Gondwana Travel Centre
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1993)
- Member Of:
- Namibia Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Self-drive mid-range & luxury tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $65 to $1,363 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Fran | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Cardboard Box organized a self-drive trip with the convenience of a tour but without the hassles
We were impressed with the service and attention to detail by Cardboard Box Travel Shop. Friends of ours have traveled twice with them so we decided to try them. We wanted a self-drive adventure in Namibia but not the headache of finding guesthouses, a rental vehicle and other logistics. Allison, our agent, was terrific in helping plan our affordable trip. She frequently offered several options or alternatives for lodging and seemed to understand what we were looking for. That's quite a talent when all you have to work with are emails! She included enough details to help us make good decisions. Allison perfectly estimated necessary travel times that allowed us to really enjoy our journey from place to place. Allison also responded to our questions quite promptly. Once we emailed to ask about an alternative driving route and she responded within minutes! The information packet(s) we received both through emails and upon arrival at our hotel were very informative and useful. We received an excellent map of Namibia marked with all of our destinations (as well as ATMs and petrol stations) and suggested routes, along with little local maps on our vouchers for finding each guesthouse/lodge. Also included was a little Namibia guide book that was a surprisingly helpful addition to our own Bradt guide and a SIM card for our phone. It seemed to us that Cardboard Box had managed to book the best rooms in our chosen locations and reserved an excellent 4X4 vehicle that was in very good shape with almost new tires (and two spares, which we did not have to use). The accommodations ranged from luxury tent camps to lodges and B&B's. All of them were comfortable and included at least breakfast. Many were astoundingly beautiful. We recommend trying to stay 2 (maybe 3) nights in the nicest areas to give time to explore and to book side trips. We are Americans in our late 60's and found that it was not difficult to drive around the country (on the left side), as long as you respect the suggested speed limits of the rental car agency and roads. Namibians are incredibly friendly and helpful. Both of us have traveled and worked at times in African and we found Namibia to be very safe, with clean drinking water and lots of healthy, delicious food. We enjoyed spotting wildlife on our own at waterholes in Etosha, as well as some guided game drives/walks offered by the lodges. We loved the freedom of taking our time and stopping where we wanted, while knowing that we had an in-country person to contact if we had questions. All the convenience of a tour with none of the constraints. We hope to come back soon!
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Email Alessandro Caraffa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First amazing experience in Namibia, great !
Norelle is a great person (thank you for all!), with a lot of patience and a lot of suggestions about our holidays ! She gave us a lot of informations about the trip. and also she was available to solve a little problem encountered just when I reached Windhoek. The website is one of the most useful that I've visited.
Email Rob Pritchard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great help and advice to put together the perfect self drive trip around Namibia
We have just returned from a fabulous holiday, driving around Namibia with its many attractions and abundant wildlife. The advice and planning from Cardboard Box travel ensured our trip was perfect. They were excellent from start to finish. Great advice and help couldn't ask for anything more. Allison helped create the perfect holiday.
The only thing they didn't do was stop us from coming home! We will be back.
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Email Annika H | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding from beginning to end
I traveled alone (solo female) on a 14 day self-drive through Namibia and Botswana. With ample help from Cardboard Box, it was the trip of a lifetime. Everything was organized perfectly and accommodations were superb. I kept Norelle on her toes with plenty of questions and changes, but she was always prompt and organized. Highly, highly recommend.
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Email Tom | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A great experience
We did a 18-day drive tour through Namibia. We received a great assistance in planning and booking phase. Anita was always available and quick in responses. She also gave us a useful support and a lot of tips during the journey. A great experience with Cardboard Box Travel Shop Team.
Email Jeremy & Jennifer Pollock | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Superb service from Cardboard Box
Extremely efficient.Could not have asked for more. We really gave Anita the runaround when changing bookings en route and she came out tops! The information we received was much more than we expected and came as a surprise
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Email Robert | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great service and a great travel website, the best.
Anita was great and answered so many questions and handled our itinerary and accommodations wonderfully. Carol and I commend her highly and are very grateful. You have the best travel website I have ever used and I have used many. Well done!
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Email Goran Jovanovic | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Self-drive trip thru Namibia
Unable to find a tour that fitted our desired itinerary and the time frame, I contacted several tourist agencies and among them the Cardboard Box Travel Shop. My initial inquiry was responded by Erika of Cardboard Box Travel Shop within hours, with a wide array of options not received from other companies. Erika was on top of each question I had and she provided invaluable advice pertaining to the driving distances and lodges. Simply, she provided answers and tips just about everything I asked and beyond. Our Vouchers for the lodges were delivered promptly to our hotel along with a road map of Namibia. The roads on the map were highlighted and each lodge and attraction was clearly indicated. In addition, the package contained a pre-paid telephone SIM card in case we experienced a mechanical break-down or other emergency. All lodges (as well as the Strand Hotel in Swakopmund) were outstanding. Also, I have to mention that we arrived at Kulala Desert Lodge later than anticipated and just before the Lodge attendant was preparing to send a vehicle with a crew to search nearby roads for possibly stranded tourists. If we are to travel again in Namibia, the Cardboard Box Travel Shop will be the only Travel agency we will contact.
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Email Simona | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pluperfect!!!
Our consultant Anita has been fantastic;very aviable and patient. She have booked for us beautiful lodge in optimal positions. She could have improved our experience ONLY by making us spend less money ;-)
DE
Email Greg | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Super Support
I googled to design my 2-weeks Namibia trip and came across Cardboard Box (among some other local and German agencies). Cardbox came back most solid with best advise and the perfect support against my specs and budget. My itinery foresaw stays in Etosha but Etosha was fully booked. CArdboard Box had capacity still and given their service responsiveness and price competitiveness I booked my entire trip via them. Also during the travels I had to change a location and their rep helped me tremendously to rebook while we were travelling. Excellent handling of our trip !