65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Blue skies, Red sand, amazing scenery and wildlife,fantastic experiences and lifetime memories.
Planning a holiday is much of the pleasure and with Blue Sky Namibia that was certainly true. From the start it was clear that much care was taken to tailor the tour to the travellers to achieve a happy result and an individual experience.
Four of us, all experienced travellers, journeyed to Namibia and from the time we were met at Windhoek by Pieter Mostert, tour operator,guide,driver and friend it was clear that we were in for an exceptional holiday.
Transport was in a very comfortable, purpose modified Volkswagon Transporter which reliably took us from the Orange river in the South to the Kunene river in the North and from The Shipwreck Coast to the Namib Desert and Etosha.
Accommodation was chosen to give different experiences from a floating cabin on the Orange river, tents in the desert with stars to see, stone lodges in a desert winery, rooms built round a huge boulder in the desert with magnificent views and a variety of accommodation to view wildlife, prehistoric artifacts and the history of Namibia.
Pieter who had a lifetime in conservancy before becoming a tour operator was a constant companion, source of information and a magnificent friend. It was obvious everywhere we went that he was much liked and respected.
As a result we had a truly unforgetable experience which has set a standard which will be hard to repeat.
We can highly recommend Blue Sky Namibia tours and Pieter to anybody seeking an exception and unforgetable journey in a wonderful country
35-50 years of age
On a downward curve
Having visited uMkhuze on several occasions previously I was somewhat concerned this year to see it looking somewhat shabbier than on previous visits. Signage was poor and some of the hides in a lamentable state of repair. Game viewing was also not what I had experienced on earlier visits.
That said, the accomodation was as good as I remember; comfortable, isolated chalets, a swimming pool all to me and my wife and father in law and babboon and impala right at the door. There is also cheap, decent food just a stone's throw away at the camp restaurant and nightly tours that are both reasonably priced and far from overcrowded. What game I did see was worth the trip; a pack of wild dogs (the rarest predator on the continent as I understand it), fantastic up-close views of a very impressive Kudu and plenty of bird life. On earlier trips I have seen rhino, both black and white, there, bush babies, hyena, civet, hippo, giraffe, zebra, untold impala and nyala and some of the rarer birds.
uMkhuze is a quiet reserve, perhaps due to it's current lack of maintenance, so there is no danger of encountering crowds and it has some lovely picnic spots by the pans where there was no one but myself, my family, and the monkeys to spoil the peace. With a bit more care uMkhuze could be a lovely, peaceful place to visit again and the staff are helpful and pleasant. It is also conveniently located for day trips to neighbouring Hluhluwe-Umfolozi and the St Lucia wetland park (now renamed iSimangaliso). A good destination for bird lovers but not as varied scenery wise as I might prfer, with a lot of thick, flat brush for the animals to lose themselves in.
Weather in early April was almost perfect, warm but not too hot, mosquito free (from what we saw) and suitable for Braais (BBQs) every night at the fixed Braai grills that are located outside each chalet, and cleaned at dawn each day. Just don't forget to take your own charcoal, lighters and food as the shop is a little sparse.
A little much needed work and uMkhuze could be, once again, a top destination, located as it is within easy travelling distance from Durban.
IT
50-65 years of age
Kgalagadi: wonderful experience
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park has become in last years a cross-border park, that includes part of the territory in Botswana and has a border station to Namibia. You can enter the park from a country and exit it to another one.
The Botswana side is very wild, there are only a few camping sites and is mandatory to drive a 4x4 vehicle. We didn’t go there.
In the South African side there are some rest camps (3 of them with bungalows, the others are smaller with only 4-6 tents), only one of them has a restaurant inside. We spent 6 days in the park, sleeping in 4 different rest camps.
The park is 4 hours drive far from Upington, the only medium-sized cities in the area; to go there you have to drive along a nearly deserted but in good condition road. This means that the park is frequented mainly by South African people or by most motivated among foreign tourist.
The special feature of the park is the natural environment, which is described as “arid savannah” and is very different from other african park’s landscape. There is an expanse of red sand dunes with a little grass and bushes, some trees and only a few waterholes, largely artificial. Wildlife in the park is astonishingly varied, we sighted springbok, hartebeest, wildebeest, jackal, giraffe, lion, oryx, meerkat, mongoose, ground squirrel and many birds, but we weren’t so lucky to sight also cheetah, leopard and eland.
One morning, at dawn, we met one lion, two lionesses and a cub walking along the road, they keep on walking among cars for half an hour. It was so exciting!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mt Kilimanjaro Rongai Route
I summited Mount Kilimanjaro via the Rongai Route in seven days in November 2013 as part of a charity climb. The trip was amazing. Our group contacted e-Trip Africa on the advice of another group that summited June 2013. From our first contact with e-Trip Africa to our farewells from our climbing team at Marangu Gate, the entire experience was wonderful. Everyone we dealt with was professional and knowledgeable. We were uncertain at the start of the process on which route we would take and for what duration. e-Trip answered all our questions and gave us unbiased advice on the pros and cons of each route. They took the time to answer our million and one questions with patience and never once did I feel I was given a rushed answer. The climb team was superb and their professionalism helped give me the confidence that I needed to make it to the top. Climbing Kili is not for the weak of mind or body and finding the right partners are critical in my opinion. From our first meeting in Moshi with the head guide Caspar and his team I felt we were in good hands for the coming week. The food was great – there were two picky eaters in our group and neither one went away hungry from any meal. The camps were clean and orderly and the climb team made sure our experience was fun and safe. Ben Jennings worked with us before and after the climb and was a large part of us being successful. We are already talking about taking another group back in 2015 for charity, we will use e-Trip Africa again.
CZ
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Succesful solar eclipse adventure
(Sorry about my english - it is not best...) When I was planing my trip to Uganda, I didn't even think about possibilities, which are here. All my doubts were dispeled just after I (and my friends) met our guide - Crammy Wanyama. He prepaired for us the best - in all sences. The best view to life in Uganda (not only commercial), best opportunities to be amazed by local sightseeings, especially natural parks, best places to stay overnight. As astronomer and astrophotographer I had really hight ambitions and nonstandard requests (like finding place to make photos of starry sky). All the time he was 100 percent helpful and absolutely kind and polite. Thanks to him I could recognize the most beautiful face of Uganda, pearl of the central Africa. But most of all - despite all problems (unpredictible weather, technician demands, local regulation) he did all possible, even impossible, to take us on right placi in right time to see and record scientificely very important total solar eclipse (on Nov. 3rd, 2013). Thanks to it we really succeded and had needed results for following procession: http://www.zam.fme.vutbr.cz/~druck/Eclipse/Ecl2013u/0-info.htm. More about observing the eclipse you can also find in this short review: http://www.astronom.cz/horalek/?p=137. I'll be greatful in rest of my life for all those possibilities Crammy Wanyama created for our Uganda Eclipse Safari Trip...
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful
We couldn't ask for a more knowledgeable guide to show us the best sights for birding in and around Entebbe, Uganda as Crammy. He is experienced, courteous and a delight to spend our first two days with in Uganda as well as finishing our last day in Uganda touring Entebbe. We were thrilled with the 102 bird species in our first day! The only room for improvement was in the vehicle that smelled of gasoline and whose air cooling was inadequate. Thank you Crammy for memories we shall never forget as well as our ongoing friendship.
Times to remember
Pieter Mostert of Blue Sky Namibia and I met more than 30 years ago. We met the first time in 1981 when I hitchhiked around Namibia. I returned to Namibia in 2003 with my family and did a safari with him. Namibian wildlife and scenery is incredibly beautiful, and the country is a very safe place to travel in. The family loved it.
Pieter has an extraordinary knowledge of the fauna and flora of Namibia. It is so interesting to listen to him, that it is difficult to leave him and Namibia. The fact that he does personalized safaris means that Pieter adjusts to the traveler and his curiosity. In his WW combi he stops whenever needed and explains the location and its fauna and flora. This is not "industrial" tourism so often practiced nowadays.
Pieter is also a very pleasant person to be with, always ready to help, and always with a smile. This makes any safari with him a human experience difficult to forget. He is a great guide and travel companion to those who want to explore Namibia.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
We highly recommend Makasa, they gave us our dream Safari trip in Tanzania
We found Makasa online, and began working with them because they are a local company. They were very easy to work with, they responded quickly and gave us a recommendations for a range of tented camps and lodges, and what was reserved for us was exactly what we wanted. The tour guide/driver was exceptional; his knowledge of the animals and birds and their behavior was excellent, he was friendly and enthusiastic, and he could not have done more for us. He was able to find animals we would never have seen.
We spent time in Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti, and each park had its unique features.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Afrobush gave me the experience of a lifetime.
Gumbo and Living were professional, prompt, and went the extra mile to give my family and me a personalized and comfortable experience. But what truly made our safari exceptional was the knowledge base of the staff. Every question asked (and there were a lot!) was answered beyond my expectations. Not only does Gumbo have a seemingly endless knowledge (and awe) of the habitat, ecology, geology, and history of the region, he expresses it with a deep passion and respect for its preservation. Yes, you will see lions, elephants, giraffes, and more at very close range (we watched a lion and his lioness mate!), but you will also come away with a wealth of information that will change the way you look at our world. Treat yourself to a beautiful, enriching, and amazing experience.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great outfit. Very pleased.
The Kilimanjaro climb was excellent. The guides and service were far beyond my expectations. Who would have thought we'd need so much support? I certainly didn't.
On Safari the guide was also first class. No complaints. Everything was safe and taken care of. No details overlooked.
Would recommend this group to everyone.