Travel reviews by I and C from Worcester, UK

"Ai Aiba was a .. on our trip around Namibia about 3+hrs from Windhoek. The lodge was very comfortable and the staff welcoming and friendly. The local area is fascinating in respect of the scenery - the balancing rocks interspersed with variably vegetated valleys. Sunsets were especially lovely.

Food was excellent, our room very comfortable and the pool very welcome. Walking in the bush was excellent with great local birdlife and the chance to look at various nearby rock art sites. Our nature drive - a mixture of rock art and wildlife and flora - was first class."

"Whilst originally booked for Mountain Lodge, we were transferred to Safarihoek to consolidate bookings. Initially we were little wary of this prospect given some slightly lukewarm comments in respect of the decor and decoration at Safarihoek - however our stay was fantastic! Marvellous siting overlooking a vast plain with its own private waterhole, very comfortable, really good food and great staff. Our room was super comfortable with its own veranda with a slightly different view of the same water hole.

The area of the private reserve is vast with a common border with the Etosha National Park. The game fence is breached in several places and the there is free flow of animals in both directions. Our guide - Romon - was tremendously enthusiastic and knowledgable and went to amazing lengths to get us good sightings.

It is often said that March towards the end of the rainy season is not great for game - maybe its not so easy as the game disperses to use widely accessible seasonal water - but there is plenty to see and we were delighted."

"We really enjoyed our stay at Onguma Aoba - slightly older fashioned accomodation but very comfortable with an Out of Africa to it all. Again the staff were lovely, the food delicious and the ambience of the place really relaxing.

The onguma reserve is well worth a game drive - we did one with sundowners which was memorable including a leopard. The access to Etosha from Onguma for self drive trips is very good and we did one trip each day into Etosha itself which is truly amazing.

Overall we stayed 4 nights at Aoba - it was planned as a period of rest after a hectic previous week - and we could have stayed longer."

"Our last two days were spent at Okonjima - a very comfortable and well appointed lodge. Here the furnishings are very much african based with a very comfortable lapa area, pool and dining. Food was excellent and the staff very attentive and pleasant - although perhaps not quite so personable as elsewhere - its a slightly more formal sort of place. Our room was excellent, lighting perhaps a little subdued and towels a fraction limited - although probably had we asked they would have been produced.

Our guide John was quiet but very knowledgable and he showed us lots. The leopard tracking with telemetry was interesting and secured us two close sitings of different leopard. We also visted Africat and entered a couple fo the enclosures where cheetah are kept - the latter were beautifully maintained and plenty of space for the animals - but it did feel a fraction like a Safari park at home.

Our best outing was an evening game drive - plenty of time looking at the general wildlife, the birds and a chance encounbter with one of the leopards was lovely."