Reviews

Most Inspirational Moment

There were so many highlights it is difficult to single out any one element, but I suppose our stay in Etosha National Park must rank with any wildlife experience I have ever had. Watching lions mate whilst springbok leapt in the background, being charged by an angry bull elephant, and seeing a family of cheetah stalk their prey, will stay in my memory for ever.

Thoughts on Group Leader

I must thank our two local guides on the trip, as without them we would not have seen half the wonders we did. They were knowledgeable, helpful and unfailingly cheerful, which made our visit so much more enjoyable.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We booked a flight over the Skeleton Coast when we were staying in Swakopmund and this was a wonderful way to see the landscape from a different perspective. I would mention however that if you are my height or taller (I am 1m 80), then the leg room on the plane is not generous and you are in the air for over two hours. Also, I would recommend taking a small compact camera with a good zoom, as my DSLR with a bulky zoom lens was much too cumbersome.

Most Inspirational Moment

The wildlife viewings were fantastic, especially the leopard and bull elephant we saw next to our vehicle. We were extremely lucky; it was as if the leopard was posing just for us. These animals are generally very solitary and evasive and seeing one so up close was just incredible.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Rooney our group leader was superb; his driving skills and knowledge of Namibia were incredible. How he spotted some of the wildlife from the distance, I will never know. His two deputies, Jonas and Ruben, were also very hard-working gentlemen who looked after the twelve of us very well from dawn to dusk. They were very efficient in setting up and dismantling our tents, loading and unloading our vehicle and their cooking skills were great. What a great team to look after us!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Travelling across this large country was very comfortable and safe; and both the tarmac and dirt roads were in excellent condition. The townships and campsites were very clean and the people were very friendly. I would just recommend bringing a good sleeping bag - and an excellent camera for the beautiful landscape and wildlife on show!

Suggestions

To date, I have visited nine African countries and this trip to Namibia is easily number one. What a beautiful country, what a great adventure! Definitely a five star trip for me!

Most Inspirational Moment

Etosha was the highlight together with the wildlife that came to visit,including hearing a lion roar by night. Dune 45 and the petrified acacias were also great.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was approachable & friendly but occasionally overloaded us with too much info,for too many days ahead. Would have been nice if he had been a little more informative at times on the flora & fauna. Happy and Nathaniel made amazing food,especially 'Happy Bread'.They were amazingly helpful when early rains caused flooded tents but it all added to the experience!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take something warm,as in layers for the early mornings on the truck and game drives in the early eve. In December I used just a sleeping bag liner for half the trip as was so warm at night but did use my sleeping bag. It's possible to buy cheap sleeping bags in Windhoek as one of our group did. Take a neck scarf to place over your nose and mouth when climbing Dune 45 & very useful if you encounter a sandstorm! Do the plane ride over the Skeleton Coast. Take a dark coloured travel bag as the red sand gets everywhere.

Suggestions

Just go and enjoy the trip! It's a shame a balloon ride over the dunes & / or skeleton coast wasn't available. Be careful as we weren't given the up to date prices for some of the optional extra's. Make sure you check as it may cost more than listed.

Most Inspirational Moment

Being at dune 45 at sunrise and the great breakfast afterwards. Seeing cheetah in Etosha. Visiting the cheetah conservation project. Staying at the campsite with no electricity, just wonderful to be in the middle of nowhere, just our group, unforgettable.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney did a good job but having to drive all day is clearly arduous. He did his best to make the journeys as easy as possible. He constantly reminded us about sunscreen, water etc. We would have liked a bit more info at times and it was hard to ask questions along the way. When the opportunities arose, he showed that he is knowledgeable and caring. He was kind towards us and to others and was a great guide when we were in Etosha.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Others have written about the long days and there is no getting away from this. Two days in particular are long and uncomfortable and the fact that these are back to back doesn't help. The big plus of this trip is the fact that you visit the dunes in the south and have 3 nights in Etosha. We bought pillows on our first shopping stop after leaving Windhoek, well worth it.

Suggestions

We were uncomfortable about the visit to the Himba people and after the introduction, 3 of us opted out. It all felt very artificial, one of the young women had an iPhone and we were informed of a minimum fixed price if we wanted the women to dance for us. Not the experience we had hoped for. The phrase " human zoo " came to mind.

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing wild cheetahs, mother and two cubs, giraffes, elephants, a leopard, great bird watching with a really good guide (Ronney). Making it up Dune 45 for the sunrise - not as easy as I thought it would be. Lots of other great moments too.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was great. Very organised, incredibly knowledgeable, very patient with all my questions and made sure everything went as smoothly as he could. Our cook Jonas, supported by Reuben, prepared some great meals too.

Advice for Potential Travellers

We went in September. No need for a mosquito net, but definitely needed a warm fleece and a windproof and a 3 season sleeping bag. Daytime though, a sleeveless t shirt and shorts were enough. Campsite facilities were good, better than East Africa I'm told. Be prepared for a couple of long driving days - up the Skeleton Coast for example - but there were photo stops and the odd coffee stop too. Back roads were not quite as good as I had been led to believe.

Suggestions

A beautiful country and not busy. Plenty of open roads and uncrowded viewing at waterholes. Overall a great experience

Most Inspirational Moment

The highlights of the trip for me were Etosha National Park, Carnivore Cheetah reserve and climbing Dune 45. The first camp in Etosha had a fabulous watering hole which attracted a variety of animals. It was very addictive watching the coming and goings of the animals!! At the Cheetah reserve we managed to get within a distance of 20ft from the Cheetahs what a fabulous experience.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Our group leader was Ronney, he was a very experienced guide and full of enthusiasm. The cook Jonah prepared a variety of great food for every meal and of course not to forget Ruben who erected/dismantled our tents every time we moved to another site. All great guys. Jonah even managed to cook a lovely meal one evening during a thunder storm on the Waterburg Plateau.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Take high factor sun cream and even higher factor for face and neck. I only took South African Rand as it is widely accepted in Namibia. If you are a vegetarian then there is not much choice on the menu when eating out. Bring some mixed nuts/seeds as I did. The electricity is unique to Sth Africa/Namibia but our truck had a variety of extension leads including once with an English plug. I'd no problems charging batteries/phone.

Suggestions

I was very impressed by Namibia. Campers are certainly very well catered for. Almost all of the camp sites had hot water, flush toilets, toilet rolls and even public toilets on the whole were very clean. Supermarkets were well stocked. The night game in Etosha was fab as the moon was shining and we saw a lot of drama at one watering hole. It is definitely the place to buy tanzanite jewellery. Hiking boots are not a necessity; a pair of trainers & a pair of sandals are all the foot ware you need. I took a 3/4 season sleeping bag and most nights ended up sleeping in the liner instead. A couple of evenings did need to wear a fleece. If planning on taking a Dolphin cruise out of Walvis Bay wrap up well as it is freezing!! It was a fabulous trip and enjoyed every minute of it. Don't hesitate - go for it!!

Most Inspirational Moment

So many great moments; watching the sunrise over Dune 45 was brilliant and watching several beautiful sunsets. I also enjoyed sitting at the waterhole in Etosha (day and night) and watching to animals come and go, a chance to watch real animal behaviour. Also camping was fun, the campsites we stayed at had modern facilities and added to the adventure

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was brilliant, he wasn't feeling well but that didn't prevent him offering a great service. Along with Shane and Jonas he made us all welcome and helped us relax. Nothing was too much trouble for the guys and that made the camping enjoyable. Jonas prepared some fantastic food over the campfire, one meal sticks out; butternut squash soup and freshly made bread followed by marinated pork. So yummy!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Book it! I think Namibia is very underrated but there is so much to see and do. There were no issues for safety and Nambians are very friendly and welcoming. It is very cheap but at no loss to quality, we had some lovely meals out.

Most Inspirational Moment

We enjoyed the whole experience but here are some of our 'highlights': bonding with the group around the camp fire hiking up Dune 45 and watching the sunrise getting really close to Cheetahs at the conservation project at Solitaire getting really close to seals (sharing a boat!) and dolphins on the boat trip from Swakopmund seeing rhinos and elephants around the waterhole in Etosha

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was great! He was very ably assisted by Shane and Jonas and nothing was too much trouble for any of them. They worked extremely hard. They answered our questions with a smile no matter how stupid the questions were nor if it was the third time they had been asked! The food was truly exceptional - Jonas even cooked bread and cake over the camp fire!

Advice for Potential Travellers

We would recommend the camping trip as it means you bond more with the group - sitting around a camp fire in the dark with the stars spread above is truly magical. It gets really dark very quickly so take a head torch! Scrabbling about in a tent in the dark holding an ordinary torch is not easy! All the facilities at the camp sites were very clean and functional. There were always flushing toilets and hot showers so even though it is not glamping it is hardly roughing it either.

Suggestions

We had an absolutely wonderful time and would highly recommend this trip.

Most Inspirational Moment

There are many...running down Dune 45, the cliche of watching the sun setting, seeing a Leopard for the first time, watching Elephants and Rhinos at the waterhole, being face to face with a Cheetah with no fence in between, even sitting next to a wild Seal that jumps aboard the boat in Swakopmund.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Ronney was fantastic, he couldn't do enough for us and was superbly organised as well as laid back and flexible, you could almost believe he was seeing these places for the first time like us. The whole team of Ronny, Shane and Jonas were superb and we were all blown away by the quality of the food...how he prepared all that variety on a camp fire is a mystery to me!

Advice for Potential Travellers

Just go! I wondered if I over packed by including a rain coat and fleece but they were needed on the coast especially on the Seal/Dolphin cruise (which although not the most adrenalin fuelled activity is superb and well worth doing). You get a chance to do laundry in Swakopmund and it's relatively cheap. All the camp sites (as well as the truck) have charging points, I bought a three pin (round) adapter at Heathrow for about £10. I took my Keffiyeh scarf and it was ideal for walks in the desert sand as it was extremely hot and when the wind picks up the sand really does blow!

Suggestions

On the second camp (day three on the trips notes) we had a last minute option to join a Cheetah drive. 8 of us managed to get on it and it was superb, you drive to a large fenced conservation area with an expert guide. Once they've detected the Cheetahs you get off and walk through the grass and find yourself face to face with these magnificent animals. I guess timing worked for us but if it's possible to do it then I really recommend it. This is a fantastic trip I'd happily do again! The waterholes in Etosha are just like climbing through your TV screen on one of those BBC docs. It's an amazing country with so much variety and much easier to travel in than other sub Saharan countries. The game drives are much quieter than other places and you can spend hours on the road before encoutering other people. There were far fewer mosquitoes than I was expecting too!!

Most Inspirational Moment

Sitting quietly on the sand at Deadvlei. Watching the interaction of the various wildlife at Etosha water holes, constantly changing sightings, much of it fairly close up. Seeing the sun set behind the distant mountains from the Wesrand Camp.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Sven - couldn't have had a better leader! Vast experience, knowledgeable, polite, happy to answer all questions. Good driver, kept to times stated.

Advice for Potential Travellers

Cold at night in August but the mattress is thick and comfortable, take a warm sleeping bag. Cool until 9am - long trousers and a fleece, then shorts and shirt until 5pm ish.

Suggestions

The truck is comfortable even on the longer journeys. Good, clean washrooms at all the campsites we used, including hot water and loo roll! The water is fine to drink, no need to buy bottled water. There's a big coolbox on board to store any other refreshments you care to puchase (at sensible prices) at provision stops. If you are still not sure about going - go for it. It was my 70th birthday treat (from me) and one of my best trips yet!