. Of all the lodges this was the one I most wanted to stay in. We even rearrange the dates we went so we could get in here and I think it was well worth it. Make sure you stop off at Mariental Bakkery for savoury pies and pasties enroute. You can also fill up your petrol tank as there are a number of fuel stations there too.

The drive south of Mariental was a lot more challenging as we got our first taste of none paved roads. Even after reading about the difficult driveway to the lodge, I don’t think we were prepared for the length of time it would take us. Once there we received a friendly welcome and a drink. The panoramic view is spectacular from the main building as you enter from the car park. The lodge was bigger than our previous two lodges, so there were a lot more people around. However the individual cabins all feel private and everyone gets that same panoramic view of the canyon.

We did the walk to the lookout point to the right, which was not too far or difficult and got some good photos looking back at the lodge. The night sky was fantastic, we even saw the Milky Way! The sky was so clear.

The rooms are comfortable with single beds and an inside and outside shower, although we were unable to use the outside shower as the previous person had taken the key with them and there was no spare. There is even an outside yoga platform and you can borrow a mat from reception. Staff were all friendly and efficient and the manager was very knowledgeable about the surrounding area and road conditions.

We did the organised drive to the bottom of the canyon where I swam in the water pool. We thought this trip was really good and well worth the cost and effort. We saw mountain Zebra and Gemsbok on our travels and you are also able to do some walking if you want to. I had read that not that many people go to Fish River Canyon but I would say it is a must and stay on this side of the canyon as you feel you have an exclusive experience as there are no other lodges on this side. This lodge is well worth the effort of getting there. Highly recommended."

"This was the fourth place we stayed on our trip and we really enjoyed it. We stayed for two nights. Jacomena who was on reception was very helpful and friendly. It took about 15 minutes to drive to our cabin from Desert Horse Inn. We were allocated Eagles View which was the last cabin on the road and built into the rock. This means we had a massive boulder at the back of the cabin which formed the wall behind the bed and in the shower. The nearest cabin to ours was probably a good 15 minutes walk, so it was very private. You also have uninterrupted views of the escarpment and hills with great sunsets. The accommodation was very spacious with a kitchen, diner and lounge area at one side of a low level wall and a double and single bed and bathroom at the other side.

We opted to have the self catering bbq pack (need to pre order) for our first night, which means you self cater your breakfast too! You tick off what food you want and they provide the basket with everything in it. We ordered way too much food as on top of the game steaks with rubs, boerewors and jacket potatoes you get salad, coleslaw, bread, fruit and yogurt.

Then for breakfast you get smoked salmon, bread, butter, eggs, bacon and jam. Great fun though and cooked to perfection! The second night we went to the Desert Horse Inn for dinner, which was a buffet. All the food was freshly cooked and there was plenty of variety for every course. You are allocated your table and we requested one on the balcony outside which was lovely.

Breakfast is buffet style and ideal to eat and go early for your next destination. Piet the owner of Eagles Nest and Desert Horse Inn is a mine of information and very interesting to talk to. He even advised us on using the D707 on our route to Sossusvlei for a more scenic route. This turned out to be one of the best roads we drove on as it had just been graded.

We visited the wild horses from the lodge, which is just down the road and an easy drive on paved roads. We also visited Kolmanskop ghost town, which is well worth the visited, then drove on to Luderitz. Here we explored the town via the walking guide in the Bradt guide book. There are self guided walks from the cabins which we didn't have time to do unfortunately. There are quite a few baboons in the area so you are warned to keep the windows and doors locked. That said we did not have any trouble with them.

This is a great place to stay, Highly recommended."

"We stayed here two nights and it was our fifth place on our trip. I think most people will have had a long drive to get to Sossusvlei and it is easy to find Desert Homestead. The roads in this area were probably the worst ones we uncounted, although the driveway was nice and smooth. Staff are polite but I would say not as friendly as the previous lodges we had stayed in.

Check in was efficient but there was no offer to carry bags to your room along the gravel path. I saw one women struggling to drag her wheelie suitcase along the gravel. We found there were a lot of young people working here who didn’t really know what they were doing, especially at the bar. The accommodation is individual cabins, which are quite small, although the bathroom was quite spacious. The room does have air conditioning but the mains do not seem to be able to cope with the demand of all the cabins, so often cuts out. When we arrived the safe had been locked shut and it took a lot of badgering before someone finally came and fixed it for us.

It appeared that you couldn’t request a table reservation so people tended to be seated early to get the best spots, which was no hardship really. The food was good with three choices from what I remember. Service was a bit haphazard with orders being taken and being delivered to the last people first. Although there were no tea making facilities in the room, hot and cold drinks and snacks were available at the bar, which was a nice touch.

There is a waterhole in front of the lodges but one of the guides told us you never get any wildlife there, which was accurate on our visit.

We did the organised trip to Sossusvlei dunes but on the day we went it was extremely windy so visibility was poor. This trip was still worth doing as I think it is easy to get stuck in the sand if you self drive. Even the official transport in the park got stuck when we were there and had to be pulled out. The guide we had was very informative and professional and tried to make the visit as interesting as possible. Our picnic brunch among the dunes had to be taken in another lodges canteen but there was plenty to eat and drink and it was fun. We had also booked the balloon ride over the dunes but unfortunately due to the high winds this was cancelled too.

Although this accommodation was comfortable and clean I think I would probably look for a different place if I was to visit again as there is lots of choice in this area.."

"We stayed at Cornerstone for two nights. Stephen the owner and the lady receptionist (sorry I have forgotten her name) were very helpful and friendly. You are given a mobile phone with their contact numbers, in case you need information or help. We thought that was a nice touch. We were in the room around the corner from reception (number 6 I think). This was a nice sized room and was very private as nobody walked past our room to get to theirs. The bathroom was fairly small but serviceable and everywhere was nice and clean.

The secure parking was good although there is also additional parking next to the front gate with CCTV. All the staff were friendly and the grounds man even washed our car for us after we had driven along the salt road. He did a great job and was cheaper than the local car wash too.

Breakfast was good and efficient with a self serve area and hot food to order. Stephen took the orders and he would chat about your plans and give advice if requested. He is quite an amusing character and runs the guesthouse well.

As I had read on the internet that it is better to reserve restaurants in advance, especially at weekends, we had already booked the Tug for one night and the Jetty 1905. We were pleased we had done that as a few people we spoke to had not been able to get booked at either of these once they got to Swakopmund. Both are in easy walking distance from the guesthouse and both had good food. The receptionist also recommended a seafood restaurant around the corner where we went for lunch. The prawns there were unbelievably good and very reasonable.

We also drove up to Cape Cross Seal Sanctuary, this is well worth the drive, which is easy as there is a salt road all the way. The seals are everywhere, even in the car park! We were also supposed to do a scenic flight along the skeleton coast but half an hour before Pleasure Flights and Safari’s were due to collect us they cancelled. I would not recommend using these as I had booked this with them in the UK and it messed up our day.

I would however, recommend Cornerstone Guesthouse if you are staying in Swakopmund as it is in a good location and is very comfortable.."

"We stayed here for two nights and both nights were very different. We opted to be collected from the meeting point as they had said the drive from there was a bit more difficult. As we had come from Sesriem and had encountered some bad roads we thought this would be easier, which it was. We were welcomed to the camp by Gwen and her team who serenaded us and gave us a welcome drink before showing us around. You truly felt like part of the family at this camp, with all the people working there being locals.

We were shown to our tented cabin (Number 1), which was the furthest from the main building up the hill. This camp has a lovely feel to it and you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, well you are! The cabin was very spacious with a super king bed facing out towards the hill. The bathroom is very spacious with his and hers sinks and a large shower area. There is also an outside balcony. There is a turn down service and they put the mosquito nets down and close the window flaps. The pool at the main building is unheated but wasn’t too cold and there are plenty of loungers and towels for you to sit and relax or get a drink from the bar.

The first night we stayed there were a variety of nationalities staying and we all sat on a long table. It was very sociable. The second night there was us and a group of Spanish tourists so we had a seperate table as most of them didn't seem to speak english and Gwen thought that would be better for us, they were very thoughtful like that. The food was very good on both nights, with the second being a bbq along a short path away from the main building. Wine was also served with the meal and for pre dinner drinks, which was unexpected. We also had lunch on our second day which again was very tasty and well cooked, although we were given massive portions.

Elias was allocated as our guide and he was very knowledgeable and easy to get along with. We did the morning game drive and as all the other people were checking out that day, this was a private drive. We tracked some desert adapted elephants who were from the north and a bit grumpy, they even tried to charge us! Also saw various other animals including desert adapted mountain zebras. There is a lovely surprise to this game drive, which I will not tell you about so you get the surprise too! We also did a guided walk with Elias to the top of the hill beyond the camp. You get some great views up there and it wasn’t too difficult to do.

Overall this camp was definitely the most friendliest and Gwen and the staff do a great job. If I went back to Namibia this camp would definitely be on my list."

"We stayed here for one night and my original thoughts after reading the reviews, was I did not want to stay there. However Megan (from Expert Africa) persuaded us it was a great place to stay because of the water hole. I can now say I am pleased she did.

We checked in late because we broke down just inside the park but instead of finding difficult people, as described in other reviews we read, we found the staff helpful. Ludwiana in particular was very nice and even said our room should not be examined when we left as there was no inventory list in the room when we arrived. It certainly is not luxurious like the other lodges we stayed in but probably what you would expect from a government run lodge.

The room was a decent size and the air con worked, there was a mosquito net which covered the bed and the fridge was more than adequate for our needs. We were in a standard double room and only a few minutes walk from the waterhole. We didn’t eat in the restaurant as we bought our own food at the bakery and supermarket in Outjo, after reading the reviews. However when I passed the restaurant several times people seemed to be enjoying their food. Also speaking to others who had eaten there you can get eggs to order and the food was good.

It was great being inside the park at night, sitting by the waterhole watching the animals wander down at night. We saw a mother and calf black rhino, elephants, giraffes jackals and zebra. It was lovely just sitting there for as long as you wanted to watch them. While we were there we did not encounter people being noisy as others have found. I would say you need to get down there early to get one of the seats.

All in all I would recommend at least one night here and I think we probably should have stayed even two. Don't let the reviews put you off, give it a chance."

"We stayed at Mushara Outpost for two nights. The accommodation was very spacious, with your own veranda next to the woods. You often see animals going through if you sit quietly outside. It was nice and clean and quiet and you often felt there was nobody else staying there. We could get wifi in our tent, which was the first one to the right from the main building, but I believe others travellers couldn’t. The pool area was very nice to relax in between game drives, although the pool is unheated so you need to brave to go in. There is a small hide overlooking a water hole just past tent 10. We almost missed this as we asked a couple of the staff and they didn’t seem to know there was a waterhole on site! We found it on our last morning and saw a small heard of impala. It would have been nice to spend more time here, so make sure you visit it. We would say we found the staff efficient but not particularly friendly, except for Piet our guide who was very nice and a great guide with lots of amusing stories..

We had dinner in the main building one night and a boma (bbq) the second night, which had a massive buffet, which catered for everyone. We also ate lunch there and found all the food very good with good portions

We went on two morning drives and two afternoon drives. We thought it was well worth doing as our guide (Piet) was in contact with other people so they could share where the best wildlife was. By going on an organised game drive it also means both of you can relax and have a good view because you were high up. Also everyone had an edge seat so you weren't restricted in a middle seat. You also have the guides expertise of reading situations. For instance we were watching some sleepy lions under a tree and Piet had noticed a lame kudu at the other side of the water hole.

People in self drives came into the waterhole and watched the lions but then drove out again, missing the lame kudu. We had our sundowners while we watched the kudu cautiously go towards the waterhole, with the lions now alert and hunched low in the grasses out of sight of the kudu but ready to pounce. It was all very tense and we thought we would see a kill but the kudu thought better of it and turned into the forest, pursued by the lions. After about five minutes the lions returned, yes you’ve guest it, without their prey!

We saw cheetah, lions and leopards while we were with Piet too. Often they were very near but we would not have picked them out ourselves as they were well camouflaged. I would definitely stay here two nights and do the organised game drives, you will not be disappointed."

"We stayed here for two nights on our trip and really enjoyed it. We were originally booked into Okonjima Plains Camp but got upgraded on arrival, which was a nice surprise. The accommodation was very spacious and luxurious with a separate lounge area. There were two king sized beds in the bedroom, which were very comfortable with open views across the savannah. At night you can see the outline of giraffes and other animals just outside the windows, as they seem to shelter near the chalets at night. The shower and the loo with a view are also very unique. We made the mistake of leaving biscuits in one of our bags on the luggage rack which got infested with ants, so be careful.

The food was excellent and I was serenaded by all the staff at breakfast for my birthday, which was really nice. They even made me lots of cup cakes which I gave out to other people staying there.

We did two of the self guided walks. On one of them you go up to a lookout and we saw a sable hiding in the bushes in the fenced area below. We could also see the trucks heading out on a game drive. We did the Leopard viewing drive and had a great view of one leopard, who kindly jumped up onto an old hide so we got a good view of him. We were less fortunate with the tracking on foot of the Large Carnivore (cheetah) as we tried to locate a recently released one, with no luck. We also visited the hide after dinner one night and saw brown hyena and porcupine. We got some great photos of birds and animals by just sitting in our lounge area. There is lots of different bird species here and it was very tranquil.

This was a fantastic place to stay with all the staff being very friendly and helpful and it felt very exclusive. I would definitely go back here if I visited Namibia again."

"We stayed at this guest house on two occasions. One night on arrival in Namibia and one night before we left. All the staff were friendly and helpful and they booked Joe’s Beerhouse for us and arrange a taxi to take and bring us back. The first room we stayed in was near the parking area and the second near the pool. The rooms we stayed in were quiet, clean, light and spacious. Galton House is in a very quiet residential area and it felt very safe, especially with the locked gate. We were however told not to walk around after dark, hence the taxi to Joe’s.

Breakfast was good with a choice of ordered cooked or continental buffet. We didn’t eat at Galton in the evening so we cannot comment on that but the breakfast was good. There are a couple of supermarkets and liquor stores about 5 minutes away, where you can pick up everything you might need for your trip. However you can always find places to stop off for a drink and something to eat, wherever you are going. I would still advise getting some water to keep in the car, more in case of breakdown than anything else. I used the pool, be warned it is unheated, like most pools in Namibia but nice and refreshing if it is a hot day. We also used the honesty bar, which was good value for money. The wifi is good, although you need to keep reactivating it with a new code every 2 hours.

We went into the centre of Windhoek by taxi on the Sunday when we got back to Galton. I don’t think there would be any benefit staying in the centre as the area where Galton is much quieter and is easily accessible to the main roads, whether you are travelling north or south. I would recommend Galton House as a stopping off place."

"We stayed here for two nights in a superior room during our trip. We were fortunate to stay in the building overlooking the gardens, towards the bridge. We could see the smoke from the falls from our room. This is an old hotel, so don’t expect a modern room but it is clean and comfortable. The bathroom is very old too, but clean and adequate, with a bath and over shower. The air con was excellent and kept the room nice and cool.

We had both lunch and dinner at Stanley’s Terrace and enjoyed both. Breakfast was served at the Jungle Junction, which was very good too. The buffet has lots of variety and also has a chef to cook things to order. There is even champagne on the buffet! The staff were very attentive and pleasant. Cecelia at customer services was particularly helpful and pleasant and she helped to make our stay enjoyable. The hotel also arranged the helicopter flight over the falls on the morning we were leaving, which we really enjoyed.

The only negative thing we could say about the hotel was the staff in Stanley’s Bar were not very attentive and we ended up having to go up to the bar to order our drinks. They then expected a tip when they brought them! That said we ordered some drinks in the Bulawayo Lounge (residents only) and the service was excellent.

The hotel is ideally situated as it is tucked away so its nice and quiet and the gardens are lovely to sit in. It is an easy walk to the falls but the direct path from the hotel has been closed since a lady was badly injured by an elephant. The pool is unheated but a nice area to sit and read a book. You can also get food there.

This was the largest accommodation we stayed in and we found it a bit of a shock to the system after being in smaller places prior to staying here. That said we were pleased we stayed here. It was very interesting looking at the old photos when there was nothing else around the hotel. There are some nice pictures of the Queen at the hotel from when she was a girl.

This hotel is not cheap but if we were to visit Victoria Falls again we would opt to stay here again."

"Although we have been on lodge safari's before they cannot compare to doing a mobile safari. Andrew and his staff are exceptional and the food cooked by Patrick the chef was outstanding, more so as it is all cooked on a bushfire!

I am not someone who likes camping so I was a little apprehensive before we got there, although I wanted to have this experience. The tent was spacious with hangers and shelving and the beds were comfortable. The attached bathroom is also spacious and the long drop loo has a comfortable enclosed seat. I would definitely say its glamping not camping!

The guys would usually top up the water canister for the shower before we had our afternoon snack. They always checked you were not using the bathroom before they went in and they kept everywhere looking neat and tidy. We even had various towel sculptures each day on our beds. All of the staff were friendly and polite and Andrew was a great host. Andrew knew both the Savuti Marsh area and Moremi Kwai Concessions. He is very respectful of the animals and is relaxed and patient. He doesn't race around rushing from A to B like many of the other guides seemed to do. It was therefore much more comfortable in the truck as we tracked the animals. It was also nice that he did not use the radio, so it was very quiet and felt like there was nobody else around.

My husband enjoys bird watching and Andrew was very knowledgeable about them as well as the animals. We saw 113 species of birds during our stay as well as leopards, lions, wild dogs and more.
We decided on a private safari after reading some blogs and reviews and it did not disappoint. We felt very well looked after by Andrew and his team. We found we had flexibility to do what we wanted, although Andrew would make suggestions in relation to what we wanted to see, he is very easy going. Our mid morning tea break and sun downer stops were always accompanied by one of Patrick's creations, amazing. These breaks were usually taken in a hidden spot where we could view the animals and birds.

If you want to do something out of the ordinary, even if you don’t like camping, I would recommend doing this. It’s a fantastic experience.

Thank you Andrew and your team we had a fantastic time and loved every minute of it."

"Although we have been on lodge safari's before they cannot compare to doing a mobile safari. Andrew and his staff are exceptional and the food cooked by Patrick the chef was outstanding, more so as it is all cooked on a bushfire!

I am not someone who likes camping so I was a little apprehensive before we got there, although I wanted to have this experience. The tent was spacious with hangers and shelving and the beds were comfortable. The attached bathroom is also spacious and the long drop loo has a comfortable enclosed seat. I would definitely say its glamping not camping!

The guys would usually top up the water canister for the shower before we had our afternoon snack. They always checked you were not using the bathroom before they went in and they kept everywhere looking neat and tidy. We even had various towel sculptures each day on our beds. All of the staff were friendly and polite and Andrew was a great host.

Andrew knew both the Savuti Marsh area and Moremi Kwai Concessions. He is very respectful of the animals and is relaxed and patient. He doesn't race around rushing from A to B like many of the other guides seemed to do. It was therefore much more comfortable in the truck as we tracked the animals. It was also nice that he did not use the radio, so it was very quiet and felt like there was nobody else around.

My husband enjoys bird watching and Andrew was very knowledgeable about them as well as the animals. We saw 113 species of birds during our stay as well as leopards, lions, wild dogs and more.
We decided on a private safari after reading some blogs and reviews and it did not disappoint. We felt very well looked after by Andrew and his team. We found we had flexibility to do what we wanted, although Andrew would make suggestions in relation to what we wanted to see, he is very easy going. Our mid morning tea break and sun downer stops were always accompanied by one of Patrick's creations, amazing. These breaks were usually taken in a hidden spot where we could view the animals and birds.

If you want to do something out of the ordinary, even if you don’t like camping, I would recommend doing this. It’s a fantastic experience.

Thank you Andrew and your team we had a fantastic time and loved every minute of it."

"We stayed here for two nights following our private mobile safari. The plane collected us from Moremi and we ended up going to Pom Pom camp because there had been rain the night before and Kanana Lodge runway was closed. From Pom Pom camp we thought we would be driven to Kanana but there was a helicopter waiting for us, so we felt very special. One of the staff met us at the Kanana runway and took us to the lodge. On arrival we were met by the rest of the staff with a welcome song. We entered the main building and one of the managers showed us around and told us what was on offer. We then had lunch, which was very tasty and three courses to choose from. Following that we went to our room, which was very spacious and comfortable. It had a lovely veranda with a view across the marsh, where there was an elephant munching at the greenery in the distance. There was a bit of a smell in the room and bathroom but once reported they soon sorted it out.

On our first night we had a private table, which was very romantic, although the other people staying there were good company at the other meal times. There is a turn down service which is usually done while you are out on your afternoon activity when they leave a decanter with sherry for you to enjoy before dinner. Prior to dinner everyone assembles around the fire pit and has drinks. We found this made it nice and sociable.

Our mobile safari guide in Moremi (Andrew) had managed this lodge previously and had told us to ask to get out on the water if we could, as that would be a good contrast to the land based stuff we had done with him. We therefore did both the mokoro and motor boat trip up to the Heronry. The very proficient mokoro poler (I have forgotten his name ? Chester) has been there for many years and he was very informative and always cheerful. The day we went to the Heronry the water was particularly low and the two guys had to get out and push the boats to get them through. One of the guys who was new got a bit scared as he spotted a baby croc on a rock ahead of him when he was in the water. Chester just laughed saying it wouldn’t hurt and its mother would not be around as she will have gone to deeper water until it got dark. Chester also pointed out the sitatunga antelope in the distance, then we saw one right next to us on the way back. I know these are quite elusive so we were lucky to see two.The heronry is amazing with so many birds there all nesting in the same trees and bushes, pelicans, marabou storks, herons, ibis and egrets. It was quite deafening with the young squawking to be fed. We also enjoyed the mokoro ride, which is very peaceful making it easier to get close to both birds and animals.

Bonolo our guide was very knowledgeable about both birds and animals. We saw a Pel’s fishing owl as well as a giant eagle owl. We also followed a pride of lions with cubs. On the second day we saw them stalking a red lechwe but it managed to escape when the male lion spooked it. We were lucky enough to have Bonolo to ourselves so we were able to concentrate on our interests. We also saw a white rhino too. While we were there we witnessed a sun halo, something that none of the staff had seen before. Pretty amazing.

We really enjoyed our stay at Kanana and I would definitely recommend it."