Namibia: reviews from our travellers

"Our trip was utterly memorable - we had a wonderful time. Namibia provides such a diverse landscape - from desert to the lushness of the Caprivi Strip.

We are glad that we did the itinery we did - of course one learns things for next time! We would not have bothered with Swakopmund - we did not find it an attractive place at all. What we really wanted to do from there was a flight down over Soussevlei but were unable to get booked on anything. Had we known about this in advance we could have booked a flight earlier but of course recognise that no tour operator can tell the clients everything! With hindsight another day in Soussevlei would have been useful to have had more time to explore and climb the dunes.

The whole trip went very smoothly indeed apart from entering Zimbabwe - we did not know that you still need a Covid certificate to enter there and also $55 cash for the visa - it would have been useful to have been told this - thankfully we had a very helpful assistant on our transfer from Botswana who baled us out. But without exception all other transfers etc when super smoothly which was great.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Gosh - it's a hard enough job trying to get a handle on what the client wants I don't know how you could do it any better!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"One of the best ever. We had a brilliant time from start to finish.

Namibia was surprisingly quiet which is a shame as it is a great destination.

We liked Desert Rhino camp best but it was all good. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"We love visiting Namibia - this is our 3rd trip and we are already talking about the next! Cant recommend it more highly." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Super trip, extremely well organized.

A meet and greet at every critical transfer point and I was well looked after throughout, especially when upset stomach occurred" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"A few minor issues, but generally the most amazing experience" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"From first contact with Expert Africa, this had the feeling of being a special trip - and our experience was exactly that.

The suggested itinerary, prepared by Tracy after discussing with her only what we vaguely wanted, was spot on; the standard of the accommodation was beyond our expectation; and the quality of the detailed information pack, guidebook, map etc was the best we've ever had (and we've travelled extensively so have lots of benchmarks).

No question was too silly, even those we had on the day before we left about a particular route we were thinking of taking, and Tracy clearly had detailed, expert knowledge and insight of Namibia which was both reassuring and inspiring.

Our overall experience was way beyond anything we've ever had before and, based on this, we will use Expert Africa every time now. and would recommend them without hesitation to others.

Keep doing what you're doing - it's best in class!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"Our whole trip was very enjoyable.

Well thought out, thank you Sabina, and has left us with loads of happy memories.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

As far as we are concerned it was good from the initial call to enquire to the final departure flight." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"This is the 2nd time we have used Expert Africa to organise a holiday in Namibia. As on the first occasion, they suggested the itinerary and arranged car-hire and accommodation.
It all went very smoothly and was generally very enjoyable.
I feel that all required information and documentation was provided, in good time. Chris's book is excellent.
Because nothing went wrong I can't comment on your problem resolution.
It was useful to to have wilderness safaris available at the airport." Read full review: 30 nights in Africa; 30 on a Namibia trip

"Pre-trip planning was great. I had many back-and-forth conversations with Megan and we tailored a trip that met our specific needs. We had to go through several rounds of proposals until we got the right one, and Megan was patient, prompt, friendly and very helpful. We definitely could not have arranged the trip without her guidance.

Once on the ground in Africa, we encountered a major problem. Because I was traveling without my wife, I was told by the border agent in Namibia that I needed to present my son's birth certificate, a letter from my wife giving me consent to travel alone with my son, and a copy of my wife's passport. This is all due to child trafficking prevention laws in southern Africa. I was not aware of these requirements and had to call my wife at 2am in the morning US time so that she could send me a copy of my son's birth certificate. The border agent also wanted the letter and her passport scan but I told her there was no way I could get those in short order and she reluctantly let us in to the country.

Over the next few days, I had my wife get a notarized letter and scan that and her passport and send to me. This, however, was not technically in compliance with the laws of these countries, as I was supposed to have an original copy of both the birth certificate and the letter. This meant that any border agent in Zimbabwe or Botswana could have decided to follow the law exactly and decline us entry into their country.

Upon reviewing the itinerary from Expert Africa, I did see a short section about traveling with children under 18 in southern Africa. It was several pages into a long itinerary, it was pretty vague (it mentioned a birth certificate but nothing else), and no one at Expert Africa - either by phone or in email - ever pointed this out to me.

I feel that this was a major failure on the part of the company. I had several restless nights wondering if I was going to miss an entire week of my trip due to this, I had to call my wife in the middle of the night, I spent time talking to the US consulates in each of these countries and generally this caused me a lot of stress.

I want to be very clear with this: any time Expert Africa has a parent and child traveling with them, they should repeatedly and proactively remind the parent to get all necessary documentation in order weeks before the trip takes place. This should not be left to a small-print section at the back of a document. As much as I loved my trip and the service I got planning the trip, I don't think I can recommend Expert Africa to friends unless I have confidence that other travellers would not be put in the same situation that my son and I were put in." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"yes loads but no time to write about them

wilson - best guide ever had

Overall - Excellent" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip