Namibia: reviews from our travellers

"We enjoyed a brilliant trip during which we saw a huge variety of wildlife both in game parks/concessions and as we travelled between destinations.

In hindsight (and ignorance of the quality of some of the roads) we could have allowed either for a longer trip or less travelling on a daily basis - but, of course, funding also comes into the equation!

The people are friendly and welcoming, made easier for us because English is widely spoken. Even better for holiday makers from the UK is the fact that you also drive on the left!

We felt comfortable travelling with our daughter (12) and the maps provided were fine for enabling us to travel easily between stops. A nice touch was the marking of our route by Maruska.

Although it is clear, through speaking to a variety of people, that Namibia has come a long way since independence, there is still a marked contrast between rich and poor which served as a salutory lesson.

All in all, this has been a trip we will remember (aided by hundreds of photos) for a very long time." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia was Fantastic!! We felt safe, were overwhelmed by its beauty and diversity and were looked after brilliantly in many of the places we visited.

The wildlife was more abundant than we expected and varied hugely from place to place.

Each lodge had different character and environment. Overall , in retrospect, we wouldn't have changed a thing apart from the vehicle, and maybe 2 nights at Grootberg instead of going to Palmwag." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Carefree driving, plenty to see.

There was something different every day, and we never quite knew what was coming next, but we were never disappointed." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip to Namibia was excellent. The accommodation was better than we have had in 5 star hotels.

It was an experience that I would not have missed." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"A country of great scenic contrast, with the constant factor being the warm and friendly greeting of the people you meet." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"It was great and lived up to our/my hopes. The ONLY problem was at Okaukuelo which certainly worried my wife at the time." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"It was a fabulous holiday Namibia can offer such a variety of experiences and scenery that you can't help but be impressed. The people were lovely and the weather just right not too hot but sunny almost all of the time. I would have no hesitation in recommending Namibia or Expert Africa to anyone.

We would like to add here some comments about our activities in Swakomund as they were independant from Sam's Giardino and deserve a mention.

The Sandwich Harbour trip was great - run by Turnstone Tours - we paddled in the pools on the beach amongst the flamingoes, pelicans and damarland terns etc the birdlife was stunning, the drive through the dunes was exillerating and the lunch delicious - Namibians are very good at picnics.

The "Little 5" trip was equally good it was amazing to see so much wildlife in the desert - Chris our guide was very entertaining and probably mad! Namibia also seems to bred some eccentrics!

We had a lovely meal at The Tug three courses and wine for thirty pounds!!

However, there has to be a few buts !

We didn't feel that the Toyota Corolla was really man enough for Namibian roads, the exhaust sounded pretty dodgy on occasions and part of the bumper fell out - a vehicle that was higher would be better.

Although we survived to tell the tale, we felt on hindsight that we should have had a satellite phone, our mobiles didn't work every where. A german couple we came across with a damaged sump would have been in trouble if an Italian family with a satelite phone hadn't turned up and helped them - we think it may be something you should recommend.

Fish River Canyon was pleasant, but it could have been missed out of the trip and another day in Swakopmund would have meant we could have done the boat trip from Walvis Bay too - fellow travellers raved about it. We also suspect the flights too and from the canyon added quite a lot to the price of the trip. Despite these little grips it was still great." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"An amazing country, with friendly, helpful people.

The geography is phenominal and all the lodges we stayed in compimented it.

Thoroughly recommended." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"My goals were to show my grandaughter:

1. conservation efforts in southern Africa,
2.a glimpse of how average people live/work in rural and urban areas,
3. some of the geology and animals of Namibia and Botswana.

All goals met and we had a wonderful time!!!

The only thing that didn't work out was that I did not realize that virtually none of the shops/restaurants in either countrywould accept American Express credit cards. Even at the airports! I had allowed enough cash for gasoline, camp tips and misc but was relying on my AMEX card for the bulk of shopping and meals. This made for a very tight trip, especially at the end in Windhoek where we totally ran out of cash.

Please let people know which credit cards are accepted in these two countries!" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"We learnt so much about Africa on this trip but through our experiences we also learnt some new things about ourselves.

The time spent at Swakopmund was a welcome break from the rigours of travelling by jeep. Okinjima equally offered the perfect balance. If we had to change one thing it would be the trip to Linyanti which was probably one safari too much. However if we had then we would have missed the buffalo, lion kill ......" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 2 on a Namibia trip