Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B. from Richmond
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
3
Lodges stayed in
18
Excursions taken
1
Amazing Southern African Safari
Namibia and 2 other countries between 31 Aug 2019 and 2 Oct 2019
If we are fortunate to plan another trip to Africa in the future, we will definitely consider Expert Africa again, as well as recommend them to others."
Arranged By Tom Morris
Hilltop Guesthouse (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Short, comfortable stay at Hilltop Guesthouse"
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Erongo Wilderness Lodge
"Unique experience at Erongo"
All in all a great stay"
Camp Kipwe
"Amazing Camp Kipwe"
The owner of the lodge was very accommodating and arranged a private tour for our group one morning to look for the desert elephants. This lodge has a beautiful small pool set into the rock hillside with a reasonable quantity of lounge chairs. It was recommended to us by our guide that we visit the Damaraland cultural living museum just a few kilometres from the lodge, and this was a great recommendation, being able to experience the life of a typical local Damaraland village. Our guide, "Taffy" who led us on the early morning activity to see the elephants, was a very knowledgeable and personable driver/guide.
Camp Kipwe was one of the overall highlights of our trip"
Mountain Lodge
"Great location at Mountain Lodge"
The main lodge has a very nice lounge and dining area, aswell as a small pool and Boma area. We weren't able to experience outside dining during our stay due to the prevailing high winds in the area. Food and service was of high standard. Unfortunately the internet service was unavailable due to some technical equipment problems, but a relatively minor inconvenience.
All the staff were very welcoming and accommodating, and treated us very well. Our guide and driver, "Rio" was amazing, finding lots of animals and spotting some rare ones on our night drive. Mountain Lodge was a great introduction to the Etosha area."
Halali Camp
"Halali Camp Review"
The services in the camp area were minimal.
Despite its shortcomings, the camp is, however, ideally located for an overnight stop in the central part of Etosha when driving between the eastern and western gates"
Mushara Bush Camp
"Overnight at Mushara"
We didn't do any activities here"
Okonjima Plains Camp
"Quite an experience at Okonjima Plains Camp"
The main attractions at Okonjima are the cheetah and leopards, which we hoped to see on our afternoon and morning drives. Our South African guide Jordi was passionate about the work done by Africat and he proved to be an amazing guide, expressing a personal relationship he had with the animals. He did, in fact, lead us to one of the leopards within an hour of starting to track it.
He provided us with clear and concise information about the work done by the foundation and the relationship it has with the country's farming community.
The meals were of very high standard and dining room service was excellent"
Spitzkoppen Lodge
"Amazing short stay at Spitzkoppen"
mountain on the edge of the Namib Desert in southern Damaraland. Most of the chalets are on stilts and offer spectacular views over the desert plain and mountains beyond. A unique boardwalk system connects the chalets to the main lodge and dining area, which is set part way up the hillside adjacent to the small pool, from where you can enjoy a sundowner and watch a great African sunset. The chalets are very well equipped and very comfortable, with a small deck overlooking the desert. One of the highlights of Spitzkoppen is simply its location and the setting of the chalets and other buildings among the rocky landscape. The other highlight was the morning excursion we took, with our very capable guide Anna, around the Spitzkoppen rock area, and seeing some examples of ancient rock paintings. The staff in the dining room were very friendly and accommodating and a group of ladies from Damaraland sang some traditional Damaraland songs after breakfast just before our departure."
The Delight
"A Delightful stay in Swakopmund"
The breakfast quality was good, although some of the made to order breakfast items were slow in being served and some were forgotten."
Hoodia Desert Lodge
"Spectacular setting for Hoodia Desert Lodge"
Food and service in the restaurant was very good, although as with many of the smaller Namibian lodges we stayed at, the choices for main courses at dinner were somewhat limited.. Not really a complaint, just an observation, and we did enjoy the vast majority of our meals at the lodges."
Hoodia Sossusvlei excursion
"Wonderful Sossusvlei Excursion"
15 Sep 2019 • All-day excursion
Lucas proved a good leader in our walk over the dunes to Deadvlei and he suggested the right level of activity for our group to get the most out of our visit
Towards the end of the trip we stopped for lunch in the desert at a shaded rest stop. Although it was enjoyable, it took a long time and personally would have preferred to have lunch back at the lodge and then have time in the afternoon to relax and enjoy the lodge's facilities, such as the pool. Transportation on the excursion was very comfortable.
Kanaan Desert Retreat
"Kanaan Desert Retreat overnight Stay"
Haus Sandrose
"Haus Sandrose Review"
The room was cool in the evening but a small portable heater was provided. The hotel has a small central courtyard. We didn't have much interaction with staff, but spoke with the manager who was very helpful in advising us of places to eat.
The main outside door to the hotel was locked on our arrival mid afternoon, but then we discovered that access could be gained through the adjoining hairdressing salon. ( Perhaps something to note for future guests)
Street parking was always available outside the hotel"
Hobas Lodge
"Disappointing stay at Hobas"
One positive note: we did get instant help with a flat tyre on our truck. A maintenance man, Stephen, did a great job changing a wheel for us and told us where to get the flat tyre repaired close by."
Quiver Inn (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Overnight at Quiver Inn"
There was a scheduled power cut around breakfast time so the owners had difficulty keeping things hot, as the breakfast area was outside and the weather was cold."
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Eningu Clayhouse
"Short night at Eningu"
The owner and staff were very welcoming and helpful, especially in making sure we were picked up on time early next morning for our transfer to the airport.They provided us with a phone if we needed to contact the operator in case of a delay.
Overall service was excellent and food at dinner was of a high standard"
Gorges Lodge
"Gorgeous Gorges Lodge"
The food was excellent and a highlight was the BBQ dinners served each night in the outdoor patio near the main lodge
Another highlight was the day excursion to Victoria Falls, as well as a visit to the Victoria Falls hotel and a boat trip on the Zambezi River. We were in the company of an excellent guide from the lodge, "Richman", who also gave us a very informed tour of some local neighbourhoods in Victoria Falls town
The lodge owners and staff were great and took a special interest in making sure you had a wonderful experience at Gorges."
Chobe Under Canvas
"A great experience at Chobe under Canvas"
A highlight of the day was having cocktails sitting around the campfire following the afternoon safari before dinner.
Our driver/guide for the safaris, "Tony", was very personable and did a great job in spotting all kinds of wildlife. With only 4 of us in the truck we had lots of space so it made things quite comfortable with plenty of room for cameras etc. Tony did not rush us when taking photos and always tried to manoeuvre the truck to get the best vantage point without disturbing the animals.
A highlight of the safari trips was the boat safari we took on the Chobe. It was an unexpected bonus ."
Splash Camp
"Splash Camp review"
The camp has an enthusiastic staff who are very capable at putting on various events, such as the Independence Day celebrations on our second day in camp.
Food and service was first rate, as were the facilities, including a beautiful small pool area
Our guide, "Mr. T", and spotter, "AT", were excellent on our safari drives and allowed us plenty of time for photo opportunities when needed. Highlights of the stay at Splash included an afternoon boat trip in the delta, viewing a pack of wild dogs, which is a rare sight, and an traditional evenings dinner and entertainment to celebrate Bostwana" independence"