Reviews of safaris to Damaraland
1114 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Damaraland.
"Our autumn half-term break"
Absolutely nothing to complain about - Namibia is a great place to visit.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Not really - this is our second outing with Expert Africa (Sunvil) and we have really appreciated the service and guidance.
The advice has all been sound and the trips have gone very well." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
"Namibia trip 2019"
We were keen to visit in 2019, and Tom Morris worked extremely hard to come up with a workable itinerary. This he managed to do, keeping our trip to the area we had originally planned, encompassing some of the accommodation we had wanted and also introducing some new ones. The itinerary worked very well and gave us a mix of self-drive and guided drives.
Thank you Tom for once again organising another excellent trip for us." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip
"My Oct 2019 trip"
"Namibia 2019"
Due to the landscape we found our Namibian safari totally different to the others that we have been on. An amazing place with amazing people, animals and lodges - they all contributed to make this a memorable holiday experience
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No. Everything went smoothly. We had no problems" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
"My Oct 2019 trip"
We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Expert Africa to anyone." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
"Great Agenda - Terrific Experience !"
Johann, our private guide, was absolutely super. We could not have asked for a better person to manage our way and maximize our stay in Namibia. Highlights were numerous, and we would not have missed any. Outstanding for all of us was our stay at Huab under Canvas, Driving the Dunes at Sandwich Harbour, Sossusvlei & Deadvlei and Kolmannskuppe.
Elephant and Rhino tracking were once in a lifetime experiences, and we appreciate all the efforts involved to allow us those opportunities. We would highly recommend the trip, and both the care & service provided by Tracy before we got there, and by Johann once we were in country." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
"Good introduction to Namibia"
Our second disappointment was the amount of electric light we experienced. Nearly every lodge had path lights which stayed on all night, ruining the view of the sky, and in some cases our sleep. We were used to little light and Tilley lamps on previous visits to Africa and this came as a shock. Tok Tokkie and Mundulea were a relief from this. In some places the lights were behind the tent/room but at Erongo we had to resort to removing lightbulbs from the path outside to allow us to sleep. At Ongava, the waterhole light shone directly into our room. We are very saddened that lodges feel this amount of light is necessary.
EA often states that when on half board “drinks are extra”. Most of the lodges we stayed on half board included 2 large glasses of house wine per person each night. Sundowners were extra.
We stayed at 3 Wilderness Safaris lodges and got to know their dining style. Everywhere else game was often the meat provided, at Wilderness it was regularly basic beef, pork or chicken which was quite uninteresting. They also had an obsession with hot plates, which at 30C seemed unnecessary.
It was very nice to receive a recent copy of the Namibia guidebook in August. This was hardly opened before our trip and still fell apart before we got to Etosha. A large number of pages fell out somewhere which meant that we didn't have the information about Etosha that we wanted. We also had with us a 30 year old bird book with all its pages intact. It's a shame Bradt can't make their books a little more robust.
We were told that using toilets at petrol stations could not be recommended. We carefully took a trowel and a roll of paper with us. This was completely unnecessary as every toilet we visited was spotless." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 20 on a Namibia trip
"Fabulous! Exceeded our expectations!"
If we know of anyone going to Africa we would not hesitate to point out the excellent service that Expert Africa provided us.
Thank You Expert Africa and especially Maruska! You made our vacation hassle free and memorable." Read full review: 30 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip
"My Oct 2019 trip"
Namibia is an incredible and varied country and the itinerary enabled us to experience as much of this beautiful country as possible in two weeks. You can tell that a huge amount of work has gone into planning these trips and itineraries - it was perfectly paced for us, with the right amount of time in each place and wonderful places to stay. The Etosha part of the trip was especially well planned, with a base in the East and then in the South it meant that we could cover a good proportion of the Park, and one of our 'travel days' was also a full day within the Park which was fantastic.
There was plenty of driving but it never felt too much, especially as we shared the driving, which was a big positive.
All of the places we stayed were incredibly welcoming, with excellent food and some really luxurious touches.
As we are usually quite independent travellers, we really welcomed the fact that we were booked mainly on a half board basis, as we were very happy to drive ourselves around Etosha and the attractions in Damaraland and Swakop/Walvis Bay, so this worked perfectly for us. But we were very pleased that the excursion at Hoodia was included as it was fantastic and we wouldn't have fancied driving ourselves on the sand.
All of the communication we have received throughout the process has been first class. The travel guide was an invaluable companion which is now looking very well used!
Thank you for making our honeymoon so memorable." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
"Our October trip"
We also felt that the itinerary around Etosha was not well advised given that we travelled around the park twice and across it once. it would have been much better to advise us to stay outside of the park at the western and central gates and done two or three day trips. We would have seen just as much without the hours and discomfort of additional travel.
We found the itinerary information provided very useful to follow eg estimated hours of the journey, though some details and advice need updating..
Overall it was a fantastic holiday in a great country" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip
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Inspire meWhere to stay in Damaraland
Our suggestions for safari camps in Damaraland
Doro Nawas
Comfortable rooms and a convenient location make the community run Doro Nawas a great base for exploring Damaraland.
Mowani Mountain Camp
Mowani is a beautiful and stylish mountain retreat in southern Damaraland; it makes a great base for visits toTwyfelfontein.
Damaraland Camp
Setting the standard for community partnerships, Damaraland Camp offers a beautiful location, a range of activities – and a genuine welcome.
Camp Kipwe
With unusual, igloo-like rooms, open-air bathrooms and beautiful scenery, Camp Kipwe is well placed for nature and cultural excursions.
Desert Rhino Camp
Desert Rhino Camp offers a rare opportunity to track black rhino on foot in one of the last true wilderness areas – an amazing experience.
Etendeka Camp
Etendeka is an owner-run camp in the remote and less visited north of Damaraland. The camp is renowned for it's spectacular guided walking trails.
Grootberg Lodge
On the edge of an ancient plateau Grootberg Lodge has a stunning location and arguably the best views of any lodge in Namibia.
Twyfelfontein C'try Lod.
A large lodge set among the rocks, Twyfelfontein Country Lodge is a convenient base for visiting the rock engravings, which are only 4km away.
Spitzkoppen Lodge
Spitzkoppen Lodge provides stylish accommodation in an area of scenic grandeur with guided access to sites of ancient Bushman rock art.
Palmwag Lodge
Palmwag Lodge has a great location by a spring in the Uniab River and offers access to an area where you can see a variety of desert-dwelling animals.
Huab Lodge
Huab is a classic little Namibian Lodge which is slightly off the beaten track in a lesser visited part of Damaraland.
Brandberg White Lady
Brandberg White Lady Lodge, nestled at the foot of its namesake, makes a good base from which to visit bushman rock paintings including the 'White Lady'.
Vingerklip Lodge
Vingerklip Lodge occupies a lovely location, but is a little too far east for guests to visit Damaraland's main attractions.
Khowarib Lodge
Khowarib Lodge has a great location overlooking the Hoanib River. This is one of the few places to offer authentic Himba village visits.
Etendeka Walking Trail
The Etendeka Walking Trail promises to offer a back-to-basics walking and camping experience in one of Namibia's most remote and untouched wilderness areas.
Onduli Ridge
Onduli Ridge is a luxurious, low-impact luxury camp offering top-notch guiding in a remote wilderness area of Damaraland.
Malansrus Camp
Within easy reach of Twyfelfontein, Malansrus offers a simple but comfortable base for visits to the rock engravings or seek out desert-adapted elephants.
Ugab Terrace Lodge
Ugab Terrace Lodge is a comfortable stopover between Damaraland and Etosha National Park or Namibia’s Central Highlands.
Ozondjou Trails
The simple Ozondjou Trails gives a unique perspective on living with Damaraland’s desert-adapted elephants and how tourism is key to protecting them and the livelihood of the people.
Palmwag Sleep-out
Palmwag Sleep-out is a simple camping experience and a great way to enjoy the remote beauty of the vast Palmwag Concession
Damara Mopane Lodge
Damara Mopane Lodge is a large 60 room lodge surrounded by beautiful gardens. It can be used as a comfortable stopover between Etosha and the Skeleton Coast
Camp Doros
Small, intimate and with excellent eco-credentials, Camp Doros is set above an ephemeral river within a remote community concession of Damaraland.
Sorris Sorris Lodge
Overlooking the Brandberg Massif, Sorris Sorris is probably the most luxurious lodge in southern Damaraland.
