Reviews of safaris to Okonjima Nature Reserve

"Apart from the Car provided which was totally inadequate for the dirt roads Expert Africa come highly recommended. The trip was put together at very short notice and what was delivered was excellent.

The maps and general information provided when we arrived at Windhoek Airport were also excellent..

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Make people aware that there are 7 times more dirt roads than tar roads so be aware as to the type of car you choose" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"All four of us thoroughly enjoyed the holiday. It was a fantastic experience. We saw lots of different parts of Namibia.

There was a good balance between seeing animals, seeing different landscapes and experiencing different parts of Namibia.

Even the rain and lightning was something we will not forget." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"we have, we guess, become bitten by the Africa bug. We had a great time though we know that our measures of enjoyment are not necessarily those that others might use. This was our first trip to Namibia and it lived up to expectations. Stunning landscapes, extraordinarily nice people, a history that you should learn about to understand the place.... and for those that live in great cities, just amazingly empty. What will we remember? Sabina said to us that we shouldn't waste money on hiring a 4x4 but suggested we got a vehicle that had good ground clearance. We went with this.

On our drive back from Wolwedans to Windhoek, having still not seen any major rain, we had to drive over a small range of mountains, and on the way to the main pass I realised that it had rained here and the road was largely washed away. But we got over the pass and I said it should be easy from here.My partner took over as we drove down to the plains, and the we remembered that if it rains in the mountains, the water has to go somewhere. When we drove into the second bit of flooded road which seemed to run as far as we could see in front of us, we swapped driving again, and after a couple of hiccups, we got through. Thanks for your suggestion Sabina, in a VW Golf, we'd still be sitting in the middle of a fllor, and as you know, not many cars come along in Namibia ....... We will of course go back; the deep south around the Snake River is there to visit and then we'd like to go along the Caprivi into Botswana and Zambia....

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Our experience of Expert Africa is that you are content to let people work out their own routes for particular sections of a trip and then help with areas where they are less confident. It probably reduces your income but it means that we feel that you are helping us work out what we want to do, rather than just selling us a package. This is more like the old time 'outfitters' who helped you buy your kit and suggested the best routes, than a travel agent. It suits us well and makes us feel confident in following your advice.

Thanks Sabina and you helped us enjoy your country." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 28 on a Namibia trip

"Trip was very good - near enough all went to plan. Roads(!) in Namibia often meant time taken to reach destinations was longer then expected. Apart from the issue with Budget car hire we also had an issue with the Wilderness transfer from Galton House to Windhoek airport. They were supposed to let us know (or if we had not arrived when they called then inform Galton House staff) the pick-up time for our Monday morning transfer. By early evening here had been no call I decide to call them - as it was Sunday there was only an answerphone message and out of hours number - which I rang and the chap apologised for not letting us know but confirmed pick-up time. Just a lapse but would have expected them to have called or how else would we have known?

Overall thought the choice and quality of food was disappointing - in some cases it may have been the lack of guests which prevented a buffet style choice but was often on offer was often restricted and poor quality - naturally game was included on most menus and the only alternative was 'vegetarian' which was mainly the same vegetables which were being used for the main course. Rice seemed to be the main starch available. There was also a lack of detailed information given on how the food was presented eg. broccoli was a main veg but it often came with a blue cheese on it and meat often had a sauce poured on it. Fortunately we made up for this with some excellent meals in Cape Town and the High Tea at the Cape Grace Hotel is highly recommended!

This was our first trip to Namibia which has some spectacular scenery and good game viewing but don't think we will be keen to return except perhaps to Etosha. We like to regard ourselves as fairly seasoned travellers but perhaps our expectations were too high - accommodation was generally good but food disappointing." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"We had a great time, saw lots of interesting thing. It ws all in order form your ned and we di not have any problems

However, iIf we were advising the same trip I would not go into Botswana at the pan handle as It is quite a lot of trouble to go there
We did not like Lupual veery much despite the good reviews and I did not think Muchenje was good value. I would also consider the iving Medicin Project insteaad of hNoma as you actually only spend one day with the bushman," Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Fabulous holiday - highly recommended.

There was a breakdown in communication between Expert African booking and car hire company - but was resolved. Our Expert Africa team member left which caused lack of continuity.

Our first guesthouse incorrectly thought we were lost on arrival (they had not read earlier email to them) and flagged this with Expert Africa. We received a call from London to check we were ok. Proved we were being looked after. Would use Expert Africa another time.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"We had a magical time in Namibia! Our trip was so well-organized and perfectly suited to our needs, wishes and budget that we wouldn't have changed a thing about it. This was our first time in southern Africa, and Namibia has indeed spoiled us! The big empty dirt roads, stunning scenery, incredible wildlife, warm hospitality, and eco-conscious mindset all combined to make this an unforgettable vacation. We cannot wait to go back.

Expert Africa's website was perhaps the main reason we chose to work with them over other self-drive tour planners we considered. Working with Sabina - a native Namibian - was also important. She was able to answer all of our questions and address all of our concerns, particularly relating to driving. We are so glad we went with her advice to NOT get a 4WD. Being city people that went against our instincts somewhat, but the price difference was significant and we were 100% satisfied with our Nissan X-Trail.

We did not make our plans early enough to get exactly every lodge we wanted, but the alternatives that Sabina suggested were excellent - especially Onguma Bush Camp. She also did a great job at pointing out details regarding a couple of the lodges that had concerned clients of hers in the past and wanted to make sure we were still okay staying there. We didn't have any major surprises (of the bad kind!) on this trip, and we believe it's because we were well-prepped by Sabina, the very informative Bradt guide, and Expert Africa's website.

The only thing that was consistently different from what we had been told was the driving times. It always took us much longer to get from lodge to lodge than we expected. We definitely made many stops along the way which delayed us - especially during the first half of our trip - but even when we didn't stop much we were inevitably somewhere between an hour and a half to two hours behind the estimate. Thankfully we always left early enough that we were never in danger of driving at dusk or night.

Another issue worth pointing out is that while we essentially did the Caracal Self-Drive as described on Expert Africa's website, our final invoice was a lot higher than what was quoted on the site. We did make several upgrades, such as going with a K-class 2WD instead of a sedan, getting an extra spare tire, spending a night at a premiere waterhole chalet at Okaukuejo, and staying at Okonjima. In the end we paid quite a bit more than what we thought we were going to pay based on the website quotes. We have absolutely no regrets about this in the end, but it's important to know that what is on the website is really the bare bare minimum and that one should probably budget several hundred dollars more per person if more than one or two changes to the itinerary are going to be made.

We had the time of our lives on this trip and didn't want it to end! Namibia is a place unlike any other we've been to. Sabina did a great job at making it all go smoothly and we will definitely be giving her a call as soon as we can get back there!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Excellent and understanding service from your experts. Tracy did a wonderful job of planning our itinerary at such short notice and with a limited budget. We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and thanks to your detailed and very thorough guidance we had no major problems, felt safe at all times and generally had no problems with finding our way around. Well informed and up to date information from Tracy and her colleagues made everything very easy on our first trip to Namibia. You seem to be able to find some of the best places to stay too.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Get rid of the credit card surcharge." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Overall a fantastic trip and we plan to return.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service

Brilliant as it is. Martha took over from Angela and was really helpful. Got back to us quickly with minor changes.

Have recommended Expert Africa to a couple of friends" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"A special treat to celebrate 25 years of marriage - an adventure in Namibia. Spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, delicious food, & great company. We have brought home so many memories of a truely amazing place and thousands of photographs!

A special thank you to Maruska, for patiently explaining all the various options and helping us construct our special trip. Thank you!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip