65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namibia has some of the best and varied scenery and Etosha had amazing wildlife
After a luxury, customised Safari across Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, we did a 19-day self-drive Safari around Namibia. All of this was organised through Wayfairer Travel, who were fabulous. They also worked inside Namibia with ATI Travel who organised the car rental, customised map and navigation directions for us. All of this worked really well.
We drove around the bulk of Namibia in a clockwise direction starting from Windhoek. We chose mostly luxury accommodation and we can recommend the following (with occasional relevant comments):
Kalahari Red Dunes Lodge Tented Chalet was the most beautifully appointed place we stayed at in all of Africa. No expense had been spared here. The attention to detail was extraordinary and the facilities were extensive; including a pool, huge, luxurious bar and dining areas (indoor and out). All chalets look out over waterholes and feed areas for the animals that come in for this. (Don’t stay only one night)
Fish River Lodge Chalet is situated on the very edge of the massive canyon which gives you an extraordinary view of it. (It is however, an extremely long drive over some rough gravel and sandy roads to get there. The optional activity of driving around the canyon is actually a day trip to the bottom of the canyon, and is not worth the price or the five hours of discomfort to get there).
Klein Aus Vista is hard to find, but the pool area and relaxation areas around and overlooking it were terrific; and great for sunset watching. (The rooms next to this may be okay, but the Eagle's Nests Chalets we stayed in were almost 9kms of gravel road away from the above amenities, and they are built almost directly under a cliff face of massive boulders that have obviously rolled down from above at some time in the past, and will logically continue to do this again at some point. The cabins are also almost side by side, so you can’t enjoy the isolation you might expect that far out. Unless you like climbing large rocky hills, I don’t see the point of these remote and very basic chalets).
Desert Hills Lodge Chalet near Sossusvlei is an amazing architectural feat. The chalets and huge main buildings have the most beautiful thatched roofs, and there is a large pool area and extensive dining deck; all with an expansive view overlooking a huge, beautiful, vast and rocky desert area. Each chalet has a private and uninterrupted view of this.
Okaukuejo Camp is conveniently located well inside west Etosha National Park. Whilst the cabins are not by any means luxury accommodation, staying in the chalets right beside the waterhole meant that you were immersed at any time of day or night in the experience of almost every type of animal up close and personal.
Mushara Bush Camp Tent near east Etosha National Park was very nice and quiet, and it had a pool, and a beautifully designed lobby, bar and dining area. Unlike Okaukuejo Camp, it is just a little way out from the park though, so you need drive about half an hour to get to any of the waterholes.
Ai-Aiba Rock Painting Lodge Chalets are beautiful and cleverly built. The chalets and huge main building have beautiful thatched roofs, and there is a pool area and an extensive glassed-in dining area; all with an expansive view towards the Erongo Mountains. Each chalet has a private and uninterrupted view of this.
There is however, about 48 kms of winding, hilly, gravel road just to get there from the main highway, so unless you love climbing around rocky outcrops and intend to stay at least two nights, I don’t know that it is worth it.
Also the chalets here are also built almost directly under a cliff face of massive boulders that have obviously rolled down from above at some time in the past, and will logically continue to do this again at some point)
Activities that I can recommend include:
Climbing to the top of Big Daddy sand dune near Sossusvlei (be aware it is too tough for some)
Lie-down sand boarding down huge sand dunes (at speeds up to 70 kph) at Swakopmund
Most of the highways in Namibia are very good. The bitumen roads can legally be driven on at up to 120 kph, but most of them have no dividers between each side of the road, so some may prefer to drive at lesser speeds.
There are some very long stretches of gravel roads which are mostly being constantly graded, but it can be tiring watching almost every section of road for potholes, small ditches or loose edges.
Regardless of the road types, much of the scenery is just stunning in terms of geology, mountains, gorges, desert area and changes in vegetation. Depending on where you are, there is often a lot of wildlife to see along the way.
The weather was perfect the whole way around, and we felt quite safe everywhere; even at night. Of course, there are some national parks where you cannot wander around at night, due to the proximity of wildlife.
The country had been suffering from drought for some time before we arrived, but we still saw quite a lot of animals around. Many waterholes are fed by water 24/7 from boreholes, and some lodges bring in feed for the animals. Etosha was by far the best location for large herds of elephants, zebra and wildebeest, and we saw many giraffes and a few rhinos. We even saw cheetahs here, and we hadn’t seen these anywhere else.
Swakopmund and Okaukuejo at west Etosha were the best places we found for some great souvenirs.
US
The crater is a world unto itself.
We stayed at Sopa Lodge. It was lovely. Good food, nice rooms, everyone was very nice. It was also close to the crater, letting us spend more time in the crater and less time on entrance roads. We saw a lot of wildlife in the crater, including a rhino (at a distance), and several lion kills. Our guide was with us for our entire safari; he was excellent. I would definitely put the crater on a "do not miss" list for anyone coming to Tanzania on a safari.
BE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience with friendly and knowledgable guide
Kiliholidays provide excellent recomendations andwas flexible to modify program to our wishes (to reduce travel time). Guide, Sami, was extreemly friendly and knowledgeable and problems were solved adequately and within a reasonable time. Tour was great though we had underestimated the distance to travel between the parks. Southern parks are not crowded with lots of tourists so no traffic jams in the park this season. However in rainy season (hardly any rain during our trip) vegetation is dense making animal spotting more challenging. For easy spotting of animals Northern parks may e better alternative.
PE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical
Unforgettable trip. Tanzania has to offer everything in one place. Wildlife, beaches, history, and great and friendly people. Out tour operator Nature Excursion was just amazing.
The service was very prompt and friendly. I had very little time to plan and they were helpful.
Very good communications, and a personal meeting, which was very nice and important. The tour was good, the airport transfer was there when I arrived, and transportation was good. The guide was genuine, sincere, and very knowledgable. The driver was also friendly and helpful. I also really enjoyed the Mnarani Resort, and all the staff. They were friendly and the service was exceptional. The chef was exceptional also, and the seafood was perfectly prepared. I had one issue with one of the rooms at the second hotel in Stone Town, and this was quickly addressed.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Every day was better than the day before!
My friend & I were on a cruise that stopped in Port Elizabeth, Mossel Bay, & ended in Cape Town. We went to Addo Elephant Park & it was so beautiful! The scenery & the animals were so stunning! The next day, we did a Game Drive at Botlierskop. It was so much fun & the seeing more animals & different scenery, it was even better! The cruise ended in Cape Town & we did 2 days of touring. We saw the lighthouse at Cape Point (beautiful views) & the Cape of Good Hope, along with seeing the penguins at Boulders Beach! Wow! What a day! The next day, we had 2 winery tours, a Game Drive & a visit to the top of Table Mountain! Again, WOW! The views were incredible! We did a trip to Aquila Game Reserve that was 2 nights/3 days! We had 4 game drives (2 morning & 2 evening). Every game drive was different! My friend & I kept saying, it can’t get any better than today…and the next day was better! And, the sunrises & sunsets were the best we have ever seen! We took pictures but they didn’t do them justice! All I can say is WOW! What a trip!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by Catherine Sales
This is one of my favorite parks because it's generally the first on the trip and it doesn't disappoint. Lots of variety of animals. I'm not a birder, but our guides were extremely knowledgable about every winged creature. Our main guide and owner of company has published articles on birds.
LV
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our amazing Tanzania experience
This for both of us was our first safari experience, and it definitely was most amazing trip we have had. Since we had 3 weeks of holidays we could visit many parks and as cherry on top of cake was couple of days in wonderful beaches of Zanzibar before going back to daily routine. We have been very lucky that our tour company was Daigle Tours - starting from very comfy car up to very high level customer care. Professional guides assured that we saw big 5, plus many other animals and birds. We also visited couple of local tribes, and saw some of their daily life. Moreover they helped to Jimmy organize breathtaking surprise for me - balloon safari over Serengeti. For anyone up for adventures and lifetime experience we recommend to contact Daigle Tours, you will enjoy every moment of your trip!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Trip of. Lifetime
We went first week of June and weather was perfect, cool mornings and evenings and about 25degrees centigrade in the middle of the day. Scenery and wildlife were incredible and the parks are relatively quiet so no mobs of vehicles. Saw the big 5 plus loads of other animals and birds galore.
Parks - 1 day Tarangire, 2 days Serengeti and 1 day Ngorongoro Crater which was perfect. Would make it an absolute must, great experience, very friendly people, and we felt very safe.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Serengeti National Park by Catherine Sales
You need to spend several days in this park. We followed the migration of the wildebeest. We literally saw over a million wildebeest finding their way to the Masai Mara. We the wildebeest and zebra cross the Mara. Those that ventured away from the group we quickly found by the lurking crocs. There are more animals than you can imagine. Seeing rhinos is extremely rare and will likely be from 1/4 mile away. You may or may not see leopards and cheetahs. We saw many of both. As you are traveling around you won't see too many other tourists, but there are specific locations (i.e. Mara river crossing) where there will be numerous jeeps with other anxious and excited tourists. The first time we stayed in a Sopa lodge which was great. This last trip with stayed in tents. These tents were walled tents with a toilet and shower. Meals and socializing take place in a large dining tent and camp fire. The tents are very popular and must be reserved about a year in advance. It's a wonderful option for feeling close to the animals. All through the night you hear the bleating of the wildebeests and grunts of others. The smells, sights, and sounds really pull the experience together.