Reviews of safaris to Southern Namibia
439 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Southern Namibia.
JD
Harrogate
"Namibia November 2023"
I visited Namibia between 3 Nov 2023 and 22 Nov 2023
"This was an amazing trip and covered areas of Namibia that we had not been to before. It involved long days driving which we were aware of and was part of the adventure. As this was our fourth visit to Namibia we knew the places we wanted to get to and also the majority of the lodges we wanted to stay and it didn't disappoint. All of the Gondwana properties were excellent and set the standard for accommodation in Namibia."
Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Stuart
London
"My Oct 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia between 20 Oct 2023 and 6 Nov 2023
"Great trip, especially suited to Africa novices like us.
Namibia has three really world class sights - Etosha, Sossusvlei and Fish Canyon. Luderitz, Swakopmund and Tweifelfontein interesting. Food and accommodation generally very good.
Only disappointment was the Skeleton Coast - one of the most boring drives I have ever made.
The main drawback of Namibia as a whole is the amount of driving involved, especially since the car rental firm imposes (maybe sensibly) a limit of 70km/h on gravel.
We covered 5000km and after all this time in the car, the last long stretch from Fish Canyon to Windhoek seemed an eternity...
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Only suggestion would be to let people know about the time spent driving. We found that on gravel roads, with the car rental company's speed limits and our own stops, we took 50% longer than Google thought we should. This made for a couple of very long days.
Not sure we would have changed our itinerary but if we had been aware earlier it might have made the hours in the car less of a downer. You should also advise people to get a phone app like Spotify and download a LOT of music on it to be played over Bluetooth." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
Namibia has three really world class sights - Etosha, Sossusvlei and Fish Canyon. Luderitz, Swakopmund and Tweifelfontein interesting. Food and accommodation generally very good.
Only disappointment was the Skeleton Coast - one of the most boring drives I have ever made.
The main drawback of Namibia as a whole is the amount of driving involved, especially since the car rental firm imposes (maybe sensibly) a limit of 70km/h on gravel.
We covered 5000km and after all this time in the car, the last long stretch from Fish Canyon to Windhoek seemed an eternity...
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Only suggestion would be to let people know about the time spent driving. We found that on gravel roads, with the car rental company's speed limits and our own stops, we took 50% longer than Google thought we should. This made for a couple of very long days.
Not sure we would have changed our itinerary but if we had been aware earlier it might have made the hours in the car less of a downer. You should also advise people to get a phone app like Spotify and download a LOT of music on it to be played over Bluetooth." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs C
Bristol
"Our Oct 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 9 Oct 2023 and 31 Oct 2023
"Overall the trip had many surprises, and thankfully they were almost all positive!
The people we met were all enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable. Several went out of their way to help us. We did not meet anyone who was antagonistic.
The accommodation was better than we were expecting. We found all the small lodges to be exceptional and very well appointed. The individual accommodation was always superb. As a retired geologist I found Mowani's great granite boulders to be inspiring.
There was a lot of travelling and some of the roads were a bit rough but our Toyota dealt with them easily and never let us down. On one occasion when we got stuck in deep soft sand it's four wheel drive got us out with aplomb!
We had gone to Namibia to see the scenery and animals and neither let us down. I will never forget the elephants of Etosha and Damaraland. The sand dunes of the Namib are unforgettable.
This was the best holiday we have ever had. Thankyou!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
The people we met were all enthusiastic, friendly and knowledgeable. Several went out of their way to help us. We did not meet anyone who was antagonistic.
The accommodation was better than we were expecting. We found all the small lodges to be exceptional and very well appointed. The individual accommodation was always superb. As a retired geologist I found Mowani's great granite boulders to be inspiring.
There was a lot of travelling and some of the roads were a bit rough but our Toyota dealt with them easily and never let us down. On one occasion when we got stuck in deep soft sand it's four wheel drive got us out with aplomb!
We had gone to Namibia to see the scenery and animals and neither let us down. I will never forget the elephants of Etosha and Damaraland. The sand dunes of the Namib are unforgettable.
This was the best holiday we have ever had. Thankyou!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Bintang
Cambridge
"My Sep 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia between 29 Sep 2023 and 14 Oct 2023
"We would not have changed any of our accommodation, each lodge was perfect in its own way. Despite some misunderstandings in the planning process we were very happy with our trip which was quite memorable.
If we were booking this trip again we would allow at least three extra days and limit driving to about 4 hours so that we arrived by the early afternoon to allow time time to relax and enjoy the lodges facilities..
One night half way between Eningy Clay House and Hoodia Desert Lodge to break the journey. It took 7 and a half hours for this journey using the scenic route.
An extra night in Swakophund
An additional night in Okonjima, probably in the bush camp.
Ideally we would book earlier to ensure accommodation availability." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
If we were booking this trip again we would allow at least three extra days and limit driving to about 4 hours so that we arrived by the early afternoon to allow time time to relax and enjoy the lodges facilities..
One night half way between Eningy Clay House and Hoodia Desert Lodge to break the journey. It took 7 and a half hours for this journey using the scenic route.
An extra night in Swakophund
An additional night in Okonjima, probably in the bush camp.
Ideally we would book earlier to ensure accommodation availability." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Claire M
Toronto
"My Sep 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia between 23 Sep 2023 and 7 Oct 2023
"This is my second time travelling with Expert Africa and I have recommended you to a number of friends and colleagues since my first trip in 2016 and again since returning from Namibia last week.
Everything was just wonderful and people were so welcoming. I appreciated the varied landscapes, accommodations and experiences. We had such a variety and number of animal sightings - over 800 zebra in total, for example, and a mother cheetah with four cubs (a first for me). The 11 black rhino in one evening at the Okaukuejo waterhole was an experience I will remember forever. Despite the challenging roads in places, travelling around Namibia did not feel difficult, but a privilege.
I also appreciated the detailed notes about driving times and roads to take (though a couple of our driving times didn't seem to align with the notes for some reason). It might be worth noting too that the distance given to Desert Homestead from the last turn was off by several kilometres. The road from Solitaire to Walvis Bay was quite challenging; I wonder if it might be worth noting this in the notes for future travellers?
We would be happy to share details of two places we had a great lunch that don't appear in the Bradt guide (in Uis and Otjiwarongo) if it's helpful to add there or to the notes for future travellers. Cactus and Coffee in Uis and Bohemia Cafe in Otjiwarongo.
Thank you for another fantastic trip!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
keep up the good work! You stand out." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Everything was just wonderful and people were so welcoming. I appreciated the varied landscapes, accommodations and experiences. We had such a variety and number of animal sightings - over 800 zebra in total, for example, and a mother cheetah with four cubs (a first for me). The 11 black rhino in one evening at the Okaukuejo waterhole was an experience I will remember forever. Despite the challenging roads in places, travelling around Namibia did not feel difficult, but a privilege.
I also appreciated the detailed notes about driving times and roads to take (though a couple of our driving times didn't seem to align with the notes for some reason). It might be worth noting too that the distance given to Desert Homestead from the last turn was off by several kilometres. The road from Solitaire to Walvis Bay was quite challenging; I wonder if it might be worth noting this in the notes for future travellers?
We would be happy to share details of two places we had a great lunch that don't appear in the Bradt guide (in Uis and Otjiwarongo) if it's helpful to add there or to the notes for future travellers. Cactus and Coffee in Uis and Bohemia Cafe in Otjiwarongo.
Thank you for another fantastic trip!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
keep up the good work! You stand out." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr P.
Chelmsford
"My Sep 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia between 10 Sep 2023 and 26 Sep 2023
"Really good."
Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr D.Geer
Chelmsford
"My Sep 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia between 10 Sep 2023 and 26 Sep 2023
"Great trip all round"
Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs W
Bath
"My Sep 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia between 9 Sep 2023 and 4 Oct 2023
"Overall we had a fantastic trip.
All the arrangements worked perfectly - except we didn't get met at the airport by Wilderness Safaris and had to go and find them." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 23 on a Namibia trip
All the arrangements worked perfectly - except we didn't get met at the airport by Wilderness Safaris and had to go and find them." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 23 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr N.
Teignmouth
"A memorable trip !"
I visited Namibia between 30 Aug 2023 and 16 Sep 2023
"A great trip, both for the scenery and the wildlife.
Accommodation everywhere was excellent. Food for a carnivore was outstanding.
Be aware that many of the gravel roads are very poor and challenging to drive on, especially in an SUV." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Accommodation everywhere was excellent. Food for a carnivore was outstanding.
Be aware that many of the gravel roads are very poor and challenging to drive on, especially in an SUV." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs A
Kent
"My Aug/Sept 2023 trip"
I visited Namibia between 26 Aug 2023 and 15 Sep 2023
"We had a fabulous trip to Namibia. We enjoyed the whole experience. We loved the scenery and seeing all the wildlife, particularly in the northern part of the country including Etosha. It was everything we imagined and beyond. We wanted to go back before we had even left the country.
Everything was well-organised and the accommodation we stayed in was of a very good standard but with a pleasing variety of styles/overall feel. The people we met were also overwhelming kind and helpful.
Maruska made a fantastic job of arranging our trip - she listened carefully to what we were hoping for and put together an excellent itinerary for us.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We cannot think of anything in particular. We definitely plan to be back for more trips." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip
Everything was well-organised and the accommodation we stayed in was of a very good standard but with a pleasing variety of styles/overall feel. The people we met were also overwhelming kind and helpful.
Maruska made a fantastic job of arranging our trip - she listened carefully to what we were hoping for and put together an excellent itinerary for us.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We cannot think of anything in particular. We definitely plan to be back for more trips." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
439
reviews of Southern Namibia by travellers since August 2007
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Inspire meWhere to stay in Southern Namibia
Our suggestions for safari camps in Southern Namibia
Bagatelle Game Ranch
Bagatelle is a welcoming guest farm in the Kalahari. Visit as a stopover heading south or to enjoy the photogenic red dunes and varied wildlife.
Eningu Clayhouse
Scarcely an hour from Windhoek airport, Eningu is an artistic place to unwind amid the vast silence of the Kalahari.
Central Lodge
Central Lodge offers clean, fresh and comfortable accommodation surrounded by a well-kept garden in the centre of Keetmanshoop.
Kalahari Red Dunes
A good stop between Windhoek and Fish River Canyon, Kalahari Red Dunes is set around a dry lake on a private reserve, with excellent walking opportunities.
Kalahari Anib Lodge
Kalahari Anib Lodge is a comfortable stop between Windhoek and Fish River Canyon. Expect stunning Kalahari scenery, two swimming pools and lots of space.
Dabis Guest Farm
For good farm hospitality, wholesome cooking and an interesting farm drive, Dabis makes a great stop en-route from Lüderitz to the Sesriem area.
Kalahari Bush Breaks
Kalahari Bush Breaks, situated on the edge of the Kalahari Desert, is a perfect stop-over whilst driving between Namibia and Botswana.
Hotel Helmeringhausen
Hotel Helmeringhausen is a unique hotel in the heart of southern Namibia's farming district and makes a good stopover option.
Namtib Desert Lodge
A charming owner run lodge, located off the scenic D707, Namtib Desert Lodge is a convenient stop en route from the south to Sossusvlei.
Kanaan Desert Retreat
The tented Kanaan Desert Retreat offers a range of activities against the beautiful backdrop of the Namib Desert.
Otjimbondona
Otjimbondona Kalahari is a luxurious, peaceful and relaxing lodge conveniently located close to Windhoek's International Airport.
Kalahari Farmhouse
Kalahari Farmhouse, located in Stampriet has comfortable chalets in the gardens of an old farmhouse.
