Our Office
Blue Crane Safaris Namibia
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- NTB & TOSCO
- Tour Types:
- Mid-range & luxury tours with set start dates and a fixed itinerary
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $83 to $1,105 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
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If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Laurie McAndish King | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
One of our best travel experiences ever!
I am so happy to enthusiastically recommend Blue Crane Safaris! From our initial emails with Derek, who helped us plan the perfect tour for our group of 5, to the trip itself, with our amazing guide Me-Gusto, the folks at Blue Crane went above and beyond to make this a remarkable visit. I'm a travel writer, and have traveled extensively around the world—this was absolutely a first-class experience. Me-Gusto was wonderful company, and taught us about Namibia's natural history, wildlife, botany, culture, history, and geology. He got us to the right place at the right time for amazing photos, and took into account the individual interests and abilities of everyone in our group.
US
Email Adam B | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Family-friendly trip of a lifetime with Blue Crane!
It's hard to know where to start but Blue Crane Safari consistently went above and beyond to help my family (me, my wife, and two young daughters) have a trip through southern Africa that far exceeded our (already very high!) expectations! From the initial planning phase, Jamie was super responsive, answered all our questions, made suggestions based on our interests, and helped us to secure bookings that seemed impossible to get from here in the US. She put together an itinerary through Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe that hit all the main highlights we wanted to see, and included a mix of kid-friendly activities. The amazing thing about the itinerary was that for 18 days, it never felt redundant. Every day built on things we had previously learned and then provided new experiences.
Me-Gusto, our guide, was phenomenal. His breadth of knowledge about flora, fauna, geology, astronomy, culture and history were incredible. He was funny, entertaining, polite, and he did everything possible to keep our kids comfortable and safe along the way.
I'd been looking forward to taking a trip like this with my family for as long as I can remember. The cost and time it takes to get to and experience southern Africa from the US really made us think of it as a once-in-a-lifetime trip so we wanted to make sure we did it right, and I couldn't have been happier with how it all turned out!
US
Email Tom H | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
BLUECRANE IS EXCELLENT IN ALL RESPECTS!
Bluecrane was great in all aspects of my two weeks in Namibia - Markus my guide was outstanding, the hotels, perfect, great food and an exceptional visit to Etosha National Park - actually saw two sets of lions and a set of leopards mating, black rhinos, an aardvark and more. I have been to over 150 countries and this was one of my best trips!
CA
Email Susan Pairaudeau | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A fantastic trip that far exceeded our expectations.
We were a group of six, myself and my husband in our mid 70s, our daughter and husband in their late 40s (who live in another country) and their children, a girl aged 9 and a boy, 7, on a 27 day (including the days of arrival and departure) trip through Namibia in late July through August 2015. The intention was to hire a self drive 4x4 vehicle and have a family holiday while we were still able to travel and our grandchildren would be old enough to remember it. However, I was unable to find a vehicle with six seats using the major operators. With time running out (about six weeks before we were due to arrive) I emailed multiple companies I found on the internet and received an almost immediate reply from Derek Jacobs at Blue Crane Safaris. He explained that we could do the itinerary I had sent him with a 2 wheel drive and suggested a van and trailer combo which he could supply but also offered to organise the whole trip with a driver and cook for a very reasonable price. We decided to take him up on the fully organised trip and after numerous back and forth emails an itinerary was settled and I sent a deposit. Then cold feet set in. I knew nothing about this company and could only find two small reviews on the web and I started to worry that the very reasonable price was, in fact, too cheap and that the whole trip was going to be a disaster. So it was with great relief and delight that everything went like clockwork. We were met and debriefed on arrival by Derek's charming mother-in-law Troudy. The next morning we were picked up by our driver, Rusten, and cook, Job, both of whom also guided, and then met the ebullient Derek, reviewed the itinerary and we were off.
What followed was a really fantastic trip - magical day following magical day, all of us enthralled by the scenery and the animals. We had a roughly 60%/40% mixture of camping and hotels, mostly small, simple hotels though some were more luxurious than others but all were very clean and pleasant and had everything we needed and the campsites were very well equipped with clean flush toilets and hot showers. We had good tents with thick mattresses and camp cots if wanted; the sleeping bags were rather thin but we had two each which we needed as nights were cool. A large camp table and chairs were provided and a camp kitchen.
The vehicle was quite new and in excellent condition with good seat belts for every seat and we pulled a trailer for the camping equipment. We had only one flat tire despite many gravel roads, some quite rough.
But the best part was our great crew, Rusten and Job, who are friends and work really well together, so there was never any tension and always a lovely atmosphere. Rusten is an excellent, careful driver with great decision making skills so we had complete confidence in his ability and judgement. He knew the country and the routes very well and was also able to give us many insights into Namibia and its peoples. Job cooked up good, tasty food every day while we were camping; cereals and eggs for breakfast, nice crispy rolls with cheeses and cold meats and salads for lunch with an occasional hot dog much to the delight of our grandchildren. For dinner, grills or very tasty big, one pot stews with rice or pasta - all on a wood fire so we had the added delight of a camp fire to sit around at night. Both Rusten and Job were excellent spotters so we saw lots of wildlife all over the country. They were also really good with the children, both of whom became very attached to them and were sad to leave.
Our trip was a counterclockwise circuit from Windhoek - Waterberg Plateau, Etosha, Opuwo, Sesfontein, Palmwag, Twyfellfontein, Skeleton Coast at Terrace Bay and Cape Cross, Swakopmund, Walvis Bay, Sossusvlei, Luderitz, Orange river, Fish River Canyon, Mariental and back to Windhoek. The extra side trips that Derek had suggested over and above those I had requested, turned out to be some of the best of the trip - a 4x4 day trip up a dry river valley from Sesfontein in search of desert elephants, and a walk in the bush with the San people, speaking their click language. He was also very accommodating when I made a couple of last minute changes the day before the trip started - no problem!!
In summary, it all turned out to be a really well organised but very relaxed trip through an amazing and very beautiful country which far exceeded our expectations in every respect.
DE
Email Ursula Raimann | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nice, friendly, well organized and experienced team. Customer friendly & excellent service
My husband and me did two tours in Namibia. One in 2010 and one in 2015. Both tours were booked and organizied by Blue Crane Safari. The whole team is well organized and experienced. From our guide we learned a lot about the nature, history and the differnent cultures. They know the right places, the most beautiful lodges and included customer spezific extra tours if possible. We highly recommend Blue Crane Safari for your next trip to Namibia.
CA
Email Sergio & Carmen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic Adventure in Namibia
My wife and I completed the 11 day accommodated Namibia Experience with Blue Cranes Safaris this May (2024).
We are experienced travelers and have done safaris in Africa before. All our expectations were exceeded in every single way with this tour. Namibia is a beautiful country with wonderful people. We were able to explore this magnificent place the way we wanted with this tour. Sammy, our guide during the entire tour, is a professional with many years of experience doing his job. He has great knowledge of his country and enjoys sharing the information he has. He's very patience and has a great sense of humor. We truly enjoyed his company during this tour.
We selected Blue Crane Safaris because their formality and professionalism since the first time I contacted them. They had all the answers to my questions and were upfront in all details. We did not have unpleasant surprises at any time.
All the selected accommodations were excellent (very clean, very comfortable and with very good attention). The food was consistently great in all the lodges we stayed at.
Our trip to Namibia was a fantastic adventure with Blue Crane Safaris.
Email Claudia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very flexible and always available
I was on a 14 days tour - I enjoyed the Safari, we saw not only zebra, impala, elephants, lions, cheetahs but also lepards, rinos, dik-dik...
They prepared lovely food for us every day - we enjoyed it a lot. If there was one question, the guide always had an answer. His knowledge is huge and the way he explained it was very clear.
We got an instruction on the evening for the next day so we were best prepared.
I never had such a comfortable camping situation - the mattress was on a frame.
To put all into a nutshell: Highly recommended.
SI
Email Igor | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great African experience with Blue Crane Safaris
Great trip in Africa ! Our 14 days Self drive trip from Windhoek to Victoria Falls has ended a few day ago and we had to write this review to share the great experiance we had. After we had checked a lot of offers for our holidays - traveling through Namibia to Botswana and than Victoria Falls we had chosen Blue Crane Safaris and that was for sure the best possible decision. They offered good price, they responded to all of our emails in very short term, they suggested what to visit, which roads shall we take and many many more. They had really helped us a lot. When my son was sick almost in the middle of the desert they gave us all the informations about the nearest doctor and helped us organize meeting with the doctor. The next thing is the car we get... It was almost brand new car. Really great car for driving across gravel roads. Not to mention accomodations which was all above our expectations. We choose medium price level accomodations but that were in our opinion almost all luxurious level and consequently the food was great and there was plenty of choice every day. So a brief summary, You have to book you holidays with Blue Crane Safaris and you will be amazed with all the beauty that Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and other parts of Africa has to offer. A big thanks again to our agent Mr. Derek Jacobs who helped us organizing that outstanding vacations, and we will for sure meet again one day.
Igor
BG
Email Georgi Haralampiev | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
From the dunes to the falls - these are the right choise!
Me and group of friends were for 13 days with you guys (Sedny, Sebe and Tony) - you rocks! For all the work that you do (driving, cooking, guiding us and etc.) i'm amazed! All the way from Windhoek to Victoria Falls (camps, lodges, hotels - perfect mix) there were'nt any problem that you cant solve, even a lots of stops for drinks (and the fridge in the vehicle was perfect) ;). Great spend time with you and hope to see you again around the camp fire or in amazing Ngepi Camp. Namibia is very friendly and clean country - good understanting in english, nice shops with good prices. Dellicious dishes and amazing views. Thank you Blue Crane Safaris - you're the best!
Email Catherine Compton | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely excellent
Megusto was the best guide I have ever traveled with. ( I have been in the industry for 40years)
Each day was detailed of where we were going on a map. The night before Megusto would mention what activities we were doing and then what the temperature would be and what we would need for the next day. When there was a sighting of say a herd of elephants then he would move the bus so all members of the bus (7 seater)could see easily not just those in the front. Each room was check by Megusto each night to make sure everything worked.
As for the tour it was excellent saw so much more than expected. I do a lot of research before I choose a company and Blue Crane was the best for places visited, time travelling in the bus, and value for money. Namibia has such a diverse range of scenery and wildlife it is a special country. The standard of accommodation exceeded my expectations. We stayed at the Gondwana chain which were excellent something special about each one. The food that was included was also excellent, we even dined in a beautiful seafood restaurant by the pier one night in Swakopmund. The tour far exceeded my expectations.