Reviews of safaris to Skeleton Coast & Kaokoland
207 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Skeleton Coast.
Mr G & Mrs S
Somerset
"So good we might have to go back!"
I visited Namibia between 25 Oct 2009 and 13 Nov 2009
"An amazing trip, certainly unforgettable. We thought it would be the trip of a lifetime, but now we are not sure. We may need to go back!
Next time I'd like to see some options so I get to choose what I am payng for. (type of vehicle, accommodation options, activities etc.) On this occasion we booked quite late so the options would have been limited, but having visited we know there are different camps
We were impressed with the itinerary that Sabina sorted for us, particularly booking the accommodations she did at such short notice. It was a pleasure to meet Chris at Ongava.
Thank you Sabina" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
Next time I'd like to see some options so I get to choose what I am payng for. (type of vehicle, accommodation options, activities etc.) On this occasion we booked quite late so the options would have been limited, but having visited we know there are different camps
We were impressed with the itinerary that Sabina sorted for us, particularly booking the accommodations she did at such short notice. It was a pleasure to meet Chris at Ongava.
Thank you Sabina" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Miss TT
London
"absolutely fantastic"
I visited Namibia between 11 Sep 2009 and 26 Sep 2009
"Our trip was absolutely fantastic and we loved it! Our experience with Expert Africa, and in particular Gwynneth, was brillant.
Suggestions for improvements:
Your service was so good, we cannot think of any way you could improve!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
Suggestions for improvements:
Your service was so good, we cannot think of any way you could improve!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P
Purley
"As very good as hoped for!"
I visited Namibia between 1 Sep 2009 and 15 Sep 2009
"We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and carry very good memories of Namibia."
Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs F
Harrow
"Our Namibia Holiday"
I visited Namibia between 25 Aug 2009 and 11 Sep 2009
"Our trip was a really great experience and we enjoyed everything we did. A good mix of a holiday. Well planned and it worked well.
All the arrangements worked perfectly some turning out better than expected.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
NO!!!!!!!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
All the arrangements worked perfectly some turning out better than expected.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
NO!!!!!!!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs L
Huntingdon
"Amazing Namibia"
I visited Namibia between 14 Aug 2009 and 10 Sep 2009
"Wonderful trip. Namibia is a great place for a holiday. It has amazing scenery and wildlife, excellent accomodation and a good road network. We found traveling around by car easy and safe.
There is very little traffic, even on the major roads. Any problems we did have, mainly punctures, were quickly solved. Even though we were there in the main tourist season none of the places we visited seemed crowded.
Suggestions for improvements:
No. Tracey gave us excellent advice when we were planning our trip and very helpfully answered our numerous questions." Read full review: 27 nights in Africa; 25 on a Namibia trip
There is very little traffic, even on the major roads. Any problems we did have, mainly punctures, were quickly solved. Even though we were there in the main tourist season none of the places we visited seemed crowded.
Suggestions for improvements:
No. Tracey gave us excellent advice when we were planning our trip and very helpfully answered our numerous questions." Read full review: 27 nights in Africa; 25 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs & Mr P
Essex
"Another wonderful trip"
I visited Botswana and 2 other countries between 3 Aug 2009 and 23 Aug 2009
"Another fabulous trip to Africa, we can't wait to go back
One thing we did notice however, was that, while the standard of guiding remains generally very good, there seem now to be some guides who are doing the job just to make enough money to be able to fund other business/life plans. As a result we encountered one or two without the old passion/feel for the job. While their knowledge was probably very good, it was in a bit of a textbook style and seemed to lack an empathy with the animals/environment.
Possibly because the good rains had meant animals were more dispersed and therefore a bit more difficult to find, there seemed to be a lot of racing around trying to find things without stopping to evaluate the surroundings and potential. I also felt that there was a bit more harrassing animals by changing position to let people get a different shot rather than just sitting quietly to observe, again perhaps because of the perceived need to move on to try to find something else. Also because there were possibly fewer 'opportunities to view' there tended to be several vehicles at each sighting.
Suggestions for improvements:
Difficult to think of anything Expert Africa could do better. We are always delighted with the service and have recommended you to lots of friends.
It would have been helpful to have seen the questionnaire before we went so that we could make notes on relevant points as we went along. After three weeks and lots of locations it is a bit difficult to remember precise details for" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
One thing we did notice however, was that, while the standard of guiding remains generally very good, there seem now to be some guides who are doing the job just to make enough money to be able to fund other business/life plans. As a result we encountered one or two without the old passion/feel for the job. While their knowledge was probably very good, it was in a bit of a textbook style and seemed to lack an empathy with the animals/environment.
Possibly because the good rains had meant animals were more dispersed and therefore a bit more difficult to find, there seemed to be a lot of racing around trying to find things without stopping to evaluate the surroundings and potential. I also felt that there was a bit more harrassing animals by changing position to let people get a different shot rather than just sitting quietly to observe, again perhaps because of the perceived need to move on to try to find something else. Also because there were possibly fewer 'opportunities to view' there tended to be several vehicles at each sighting.
Suggestions for improvements:
Difficult to think of anything Expert Africa could do better. We are always delighted with the service and have recommended you to lots of friends.
It would have been helpful to have seen the questionnaire before we went so that we could make notes on relevant points as we went along. After three weeks and lots of locations it is a bit difficult to remember precise details for" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
Newark
"Amazing!"
I visited Namibia between 15 Jul 2009 and 6 Aug 2009
"We'd been to southern Africa a few times before (SA and Botswana), so we wondered how Namibia would compare with those countries. In some ways, for us, it combines the best aspects of those two countries - relatively straightforward self-drive, great wildlife, dramatic and varied scenery, great accommodation and good food.
One thing we'd do differently next time (fingers crossed that there is a next time!) is to hire a 4x4 - our little Toyota Yaris coped with everything we threw at it but we'd have been more comfortable in a vehicle with greater ground clearance and a softer ride.
Big thanks to Gwynneth for all her help and advice - our trip ran really smoothly.
Suggestions for improvement:
Not really, we would use you again for the countries where we feel we want the peace of mind of booking through a tour operator." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 20 on a Namibia trip
One thing we'd do differently next time (fingers crossed that there is a next time!) is to hire a 4x4 - our little Toyota Yaris coped with everything we threw at it but we'd have been more comfortable in a vehicle with greater ground clearance and a softer ride.
Big thanks to Gwynneth for all her help and advice - our trip ran really smoothly.
Suggestions for improvement:
Not really, we would use you again for the countries where we feel we want the peace of mind of booking through a tour operator." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 20 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Ms G
Aberdeen
"Wonderful Namibia trip!"
I visited Namibia between 25 Apr 2009 and 7 May 2009
"We had an absolutely fantastic visit to Namibia. We loved the accomodation, particularly Mushara Outpost and Erongo Wilderness Lodge - both recommended by Expert Africa. The Brandt Guide was very good and we appreciated the map supplied (now a little out of date re tar roads etc) when we booked our holiday.
Our main reason for visiting Namibia was to visit our daughter who is working in Opuwo setting up lodges and camping trails for local communities so this, along with the time we had available, determined where we went. We will definately return to Namibia (next year) and would use Expert Africa again as the advice was so helpful and the suggestions for accommodation excellent.
The only comment I would make (and it was never a problem) is that when we arrived at each lodge, they never seemed to have a note of our booking, although one did have something under "Anne". So at the beginning of our trip, we were wondering if our booking was confirmed as we arrived at each place but there was never a problem in the end.
Local water supply was great everywhere except Opuwo which was not drinkable but the lodge suppied 2 small bottles of water in the room.
For interest, we also used "Tracks for Africa" and a Garmin GPS system and this was great for finding petrol stations and ATMs etc. Supermarkets were fairly abundant and the supermarket in Opuwo was an amazing experience. It looks like a European supermarket but you find yourself in a checkout queue with a Himba woman in front out you and a Herero and Themba woman behind whilst being served by someone from Damaraland. It was stunning.
Suggestions for improvement:
None really - for us, the service and advice was perfect." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Our main reason for visiting Namibia was to visit our daughter who is working in Opuwo setting up lodges and camping trails for local communities so this, along with the time we had available, determined where we went. We will definately return to Namibia (next year) and would use Expert Africa again as the advice was so helpful and the suggestions for accommodation excellent.
The only comment I would make (and it was never a problem) is that when we arrived at each lodge, they never seemed to have a note of our booking, although one did have something under "Anne". So at the beginning of our trip, we were wondering if our booking was confirmed as we arrived at each place but there was never a problem in the end.
Local water supply was great everywhere except Opuwo which was not drinkable but the lodge suppied 2 small bottles of water in the room.
For interest, we also used "Tracks for Africa" and a Garmin GPS system and this was great for finding petrol stations and ATMs etc. Supermarkets were fairly abundant and the supermarket in Opuwo was an amazing experience. It looks like a European supermarket but you find yourself in a checkout queue with a Himba woman in front out you and a Herero and Themba woman behind whilst being served by someone from Damaraland. It was stunning.
Suggestions for improvement:
None really - for us, the service and advice was perfect." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr H & Ms W
London
"Fantastic Trip of a lifetime to Namibia"
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 8 Apr 2009 and 19 Apr 2009
"We had a fantastic time in Namibia and will definitely consider using Expert Africa again as we are already thinking about our next opportunity for Safari/trip to Africa!"
Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W-J
UK
"Where was the rain?"
I visited Namibia between 1 Jan 2009 and 11 Jan 2009
"Our second visit to Namibia and a wonderful prelude to the longer trip planned for 2009. It was great to revisit some areas (though in different accommodation) and try some new places. Okonjima was in easy reach of the airport, even though we flew BA via Jo'burg and didn't arrive at Windhoek until 2pm. We met many people who regretted spending their first night in Windhoek rather than venturing further, but also some who were exhausted on arrival and just wanted a sleep - it has to be a personal decision.
Damaraland had been beautiful in the dry season but after the rains it was stunning with river beds full of flowers - and even some water!
After much debate in the UK we decided when in Namibia to drive the Skeleton Coast road (after taking local advice) and had no problems at all - it was a fascinating, though long, drive and we're really glad we did it; however we probably wouldn't choose to do it again. Local advice is crucial if you want to do this drive.
We saw no rain at all - apparently it had all come early this year.
Thanks to Tracy, Sabina and Chris for their help in organising the trip at pretty short notice - think they surprised themselves in finding availabilities!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
Damaraland had been beautiful in the dry season but after the rains it was stunning with river beds full of flowers - and even some water!
After much debate in the UK we decided when in Namibia to drive the Skeleton Coast road (after taking local advice) and had no problems at all - it was a fascinating, though long, drive and we're really glad we did it; however we probably wouldn't choose to do it again. Local advice is crucial if you want to do this drive.
We saw no rain at all - apparently it had all come early this year.
Thanks to Tracy, Sabina and Chris for their help in organising the trip at pretty short notice - think they surprised themselves in finding availabilities!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
207
reviews of Skeleton Coast by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
Filter by month
Looking for inspiration on where to travel next?
Visit our trip chooser to explore your options and find inspiration for your perfect African adventure
Inspire meWhere to stay in Skeleton Coast
Our suggestions for safari camps in Skeleton Coast & Kaokoland
Cape Cross Lodge
Right on the Skeleton Coast, between Swakopmund and Damaraland, Cape Cross Lodge has easy access to Cape Cross Seal Reserve.
Hoanib Skeleton Camp
Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp is actually situated 42km inland in Kaokoland, this said they offer a superb guided day trip to the coast.
Terrace Bay
Terrace Bay is bleak. However, those that stay here come to experience the remote and inhospitable nature of the Skeleton Coast.
Serra Cafema
The luxurious Serra Cafema is in the most remote corner of Namibia - at the north end of Hartmann's Valley, across the Kunene River from Angola.
Skeleton Coast Safaris
Skeleton Coast Safaris is a small, family-run operation that has organised inspirational trips to this remote area of Namibia for nearly 50 years.
Hoanib Valley Camp
The intimate and remote Hoanib Valley Camp offers a rare chance to explore this dramatic corner of Namibia and to search for its sparse desert-adapted wildlife.
Shipwreck Lodge
The only property on this desolate stretch of coastline, the extraordinary Shipwreck Lodge opens up a new section of the Skeleton Coast National Park
Opuwo Country Lodge
Opuwo Country Hotel provides comfortable accommodation is well situated for a night's stop before travelling into remote parts of Kaokoland.
Epupa Camp
Epupa Camp is a welcoming oasis set on the palm-fringed banks of the Kunene River in north-west Namibia and close to Epupa Falls.
Leylandsdrift Camp
Used exclusively on the second night of a Skeleton Coast Safari, Leylandsdrift is in a beautiful location and is a good place to track desert-adapted elephants.
Kunene River Camp
Used exclusively on the final night of a Skeleton Coast Safari, the simple Kunene River Camp occupies a dramatic riverside location with some excellent birding.
Okahirongo Ele. Lodge
Tucked away in Namibia's far northwest Okahirongo Elephant Lodge offers luxurious chalets, with stunning views and plenty of activities.
Kuidas Camp
Usually the first-night stop on a Schoeman Skeleton Coast safari, Kuidas is a very simple camp with stunning views of the Huab River valley.
