Reviews of safaris to Southern Namibia

"We had such high expectations and they were all met ,even in extremely remote locations.
The standard of accommodation ,food and service is overall very high.
At no time did we feel nervous or threatened and the driving is a challenge but was fun and an unforgettable experience.
Sharing the driving and hiring a proper 4WD vehicle is strongly advised
Don't just dream about driving through Namibia, book it and do it for the most wonderful experiences and memories

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"Most of the accommodation that Expert had booked was very good although we didn't find the staff, on the whole, as welcoming as we would have expected.

Once at the accommodation, in general, we found assistance with activities poor & some activities were just provision of a driver. We would have been happy to pay for such activities if they took us to places we couldnt get to on our own and offered more educational/informative elements.

However, we loved the country - the scenery was absolutely amazing - so varied and so devoid of people & we saw loads of birds and animals - BRILLIANT !!" Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 23 on a Namibia trip

"This was our second trip to Southern Africa and was very different from our previous organized group (36) excursion as we were only 6 and planned the trip ourselves with huge help from Expert Africa.

[Ed: this 'previous organised group of 36 was not organised by Expert Africa.]

The desert scenery that covers about 2/3 of Namibia proved to be beautiful and diverse. We always felt comfortable wherever we went and we were constantly impressed by the friendly and helpful people.Getting around was no problem at all and communication was easy as English is spoken everywhere.

We highly recommend visiting this country as it is different from rest of Africa, very unique.

One word of caution regarding the roads which are asphalt on the main arteries but gravel elsewhere. The gravel roads are generally wide and well laid out but the washboard effect of the roads results in loud and somewhat rough ride, of course very dependent on the vehicle used. So if renting a vehicle, consider that it will spend a lot of its time on gravel if you want to see the best scenery on the "roads less travelled".

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We were very pleased with the arrangements suggested and made by Expert Africa and Sabina's knowledge of Namibia proved invaluable.

The pros and (if any) cons of the resorts, hotels, safaris and itinirary were clearly communicated to us to allow us to makeour decisions for our final itinerary.

We give full credit to Sabina's patience with our many "twists and turns" in our itinerary and we wound up wth a terrific self drive trip in a beautiful country." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"We had long wanted to visit Namibia, and it exceeded all our expectations. The tourism offer is really strong and the people we met at all our destinations were friendly and charming, as well as the people we encountered in the wider community. It rivals Costa Rica as one of the friendliest countries we have ever visited. The wildlife (we are close to safari novices) was all that we hoped for, and our three children (aged 13, 9 and 3) really enjoyed their encounters too, and exploring the camps we stayed at. Our children are well travelled and survived the long drives largely - but not always - in good humour. We met other families with younger children who also seemed to be coping, and frankly Namibia is only going to attract those families who have already travelled fairly widely anyway.
Expert Africa organised a great itinerary for us in the time available (we booked with only 2 months to go and should have booked earlier), and we met a safari travel industry consultant whilst in Namibia who only had words of praise for the company, and in particular its commercial independence compared with many operators, who are often incentivised to recommend some destinations over others. This was very good to hear, as the travel industry is opaque and it is often impossible for clients to tell which agency has incentives with which locations, and therefore may be making recommendations more in their own interest than in those of the client. The level of detailed information provided on the Expert Africa website is also extremely helpful in terms of making choices.
We would recommend Namibia to anyone who will listen. For those who are widely travelled, this is a destination that will surprise and delight, especially if you love wide open, remote and stunning deserts and mountains, and don't mind driving 4-6 hours each time you relocate. (If you don't have time for such journeys you better fly but you will miss out on the sense of vastness that driving provides.)
Next time we would want to explore up into the far north west to see the Skeleton Coast sand dunes in all their glory.
Finally, we mislaid a couple of items during the trip and the London team were helpful in contacting camps to see if our possessions could be relocated. In the end the camps themselves located them and we hope our missing items will arrive shortly!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"We have travelled all over this world but this holiday is up there with the best few. It was a real adventure from start to finish.

We saw so many amazing sights and stayed at some amazing places.The service we received for management and staff alike was wonderful. If it hadn't have been for two things - not being able to see the Fish River Canyon, and the stay at the Ongava Lodge, we would say it was a perfect holiday but unfortunately this spoilt it somewhat.

Thanks to expert Africa for all arrangement which were perfect." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Interesting and varied- the combination of flying and self-driving was the perfect choice for us. However, one does need to be prepared to drive long distances - often hours in endlessly flat, unchanging country.( A good, detailed map is essential - the Tracks Africa map is excellent)

Rather disappointing that Hoanib was the only camp that provided any educational/informative element- a very good film on the desert lions and a lecture by a visiting bat researcher!

More of that sort of thing would have much appreciated- especially where we stayed three nights in one place, (Most camps seem to be geared to two-night stays) Would have very much liked to know more about the different tribes etc- which we finally did on our last day at the National Museum in Windoek , which has seen better days, but is still very interesting.

We loved the ability to get away into some unspoilt and spectacular county -and avoid crowds of tourists. The exception to that was Sossusvlie, where there were far too many people and traffic .... a bit of a shock after the tranquility of Etendenka!

We worry that Namibia is about to OD on tourism and lose its unique appeal....." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"Great trip with a great variety of lodges. Twenty one stops in total .

Very enjoyable and effortless driving between lodges. We covered 5,000 km in the rainy season with no problems. The twin cab Ford Ranger was perfect.

The following will be especially remembered
Dabis for the interest and the enthusiasm of the owner
Wolverdans for the situation and for the charm of Thelma
Vreugde for the friendliness of the family
Mundulea for everything about it
Nhoma for the humour of the bushmen
Ngoma for the lodge its situation and management" Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 27 on a Namibia trip

"We had a fantastic trip to Namibia, were pleasantly surprised by the standard of accommodation, helpfulness of the staff in all but one of our stops.

If Planet Earth II has not convinced you to visit then you should go anyway as it has much more to offer than what was shown in the short time that the BBC allotted to the Namib desert.

If you are looking for something totally different look no further." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"South African Airways was a disappointment. O.R.Tambo needed more time on the outward journey due to long queues at immigration.

Hotel, Lodges and Guesthouses were on the whole excellent. Meals were of a good standard.

Some of the driving was not for the fainthearted! Road surfaces varied from excellent tar roads to poor dirt roads, none impassable! As expected!

We had a wonderful time for our second visit to Namibia, very friendly people. South Africa is equally friendly." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"A great trip. All the arrangements worked well.

Namibia and Botswana are beautiful countries.

We hope to go again and would certainly use Expert Africa." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip