Reviews of trips to Swakopmund & Walvis Bay

"We loved the people, landscapes and animal viewing, every Namibian we met were absolutely lovely, it is a wonderful country, although we wish it wasn't quite so cold at night!" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 20 on a Namibia trip

"This was everything we could have hoped for and more.

Namibia is a very special place - vast, deserted, so varied in landscape, full of beautiful options.

At the end of our 17 days, our family of 5 adults each ran through their own highlight. We had 5 different versions such was the richness of this holiday.

Best one ever / Tanzania had topped the list before but Namibia offers so much more!

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Very satisfied with expert Africa and have already recommended." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"Amazing! Whilst we have travelled around the world, this was meant to be the trip of a lifetime and it was. It is a holiday we will long remember. We have always wanted to go on safari and see elephants, lions and other wildlife in their natural habitat, but it was also special in terms of the fantastic scenery, friendly people and some of the amazing places we stayed. A great way to mark a special birthday! Thank you." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"The trip overall was fabulous. Where we've written negative reviews of accommodation (e.g. Twyfelfontein) we were warned in advance that this was more basic accommodation. Only one we weren't aware of was the building work and poor food at Okaukuejo. Josh did a great job of creating our trip for us at short notice. The welcome team in Namibia airport were lovely and the trip went very smoothly." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"This was the trip of a lifetime. With our children, aged 20 & 19, we were looking for a holiday the whole family could enjoy and we certainly got it. Everything went off perfectly. The planning of the trip with Sabina and her advice was of the highest standard. Everything was exactly as described.

There were representatives to welcome us on arrival at Windhoek, there were no booking misunderstandings at any lodges, the transfer from Kasane in Botswana to Livingstone in Zambia went smoothly and lastly the transfer to Livingstone airport, all on time and according to plan. We dropped our car off in Kasane, were collected by safari vehicle and transferred to the river where we were taken across by boat into Zambia and collected on the other side with the driver helping us get through the 'interesting' Zambian border checkpoint (the Zambian officials were rude and unhelpful well below the standard in Botswana or Namibia).

The border official, despite having a water dispenser in her office, sent our driver back to the car to get her a bottle of water! Bearing in mind that we had driven about 4 hours from our last lodge in the Caprivi and arrived early, the logistics of this transfer was impressive. (Just for info there are trucks queuing at this crossing as they move between Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana for as far as the eye can see with it taking them on average 2 to 3 weeks to get across - per the local taxi driver - so I could imagine the transfer potentially going horribly wrong!).

Just a tip, when arriving in Botswana we needed to dip ALL our shoes (foot and mouth prevention) so make sure you have all shoes handy so you don't have to unpack suitcases at the border.

The design of the three week trip, balancing the length of drives, stop-overs and rest days while still trying to see as much as possible was brilliant and could not have been done without the expert advice of Sabina and her patience in the early days while she tried to understand what we wanted to get out of the holiday.

We travelled during June and July and the weather was fabulous. Warm sunny days and mostly cool nights. We certainly needed warm jackets for the evenings whereas during the day we needed shorts and t-shirts.

Tips that worked for us:
(1) in the U.K. we purchased a tracks4africa map of Namibia (£10) online and transferred it onto our Garmin SatNav which we took with us and this made navigating stress free.
(2) Covering our suitcases in bin bags to keep them dust free was essential as the canopy definitely was not dust proof.
(3) We purchased a cooler box locally and this allowed us to keep our picnic food fresh and drinks cool for the long drives. You can buy ice for the cooler box at any service station;
(4) an upgrade to a 4x4 gave us extra flexibility and comfort on long drives.

We were surprised at how expensive most of the lodges were so this was, for us, a particularly expensive holiday but in the end worth every penny.

I would not hesitate to recommend Expert Africa and would use them again." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"Expert Africa certainly raised the bar for others to follow. Our experience from start to finish has been completely excellent.

The personal knowledge in discussing schedules, planning where to go and where to stay were absolutely exceptional. Every last detail was considered and given our interests and budget,suggestions of what might work well were greatly appreciated. Everything felt as though it was personal attention to detail ( even down to the road map with our route clearly marked on it). Loved that we got a guide book written by one of the expert africa team!

Really exceptional - will recommend you to everyone i know who is considering Africa. Thanks so much.

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You were EXCEPTIONAL. Thanks so much for putting together a great trip for us." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Totally loved the whole experience and can't wait to go back. For my taste I would say that there was a huge amount of time spent in the vehicle, and even with two drivers I would have ideally liked larger gaps between days of driving (though of course the whole country is magical to look at). Having suggested the itinerary myself its not really a comment on Expert Africa's advice, but maybe that could have been stressed even more than it was?" Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"Our Namibia holiday was perfect in every way.

Based upon the service we experienced from Expert Africa, the help and support from Tom, our representative, the exceptionally detailed website, chock full of very detailed feedback and information, and the arrangements which went without any hitch, made this holiday one of the very best we have ever experienced.

I don't think there is much more we can add - other than we look forward to our next holiday in Africa with Expert Africa and indeed our next return to Namibia." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"Driving the first part to Sossusvlei and Damaraland over some very poor roads is not for the faint hearted. Getting a puncture in Damaraland, well out of phone contact, made us realise the risks involved. However the scenery, animals and birds were so spectacular that it made the risks worth taking and the accommodation & food provided was of an excellent standard." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Really enjoyable, memorable holiday.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Continue to listen to your customers and react to their comments!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip