Reviews: Hoodia Sossusvlei excursion

"Overall we were very disappointed with this activity – except the lunch which was fantastic. One of the main reasons we stayed at the lodge was to do this activity as we know the area gets a lot of visitors and this activity is described as ‘off the beaten track’. Some of the extracts from the description:

‘Our aim is to deliver a unique “off beaten tracks” experience in nature and we focus on places which are rarely mentioned in guide books – especially today facing an overwhelming increase of tourist in SSV area’.

‘Hiking to Dead Vlei and later Sossusvlei using “secret routes” to minimize seeing too many other visitors’.

This is not the experience we had. We visited the main sites (and only the main sites) at peak time using the same routes as all the other hundreds of tourists. There was nothing ‘off the beaten track’ about it. Even though we got into park close to sunrise we spent so much time getting lectures at No 1 dune that by the time we got to Dead Vlei it was peak time and we’d missed the best light. We were then told we had 3 hours at Dead Vlei to allow people to walk up Big Daddy. No where in the description does it mention this. We’d walked to the vlei and taken our photos etc withing 45 minutes so we had to stand for nearly 2 hours under the one tree with any shade in the car park waiting for everyone else to finish." Read more about this whole safari

"Daniel was a tremendous guide. There were just 5 of us and he made sure we were comfortable before we set off.

He showed us small desert animals as well as Oryx, Wildebeest, Springbok, lizards, spiders, vultures, stag beetles and Ruppells Korhaans and other birds, and so much more.

Daniel was very knowledgeable about Namibian history and geology too. It was fascinating to see the iron deposits in the red sand dunes, and climb to the top of one. He accompanied us pointing out flora too including the petrified trees.

The lunch picnic was delicious; beautifully set out on a carpet with tables, chairs, tablecloths and cutlery.

Sitting under an acacia tree in the desert with Oryx grazing nearby was an unforgettable experience" Read more about this whole safari

"Great experience with a good guide.

The scenery was mind-blowing." Read more about this whole safari

"Absolutely incredible day, the climb up half of Big Daddy, the guide was one of the best, and the lunch spot totally amazing!" Read more about this whole safari

"Due to flight delays, we arrived late but they accommodated us by taking us on the full tour in the afternoon/evening (it's usually early morning).

The whole experience was excellent and we enjoyed sundowners before returning to the lodge.

Fantastic guide." Read more about this whole safari

"The day after arriving at Hoodia, we did the full day excursion to Sossusvlei. It is about 30 minutes to the park entrance gate. You travel in a closed vehicle, but the windows do open. It is nice to have the A/C, but pretty impossible to take good pictures from inside, unlike an open air safari vehicle.

I was sitting in the back row and it was impossible to hear the guide. One gets tired of asking "What did he say?" I might suggest investing in a radio speaker system. Our guides to the Cape and to the winelands in South Africa both had these, and they worked very well.

The negative was our guide on that excursion. It was pretty clear he had five stops to make, then pick up his mail, then back to Hoodia. Several times we asked to stop to take pictures of the dunes, and I don't know if he didn't hear us, or stopping was just not on his timetable.

We had made it very clear throughout the day that we were interested in seeing animals, if possible. As we were leaving the park there were tons of oryx, and I just wanted some pictures with the oryx in the desert setting. But, he refused to stop. My husband even took him aside when he made a stop for his mail, and told him if we saw more animals to stop. Even after that we had to scream at him to stop so we could watch three oryx jumping the fences and running across the road before the turn into Hoodia. Having a quality guide is just so important for these types of excursions. The only animal he pointed out all day was a black back jackal that ran across the road in front of us.

I don't feel we learned anything about the people and animals who lived there, who still live there.

With that said, it was still a nice day with friends. A beautiful day. Wonderful pictures of Deadvlei. Fun to watch (with binoculars) the people coming down the face of Big Daddy. The scenery is really quite amazing." Read more about this whole safari

"This felt "other worldly" as we walked up and then down a dune to a smaller area of dead trees - where we were completely alone with just our guide - before walking to the busier Deadvlei area.

So his local knowledge and being able to do this was very valuable and gave us a greater sense of the place than we would have got if we had walked the to Deadvlei the same way as the crowds.

The lunch - served on a tablecloth covered table under a beautiful tree, away from the crowds - was excellent and there was plenty to eat and drink.

Definitely worth doing and good value." Read more about this whole safari

"Wonderful day out with first class lunch under a tree in the desert.

Having a guide really brought things to life." Read more about this whole safari

"Lucas was a very informative guide." Read more about this whole safari

"Ineos was our guide to Sossusvlei, he was informative about the desert and its place in the surrounding area. We climbed "Big Daddy" which was amazing.

Lunch was set up outside the park, under a shady tree with Oryx looking on!" Read more about this whole safari