Reviews of safaris to Central Highlands

"This was our 2nd visit to Namibia as a couple and we tried to cover the areas not visited last year. This included starting in Zimbabwe and driving through the Caprivi Strip which was something my husband has always wanted to do. So it was a very different trip to 2024 when we visited the dunes and Fish River Canyon. Parts of it didn't feel like the Namibia we'd seen before, and we really enjoyed the north of the country which feels more like Botswana & Zimbabwe.

The trip was very well organised and everything worked seamlessly. We booked with very little notice and Tracy pulled it together very quickly for us. We also completely reversed our itinerary at the last minute, probably causing hair to be torn out but Tracy never showed it.

We used the Bradt guide constantly and it was always with us. I will try to email in my very small contributions/changes that we found along the way.

I especially loved the north of Namibia this time. It reminded me of my time in Zimbabwe 35 years ago and I was surprised by how little it had changed. I'm a big fan of the rainy season and love visiting in the green season. We were surprised and delighted by how much game we saw, and of course the birds were incredible. The Delta was magical and Shinde was a very good 2nd choice since Kwara didn't have availability. We loved Shinde and had some great sightings.

The lodges were very comfortable, some were luxurious, more so than I would choose on my own, but perfect for us as a couple. Hugh likes more comfort than me and would like to have known in advance which lodges didn't have air conditioning.

Overall it was another great trip. Thank you Expert Africa" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"A very well organised trip (as always). Accommodation and travel times well thought out, unlike one British couple from another well known travel company (high end) who asked to be moved from where they were staying as they said that Lodge had been misrepresented!

I don't know what Tom said to Europcar but their treatment of us was exceptional.

We also appreciated Grace meeting us at the airport and seeing us through.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None - all excellent." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"I went to spend time with the Desert Elephants and that exceeded my expectations.

Expert Africa and great with suggestions and organising. I had one hic up when I needed to back track and then come back again so I forfeited that route as the roads in Namibia have deteriorated over the years in my opinion. I think a great deal more lobbying is needed by lodges and tour operators to get those roads sorted out. Certainly back tracking makes no sense.

I love Namibia and this will not be the last time I visit." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"We really had a great trip. We saw much more wildlife than we had even dreamed might be possible.

We loved having the freedom of driving ourselves around and having our own vehicle. If we had had more time, we should have done a little more research and maybe could also have gone to see the dunes at Sossusvlei, but this trip came up fairly suddenly and it was great to have someone else, someone who knows the area, do the planning for us.

The places we stayed were much fancier than what we are accustomed to, but we sure appreciated that every place we stayed had a pool, and we made use of most of them. Always staying at such fancy places we felt like we didn't really get as much of a sense of what Namibia is like for the people who live there, but I guess that wasn't the purpose of this trip.

As a safari experience, it was top notch. Overall, no complaints, and we'd certainly use this service again in similar circumstances." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"We had an amazing trip.
Maruska understood our priorities and altered a couple of the lodges for us.
She found the perfect driver for us, who could not have looked after us more .
I really appreciated that we could add onto our schedule a trip to CCF . Overall as a company Expert Africa were easy to contact and willing to help. We felt we were valued customers.
And I don’t blame them for the fact I didn’t see a wild cheetah ! ( I am joking )

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Not really - you offer enough information before booking to assess what the customer wants . Or start them thinking more about it . And for us you achieved that - especially the driver experience .
Thank you" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"Apart from my disappointments about Safarihoek this was another fantastic trip to this magical country.

As ever Expert Africa went above and beyond.

Anderssons was the highlight but other lodges were great too.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No. Keep doing what you are doing" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"We thoroughly enjoyed our trip with great scenery. We stayed in so many different places and had positive experiences at them all. The holiday was a great mix and the walking gave us time to take it all at a slower pace. We saw more wildlife than we expected. The guides and the staff were all passionate about Namibia and very helpful and friendly.

The driving was very easy.

Anything we would have changed? Probably an overnight stop somewhere after Tok Tokkie and then the last 2 nights at Otjimbondona as it was a very long drive after finishing the morning walking." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 23 on a Namibia trip

"Everything was perfectly organized. Thank you very much !

P. S. I forgot to mention the rock art after we left Camp Kipwe, extremely interesting., and the thousands of flamingos at Walvis Bay. What a sight !

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions ! Keep your high standards !" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"What can we say! We had no idea what to expect from Africa or a safari and this trip and all the animals, accommodation, scenery, food and people far exceeded our expectations.

The same could not be said of the roads, though, most of the non-tarred ones were much worse than we expected. It was a very good place to get what they call a "Namibian massage" as we bumped along in our all-wheel drive Nissan X-Trail.

Beware, food portions are very big, like in the US! The quality of the food is superb, especially the beef, so tender.

We were apprehensive that we were staying in tents at some of the places - but they were nothing like what we expected the tent to be. They were really big and solid and felt safe (our main concern), plus all except Kanaan Desert Retreat had amazing facilities and amenities in them. Beds everywhere were really comfortable too.

We can truly say this amazing holiday was one of if not the best we have ever had, so glad we did not do a group trip." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"This was an epic trip. We both agree it was the best we have ever taken. Maruska was so helpful with first designing it and then with questions we had along the way. She even helped with getting us tickets to Robbens Island when it was sold out!
At times it felt like too much driving but I wouldn't have wanted to cut out anything. Probably just added more time. I really liked that we were in Swakopmund in the middle of the trip to have some city time between lodges. Also having stays at two different ends of Etosha with a drive through the middle. The lodges were all so wonderful and fun. Also being met at the airport before and at the end by Wilderness Safaris was so helpful. They waited in line for sim cards while we did rental car. Got us on our way quicker.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Not really. You did say somewhere that the shortest route is not always the fastest. We wish we had listened as we followed our cars GPS on first day and ended up hours behind schedule and at the start of darkness. Warned not to drive after dark so that was stressful on our first day.
We felt we had lots of info." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip