Reviews of Halali Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
337 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Halali Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
76% success
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98% success
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93% success
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"Halali Camp review"
"Halali Camp review"
The buffet style food was excellent." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia
"Shame about the kids"
The room was wondeful. Very quiet and well equipped, hard to believe to was also Park service accommodation. There is quite a walk from rooms to waterhole but for the less mobile it is possible to drive to a parking place nearer the waterhole. Torches very useful here.
We did see game when we drove around but the landscape was very charred.
Our visit was at the weekend and on both nights the evening meal was a braii (bar b q). I struggled with this as I am not keen on vast amounts of meat. However it was possible to just have the salad and pud for half the cost." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia
"Halali Camp review"
"Halali Camp review"
Good waterhole and people mostly quiet. Floodlights fixed quickly after bushfire before we arrived.
Management seem to have dropped the expected performance with room inventory and we were able to check out quickly." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
"Fire and Leopards at Halali"
One of our chalets smelled very foosty on arrival, which we solved by running water through the shower & sink for 1/2 an hour. A couple of things on the inventory were missing but we informed reception straight away and there was no problem on leaving. Restaurant very canteen like, but we were expecting that and the atmosphere was fine with a choice of eating inside or out. The kiosk which was open during the day was good. Prices fine. Shop not that well stocked for food if you were thinking of catering yourselves while here.
There was a bush fire the afternoon we arrived which burned out all the cables to the waterhole so we couldn't go there after dark which was disappointing, but was pretty well outwith anyone's control! It meant we truly saw how a leopard looks in the dusk. The fire was fairly spectacular and if we had been at the waterhole it would have felt even more alarming as there was no obvious way out. The fire brought home how little information there was about what to do in those circumstances, the main clues were that the staff weren't abandoning the camp and noting in the park as a whole other fires often didn't cross any barriers such as roads and the lack of ground vegetation in the camp to catch fire. I asssumed the staff were calm because they had seen it all before but the man I spoke to said it hadn't happened before.
I suppose the one thing about Halali was it's unfilled potential to be fantastic. Being left to do your own thing was great and you are pretty independent there, but with a little more effort a huge amount of information could be made available - even just a 1/2 hour talk from a game warden in the evening about what is going on etc." See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia
"Beautiful waterhole"
Waterhole is more beautiful but less active than Okaukeujo." See all these reviews: 17n in Namibia
"Halali Camp review"
However, service at reception is a little dismissive and it is best to be prepared for this as you will probably have been spoilt in other lodges with eager and polite staff. The waiters and cleaners were cheery and polite.
The room itself is functional with a comfy bed and small kitchen including a fridge but no cooker. AC works well (but is very loud) and is welcome on the very hot days. We had one night in a standard double room and one night in a bush chalet. Whilst the bush chalet was significantly larger it is probably not worth the extra money if you are planning to be in the park for most of the day." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia
"Halali Camp review"
Liked the waterhole being away from the main camp.
Service in the restaurant was very good and friendly. Lovely area and we saw very good game. We'd go back." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia
"Halali Camp review"
The accommodation is spread out over a large area. The chalets are large and okay but are looking tired and characterless . Ensure that all of the sliding doors/windows are locked as we found ours to be unlocked.
The mini-bar in the rooms is a cause for concern. Luckily I read the advice about checking the inventory. It is located in the Introduction booklet in the rooms and you are not informed about this at the desk when you arrive. Our mini-bar was not correctly stocked so I went back to the desk and she changed the information but it was all very casual. I noticed checking out the next day that the 3 people had problems with their inventories as well. It strikes me that the stocked mini-bars shouldn't be and that they should be left empty to avoid these difficulties and the bad feelings that arise (not to mention the queues).
The waterhole is a walk or a drive away (depending on where you are) The campground (which can be lively!) is closer to the waterhole than the chalets. Once you get to the waterhole sign it is a short climb to get to the seating. Some of the rocks are slippery and loose so trainers would be useful. Take a torch with you too. A lot of people go up with a bottle of wine or other drinks. We made the mistake of taking some snacks in a bag as well only to find that a field mouse was as interested in them as we were:)) The waterhole is not constantly busy but do not give up. Several people left only for 25 elephants to tiptoe in around 7pm and provide lots of entertainment. They were followed by a rhino and baby.
We were there at the time of an extremely large, fast-moving fire which we could see on the crest of the hill. A lot of the area around Halali and towards Numatoni was burnt at this time but should recover after the first rains. I did not have a lot of confidence in the way the staff were handling the guests concerns nor in how an evacuation would take place should it be needed." See all these reviews: 22n in Namibia
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