Travel reviews by D&L from New Zealand

"This was a great place to start our Namibia trip. The room was very clean and comfortable, the staff were all very friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was delicious. It was only a 7 minute drive to Joe's Beerhouse, which is a quaint place to have lunch or dinner. Would highly recommend!"

"This was a great stay and not too far a drive from Windhoek. The room was gorgeous and faced out to the savannah and watering hole. The sundowner game drive was worth doing. The guide was so knowledgeable and she was passionate about the animals - she said this was her dream job and it showed. In one night, we saw eland, oryx, wildebeest, zebra, springbok, ostriches, kudu, weaver bird nests and marabou storks. The meals were fine and the pool was a little aged, but overall it was an amazing stay."

"Wow. We loved it! The staff were all super friendly and lovely. The food was absolutely top notch. Delicious and inventive. The rooms were beautiful and unique and spaced for privacy. We did the Sossuvlei Excursion with them and that was truly an experience. Beautiful scenery and lunch in the shade. Paulus took us to some sand dunes and showed us tracks and animals that we never would have seen otherwise. A crazy 4 wheel drive to Dead Vlei. Glad we had an expert driver behind the wheel. The hike along the dunes in the heat was doable but challenging. When we finished, Paulus gave us ice cold drinks and wash cloths, which was appreciated. The pool at Hoodia is crystal clear and was a welcome treat after the hike! Couldn't recommend it enough."

"What a beautiful location and gardens. We loved the bougainvillea, the outlook over the valley, and the infinity pool with gardens. The resident meerkats were so much fun to watch. Delicious food; really inventive meals that were expertly prepared. Great hospitality, friendly staff, comfortable beds. Would highly recommend to include this oasis on your Namibian holiday!"

"Enjoyed our stay here very much. Comfortable bed, nice shower, mini bar and tea/coffee facilities. Lovely outdoor seating with all the birds! Great location.. Easy to walk to the beach and town. Bonus with the secure parking and super helpful staff. Breakfast was great and we loved that they had a menu for the hot breakfast that was more extensive than most. Would definitely recommend!"

"Wow! What a stunning location! The chalets were nicely appointed and we sure appreciated that they had a big fan. Awesome charging facilities and great deck facing West to the sunset. The pool is stunning.. Set into the rock (we liked to call it the Human Watering Hole). Lovely staff and food. While we enjoyed the sundowner game drive, it felt like the Guides were less than helpful for those who were slower walkers or couldn't spot the wildlife right away.
Still enjoyed our stay and the golf cart rides over the hill. Would highly recommend."

"This was a great camp in so many ways. The room was nicely appointed and we loved that it had a desk and chair. The staff were so friendly, especially Sydney, Roberto and Peter the Guide. Food and drinks were great. Really above and beyond, we especially loved the lunch after the morning game drive. The game drive to see the desert elephants was outstanding! Great skill and knowledge shown by our guide. He took the time to make sure everyone understood what we were looking at (great for people who didn't speak much English).
The rooms were hot in the afternoon but there was a pool and the temperature dropped nicely at night. Would highly recommend!"

"Going in, we knew this probably wasn't going to be our best stay in Namibia, but we wanted to stay in the park and Halali is conveniently located in the middle. The room facilities were disappointing (2 bed Bush Chalet) as it only had a kettle, 2 plates, limited cutlery, and a fridge. Not even bowls and when we asked for 2 bowls we had to leave $100 NAD deposit. The two chairs in the lounge were not anything we would sit in, we used the 2x plastic chairs from outside. It didn't feel very clean inside and we had to wash all the dishes and cutlery before using them. The pool looked really gross so we did not swim in it. Not sure whose responsibility this is, but the roads in and around Halali were noticeably worse than in other areas of Etosha. If you stay for one night, it is probably OK.. 2x was too much. We didn't see much at the watering hole, but may not have stayed late enough. The camp store is very limited. On a good note, the air conditioning in the room was good and breakfast was okay."

"Really lovely stay here. The chalet was nice and had everything we needed. The pool was clean and refreshing after a morning game drive. The food from the restaurant was really good and we enjoyed the beautifully lit Bbq under the stars. We did find that the evening staff were all very nice and friendly but the breakfast staff was a bit different experience. The game drive we booked with them was exciting and fast-paced, and we saw heaps of animals including a cheetah, hyena, white rhino, a leopard chasing a hyena who stole his springbok. Would highly recommend!"

"We really enjoyed our stay at Ondudu. The tented chalet was very well appointed, including air con and a giant bed. Amazing views of the rock formations from the large back deck and outdoor bathroom. We enjoyed a great drink overlooking the mountains and valley, watching the sunset with the baboons. Dinner was very good and we saw porcupines visiting the water hole. Lots of rock dassies in the morning. Great stop on our way back to Windhoek, would recommend if you like beautiful landscapes and hikes."

"Pretty easy to find, good access for driving to the airport. We got to pick which room we wanted and it was very spacious and comfortable, with a deck outside overlooking the stables. Strange that the shower was in the bedroom, not the bathroom but we still liked the room. The host was lovely and came in early the next day to have breakfast ready before we left for our flight. Would recommend for a great overnight that is relatively close to the airport."

"We had a good stay for 2 nights at Pioneer Lodge. The room was nice, the grounds were lovely and the breakfast was really good. Sharon, who checked us in was very helpful throughout our stay. The pools were clean, though we had to sort out finding dry towels from the lower pool and clearing ourselves some chairs. I was very unhappy to find one of the house keeping guys trying to enter the room without knocking or checking to see if the room was occupied first. Not OK and very strange."

"It was full on from the moment we arrived (late due to delays at the border with other people in our transport). We were starving when we got there and were happy that they had some afternoon nibbles for us before we headed out on the afternoon game drive. Saw heaps of animals and got back to camp just in time for dinner. Then we were up at 5:30 the next morning for a full day safari AND a long boat ride, getting back to camp with a very short break before dinner. From the brief time we spent in the room, it comfortably met our needs for sleeping and showering. The dinners were good, but the assigned seating was a bit strange. Our guide was very knowledgeable and did a great job at finding lots of game, including a couple of different lions. We were a little saddened by the jockeying for position with all the different drivers when a leopard was walking along - it felt like being paparazzi and not very natural for the animal. Overall, a really good stay, but would have liked a little more input on the program and how we approached the animals."

"Beautiful camp and grounds. They even have their own resident hippo named Oscar and we were so lucky to see a Pels fishing owl in the tree next to the restaurant. The accommodation was lovely. Huge bathroom with lots of space and a big bench to put things on. We saw heaps of animals here. While very knowledgeable about the animals, our guide was quite introverted on the land game drives. When he took us on the boat, he was clearly in his element and showed us all kinds of interesting things. He kindly made a special effort to find the animals/birds we were interested in. We really enjoyed the break between the morning and afternoon activities! The siesta gave us time to rest before afternoon tea and the next activity. It was a great stay, we learned a lot and saw tons and tons of different animals."

"We stayed here for 3 nights and WOW, what an experience. The lodge itself was comfortable and had great views over the plains where herds of elephant, giraffe, and zebra would go by during the day to visit the larger watering holes. Within a short radius of, and even on, the lodge grounds were all kinds of animals, including baboon, cape buffalo, kudu, wild dogs, leopards and lions. Our game drives included a guide and tracker, and we were excited to be shown what they were looking at, how they could estimate when an animal passed by, and what direction they were headed. We found so many different animals, birds and lizards during our game drives, and drove 'through' and to some really interesting areas. Our guide made a real effort to find the animals that we specifically wanted to see and it was lovely that when we spotted a group of lions or cheetah, there were only a couple of other jeeps that would come to the location and they would politely alter positions so everyone would get a good view. The lodge had family dining, so we could mix with the other patrons and guides during meals, and we loved the 'siesta' so you have a nice rest between game drives. For the dinners, we found the soup to be excellent, but the other parts of the meal were just ok for us. The room was really nice and comfortable, with desk, chairs and a lovely outdoor deck where we got to see the same owlet for 2 days in a row. We would have liked a bolt on the inside for nighttime (you bolted it from the outside when you left?). Overall, an amazing stay in a great area of the Okavanga Delta."