Travel reviews by I and C from Worcester, UK
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
3
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
12
Excursions taken
0
Our Zimbabwe Trip May 2025
Zimbabwe between 17 May 2025 and 26 May 2025
"We had a fantastic trip and also did a wider self driven journey from Harare , including Nyanga, Great Zimbabwe and Bulawayo. We absolutely loved it all!"
Arranged By Anton Walker
Big Cave Camp
"Big Cave Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
17 May 2025
"We loved Big Cave Camp. It's quiet but very comfortable with great rooms and views. Food is very good and the staff are lovely. We loved our rhino tracking trip and another trip into the main Matopos park to see Bambata cave and various of the significant rock formations. Game viewing was a little limited by extremely thick bush for this time of year but our guide Ntevesi constantly found botanical plants of interest and other things to to talk about including the history of the area and Matabeleland and the coming of the settlers."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Hippo
Many sightings
White Rhino
Many sightings
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
1 sighting
Khulu Bush Camp
"Khulu Bush Camp review"
4 nights
Arrived
20 May 2025
"Khulu Bush Camp has a fantastic situation overlooking a well frequented waterhole in the Dete Vlei. The ambience of the camp was excellent, staff lovely and we found everyone keen to ensure we were very well looked after. Our game viewing trips were hugely enhanced by our guide Caleb who had an encyclopaedic knowledge base. Food was excellent and overall we just loved it!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Cheetah
1 sighting
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
1 sighting
Hippo
Many sightings
Lion
Many sightings
Spotted Hyena
Many sightings
Wild dog
1 sighting
Zebra
Many sightings
Batonka Guest Lodge
"Batonka Guest Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
24 May 2025
"Batonka Lodge is a very comfortable lodge with easy access to the Falls and the town. Our room was very comfortable and well appointed. We had a garden view room which looks out to the back of the property. If you can afford it the pool view rooms have a much nicer outlook. Evening meals were excellent and well priced. We found it an excellent base to visit the Falls."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Elephant
1 sighting
Zebra
Many sightings
My May 2023 trip
Namibia between 6 May 2023 and 23 May 2023
"We love visiting Namibia - this is our 3rd trip and we are already talking about the next! Cant recommend it more highly."
Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo
Cornerstone Guesthouse
"Cornerstone Guesthouse review"
3 nights
Arrived
7 May 2023
"Cornerstone is a hospitable, well run and central venue whilst staying in Swakop. The rooms and general facilities are well run and staff are very helpful."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Cape Cross Lodge
"Cape Cross Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
10 May 2023
"Cape Cross Lodge is well run with an interesting museum. It is more of a small hotel than a small lodge with very friendly staff. When we were there, the coastal fog was a 24hr presence for the 2 nights we stayed; the associated cold temperatures were marked and whilst there are open fires in the main dining room/lounge the rest of the lodge is unheated including the bedrooms."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Grootberg Lodge
"Grootberg Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
12 May 2023
"Grootberg has an amazing view, comfortable rooms and lovely, lovely local staff. The value of the lodge to the local conservancy and population is palpable and a stay here may well give you a huge sense of a direct local benefit. The surrounding landscapes of Damaraland are amazing and well worth visiting."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Sightings report
Zebra
4 sightings
Mountain Lodge
"Mountain Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
15 May 2023
"Mountain Lodge is fantastic - marvellous staff, facilities, location and game viewing. The style of the lodge ismore traditional with a lot of use of varnished hard woods all tastefully complemented by good quality fixtures and fittings. The views from the main veranda and the individual rooms was lovely"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
2 sightings
Eland
4 sightings
Elephant
4 sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Oryx
10+ sightings
Sable antelope
1 sighting
White Rhino
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Onguma Forest Camp
"Onguma Forest Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
18 May 2023
"This is our second visit to Onguma Forest Camp (formerly Aoba) and it was just as good as previously. Lovely relaxing environment, great food and lovely staff."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Lion
3 sightings
Oryx
10+ sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
A Really Fantastic Two Week Trip
Namibia between 11 Mar 2022 and 23 Mar 2022
"We so so enjoyed our 2 weeks in Namibia - so exciting and filled with new experiences.
We previously had had one week in the south of Namibia and have visited South Africa and Zimbabwe on many previous occasions so our enjoyment was not down to the novelty factor - it just was one of the best fortnights we have had travelling ever!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Nothing specific - just keep it up.
You are clearly a learning organisation striving for excellence and already demonstrating this. Thank you!"
We previously had had one week in the south of Namibia and have visited South Africa and Zimbabwe on many previous occasions so our enjoyment was not down to the novelty factor - it just was one of the best fortnights we have had travelling ever!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Nothing specific - just keep it up.
You are clearly a learning organisation striving for excellence and already demonstrating this. Thank you!"
Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo
Ai Aiba Lodge
"Ai Aiba Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
11 Mar 2022
"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."
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."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Giraffe
Many sightings
Oryx
Many sightings
Safarihoek Lodge
"Safarihoek, Etosha Heights"
3 nights
Arrived
14 Mar 2022
"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."
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."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
Many sightings
Eland
2 sightings
Elephant
2 sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Oryx
10+ sightings
Sable antelope
1 sighting
White Rhino
2 sightings
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Onguma Forest Camp
"Onguma Etosha Aoba review"
4 nights
Arrived
17 Mar 2022
"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."
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."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Black Rhino
1 sighting
Cheetah
2 sightings
Elephant
6 sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
1 sighting
Oryx
7 sightings
White Rhino
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
Okonjima Bush Camp
"Okonjima Bush Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
21 Mar 2022
"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."
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."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Cheetah
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Leopard
Many sightings
Oryx
Many sightings
White Rhino
Many sightings
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
