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 $662 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
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Reviews
Best Trip Ever
I was part of a group of five wildlife photographers who toured Namibia for two weeks with Nature Travel Namibia. Having never been I didn’t know what to expect but my experience far exceeded my highest hopes, and I came home with far more experiences and “keeper” images than from any prior trip. It was my best trip ever, and I’ve done wildlife photography tours on 6 continents.
We stayed in four different lodges and they ranged from very nice to posh. I was especially impressed with and enjoyed Onguma Bush Camp and Mowani Mountain Camp. The menus were varied and delicious with good choices for all palates. We moved between lodges in Nature Travel Namibia’s spacious and comfortable van. Our game drives used the open trucks with three bench seats belonging to each lodge.
Our Guide, Nick Buys, was fantastic. He’s a wildlife/conservation veterinarian who is an experienced game tracker and birder. I’m convinced we saw twice as many animals and behaviors due to his direction than we would have done with another guide. He not only found numerous animals, but also predicted when they would move, where they would move, and positioned our vehicle so we could capture unique images when they did. He was a master at suggesting when to move and when to stay; we often saw other tourists near us drive away, only to see dramatic action soon after.
Nature Travel Namibia took great care of us, from our airport pickup to our final airport return. All travel, meals, and lodging were arranged, but Nick also made changes on the fly as our schedule changed. He booked extra game drives and activities whenever we had down time and made sure they were private rather than group ones. He made sure our meals were available when we got back late. He even arranged for veterinarians in our group to observe a cheetah immobilization and health assessment at a wildlife sanctuary. Nick is truly a wildlife expert and fountain of knowledge. He was friendly, funny, and interesting, and a great companion. He meshed with our group as if he was an original member.
Our trip exceeded every expectation. I would book another trip with Nature Travel Namibia in a heartbeat and hope to do so again soon.
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Email Cris H | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect trip to Namibia for 2
My wife and I just came back from a fabulous 2 week tour of Namibia, courtesy of Nature Travel Namibia (NTN). In short, the entire trip was even better than we had hoped, from planning through execution. As far as planning goes… from an initial conversation in July, our trip was planned in August and we travelled end Sept / early Oct. NTN did a great job working with us on all the details, and tailoring a trip to meet our needs. The plan NTN provided included literally everything – not just an itinerary but all the transfers, excursions, safari drives, accommodations and meals. The execution was even better than the planning. On arrival in Windhoek, Lucky, our guide for the trip came to meet us. Lucky is an exceptional guide – he is passionate about animals & Namibia and made sure our trip was enjoyable throughout. He was also a fascinating travel companion - our conversations ranged from regional history & culture to world affairs. Finally, he lived up to his name – we had exceptional wildlife spotting in the 5 days we spent in Etosha (although in reality it wasn’t simply good fortune - Lucky deployed all his experience & planning to make sure we found the animals). So overall a 5 star experience for us… and we are planning a return trip with our son to fit in the bits we missed!
GR
Email John Valsamopoulos White | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Spectacular and Superb - by far the best Safari trip we have done in almost 20 years
Fantastic Experience with Nature Travel - Namibia
When we finally decided to pursue an ultimate trip on our bucket list, Namibia, financially as a result of receiving a small family inheritance.
We contacted several Tour and Game Drive operators covering Namibia. We provided them all with a detailed brief as to what we wanted for this trip based on our numerous years of experience with safaris in Kruger, Botswana, Zambia, Kwa-Zulu Natal, Uganda etc.
We subsequently received a couple of positive replies but Nature Travel Namibia through Nicolette Muller, seemed to be the very best at understanding our requirements and tailored a 16 day trip accordingly, which other companies seemed to miss.
We therefore decided to go with Nature Travel Namibia and they then adjusted plus tweaked the itinerary to meet our exact requirements.
We did in fact ask for their best Guide/Driver. What we got was an absolutely fantastic 16 day trip far surpassing our expectations and the Guide/Driver (Marc Cronje) was nothing short of superb, almost a walking encyclopaedia on wildlife and nature.
Note: being heavily into photography this more than surpassed what I had expected in terms of photo opportunities, a selection of which I have and am posting on Facebook, both my own site and on the "Namibia Photographers Group"
In short without doubt the best African Safari trip we have ever had since 2001.
Not sure what else we can say except Nature Travel Namibia is by far our ultimate choice for any future trips and would 100% recommend them to anybody
BE
Email Rosario | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything perfect
Due to the Covid situation we have moved the tour to Namibia with Nature Travel Namibia from 2021 to 2022.
Our trip to Namibia organized by Nicolette was very nice.
Nicolette was always available to answer our questions and provide help.
The 11 days and 10 nights tour was perfectly organized and ran smoothly.
We had great contact with Stewart, our driver-guide, whose explanations and advice were clear and helpful.
The various accommodations were comfortable and well maintained. The only small negative is the food in the two lodges within the Etosha Park, which was not always top notch (the choice was very limited). But this small inconvenience was compensated by being inside the park and by the presence in both of a waterhole. The Okaukuejo waterhole was undoubtedly the most beautiful of the two and allowed us to see many animals at a close distance, including 3 rhinos. This more than compensates the somewhat limited choice of dishes.
Very happy to have traveled to Namibia and to have chosen Nature Travel Namibia to organize our tour.
Email Hugh | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An experience of a lifetime - brilliantly organised
My wife and I recently did a 10 day safari across Namibia and Botswana, ending with a visit to the Victoria Falls organised by Nature Travel Namibia. Their execution was flawless despite the complexity of the trip we planned. Nicolette, who organised our itinerary in collaboration with us, was extremely responsive to all our requests, made excellent choices for us in terms of places to visit and accommodation, and provided us with a superb guide, Marius, who was friendly, helpful, informative, knowledgeable, and responsible. Everything worked like clockwork, and we had the trip of a lifetime.
With regard to the trip we covered Etosha, Caprivi (BwaBwata National Park), Savute and Chobe before ending at Vic Falls. While Savute was the highlight in terms of game viewing (amongst other things we saw the rare African Wild Dogs) we had spectacular game sightings in all parks covering all of the 'big 5'.
FR
Email Rachel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great tour for solo traveller
Had a last minute work trip to Namibia, and was lucky enough to have Nature Travel Namibia arrange a tailor-made trip that fit into my limited travel time, with very short notice. Had a fantastic time, my tour guide was incredible and very knowledgeable and can thoroughly recommend Nature Travel Namibia.
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Email Janeen Hernan | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent tour with Nature Travel Namibia.
Over the last nine years I have traveled with Nature Travel Namibia and Nature Travel Africa four times. My recent visit to Namibia was again beyond my expectations. The trip was well planned with attention to detail from a packing list to dining tables with a view. Travel during this time of covid adds a layer of concern, but Nature Travel answered all our questions, kept us informed, and arranged necessary testing.
Our guide and driver Nick Buys has an uncanny ability to identify wildlife from extreme distances. Nick says it is not necessarily due to keen eyesight, even though that helps, but by recognizing shapes, color, movement and location. Highlights include: a journey far into the Skeleton Coast where we were able to view the desert Elephant, and sitting at a watering hole in Etosha National Park at night and hearing the roar of a lion, realizing not only that it was close but how powerful an animal it is. Mostly we had "fun".
Even after multiple trips to Africa, I feel it is still full of adventure just waiting for me. I highly recommend Nature Travel and will use them again to help me wander and explore this special place.
A special thank you to Nick Buys, Nicolette Muller, and all the staff at Nature Travel Namibia.
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Email Shailesh | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding, worldclass customer service, responsive, knowledgeable guide, exceeded expectations
Nature Travel Namibia is a world-class tour operator that provided excellent value for the money spent. Nicolette Muller, our tour organizer and coordinator was excellent and responsive. While in the USA I got responses within time zone differences, while in Namibia, responses were in real-time, and believe me you will need real-time support when your airline changes flights at apparently random times when you do not have Internet access or things happen beyond your control (provide your booking login details including passwords to Nicolette). Nicolette's response was the main reason for deciding to select Nature Travel Namibia, but it just got better from there. My guide and driver Marc Cronje was outstanding; he was friendly, very knowledgeable, and flexible; the hours spent in the car with Marc were filled with interesting discussions and an informal discourse on birds (by the way Namibia has some amazing birds). The tour was customized for me as a single traveler, another feather in Nature Travel Namibia's cap (in fact it is a group of companies that does bird watching - Nature Travel Birding, NT Kruger, NT Africa, etc.). One of my requirements was to visit dark sky locations, since Namibia has one of the darkest night skies in the world; consequently, the first several nights were catered to dark sky and Southern Milkyway viewing in Keetmanshoop, Sossuss Dune Lodge, and Star Dune Camp. I was told that Nicolette has personally visited the lodges she recommends, which is a huge plus. The accommodations (I chose mid-range) as chosen by Nicolette were outstanding. I spent 16 days in Namibia, and this was my second trip to African in two decades, and I was totally blown away by the experience and the efficiency of the tour operator. In summary if you are looking for a tour operator to visit Namibia (or Kruger in South Africa, or for birdwatching anywhere in the world), without reservations I highly recommend Nature Travel Namibia or the Nature Travel Group of companies. I did go in time of the COVID situation, and though Namibia is on the USA travel.gov "do not travel list", it is safer than many cities in the USA; all individuals everywhere in Namibia use masks and hand sanitizers and the population density is much lower than any of the major metros in USA. As a final disclaimer: I was neither paid nor coerced into writing this review, and the words are all my own. Hope you enjoy your upcoming trip wherever it may take you. Cheers!
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Email Mike Sylvia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What a Great Trip! 380 Bird species, and 50 species of Mammal
This was my first trip to Africa let alone Namibia. My main focus for the trip was to see as many bird species in Namibia as possible. After researching for a good guide that I thought would be a good fit, I chose Nature Travel Namibia (NTN) mainly due to my talks with owner Nick Buys. His attentiveness and quick thorough responses to my many questions made the decision easy. I never use guides or tour companies for my travels so this was going to be new for me. I am usually the guide or part of a team that is showing clients the places I go, which means I know what to look for in a good guide. With Africa being a new continent and with the Covid landscape I decided this would be the best way to be safe, healthy, and see the most on my trip. Nick made it happen on all points. Never was I worried that he did not have my best interests in mind and did all he could to make them happen. It was just him and me for 14 days on the road.
During the time I learned a lot about him and his passion for Namibia, wildlife, and touring. He is dedicated on all fronts. Initially I set a lofty goal of 350 species as a goal for the trip. He planned out a route that would bring us across many of the unique habitats in Namibia from the City of Windhoek to the North and Northeast of the country. This area covered the various scrubland, acacia, grassland, desert, mountain, riparian, marshland, flood plain, coastal, and dune habitats of the area. This gave us the best chance to focus on the near-endemic and endemic species as well as have good chances to pick up the Southern Africa species as well. Obviously, this plan worked and was exceeded. Having both of us totally motivated 24 hours a day helped as well. We worked very well together. After a couple days we had definitely gotten to understand each other and communication was easy.
Nick has been involved in the landscapes of Namibia since a young age and his family took part in many camping trips to many of the game parks growing up giving a lot of field knowledge. He is a veterinarian as well working with various agencies on tagging, relocation, and other operations with big game. It was apparent that he knows the animals well and how they will respond and what to look for when around them. Mainly to make sure they are not nervous or feel threatened and when we should be quiet or move on even if the scene is breathtaking. Animals first. I appreciated that as I have the same values.
Email Gillian Ainslie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic & well-organised birding & wildlife tour of Namibia & Botswana
I heard about Nature Travel Namibia and Nature Travel Birding through a presentation at the African Bird Fair organised by Birdlife South Africa in August 2020 by Zoom. As I had some funds available from a cancelled international trip in 2020, and no likelihood of other international travel in 2021, I took the opportunity to use the money to indulge my recent passion for birding. Birding friends recommended Namibia as a great birding destination and, after sending an inquiring email to Nick Buys of Nature Travel Namibia, I got immediate information about all the options available and suggestions for the best itinerary. The trip was organised by Nick via multiple emails and one phone call. All my queries were answered fully & promptly, allowing me to make all the decisions necessary to plan a dream trip, despite the nightmare logistics of international travel in the Covid-19 era. Marc Cronje was my guide and he looked after me wonderfully, from meeting me at the airport in Windhoek and travelling onwards for 12 days. We drove to Rundu in the Caprivi Strip, then through Mahangu, across the border to the Okavango Panhandle in Botswana (including fabulous birding boat trip), back into Namibia for a further couple of days at wonderful Mahangu National Park (and yet another great boat trip), then 2-3 days in Etosha National Park, and then a day each at the Brandberg in Damaraland, the Erongo Mountains, Swakopmund & Walvis Bay and then back to Windhoek. Namibia is fabulous with great scenery, people, game and, most importantly for me, birds. Marc was an excellent guide: very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about all birds, wildlife and photography. He knew exactly which spots to go to find all the various bird species, allowing me to see almost all the targets we were looking for. I saw 270 different bird species over the trip (including many many “lifers”) and over 30 other animal species, with plenty of time to get good observations and photos. He was a careful driver and liaised very well with lodge staff, park staff and border officials. In addition, he was really great company and also very patient and helpful with a relative novice both as regards birding and photography. He even managed to fix my camera after I damaged it early on, and thus salvaged an important component of the trip for me. The lodges and food were good, particularly the Erongo Wild and the Mahangu Safari Lodge. I have recommended Nature Travel Namibia & Nature Travel Birding highly to many friends and hope to use them again myself for any future visits to Namibia or other parts of Africa. I have been well & truly bitten by the birding travel bug!