AE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Felt like I was in an national geographic episode
Was all amazing, different options to suit everyone.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great trip to the oldest desert
Location was good, accommodation is nice, guide was professional. Good place to calm my mind.
SG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolute bliss
People were amazing... animals were surreal as there were herds of them! Lovely weather although it was very hot in the afternoon. Guide was very knowledgeable. Overall it was just heavenly!
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great willd animals
The weather was not to hot in August. We saw the big 5. Food was good but very simple. Too much people in the van
CA
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had an amazing safari trip to Kenya this October - a 12 out of 10!
Our tour was well organized with top of the line accomodations. Our safari driver was the best from picking up at the airport to our departure at the end. We saw all the main animals and visited two villages to drop of supplies. It was the adventure of a lifetime!
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 days of extreme beauty!
The five-day safari was marvellous ! We saw amazing sceneries, very diverse across the 5 days. We were extremely lucky to see the Big 5 and more. Our guide, Omar, was a true safari expert and his experience was at times reassuring. Camping in the natural parks the last 2 nights was very special and watching the sunset in the morning was magical. Accommodation was good as well as food, thanks to Babu, our cook, who was very sweet.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Loved it!!!!!!
This was SUCH a great adventure and all the people working for Odyssey were super from beginning to end. The first test happened when we arrived in Nairobi at 3am but our luggage was not there too! Eliud and Lucy were there to meet us and checking on our luggage and making reports was a slow process causing delay at a time when you would want things to go smoothly so that you could get to the hotel. They were both happily accommodating and just took this in stride. And actually, finally getting our luggage the next day took a great deal of persistence on Eliud's part but he finally was able to get it for us-----his graciousness was remarkable! And then we were on our way!!!
The accommodations were very nice....."tents" in the tent camps are not what we think of as tents. They are very large rooms with very large bathrooms and are very clean. They have hardwood floors and sliding glass doors to the back patios. Just watch when you open the door to enter or leave your room that monkeys or baboons don't try to run in! They are all over in all sizes but tend to keep their distance. No real problem.
John was our driver and he was such a nice, fun guy! Our vehicle was marvelous! Everyone had a large window, plenty of room and the roof would raise up if we wanted. We could be out on our game drives as long as we wanted to be but we were usually ready to come back for dinner and we weren't interested in going out at night although it was possible. The animals are fairly easy to find and are used to vehicles; so they don't run away. And all of the drivers communicate with one another so there are usually numerous vehicles parked to watch. (Some of the animals are so quiet that you feel that you could get out and mingle...but...mmmmmm.....probably not!) Be prepared for many VERY bumpy roads-----John called it an "African massage!" LOL....
I recommend this trip to everyone......it is such an adventure and Odyssey played a big part in our enjoyment our trip. They were always right there to do their very best to see that everything was just right----if there were any problem, they happily took care of it. Accommodations were very nice and the food was plentiful and always prepared very well. We saw all of the animals and met the nicest people EVER!!! I would LOVE to go again....and with Odyssey!!!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Had a great time on my safari, it ended up being a lot of driving as expected but couldn't have asked for a better guide and we got to see all of the animals we wanted to!
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great value and unforgetable experience
booked my 4-day joining safari directly via their website but found them here. everything was well organized. Staff (Jackson) was really helpful and could answer all my questions as it was the first time for me to go on a safari. trip started in moshi and they picked me up from my hotel which was not far from MJs office which made everything very convenient. the driver (Tony) who was also the guide was the perfect man for that job. enthusiastic, friendly, easy-going and with a great knowledge of the tanzanian nature. the whole trip (serengeti, ngorongoro, tarangire,...) was perfect for me as i saw everything i wanted to see in a limited time. as i´ve never done a safari before and didn´t know if i will like it, i thought 4 days might be enough for the first time. at the camping sites our cook (David) prepared delicious meals and i still wonder how he could do with the limited equipment they had on the campsites. well done!!! To come to an end i must say that i would book again at MJs if i come to Tanzania again! Sounds too perfect maybe, but it was! the only thing was that i didn´t see all "big five" which is for sure not their fault... ;-)
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Astonishing scenery, a well-organised burgeoning tourist industry, and lovely, LOVELY people.
The wildlife and scenery was amazing. There are so many miles of absolutely nothing. Elsewhere in Africa, if you need to go behind a bush, you will find 50 children waiting for you. In Namibia, you'll be lucky to find a bush! But if you do, there will not be 50 children. There won't be anyone. You can stand on top of a hill and see the road for 200 miles, in an almost straight line - with nothing. No village, hut, pylon. Nothing!
We did compact game drives with knowledgeable guides. The scenery from desert to dunes to game park with pans and rock art thrown in - is incredible.
As reasonably experienced travellers in East and West Africa, this was our first trip to southern Africa. I had expected to feel quite intrepid.
Far from it: we stayed almost entirely in Gondwana group hotels, with other B&B in Windhoek and one non-Gondwana tented camp on our itinerary. All were amazing - so varied and interesting, each in their own right. This is not chain-hotel experience. We don't normally do 5*, so perhaps I don't really know how to rate this, but it was way above what we would normally expect to do elsewhere in either Europe or Africa.
By way of example: I wished that I had started a "view from the loo" photo collection early on. From quirky bathroom fittings at Kalahari Anib Lodge (towel rail and loo roll holder all made of copper pipe) to an al fresco toilet experience at the Spitzkoppe tented camp, with the loo roll tucked into the stonewall; to sand dunes, passing rhino and oryx, viewed over our own private plunge pool and a pink fridge at the Desert Grace near Sossusvlei. (Please, PLEASE - if you go to Desert Grace, stop at the view point on the road in. It is well worth clamber up the rock!) ... Elsewhere - towel origami in shape of elephants; chocolates on the pillows ... I could go on.
Special mention: our game driver, Ronald, at Etosha, said we would be out for about 6 hours - but he knew where the animals might be, found them, spent the extra time, and delivered us home after 12 hours. He must have been exhausted, and had it all to do again the next day. But we were happy. And Etosha Safari Camp is just lovely, with its live music, idiosyncratic furniture, and relaxed atmosphere.
Above all, we never felt threatened anywhere. Wandering round Windhoek and Swakopmund was the closest we came to normal life - we didn't see local village life at all, I'm afraid. But everybody we met and talked to, even in the towns, was so very, very friendly and welcoming.
A small point: we would have appreciated better guidance on tyre pressures for different roads - the car hire company simply gave us the wrong figures!
Thank you, Namibia.