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Email Jan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It has been a really amazing trip.
Everything has been amazing! The country is un-contaminated and beautiful. People are very friendly. We, me and my 3 daugthers have been driving 3300 km from which 2100 on unpaved roads in 15 days. If you are an experienced driver and you do not have any rpoblem to drive 4 or 5 hours at the time, it is recommended to drive on your own. We did Kalahari, Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Brandberg, Etosha South, Etosha East, Cheetah view logde Waterberg region, Okonjima nature reserve, Windhoek. We stayed for 14 nights in Namibia and this is the minimum you need. The best lodges we stayed at were Sossusvlei logdes, Mokuti (amazing) Okonjima plains camp. Food is excellent if you are not a vegetarian.
Our trip was organised by Five Stars Tours and Safaris, by Mandy. You do no have to look any further!!! Everthing was perfect and there were many positive surprises, like kayaking witht the seals Furthermore Mandy will prepare you a very competive offfer without making any compromise on the best locations and lodges available. My opinion is that in four people we have safed at least € 3.000 to € 4.000, compared with other big travel organisations, from which I received quotations. The car rental company was Namib's Roos Car Rental. We had the best possible car Toyota 4x4 Hilux DC 2.4 TD. (do not safe money on the car and insurances!) Also the guys were amazing and should be definitly recommended. Full explanation about the car, gas stations, tyre pressure change etc. One last remark. Namibia is very poor. You can drive tens of km without meeting anybody, just some men or kids with goats. When you stop to ask them if they need something, they just ask for water!!! (not for water) Please bring a lot of bottles of water and distribute them when you meet these poor people in the desert!!
EE
Email Marit | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of a lifetime
Namibia felt very safe. Driving was easy (despite being on the wrong side of the road for us). Internet coverage is poor outside of population centres or lodges; make sure you have downloaded offline maps beforehand. People were very friendly, and the staff everywhere spoke excellent English and were helpful and knowledgeable about local attractions. Do take your time in Etosha NP. We spent two full days there, and that definitely wasn't enough. Still, throughout Namibia, we saw more wildlife every day than normally in a year in Estonia.
CA
Email John Cosco | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namibia is a country of natural beauty and beautiful, friendly people
I loved my trip to Namibia, from the ease of my arrival at the airport to getting my 4x4 car rental and then driving on the other side of the road, everything went well for me. I felt very safe. I planned a 4-day self-drive trip to Sossusvlei. It was magical with wonderful sunny days and cool nights with big starry skies. I stayed the first night at Little Sossus Lodge and the next two at Sossus Dune Lodge because it was located inside the park gates; this way I could access the park before sunrise and an hour after sunset providing me with enough time for some great photo opportunities at Deadvlei or climbing dunes. The staff at the lodges, the park staff, and the locals I met along the way were all very nice and made me feel welcome. I liked the independence of driving on my own. There were plenty of wildlife viewing opportunities along the road as well. Next, I booked a 4-day safari to Etosha leaving from Windhoek with a pickup and drop off at my hotel. What a great trip. I had a personal driver to take me to Etosha and look after everything while I was there. Etosha was a mix of sitting by a water hole and game driving. The amount and diversity of wildlife around the waterhole were incredible, I particularly liked it when a herd of elephants or rhinos would visit. That was it, short but sweet.
I look forward to my next trip to explore more of Namibia with my friends.
GR
Email Tzino Bentai | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable memories
Our company chose Safari Bookings with Lark Journeys to organize our 16-day self-drive safari. I highly recommend Namibia as a travel destination. The overall experience, natural beauty, wildlife, local culture, and accommodations were all exceptional.
I captured remarkable photographs and encountered extraordinary desert-adapted animals.
Claire and Gregory from Lark Journeys provided invaluable assistance and expertise throughout the planning and execution of our safari.
Email Roger | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A country of beautiful diversity
A ten day trip by scheduled light aircraft visiting Sossusvlei, Swakopmund, Damaraland and Etosha (south). To see the landscape from the air was awesome each leg taking about an hour. The accommodation, food and service were excellent throughout. It was the combination of wildlife viewing, scenery, people (both indigenous and other visitors) and culture which made the holiday so memorable. Visited in June : cloudless skies, pleasant temperatures, lack of crowds. Good value as well.
Email Denise Driemeyer | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Kilometers of nothing and yet it's own beauty and surprises waiting for you.
We had an awesome trip. We can't say it happened just around the next corner because the roads are so straight. Yet everything was there to see. Traveling up from Windhoek to Etosha and staying in star rated lodges with excellent food and scenery, was worth the long drives. As everything was pre-booked by Secret Namibia we didn't have the hassle of finding accommodation or searching on a map for the destination as it was all set out in the itinerary. Even though it was incredibly dry there was still a beauty about the country. We'll definitely be back to see the southern areas. We'll definitely pre-book and pre pay as well. Make a booking at Joe's Beer Garden in Windhoek!
FR
Email Alassane | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impossible
The organization of this trip was perfect !
Big thanks to our "safari leaders" Chimonia and Bronihel !!! Perfect Duo !
About Namibia : Amazing wildlife and landscapes, from the beginning to the end. A new surprise every 30 minutes ! It will remain in my retinas, in my memory and in my mind for life...
Weather and Safety absolutely perfect !
Sceneries ? Unbelievable !
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Email Niki | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful amazing NAMIBIA
Really phantastic trip in Namibia. We loved it so much
PL
Email Andrzej i Beata | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A unique, picturesque country that allows for intense contact with nature and calming relaxation.
In two weeks we drove 4200 kilometers, and on each of them we experienced a great adventure. Kalahari, Fish River Canyon, Skeleton coast, Namib desert delighted with their difference from anything we have seen so far. The last days in Etosha and in the highlands allowed us to experience unique contact with animals, which was a new and revealing experience for us. Lilly from Great Explorations Namibia planned our route perfectly, and each of the hotels, lodges and guesthouses allowed for a unique rest in wonderful places with great service.
Email Pauline Ryan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namibia has some of the best and varied scenery and Etosha had amazing wildlife
After a luxury, customised Safari across Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, we did a 19-day self-drive Safari around Namibia. All of this was organised through Wayfairer Travel, who were fabulous. They also worked inside Namibia with ATI Travel who organised the car rental, customised map and navigation directions for us. All of this worked really well.
We drove around the bulk of Namibia in a clockwise direction starting from Windhoek. We chose mostly luxury accommodation and we can recommend the following (with occasional relevant comments):
Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge Tented Chalet was the most beautifully appointed place we stayed at in all of Africa. No expense had been spared here. The attention to detail was extraordinary and the facilities were extensive; including a pool, huge, luxurious bar and dining areas (indoor and out). All chalets look out over waterholes and feed areas for the animals that come in for this. (Don’t stay only one night)
Fish River Lodge Chalet is situated on the very edge of the massive canyon which gives you an extraordinary view of it. (It is however, an extremely long drive over some rough gravel and sandy roads to get there. The optional activity of driving around the canyon is actually a day trip to the bottom of the canyon, and is not worth the price or the five hours of discomfort to get there).
Klein Aus Vista is hard to find, but the pool area and relaxation areas around and overlooking it were terrific; and great for sunset watching. (The rooms next to this may be okay, but the Eagle's Nests Chalets we stayed in were almost 9kms of gravel road away from the above amenities, and they are built almost directly under a cliff face of massive boulders that have obviously rolled down from above at some time in the past, and will logically continue to do this again at some point. The cabins are also almost side by side, so you can’t enjoy the isolation you might expect that far out. Unless you like climbing large rocky hills, I don’t see the point of these remote and very basic chalets).
Desert Hills Lodge Chalet near Sossusvlei is an amazing architectural feat. The chalets and huge main buildings have the most beautiful thatched roofs, and there is a large pool area and extensive dining deck; all with an expansive view overlooking a huge, beautiful, vast and rocky desert area. Each chalet has a private and uninterrupted view of this.
Okaukuejo Camp is conveniently located well inside west Etosha National Park. Whilst the cabins are not by any means luxury accommodation, staying in the chalets right beside the waterhole meant that you were immersed at any time of day or night in the experience of almost every type of animal up close and personal.
Mushara Bush Camp Tent near east Etosha National Park was very nice and quiet, and it had a pool, and a beautifully designed lobby, bar and dining area. Unlike Okaukuejo Camp, it is just a little way out from the park though, so you need drive about half an hour to get to any of the waterholes.
Ai-Aiba Rock Painting Lodge Chalets are beautiful and cleverly built. The chalets and huge main building have beautiful thatched roofs, and there is a pool area and an extensive glassed-in dining area; all with an expansive view towards the Erongo Mountains. Each chalet has a private and uninterrupted view of this.
There is however, about 48 kms of winding, hilly, gravel road just to get there from the main highway, so unless you love climbing around rocky outcrops and intend to stay at least two nights, I don’t know that it is worth it.
Also the chalets here are also built almost directly under a cliff face of massive boulders that have obviously rolled down from above at some time in the past, and will logically continue to do this again at some point)
Activities that I can recommend include:
Climbing to the top of Big Daddy sand dune near Sossusvlei (be aware it is too tough for some)
Lie-down sand boarding down huge sand dunes (at speeds up to 70 kph) at Swakopmund
Most of the highways in Namibia are very good. The bitumen roads can legally be driven on at up to 120 kph, but most of them have no dividers between each side of the road, so some may prefer to drive at lesser speeds.
There are some very long stretches of gravel roads which are mostly being constantly graded, but it can be tiring watching almost every section of road for potholes, small ditches or loose edges.
Regardless of the road types, much of the scenery is just stunning in terms of geology, mountains, gorges, desert area and changes in vegetation. Depending on where you are, there is often a lot of wildlife to see along the way.
The weather was perfect the whole way around, and we felt quite safe everywhere; even at night. Of course, there are some national parks where you cannot wander around at night, due to the proximity of wildlife.
The country had been suffering from drought for some time before we arrived, but we still saw quite a lot of animals around. Many waterholes are fed by water 24/7 from boreholes, and some lodges bring in feed for the animals. Etosha was by far the best location for large herds of elephants, zebra and wildebeest, and we saw many giraffes and a few rhinos. We even saw cheetahs here, and we hadn’t seen these anywhere else.
Swakopmund and Okaukuejo at west Etosha were the best places we found for some great souvenirs.
