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:
- $138 to $1,105 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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 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.
US
Email Barbara J. Fontinel Yarar | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Namibia-Trip of a Lifetime-Swakopmund, Skeleton Coast, Etosha, Luderitz, Sossosvlei, Fish River Cy
Namibia is truly a magical and timeless destination providing diverse natural landscapes & abundant wildlife and big game. Bluecrane Safaris' designed an itinerary that was perfect for our 'self-drive' experience. Even though my two adult children and I were unaccustomed to driving on the left side of the road on 90% gravel and sand in a 4X4, we felt confident and comfortable the entire time knowing that Bluecrane, specifically Derek, was available to assist. We even experienced a blowout on our drive to Etosha but was met in the middle of our trip by Derek to provide us replacement spare (even though we had an extra one left). Outstanding customer service! Namibian's are extremely friendly and customer service focused and take tremendous pride in providing a consistent outstanding experience. I would recommend Bluecrane Safaris and Namibia. Though I've never hesitated going to any country, even if I don't speak their language, but going to Namibia English is their primary language.
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
FR
Email Huvet -Eliot | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip in Namibia -10 days
We had a super trip in namibia -4 pax -10 days with Blue Crane Safaris.
Our guide Melican was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and he was a very good driver too.
The road trip and hotels selection was perfect , except in Etoshas park , old resort ....
I would highly recommended Blue Crane Safaris who is very professional agency and I would definitely use them again should I be back in bostwana and Niagara Falls...
IT
Email Paola | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional
Interesting tour; professional and helpful drivers who also guide; good accomodation in lodges. Hotels in towns were too far from the centre (they should be changed) and for the city tour in Windhoek I paid 30 euro for seing and learning nothing (it should be done by a professional guide).
PT
Email Maria | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good!
Very good service in general (booking, tour, informations...).
AT
Email Laura thrunis | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Saw a lotnof things in a short time.
Got picked up at hostel, long drive to the national park with lunch stop, good food, game drive on all three days, guide showed us lots of animals we wouldnt have seen without him, tents were set up from assistant when we got back that was very nice!
IT
Email Mauro | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Competences, knowledge and Customer care
Very good, everythings respect our aspectatives. Timing and distances daily ok
IT
Email Antonella - Milan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good in planning and organizing - but the guide was terrible and too many lodges were changed
I joined a 17 days taylor-made safari planned for another lady (2 people being the minimum needed to have the tour going), so it was the two of us + guide (a free -lance, first time working for Blue crane Safaris, named Ronnie).
The booking part was really easy and Traudy very helpful and fast in giving information and answers.
1) The other lady (who over the past 2 years had been organizing this Safari with BCS had been confirmed that we would have a Bluecrane guide, and only the day when she arrived she was informed that we would have a free lance instead; I was told by Traudy that this guy was working for them for the first time, but came highly recommended; I told her it was not a problem for me, as long as he was a good guide.
Sadly, he wasn't; not to bother you with a long list of smaller events, I will just mention 2: Sussusvlei Dunes, he started climbing Big Daddy running like crazy (I am very sportive, a marathon runner and fit; the other lady was none of this) for 10 minutes, without even turning his head to check if we were ok (knowing the other lady would surely have problems); then, when he saw she couldn't breath (she had to call him and ask him to wait) he said "well, maybe it's better we don't climb the dune and go down to take pictures to the deadvlei; I WANTED to climb the dune up to the top, and asked him how much time I would have to do it. He gave me one hour to climb it, come down, and go and see the deadvlei, and finally go back to the parking site. I asked him: are you sure that is at all feasible? and he said "it depends on how fit you are". Well, I thought then I could make it and I did arrive half way without stopping, and saw already 30 minutes had gone - so I said to myself there is no way I can make it up there and back in 30 minutes. Not even Usain Bolt could do that! I had to give up, quickly run down to see the deadvlei, take some pictures veeery fast, and run to the parking. I was more than 10 minutes late, and breathless for the run, and mad for not being able to enjoy the most iconic site of Namibia.
All of this rush to do what? to be at the Lodge at 4 PM doing NOTHING!
Second episode: at Swakopmund he tried to book an activity for us, asking 2000N$ for an activity which cost 1200 N$ (and telling us he had got "a very special price...SURE it was SPECIAL); I checked prices on the internet - telling him - and when I found the prices without adding any comment I just told him "Thank you, I have found it at 1200N$ so we'll book ourselves, no worries".
And there would be many more episodes; the most annoying thing is that, even when you caught him doing something really wrong, HE would get mad and say we were wrong, and he never did those things. It's all "misunderstandings" (and I have to say it was pretty annoying, after sending me feedback to BCS, to be told that "they were all misunderstandings". Well I am old enough and an extremely experienced traveler, for work and leisure... I think I can tell a misunderstanding from something else)
The only good thing I have to say - to be fair - is that he was a very good driver and organized in terms of documents/diesel filling/ practical things like those. As a guide, the only days when I saw him really passionate (and willing to use the whole day instead of cutting it short) it was in Etosha, doing game drives. However his English (I think it was a language problem, although I am not sure) was not very good, so many times if you would ask you questions you would not be able to get answers.
And he was complaining all the time this tour was very hard on him, lots of km, the program was wrong, etc etc etc..
A good Guide is the most important thing on a Safari, he/she can make it awesome or poor... I understand it was just 2 people on the Safari, but it was 17 days and we had paid a good amount of money, so...
Then, it was also very annoying that MANY Lodges were changed from the plan, and we had no information until the day we started the Tour (Sussusvlei one not even at that point - we found out during the tour)
- Camelthorn lodge has become Anib Kalahari Desert
- Sossusvlei Lodge has become Namib Desert (Sossusvlei being INSIDE the park gates, Namib Desert being ONE HOUR AWAY - so, no sunrise or sunset on the dunes since only who is INSIDE the gates can enjoy those, due the closing times of the gates)
- Palmwag lodge has become Khowari (2 nights): Palmwag being right AT the gates, Khowari one hour away (so, 2 hours drive added in the day JUST to go back and forth)
- Epupa Falls lodge has become Opwo Country Lodge (again ... hours wasted in the car and all the activities mentioned in the initial program -rafting, birdwatching, sundowner) DISAPPEARED
- Epacha lodge became Eagle (these two might be similar)
This is not my first Safari, and I know that it MAY happen that ONE/TWO Lodges may have a last minute problem and need to be changed (but should be changed to an EQUAL Lodge); however, since we had booked in February and were asked a 25% advance payment (needed to block reservations at Lodges), and we only paid the balance in July - I think there was plenty of time to inform us about the changes (if the Lodges were full) and have prices RE-ADJUSTED accordingly before we paid the balance.
So, I am sorry but I cannot say I am fully satisfied, because I really think that there were several things that were not fair and quite annoying. I saw many excellent reviews (which is also the reason why I chose BCS) and I am sorry having to say that my experience was different.
All the above being said, Namibia is so wonderful, that I loved it anyhow; I always try to see the glass half full and do not let external events take away my smile, so I focused on how lucky I was to be there and was happy for that. Nonetheless, concerning how high the cost of these kinds of Safari are, I think it is fair that I share my experience so that visitors are informed, and BCS (whom I had already sent me my feedback) can improve (if they want) their service.