Andre
CrissCross Namibia Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2003)
- Member Of:
- NTB & TASA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $450 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
CrissCross Safaris is an affordable, well organised and experienced operator.
A short overview of my 2014 Safari in Namibia with Cory and Julie.
Thanks to the pleasant atmosphere, courtesy of CrissCross Safaris, the tour consisted of one highlight after another.
The landscapes were impressive and cycled like a screen saver through thick bush, open grassy plains and red dunes in the Namib desert. Wild animals came to make our acqaintance around every corner. Even the roads, although gravel, were in a fair to good condition, making our driving experience safe and comfortable.
To get that close to the wildlife in the Etosha Nature Reserve was truly an experience of note. The water holes also did not disappoint with a wide variety of animals ranging from giraffe, elephants, rhinos, lions and various different species of antilope. The birdlife is also abundant, colourful and keeps things interesting.
Our visit to the Ovahimba kraal was very interesting and the guide did a good job of intruducing us to the Ovahimba lifestyle, culture and customs.
Touring through Namibia means long distance driving, but the accommodation in the lodges more than makes up for that. very tidy, clean and the personnel are courtious and friendly. All meals were very well prepared and tasty, and plentiful. Namibia left me with the impression that it is a safe place to visit and the people relaxed and friendly. It is a very interesting country to visit and has so much to offer tourists.
I want to thank and commend our guide, Thinus, from CrissCross Safaris, who always makes the safety and enjoyment of his guests first priority. Thinus also shares his enormous wealth of knowledge about Namibia, its history, attractions, culture and people in a very entertaining and informative manner. And when the going gets tough, he is always ready with a little joke to uplift the spirits of the tour group.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful combination of scenery, wildlife, accomodations and personality.
We haven't been home but a couple of days and are already planning a new expedition with Thinus Blaauw of CrissCross Namibia Safaris. Our almost 3 week tour of Namibia hit all the highlights we had read about as well as a few places we never would have found on our own. The camps and lodges suited us well, even though we booked late and Thinus had to scramble to reserve all the places we needed. Pretravel communication included a complete description of possible itineraries as well as a an effort to get to know our small group of four early elderly travelers. Thinus led us deftly but never with a heavy hand and there was always opportunity for aimless wandering and picture taking. But his strongest suit may be a sense of humor that cushioned even the rockiest gravel road.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namibia and Thinus Blaauw constantly amazed us
We spent 3 weeks traveling the length of Namibia with Thinus Blaauw in May just after the "rainy" season in a 6 person 4WD van. Every day was a new adventure and Namibia had a new surprise for us from beautiful desert dunes and open skies to canyons and moonscape to unique quiver trees and fossils to minerals and ghost towns to waterfalls and animals. The mix of cultures and peoples was wonderful too. Thinus put together an ambitious itinerary at our request and made it all happen. European dining and lodging in a remote setting. What's not to like? The best part may have been Thinus himself, a native and veteran of the many changes that have occurred in Namibia; he is a wealth of information, not to mention kindness, realism and optimism for the future of his country. We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would gladly travel again with CrissCross Namibia.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best tout I have ever made
I thanks Thinus for his wonderful job with us. He menaged everythink in a perfect way, patience and helpful in every situation.
DK
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The ostriches liked to race with our car !!!
I choosed Crisscross Safari to organize our second tur to Namibia (19 days), from Windhoek to Victoria Falls and back. We experienced a wonderful journey ! mr. Blaauw, Thinus, understood perfectly our wishes : a blend of nature, culture, and a bit of wilderness...To se games, breathtaking landscapes, to meet people as Damara, Himba, Herero, and Bushmen was the purpose of the trip. This has been absolutly fulfilled !
We enjoyed very much the mixture of comfortable lodges, well located and a bit primitive camps choosen by CrissCross during our sojourn. it's nice to feel being in Africa far from the nearest "Intercontinental Hotel !"
We had the privilege to be accompanied by Mr. Blaauw, Thinus, it is a priceless treasure to travel with someone with so much local knowledge. Thinus was a mine of informations and anecdotes, this mixed with great humor.
Namibia is a wonderful country to visit and I highly recommend CrissCross Safari.
PS : From June (Winter) it's very nice to be in Namibia.
The food was excellent...We enjoy the wines too !
US
Email Barry Wulff | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Two tours with CrissCross Safaris
Thinus has organized and led two very successful sixteen-day group tours for me and a dozen of my friends, all from Oregon. Our first visit, in 2009, stretched from the Fish River Canyon near the Orange River to Etosha National Park. We returned in 2011 to travel from Windhoek to Victoria Falls. We have nothing but wonderful memories of the places we visited and the things we saw. Thinus, with his personable manner and varied background, was able to make our trip a comfortable adventure with a mix of learning about the various cultures in the area and the viewing of plenty of wildlife. It would be hard to find another tour guide with such breadth of knowledge of and contacts in Namibia. Our first trip involved some camping along with staying in small communities and guest lodges. Each day brought a different environment – a different world! For our second trip, across the Caprivi Strip, we opted for staying in comfortable lodges and out-of-the-way places. My thirteen-year-old granddaughter will never forget the many wonderful experiences she had on our tour, especially the visit to the school in Rundu, interacting with the San people in Tsumkwe, or riding the elephants in Livingstone.
We have many choices in the places we want to travel to and a large selection of tour operators to choose from. We could have done any better than travelling with Thinus of CrissCross Safaris in Namibia. No doubt we’ll return again in the near future.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
CrissCross cares for clients as if they were part of the family.
After traveling throughout southern Africa with Crisscross for the past 5 years, and planning to do so again this year, I believe I can speak very highly of the care they provide for their clients and their well being. Itineraries were well planned and changed or added to upon request. Provisions during travel were more than adequate, as were accommodations, which ranged from luxury lodges to tents in the National Parks. Wildlife viewing and cultural experiences were magnificent. Best of all, our guide, Thinus, with his sense of humor and attention to detail, as well as really caring for his clients, made the six weeks more than just enjoyable. My son and I experienced such a variety of activities that it would be difficult to choose just one on which to elaborate. In our five summers in Africa with Thinus we have travelled through and experienced Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi! It has all been so wonderful that we're returning in August for more exciting adventures! I wholeheartedly recommend CrissCross Safaris for everyone's African experience!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Service and Great Value!
We traveled all over the country with Thinus Blaauw/Criss Cross Namibia Safaris during our one month visit in Namibia. The destination cannot be beat for sheer diversity in landscape - from the lush north to the desolate Skeleton Coast to the dry and arid Kalahari. Excellent game viewing at Etosha National Park and lots of opportunities to meet with locals - the Himba in the northwest and Bushman in the east (among others!) - makes it possible to learn a lot in a short period of time. Thinus did an excellent job customizing an itinerary to fit our interests and budget. He is very knowledgeable about the country and its history having grown up and worked in the Namibian government. We recommend him highly and look forward to touring with him again in Botswana this summer.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Thinus is a 5 star operator!
We have travelled with Thinus and CrissCross the last three times we have been in Africa, and we're returning again this December. Once again we and our friends have a tailor-made trip ahead of us, that we have designed from scratch with Thinus: This time we're starting in Namibia, then we cross into Botswana and then end up in Zambia. 3 weeks of wilderness and wildlife. Cannot wait to return!
Apart from being the best tour operator we've ever travelled with in Africa, CrissCross is 100% locally owned - meaning that all your money spend on any trip (apart from the flight tickets, of course) will end up in the hands of people actually living in Africa, which we find is very important. Mind you, most tour operators offering trips to Africal these days are in fact based out-side of the continent, hence only part of the investment you make, when you book a trip to this fantastic continent, will in fact benefit people living on it. Worth a consideration - and one other reason why Thinus and CrissCross come very highly recommended from us and all friends we have travelled with to date.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent quality for a reasonable price + family friendly!
My family (2 adults + 2 kids age 7 and 9) went on a two-week desert-safari in Namibia with CrissCross Namibia in Jan 2013, with a stop-over in Livingstone to see Vic Falls. We have been planning to go on a trip like this for a while and since we live in Ethiopia and had already done safaris in Tanzania and South Africa we wanted to focus exclusively on deserts in Namibia. We searched the web for tour operators that would provide us with the best fit and the best deal. By far, out of close to 10 companies we contacted, the most responsive and accommodating was Thinus, the owners of CrissCross. Not only was he listening to what we wanted (!), but he also gave us very good ideas where to go and stay (so that it was good quality but not overpriced), was flexible (and there were many changes in flight schedules), accommodating (we changed the order of activities many times on the road depending on the weather and kids’ wellbeing) and never “pushy”. Therefore we went with him, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The trip was what we have expected and much more. We would not change a single thing about it if we were to do it again (well maybe just add a few more days if we could :) It was perfect - the places to visit, lodges, hiking trails, the pace, activities, etc. Staring with Sosussvlei gave us all, urban creatures, an unforgettable feel of the desert starting early in the morning (at 5:30am!!!), in the middle of the day when the sand must be about 50C to sundown at the dunes. Few days in Swakopmund filled with activities in the morning (e.g., quad biking, sandboarding, catamaran, 4x4 desert tour, living desert tour) and lazying around the beach in the afternoons were great. Cross Cape Lodge is a beautiful place and I wish we could stay there longer. Finally Damaraland with so many places to hike, explore, learn was a real treat for avid hikers like us. Having said all this, I do want to emphasize that without Thinus the trip would not have been the same – his knowledge of the country, sense of humor, kindness - were essential ingredients to make our trip unforgettable. I would recommend CrissCross to anybody who wants excellent quality for a reasonable price. Thank you very much Thinus!