Reviews of safaris to Damaraland
1116 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Damaraland.
"Trip of a lifetime"
We enjoyed new places ( Namibia and Tanzania) , saw incredible sights ( especially the Crater and the migration) , ate wonderful food and met many wonderful people" Read full review: 51 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip
"My Dec 2018 trip"
Each lodge was totally different and scenery very varied." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
"Perfect"
Seriously! Our itinerary was a bit hectic and a million things could have gone wrong and didn't.
The information you gave us before we left was a God send and prepared us for everything.
Really well done, would recommend your company to everyone.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Nope, just keep doing what you are doing.
Oh, maybe ask if customer wants shared or private safari. I didn't think to ask myself as we are always on a private safari so it never came up in my mind.
Tracy - really stellar job, thank you." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip
"My Nov 2018 trip"
Everything was well organised and we had no difficulties throughout our stay. We drove a long way - nearly 3000km - but it was worthwhile. The itinerary worked well, so generally we had a longish drive between camps but then two or three nights at each camp to relax and enjoy what was on offer.
We are feeling that we will need to return to Namibia to explore those parts which we missed on this visit!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Best advice received from Expert Africa:
1. Take a spare phone and buy a local sim-card at the airport. The local phone was a lifesaver when we had punctures and had to contact the car hire company and tyre repair shops. It was also useful and lot cheaper than using a UK phone to contact tour leaders and camps where we were booked.
2. Pack and divide clothes into two suitcases. One of our cases was mislaid by Air Namibia on our arrival at Windhoek but we had split our clothes as suggested and so we both had change of clothes on arrival at our guest house. Fortunately our second suitcase was delivered to us early the next morning.
Least useful advice received from Expert Africa:
1. Take talking book and music CDs to listen to in the car on long journeys. Firstly, it is impossible to hear anything from the car radio when driving on rough dirt roads - and these roads comprise a very large proportion of the road network in Namibia. Secondly, many cars these days (and our car in particular, a Renault Duster) do not have CD players and instead play from a memory stick. We carried a number of CDs around Namibia!
The vehicle we hired, a Renault Duster, was fine BUT on some of the rougher roads felt a bit like a boy trying to do a man's job." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
"My Nov 2018 trip"
Wilderness Africa at Airport, especially Grace, were great too. Very helpful." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip
"A brilliant introduction to Africa"
Our itinerary worked well - about the right number of nights in each place.
Generally, very good food and wonderful, enthusiastic service." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
"First time in Namibia"
Namibia is absolutely beautiful and unspoilt and you don't appreciate its beauty unless you drive between lodges. The holiday was short - 9 nights - very well planned as driving distances, although quite long, were not excessive and we had two night stays in most of the camps allowing early morning game drives on the full day. One does spend a lot of time in cars as the drive between camps is about 6 hours and on arrival you are then taken out on a 4 hour game drive. The camps do not have an abundance of game which is why game drives are long but are pleasantly interrupted with snacks or sundowners depending on the time of day.
The guides were, without exception, excellent, and the standard of the camps was universally very good. Travellers coming from England will find fuel and drinks prices cheap compared with England (diesel is about £0.60 per litre) but it is essential to pay for petrol with cash as fraudulent use of credit cards is reportedly rife, so buy plenty of S Africa rands before leaving England.
Expert Africa warned us of this and it was confirmed several times by locals. It is wise to have some cash in small denominations as everyone, including those at petrol stations, will expect a tip We found this a most enjoyable and well organised holiday and we were given much useful advice by Expert Africa before our departure but despite all warnings the only problem we experienced was a single puncture.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
This was a very well constructed holiday by people who clearly know what they are doing.
We were very well warned about all the potential problems almost to the point of wondering whether we should continue with our plans or not and while this is very important it is probably worth saying to clients that if they are sensible they are no more likely to experience anything untoward than they are on any other motoring holiday, apart from the poor quality of the roads. Unless we were just very lucky!
Many thanks to Claire and Expert Africa for organising a wonderful holiday in Namibia." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
"Road trip of a lifetime "
We were in a hot air balloon 1000 meters above the desert at the crack of dawn and regularly sand-blasted on gravel and sandy roads. In hindsight we should have elected to stay outside of Etosha and we should have tried to arrange it so that we had smaller meals with less red meat. We worked out that we had 9 red meat meals during the period of 16 days! The food was mostly excellent, but was just too hearty a diet at 35-40 degrees.
Also thanks to Tracy's advice we managed to experience the hot air balloon ride over the desert and to discover such gems as Bullsport and Eningu lodge. Our favourite lodge was Doro Nawas for its stunning location and atmosphere, and lovely staff, closely followed by Hoodia, where we had the best food and a most relaxing stay. Okonjima was also a very special place where we saw leopards on our very first ride!
We will be revisiting our memories of this trip for a long time to come." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
"My Oct 2018 trip"
All was fantastic. No significant problems or issues, loved the country, would love to return. Mostly met Germans & Dutch; only met two American couples, Americans are really missing out!
Roads were not too bad and very little traffic.
I was surprised and saddened (or probably just ignorant) to see the racism and poverty that still exists in our world." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 21 on a Namibia trip
"Namibia - much greener than I expected"
Etosha National Park was slightly disappointing for us as we had been on many safaris in South Africa and Botswana, and Etosha was very much like the Kruger National Park in South Africa, where again one had to stay on the roads through the park. However the reserve around the lodge was much better and the driver could drive over a much wider area, and the scenery there was stunning, with plenty of wild life, including a caracal which I gather isn't frequently seen. Seeing a vast herd of zebra patiently waiting for three lions to leave a water hole so that they could then have a drink was also fascinating. The guide also went to great lengths to find us white rhinos.
We liked Damaraland and the harsh, volcanic scenery. My wife really enjoyed Sossusvlei and the dunes. I had expected them to be the highlight of the trip, coming at the end, but I'm afraid the anticipated Wow Factor didn't materialise for me, but I still enjoyed the excursion and the Dead Vlei was most dramatic.
Providing landing cards for Namibia, with instructions how to complete them, was a great bonus. None were available on the plane and all the passengers had to scramble to get them and fill them in at Windhoek airport so we were almost the first people through passport control.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
On the landing card there is a question asking how much we anticipated spending in Namibia. I said I didn't know and that was not acceptable, although the passport officer wasn't bothered what figure I put in as long as I put in some figure. You might point this out with the information you provide about completing the landing card as a couple next to us were given quite a hard time about the way they had completed the form." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 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.
