Reviews of safaris to Damaraland

"We booked this trip in late 2019 and it was postponed twice.

Claire kept us informed, and kept up our hopes that trip would actually happen.
Our trust in Claire and Expert Africa was justified, and we had a wonderful trip. We are so glad we didn’t miss it!

We particularly liked the amazing landscapes in Namibia, and the contact we had with the local people at the lodges." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Sabina helped plan a great itinerary.

We loved every place we went and stayed, and the logistics worked seamlessly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No, it was a great trip with no glitches." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"This was our second visit to Namibia, and while our original booking was July 2020 which would have had more animals around waterholes, we still loved the animals we saw and saw a huge variety. We loved just about every minute of our trip. The lodges were varied with varied experiences.

Thanks to the team for rearranging our trip on more than one occasion due to Covid!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip was very well organised. We had to shift it twice due to Covid and were only able to travel two years later than planned.

It had rained in February, which made the desert bloom, but also meant some animals had anything options to drink and were not necessarly at the waterholes.

We saw more animals than listed linked to the lodges, since we visited Etosha and saw lions there e.g. Also saw animals along the road while driving outside parks. Saw many special birds. Everything was pleasant and beautiful. Very relaxing.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No everything was perfect. Staff with an open ear for questions and a lot of empathy.

Highly recommended." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 21 on a Namibia trip

"Great trip.

Will probably safari in Namibia/Botswana in 2023." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"This has been our fifth trip to Southern Africa and the second that we booked with expertafrica. We spent three weeks self-driving in Namibia and then roughly two weeks on a fly-in safari in northern Botswana. Compared to our 2021 trip, this one featured much more landscape (as can be expected of Namibia) and more interactions with humans. That’s not to say that we didn’t see any less wildlife than on previous trips.

I would like to also emphasize that this trip was the first time that we visited this region at the end of the southern summer, i.e. at the very end of the rain season. Previously we had traveled here only in October (3 times) or July (once). We were pleasantly surprised by all the greenery, and we weren’t bothered by mosquitoes in any significant way. However, I should point out that my wife was often bitten by midges, whereas I wasn’t.

Virtually all guidebooks point out that the dry season is the best time to visit Africa in order to get the best wildlife sightings. I readily admit that the tall grass sometimes impedes tracking down predators, however, as my review of the camps in Botswana shows, we were not really short-changed of lion and cheetah sightings. Overall, except perhaps for leopards (only 2 encounters in 5 weeks) the wildlife sightings were as good as in the dry season, and in some aspects they were even better: To us, the animals appeared to be more relaxed or at least less stressed, due to the availability of food and water.

Everybody we talked to said that the region had a good rainy season. However, during our whole stay, we only had one brief shower (during siesta time in Etosha Heights) and one morning game drive in Nxai Pan, during which we had to wear rain gear and protect our cameras.

All ten safari camps are, in our minds, highly recommendable. And, as it turned out repeatedly, we saved the best (Kwara Camp) for last. This is not in any way to diminish the experiences we had at other camps. They all had their special appeal. However, if asked which are the places we are most likely to revisit again, they are Okonjima, NamibRand, Tau Pan and Kwara Camps.

I would like to add a comment about the flights to the various camps in Botswana. All of them took place on time and, most importantly, got us safely from point A to point B. However, I don’t quite understand why the departure times are only given to us the day before. I understand that for the airlines it can be challenging to come up with an economic way of handling these flights, but isn’t it true that virtually all of these trips are booked months in advance? For instance, on our way from Maun to Kwara Camp, we stopped in Xaranna and then Shinde Camps, whereas on our way back to Maun, it was a direct flight of 25 minutes.

Finally, a comment about Covid-19. Entry requirements with regards to corona changed during our trip: While we had to produce a negative PCR test for our first destination Namibia (to the tune of $250 per person) they lifted that requirement one week after we arrived, and Botswana lifted its requirement for the test before we crossed into Botswana. So did South Africa. The US, on the other hand, still requires a negative PCR test, so we did that in Maun one day before our departure back home. However, no one asked us to produce the paperwork!

I would also like to commend the way the camps in Zimbabwe last year handled the seating arrangements during the meals. They provided separate tables for each party rather than having everybody sit together at one or two tables along with the guides. I sense that this is a delicate issue and that it’s really up to company policy and not expertafrica to decide what’s best. With regards to guests sitting together I much prefer the separate tables arrangement, because in our five trips to Africa so far, our experience has been that the vast majority of conversations one has at these occasions amount to not much more than small talk: Where have you been, and where are going from here? Of course, there are exceptions. For instance, we got to know one couple from Switzerland and, on another trip, a couple from the UK that we really liked to talk to, and then we simply asked the camp staff to set up a table for four instead of two.

And with regards to the guides sharing the dinner: Of course, they deserve to have a gourmet dinner just like the guests, but I would say, they can have it in the quiet of the staff quarters, because in my mind, they deserve a well-earned break because they work hard enough already as it is. Again, in our experience, we had virtually all of the stimulating and significant conversations with them during the game drives, the coffee break and the sundowners, but not during dinner time." Read full review: 35 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"This trip was due to take place in April 2020 - we were due to travel just days after the first lockdown began - and Expert Africa, particularly Sabina Hekandjo, have supported us to ensure we were able to transfer the bookings to 2021 and then 2022 when the UK turned out to have returned to lockdown in 2021.

This was a huge amount of work - not just once but twice - with the complexity of the itinerary and changes that were needed and we really appreciated Sabina’s hard work, patience and sound advice throughout as well as Expert Africa’s commitment to their customers (and providers in Africa) ensuring our booking was honoured irrespective of time spent.

Due to Sabina’s expert knowledge and experience, our itinerary covered so many amazing aspects of Namibia yet was still relaxing and allowed time to take in each element and add activities if we wanted. The lodges were all amazing, food fantastic, people warm, friendly and welcoming, scenery beautiful and wildlife outstanding in spite of this being a ‘greener than normal’ green season.

We very much enjoyed our long awaited trip and would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone with a love for the natural world and a sense of adventure.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

The personalised service you provide is amazing, so we have no suggestions for improvement, you are already doing a great job, thank you." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"The trip of a lifetime! We had the most amazing time.

The landscapes are stunning and would highly recommend Namibia as a destination.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not applicable! I have recommended you already 😊" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"We are so happy we took the punt and booked a trip during Covid and at the last minute. It was superb, and Sabina was very patient with the last-minute planning. The trip was also very good value for money.

We couldn't recommend Expert Africa enough and will be booking again.

If you are reading this thinking either: should I go to Namibia, or should I travel during the final throes of Covid then without a doubt do it! We had hotels and experiences to ourselves, which money literally can't buy during normal times. This felt like an old, untraveled Africa, with 21st century luxury and conveniences." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Overall an amazing experience!

We had many adventures and met some wonderful people. We definitely preferred the lodges run by Wilderness Safaris and saw a level of service and hospitality above the other camps. In hindsight we would not have done two camps in Damaraland and felt it was a bit of a wasted opportunity to see another part of the country (a minor quibble).

Overall we are very happy with our experience and will (and have) recommended Expert Africa to people who might consider a trip to Africa." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip