Reviews of trips to Windhoek

"Namibia was without doubt one of the best trips we've ever been on!

It's a beautiful country filled with friendly helpful people, great accomodation, good food, and incredible wildlife. Even better it's not rampacked with tourists so it feels like you have it to yourself.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Halili was a very good camp in Etosha - it might be worth highlighting this to people who want somewhere a bit quieter than Okaukeujo which was a bit Overland Tour-tastic (understandably)" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"I am so pleased to have chanced upon Expert Africa in organising this trip.

Namibia proved to be an absolute delight with its ever changing landscape and genuinely friendly people. We were not too much affected by the incredibly wet weather Namibia has experienced, although we soon came to realise that whereas our particular landscape might have been basking in glorious sunshine a sudden river crossing would present turbulent waters from heavy rains which might have fallen many miles away. This added to the sense of excitement experienced along the way & made us realise how wise we had been to hire a 4WD with a trusty diff. lock!!

Thank you Expert Africa until the next time to Fish River Canyon, Kolmanscop & Luderitz et al !!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Just carry on the great work!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Directions good
Bullsport say all arrivals should phone for up to date road conditions and arrive by 4pm to avoid storms
This was essential at Sesriem as the R. Tsondab was running.

Good lodges
Good advice regarding the need for a 4x4 not a small car
Some advice on the best way to deal with roadside hawkers at roadside in towns and at crossroads. Uis is common haunt.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Guidance literature repetitive

No breakdown of costs in quotation

Choice of lodges in each area (as you did for us in Swapokmund) comparing prices and facilities" Read full review: 30 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia is a wonderful country. Friendly people, organised, great places to stay with a few exceptions. We went initially to work for a conservation project P.A.W.S. affiliated to Africat - which was a wonderful experience of trying to turn the land back for the cheetah and leopard, which has been desimated by cattle grazing. A well run and brilliant conservation project with lots of chance to be up close and personal to large game and birds. We then used Expert Africa to organise the rest of our trip to see wildlife and birds.

It was off season as lots of rain and water, so the wildlife were scattered, but we found it to be a good time of year as few people and vehicles and lots of flowers and great green spaces to see. Windhoek was a disappointment, but Sossuavlei and Swakopmund both well worth spending time. We took a private flight over the dunes - the only way to get a real feel of how spectacular they are. Apparently there is little left on the Skeleton Coast as many bones and ship wrecks removed - so miles and miles of nothing.

The roads are good, but met several people who did not have a guide, so not good in the rainy season as they did not know where to look for game and often saw little or nothing.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Our itinerary was changed a few times because of accommodation changes. Expert Africa's team in Namibia gave us an out of date itinerary when we arrived. They supplied us with just the very best guide - Orlando Haraseb who really made our trip. He and his colleagues were most helpful when we decided we did not wish to stay 2 nights in Okaukuejo as we thought it very poor and immediately had us transferred to Halali Lodge for an extra night.

We all thought that there was much waste of time on our itinerary in Windhoek as per my email. Swakopmund has lots more to offer, is cleaner, lovely shops, great restaurants, great views and lots of opportunities for extra activities and we had a wonderful and very informative sea kayak trip with Craig in Walvis Bay, who taught us much about the birdlife, seals and local salt mines etc. He also provided lunch which we had paid for in our itinerary also. It is necessary to point out that Jan/Feb whales will not be seen as it is not the season for them to be there or for dolphins (we saw one). Can recommend The Tug for dinner - great food.

I have covered more points in my detailed email of today which I would like responses too, particularly as we were overcharged/incorrectly charged at River Crossing." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"As a whole the trip was excellent. We had the most wonderful and at times exciting trip. The trip was in many ways better than we had expected.

Our main intent for taking the trip at that time was for birds with any animal sightings (which we had been advised could be difficult due to high grass and many water holes away from the lodges) being regarded as bonus. In the event we saw most of the possible animals and in close proximity. We missed cats and rhino. Getting around in our not 4X4 was mostly possible though not without some mud and water problems. These could mostly be overcome with a litle thought and careful manoevering of the car.

The lodgings were all great and all very different. People in the lodges and outside were all very friendly and helpful. Grateful too when we gave them lifts.
As is indicated below we were very pleased with the way Sabina dealt with all aspect of setting up the trip for us and especially the way the problem of the delayed outward flight was overcome.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I'm mostly using this box to feed back other findings from the trip for information which may be useful to others. In our information we were told that we needed documentation and to take the car into Botswana that this would be taken from us at the border and that we'd have to purchase another to take the car back into Namibia. None of this happened. Other than the driver filling in details of the car in a book at each of the four posts (out and into Namibia, into and out of Botswana) they weren't particularly interested in the car as such. However, we did have to purchase documents to enter Botswana. These were - 1 year's road tax and 1 month entry permission (for the car) costing together 160 Rand (we had no Pula). I think our information only mentioned the entry permission. The tax thing may be new.

We were able to use debit and credit cards in petrol (Shell) stations in Bowsana though one insisted (at the junction onto the Trans-Kalahari Highway) in taking an amount from the card before pumping gas.

Information on the difficulties relation to the electrical sockets and lack of adapters may be useful." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Wonderful a great adventure and a beautiful country.
Sorry about the comments on some of the stopovers, but you did ask for opinions!!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Just to say if you gave the kms or miles from each camp and Guest houses and very approx. time is should take.

Try to insist to the client a second spare wheel is part of the hire deal, to get a punture and know you still have 200Kms to cover on gravel roads is a little daunting." Read full review: 45 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"As seasoned Africa travellers our remit was "to have christmas where it didn't feel like Christmas". On that score the trip was first class. We enjoyed a mix of game watching and education and were fortunate that the rains only arrived 1 or 2 days before we came back.

On the negative side, it would have been useful to have a rough idea of the time journeys migt take rather than the distance - which means very little in Africa. We did find the trip and Namibia quite expensive, perhaps a reflection both on the weak pound but also how Africa is increasing in popularity." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Namibia exceeded all expectations. We keep coming back to words like 'spectacular' and 'epic' in an attempt to describe the landscapes and feeling of space.

We always felt comfortable, people are friendly and it must be the safest country in Africa. Driving is an absolute pleasure.

Accommodation and overall general standards are high. When you think how remote many of the locations were, the logistics of the lodge operations in providing those standards is very impressive.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I can think of nothing I'm afraid. We have been very impressed and will certainly consider you and other companies in your group for future holidays." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"A stunning and memorable holiday. We had high expectations from friends who had visited Namibia and we were not disappointed. We have every intention of returning to the country to see new places and revisit others we enjoyed on this trip - notably Mundulea.

A real bonus was the pleasure of Sabina's company during our stay in Mundulea. Great fun and a good ambassador for Namibia and Expert Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

There were a couple of occasions where we would have felt safer in 4wd - for example, we experienced pretty unseasonal rain at Little Kulala and on the journey back to Windhoek.

Most other travellers seemed to be in large, clumsy looking Toyotas, which seemed like overkill. There must be something in between - in fact, we saw a 4wd version of our Nissan X-trail. Could you track down a smallish 4wd?" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"Very good. practically everything worked well, lodges, transport and activities were satisfactory." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip