Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs G from Cottenham
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
11
Excursions taken
1
Honeymoon Trip
Namibia and 1 other country between 16 Nov 2018 and 8 Dec 2018
Personally for us, once we had left Cape Town we were very eager to cross into Namibia. As such we would have been prepared to have driven longer distances to gain an extra day or two in Namibia (e.g. a one night stop half way between Cape Town and Canyon Lodge).
Overall, it was a brilliant itinerary. Tracy was in continuous contact and accommodated our request to be able to explore Kolmanskop. The Expert Africa team are clearly very knowledgeable and well connected, and went out of their way to ensure we could have an incredible honeymoon within the confines of our budget. The pack they sent to us was also very comprehensive (including a detailed road map), and we would recommend them to anyone wishing to explore Namibia (safe in the knowledge their team would be on hand if there were any issues).
Thank you to Tracy and all at Expert Africa - we had the trip of a lifetime and hope to return in the future!"
Arranged By Tracy Lederer

Vineyard Hotel
"Great place to start the trip"

Ndedema Lodge
"Great stop on way to Namibia"
We were very pleased with the restaurant recommendation of 'Michaels' for that evening, just up the road, which was probably one of the best meals we had on our whole trip.
The next day we explored the Cederberg Wilderness area, finishing up at the Cederberg winery for a quick tasting in the afternoon."

Annie's Cottage
"Pit stop before border crossing."
The owner was very friendly, and gave us a good recommendation for dinner in town.
We were able to head into Springbok the next morning for a few supplies before heading onto the border, after a good breakfast."

Canyon Lodge
"Amazing Lodge "
We did the short sunset walk on our first evening, where we enjoyed the spectacular scenery, and watched several Oryx in and around the Lodge. This was followed by a delicious meal.
The next morning we did the sunrise walk before breakfast, and then we drove ourselves to the Fish River Canyon.
We came back to the lodge for our afternoon game drive activity and sundowner drinks, before another great dinner. We particularly enjoyed this drive.
Jackson was our guide for all our our activities (just us and Jackson - no other guests), and he was great fun and very knowledgeable.
Just a note on wildlife - we were told that there were no giraffe or black rhino in the area as it was too dry. we also saw a black backed jackal catch a hare on the walk back to our room, which was really cool."

Oryx
7 sightings

Zebra
5 sightings

Eagle's Nest
"We wish we had stayed longer!"
For this reason we didn't arrive at our accommodation until that evening. We were given a very warm welcome, and had a great night's stay in the chalet. Unfortunately, after a great breakfast, we moved on to our next lodge, so didn't do any activities whilst here.
N.B on wildlife - informed there are no cheetah in this area. On the road from Aus to Luderitz we saw Ostrich,Oryx, a Jackel and wild horses. We also saw a scorpion whilst driving to our chalet in the headlights after dinner!"

Oryx
2 sightings

Hoodia Desert Lodge
"Great Lodge outside Sossusvlei"
We were given a very warm welcome, the main lodge was very comfortable and our room was great, especially the outside shower! All the food was delicious, and the staff were all very friendly and helpful."

Oryx
10+ sightings

Wildebeest
1 sighting

Zebra
8 sightings

Hoodia Sossusvlei excursion
"Desert Fun!"
27 Nov 2018 • All-day excursion
He drove us to a special location for some sundowner celebratory drinks and nibbles (for just us two). During the Sossusvlei excursion, he also managed to find a few dancing white lady spiders in their sandy dens whilst also explaining the geography of the area. He challenged us to climb (and run down) the 'big daddy' dune in an hour, which was great fun, if not slightly daunting at first!
We then had a fantastic lunch/picnic under some trees with Oryx and zebra in the distance, before returning to the lodge in the afternoon.
The accommodation was very smart and comfortable, and the food was excellent (again bearing in mind the location of the lodge - and the fact it hadn't rained there in 7 years).

Cornerstone Guesthouse
"Great place on the coast"
Peter is very friendly and helpful, and provides a hearty breakfast each morning. We were given great recommendations for restaurants and for excursions, all of which was organised for us by Rowena (I am not 100% sure we are remembering her name, but think it's Rowena!) She was extremely helpful and friendly, despite clearly being kept very busy by some other guests! We ate at the Tug, and then we also ate at the restaurant at the end of the pier the next night. Both were amazing, with excellent seafood and drinks.
We would also like to recommend Oryx Aluminium Canopies. We had rented our car from Bushlore - who we would also like to recommend, and had an issue with the toyota hilux rear hood cracking from bouncing around on the gravel roads. We were contacted within ten minutes of reporting the issue, and told to drop off the car there whilst we did our morning activity, and it was returned to us as good as new!"

Erongo Wilderness Lodge
"Great bird viewing"
There was slight confusion with staff discussing the access to Paula's Cave to see the rock art, as our road map showed we could drive to it ourselves (not possible), but this did not ditract from a great stay.
We did try to find it initially, before driving around other parts of the conservency, looking for the other rock art marked on the map. This was at the AiAiba lodge. We saw springbok and 3 groups of baboons!
We made it back for the sundowner excursion, which was very enjoyable and had fantastic views. On Saturday morning, we went on an early morning excursion with Bony. This was also great fun, and we saw more baboons.
We only wish we could have spent more time relaxing on our balcony taking in the fantastic vista (although it was extremely hot)!"

Ongava Lodge
"Amazing location next to Etosha"
On Sunday and Monday morning, we got up at 5.30am to breakfast and head out into Etosha again for opening at sunrise (6:15am). We were slightly disappointed that seemingly the breakfast was geared up for guests who were being driven into the parks for the 7am excursion (served from 6:30am-9am), and that we were only able to get food items after a kind member of staff felt sorry for us looking hungry!
As we were in Etosha for the afternoons, we were unable to go on the guided drive (afternoons only) in the Ongava Lodge reserve.
The watering hole at the lodge provided amazing viewing each evening, the hightlight being an altercation between a white rhino + baby, and a cantankerous black rhino, swiftly followed by a lioness with 6 cubs then being charged at by the same cranky black rhino!
We covered 1000Km from Saturday afteroon to Tuesday mid morning, and absolutely loved every minute we were in Etosha.
Another point of note was that our accomodation didn't have a fridge to store cold water, but this was available ftrom the dining area. There was restricted access to the accomodation in the evenings (requiring a member of staff to walk back with you), so guests just need to remember to fill up with water before heading back to their room in the evenings."

Black Rhino
2 sightings

Elephant
5 sightings

Giraffe
10+ sightings

Lion
4 sightings

Oryx
10+ sightings

Spotted Hyena
2 sightings

White Rhino
5 sightings

Wildebeest
10+ sightings

Zebra
10+ sightings

Okonjima Bush Camp
"Our Favourite Lodge"
We signed up for all the activities. Opari was our guide for the whole time (and Usha for the night activity to the hide out). Opari was absolutely hilarious, and extremely knowledgeable about all the conservation and activities that the foundation undertakes.
The first afternoon we went looking for leopards, and found two young brothers sleeping not far from each other. During the night activity we saw a porcupine and brown hyena (which seemed to know where we were headed) at the hide out.
The next morning, we took part in the cheetah walk. We tracked them for a little while before they decided to have a nap!
In the afternoon, we took part in the rhino tracking activity, but we asked if we could track leopards as well. We were extremely fortunate that we came across the rhino in the area where the biggest leopard also was active, so we were able to follow rhino on foot, and then track and eventually follow the leopard, which came right up to the jeep. All activities were incredible experiences.
The staff were extremely accomodating and friendly. We particularly enjoyed the educuational centre, rehabilitation centre and newsletters, learning about the foundation's research and medical provision for the animals. We are indebted to such reserves rescuing and protecting wild animals and making every effort to successfully rehabilitate them into the wild.
N.B - at the time of our visit, the wild dog pack had become too large for the reserve, so had been moved to an alternative location. Understandably, sightings of certain animals isn't guaranteed. The foundation are continually working hard to understand the balance of different animals in an ecosystem which is (currently) relatively small. We hope they continue to expand the site and the good work into the future."

Brown Hyena
2 sightings

Cheetah
2 sightings

Giraffe
3 sightings

Leopard
2 sightings

Oryx
10+ sightings

White Rhino
1 sighting

Wildebeest
3 sightings

Zebra
10+ sightings

Villa Violet
"Convenient last stop in Windhoek"
The staff were very friendly and were able to book a table at the restaurant of our choice. The rooms were clean and functional.
The night guard in particular was very friendly and welcoming."
The staff were very friendly and helpful, the buffet breakfasts enormous, and the gardens and setting are very picturesque."