Nature Travel Namibia
Nature Travel Namibia
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- TASA & Namibia Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $83 to $663 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
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for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Lots of Birds - and Animals, too
We had a great trip with Nature Travel Namibia over New Year 2015, seeing a huge number of birds as well as lots of antelope, cats, and other animals in only one week.
Three years ago, we took a group tour with a different company to the other, more famous leg of Namibia - the Namib Desert, the coast at Swakopmund, Damaraland and one day at Okakuejo in Etosha - and had such a good time we wanted to do the other leg which, as we hoped, is quite different.
We had only seven and a half days, and we wanted to fit a lot in. After discussion with Nick and Janeke, we worked out a stripped-down backwards version of the '10-Day Etosha, Caprivi, Chobe And Victoria Falls' trip which they offer. We flew in to Victoria Falls at noon and did a three-hour tour. This short visit was great as the falls are more spectacular than any photo can show, and it completely revived us after thirty hours of travel from our home. Then we went straight to Chobe in Botswana (2 nights), after which we crossed into Namibia and went along the Zambesi/Caprivi Strip via Camp Kwando (1 night), Mahangu (2). We stayed at Mushara (1) on the east of Etosha followed by a full day crossing Etosha to Okakuejo (1), then a final couple of hours in the park before driving down to Windhoek for the last night before flying out. This worked very well. Of course, the extra days of the full trip would have been even better, especially for some birds that we heard or saw briefly but didn't have the time to follow up on.
The accomodation was well-chosen and of high quality, and all the places had all the facilities you could want, and good food (and wine).
We arranged a private trip for just the two of us because we had been to East Africa four times, as well as our previous Namibia visit, and we had seen a lot of the basic birds and animals already - not that we didn't want to see them again, but we also wanted to spend time looking for some things, birds especially, that Africa beginners in a group might not be so interested in. It wasn't cheap, but in our opinion it was great value for money, everything went smoothly, and we were completely satisfied. (And, obviously, the price per person comes down if there are more of you.)
The trip had a great balance between land and river, birds and animals. We did three boat trips on the rivers (and all three were quite different). And we also saw lots of the spectacular Namibian skyscapes and sunsets. It was the rainy season in theory, but actually there was some cloud but little rain (nice for us, not so good for the local farmers).
Nick wasn't available, but we had another specialist bird guide who was very knowledgeable, and also great company. We saw over 220 species of bird in the week, of which 60 were new for us, and about 50 more were 'first decent photos'. Given our time constraint, we were very happy with this. Highlights for us on the river were great close-up views of Slaty Egret, Black Egret, Purple Heron amd Pygmy Duck. Our guide knew a spot where we got good sightings of Souza's Shrike and Tinkling Cisticola. He also had a spot for Little Jacana, which was a bird we especially wanted to see, and Sharp-tailed Starling. We saw Blue Crane in Etosha. On the trip we also got 23 accipiters and falcons, mostly with decent views.
We also wanted to find the local antelopes, and we got beautiful views of Sable, as well as Puku, Red Lechwe, Southern Reedbuck and Greater Kudu, as well as Common Duiker, which were all new for us. We saw seventeen antelope species in total, and I think we would have got Roan if we had an extra day at Mahangu.
We had seen Hippos before, of course, and Elephants, but we were surprised by how moved and impressed we were by the large groups of both that we saw. And the other regulars were there of course - Giraffe, Zebra, and so on. We also saw Lion and Cheetah, and our eagle-eyed guide found a well-hidden Leopard.
One special highlight was the huge Black Mamba that we saw clearly (and photographed) moving through the trees, and which our guide found because of the alarm calls of birds which had spotted it.
All in all, this was a great trip, organised and run by professionals, and which we happily recommend. And if you want to shorten or lengthen it, or do more in one place and less in another, or add a side-trip to somewhere not on the main plan, just ask!
And if you can time it to fit in with the great riverside New Year party with live music at Mahangu Safari Lodge, as we did, then go for it. Just avoid the Jägermeister!
Email Sue Mc | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous adventure
Thanks to Nick for the most amazing adventure. Nick was fabulous, entertaining and a wonderful source of knowledge. He organised the most epic adventure that saw us travel over 3000 kms through Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. We climbed ‘Big Daddy’ the tallest dune in Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, went on an amazing desert adventure with Tommy, safari’ed through Etosha & Chobe viewing the rich diversity of wildlife, in fact we saw over 46 mammals interacting in their natural environment not to mention the wonderful bird life, sipped cocktails on the banks of the magic Kwondo River, meandered through the Okavango Delta watching hippos, swam in the Devils Pools at Victoria Falls and so much more. We stayed in a variety of accommodation from glam camping to pole huts and a luxury lodge just outside Etosha National Park. The three weeks went so quickly it now seems a blur. Nick is a vet and a conservationist, plus a really nice person. We were two families with 8 in total. We learnt so much and saw so much because of his incredible knowledge and understanding of the wildlife.
Email Karen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A fantastic safari that will long last in the memory
A very different holiday for us, usually we hire a car and travel on a DIY basis, with my husband's brother and wife, but this year we had slightly differing plans, so we wanted a specific itinerary starting and ending in Windhoek, with my brother in law leaving us in Caprivi to go onto Botswana and Victoria falls.
We booked Namibian Nature Travels because Nick Buys responded to our enquiries promptly and efficiently, coming up with a plan and price that suited us all. We were happy that we were dealing with a Namibian based company, paying for the trip in local currency, and not USD etc.
We were not disappointed. Our guide Nick, is a passionate Namibian, proud of his country and an expert in animal and bird life. He expertly drove us around this vast country, we visited places we would never have found on our own, and stopped as and when he noticed something of interest. We stayed in luxury lodges, where the hospitality and food were second to none, and saw many fine vistas of this remarkable country.
This is a holiday that will long last in the memory, and we will not hesitate to recommend Nature Travel Namibia and Nick Buys.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful trip to three fascinating countries
We found Nick Buys and his company through the internet, and he was the quickest to respond with the relevant information. We are experienced travellers, and felt from the start he would do a good job for us, and so it proved. He designed an itinerary to take in all the things we wanted to see, mainly in Namibia and then flying into and out of the Okavanga Delta in Botswana, and finally on to Livingstone, Zambia and the Victoria Falls. We were a private party of four, travelling with my brother and his wife, and journeyed well over 2000 miles together with Nick - so it was particularly good that we soon discovered that he was excellent company and had a great sense of humour! It all went really smoothly, we stayed in some nice places, none disappointing and some of them exceptional, and went on various fascinating side-trips that Nick recommended. He was also flexible if we wanted to make any minor unscheduled detours or stops. The wildlife we saw exceeded our expectations. Nick is knowledgeable and able to spot game and birds (his special interest) when we would certainly have missed them. We felt lucky to have had his personal services, and had a memorable and enjoyable time. We would not hesitate to recommend anyone to put their trust in Nick to arrange for them an equally memorable experience.
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Email Brian | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari to Etosha
We had a wonderful trip to the Etosha Reserve in Namibia with the help of Nature Travel Namibia. It started with the office staff and ended with a delightful guide. We planned a custom trip to Etosha for 2 couples. Janeke was extremely responsive to my questions and tolerant of my daily e-mails over about 3 weeks to get all the logistics sorted out. If I emailed her from the states, I would wake up to a response the next day.
They booked all our lodging for the trip and we were all thoroughly delighted with the places we stayed. The safari itself was amazing. Our guide, Kit, was not only a great wildlife guide and cultural envoy, but he was also a wonderful person whom we all enjoyed spending time with.
If you're planning to go on Safari in Namibia, I would recommend Nature Travel Namibia without any hesitation.
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Email Simona&Giacomo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari in Namibia, Botswana and Victoria Falls
We organised our honeymoon with Nature Travel Namibia, a tour totally customised in line with our needs of 15 days across Namibia, Botswana and Zambia Victoria falls. Our guide was the owner of the Company, Nick. Nick picked us up to the airport in Windhoek and the first impression of him was a very serious and well organised person.
The first impression was fully confirmed for the entire tour and day by day we had the opportunity to appreciate that Nick is a competent, knowledgeable and passionated tour guide. Nick is an expert in bids watching, able to recognise any type of bids even from distance. Nick is also excellent in games spotting, seeing an animal very far and sometime hidden behind a bush and recognising their traces on the boards of the road.
He took care about all our needs and accommodated all our requests.
Thus, we can fully recommend to book a trip with Nature Travel Namibia and enjoy Africa under all different points of view.
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Experience level: first safari
Amazing Africa From the Southern Dunes to the Wilds of Etosha: Kids and Adults loved it!
Book with Nature Travel and you will be amazed by the level of customer service, lodging options, transportation, and expertise of the staff including Nick and Jakes, our guides for this adventure. If time and money were no issue, we'd leave tomorrow and do the entire trip all over again. We had a wonderful time, learned so much, saw this beautiful country, and made a lifetime of memories. We can't say enough positive things about the entire experience. We took the 8 night tour.
Transportation: We opted for the van which worked out for us perfectly. It gave us the space to spread out and not be crowded, at all. The amount of driving was fine, even though we did a lot of it, and we wouldn't have changed any of our stops. We managed to do all the traveling without leaving too early in the morning, and always got to our destination before dark.
Lodging: outstanding across the board, starting with the Belvedere Hotel in Windhoek. It was nice having time there to enjoy their facilities. The lodges were top notch and we enjoyed staying so close to the beauty, sights. Our rooms at the NWR in the park were so close to the watering hole making animal sighting ideal. Staying at the Mushara just outside the park on the last night was especially nice. They have the attention to details down to a science, including the hot water bottle. Each
place had something special and we would recommend them all. We didn't miss tv or the lack of wifi at some of the places. We also liked the guesthouse in Swakopmund. As I said, they were all good.
Food: the lodges provided great meals and we didn't have any complains, except we ate a lot and gained weight, luckily no one had scales. The stops at Solitaire were also nice. Jakes ensured we had plenty of water and in the day we were delayed because of sand, he had us pick up lunch to go. All good.
Sights: really perfect itinerary with the number of days we had. We wouldn't have wanted to miss anything. The kids loved the dune buggies, safari outings, and we found the dunes breathtaking, the living museum informative, the rock engravings interesting, and Etosha to be outstanding. Really everything was outstanding. At ages 12 and 14, it was just the right mixture of activities. Some
people might not want as much driving, we did about 2400km, but none of us got bored or tired of the scenery. Jakes gave us plenty of time to take pictures and explore and had a good sense of timing and when we needed to get moving- like getting away from the dunes right before the sand whipped up so much it would have been miserable. The tour at the Desert lodge on our first afternoon was also great. I took over 3000 pictures and I'm sure I'm forgetting something. You did a great job putting this itinerary together and we will definitely recommend you to friends. Going to Vic Falls first worked out well. We loved being in Africa and the kids remarked how fast the time went.
Thank you Nature Travel - you deserve the five stars plus more.
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Email Barbara and Paolo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
the perfect trip
When I decided to plan a two weeks travel to Namibia at the end of April I approached 3 local travel agencies. Nick Buys was the first to reply me and offered some options to arrange quickly a Western Namibia Safari for me and my husband. We decided for a guided tour as it was our first travel in Africa, and we're sure we did a good choice. Nick was so kind in answering to all our questions ,suggesting us places to visit and, at least, planning the trip. Our guide, Kit, was much more than a guide. So kind in teaching us a lot of things about nature, wildlife and history of the Country, and so able to carry us in the best spots during the game drives. After a couple of days it was like to travel with a good friend and we had a lot of fun together. The travel was fantastic, everything was OK, relaxing and interesting. All the places that we visited were so nice and different, with wonderful landscapes from deserts to sandy beaches. Everyday there was something different to see, the lodges were nice and located in gorgeous sites. It’s impossible to say what we liked more …. the deserts, Dead Veil, Swakopmund, 2 nights on the banks of the Kunene River, Etosha, the games, the sundowns…. The only thing we are sure is that we want to come back soon to Namibia to see the Caprivi, arranging the next trip with Nature Travel Namibia again. - Barbara e Paolo - Italy
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Email Linda LeBlanc | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic experience in every way!
We decided less than a month before departure to do a southern Africa trip. I researched about fifteen tour operators that had good reviews and contacted seven. Nature Travel Namibia quickly rose to the top and responded almost immediately—hours and days before anyone else. They offer a wide variety of established tours or will create a personal one that meets all your needs. The owner, Nick Buys, was able to arrange all within days and got the desired bookings for a 15 day tour of Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia. Everything worked perfectly!
A native of Namibia, he is a wildlife expert, especially birds. He also runs birding trips to a number of places. He can spot one on the wing from a hundred yards away and tell you exactly what it is, describe its habits, relationship to other birds, etc. His knowledge is absolutely amazing. He’s equally good with all wildlife. He’d say, “There’s a zebra,” long before I could see it even with him pointing. This isn’t just a job for him. You can tell he truly loves what he’s doing. His goal is to create the greatest trip possible. He’s very flexible and put our interests and comfort above all else. What sets him apart even further from others is his wonderful sense of humor and genuine, passionate enthusiasm. It’s very infectious. So beware! You may never want to leave and will be determined to return many times. I’ve traveled to 40 countries and this was my third trip to Africa. Never have I had such a fulfilling and exciting experience. Five plus stars. Highly recommended.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic 'Classic Namibia' experience - impossible to fault
A huge thank you to our guide Nick and Nature Travel Namibia for making our trip an unforgettable adventure. From the moment we stepped off the plane to the moment we said goodbye, we loved every second. In such a beautiful country, we couldn't have asked for a better conceived itinerary - our only wish is that we could have stayed longer! Nick was the perfect host with immaculate attention to detail, exceptional knowledge of wildlife and a fantastic sense of humour. From the beautiful and ever changing scenery to hunting around for snakes and lizards with the incredible Tommy on the 'Living Desert' experience, there was always something new to enjoy. We still can't believe how many different and wonderful animals and birds we saw and each new sighting was special, no matter how far - or close! - they were. On our flight home we were already planning our trip back. We couldn't recommend Nature Travel Namibia highly enough. Totally spectacular. Go!