35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Namib-Naukluft National Park by Andrew Thompson
The Namib desert is bleak and barren and vast, but also can be beautiful and surprisingly varied.
Plus there is some great wildlife here if you have a good local guide who knows where and how to find it.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Etosha National Park by Andrew Thompson
At the time of my visit at the end of the dry season, Etosha was full of animals, which were easy to see as they were drawn to the many waterholes. Bird watching was also exceptional. The quality and the quantity of the sightings far exceeded my expectation. The place never felt crowded, I always felt safe and the accommodation in the park was quite acceptable.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A 1-night stop-over which was good, but may have more to offer
I spent 1 night at Waterberg Plateau Park, as part of a guided birding and wildlife watching tour of Namibia. To be honest we really only stayed here because it broke the journey from Etosha National Park back to Windhoek nicely. Also because of the limited time we had, we only scratched the surface of what the Park had to offer. For example we didn't have time to join one of the organised game drives on the plateau itself, which I understood is stocked with various animal species, including game that is scarce elsewhere in Namibia. However we still managed to find some memorable wildlife encounters.
The well-watered grass just in front of the chalets attracts some extremely tame wildlife, including the unbelievably cute Damara Dik-dik - a small species of antelope. Equally close when we arrived but a lot less cute were Warthog and Chacma Baboon. The Baboons in particular have a reputation for mischief, so my advice would be to keep your wits about you when they are about.
The park also yielded some excellent bird sightings, with a resident pair of Verreaux's (Black) Eagle on the impressive cliffs, and when we visited (at the end of the dry season), there were good numbers of sunbirds, weavers and the magnificent African Paradise Flycatchers. We were also entertained by a raucous gang of Green Wood-Hoopoes, plus Purple Rollers, Hornbills, Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters and many other species.
The park is situated at the base of some impressive red sandstone cliffs which dominate the landscape, and mark the edge of the plateau itself. At the time of our visit the arrival of the first rain showers had brought an emergence of butterflies, which made a real spectacle.
The accommodation chalets are situated some distance from the other facilities, which means a bit of a walk to the restaurant, which is not so much fun in the rain or at night. However if you are camping, then the campsite is more centrally sited. The chalet I stayed in was clean and perfectly acceptable, and the bed was comfortable, but don't expect any frills here. The bathroom was basic but functional and everything worked.
The service at the restaurant was typically laid back (i.e. slow) and the quality of the food was okay.
As with many of the other rest camps run by the NWR, allow plenty of time for checking out on your day of departure.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Namibia by Andrew Thompson
A great variety of habitats, and wildlife (both birding and game viewing) which far exceeded my expectations.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a once in a life time opportunity for me and I was not disappointed!
The wildlife was great, got the opportunity to see all that I was expecting to see. Our guide was terrific, don't think we could have had anyone better, thanks, Gilli! The weather was wonderful. The accommodations were great, food was very good, although accommodating my daughters food restrictions were not as well attended to as I would have hoped. Overall our safari experience was wonderful.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The safaris and the landscape are very beautiful but the organisation is most of the time very bad
The safari's in Tanzania are really beautiful. And there is enough wildlife to spot. I had three joined safaris in every safari i met new and interesting people. The gids are well informed. Even through not every gids is a good chauffeur.
My only warning is the organisation. A lot of so told organisations are really just one guy with a computer and a telephone. And the drop you bij friends of them to fill up a car. That's not a big problem but there is no structure and organisation. So you have to ask every day multiple times with car you have to get and where you're going. Sometimes you find yourself getting in three day in three divergent cars and in every car other people.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fun and easily customized tour.
This is a fantastic opportunity and very affordable way to see the mountain gorillas as well as every other animal you can imagine on a Safari
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best Safari company in Tanzania in my opinion.
My husband and I and two friends went on Safari with Parakuyo Safari and Tours and had the best experience ever. Meleck is very knowledgeable about the animals as well as the culture of the area so if you had any questions he could give you an answer. The service started as soon as we stepped off the plane at Kilimanjaro airport...there was someone there to help us get our visa so we didn’t have to stand in line, which was awesome after a long flight. The whole two weeks we were on Safari we were his focus, he would always check to see that we had everything we needed and that we were enjoying our time in Tanzania. We had decided before we left home that we wanted to do a balloon ride over the Serengeti, so Meleck made all the arrangements for that also...it was a highlight for us!! We also wanted to go to Zanzibar for a week after our Safari and again; Meleck arranged it all, flights and accommodations. If you have the chance I would recommend Zanzibar after a Safari, it was so nice to just relax before the long flight home. Meleck, Ombeni and Ibrahim are a great team and are now friends for life. We shared lots of laughs and learned a lot about each other and our cultures. I’m trying to convince them they need to come to Canada to experience our winters!! Thank you Meleck and team for everything you did for us, memories forever.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great safari in the Okavango Delta
I booked a 6 day/5 night safari at 2 different camps in the Okavango Delta through Mark at Gondwana Tours. Mark ensured everything went very smoothly from the booking to the actual trip, and thoroughly answered all questions I had. The camps and the staff and guides were fantastic, and I had some great animal sightings. I was very with the experience and would happily book with Gondwana again.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Experience in Africa
Crystal Safaris is amazing - I saw both the mountain gorillas and chimps with them in Feb 2018! This has been by FAR the best experience I've ever had in Africa, and I've been to 15 countries on the continent! The staff is very friendly, and the are very efficient at planning/organizing tours. It was such a great & memorable experience, that I'm already planning my next trip back!