Travel reviews by Ms C & Mr M from Hants

"Room & bathroom were quite nice, but the bare concrete floors were rather unwelcome. The receptionist was very helpful.

We were a bit surprised when they wanted to close the lounge area by 9pm, stopping any use of the computer. Breakfast was fine if unremarkable. Overall, a pleasant but not exceptional B&B."

"We really liked the room at Okonjima and wish we had arrived earlier. The main camp area was also very well constructed, and the food was OK. Staff were pleasant and helpful. Computer for 3 mail was easily accessable

The "Locate the Leopard" tour was good and the guide was knowledgeable, and we did eventually find a leopard resting under a thorn bush. The tour of the AfriCat study centre was interesting, and we saw the leopard feeding which was entertaining but fairly contrived!

Undoubtedly the AfriCat foundation does a lot of valuable work at Okonjima, however the keeping of healthy cheetahs and leopards in captivity is a controversial subject. Nevertheless, we had a good time at Okonjima and would recommend this to other Namibia visitors."

"This lodge is well located as a stop-off point either on the way north to Caprivi or east to Nye-Nye. Our room was nice, but the dinner was average. Vegetarian options were poor, and even the meat dishes were a bit unloved.

Staff were helpful regarding the next leg of our journey."

"It is a long drive from the Grootfontein area, so worth checking times of any organized activities. When we arrived we were the only guests in the camp, so this did not matter. We went out late afternoon to go and pump water for the elephants! The waterhole was drying out, it was the end of dry season. It was quite fun, but we wre expecting more bushman activities

The camp itself was nice, the tents basic but perfectly acceptable and with all the facilities. Food was overall good, although the fish was rubbery ad overcooked and puddings after dinner only appeared for 1 out of 3 days..

The next day we went out on a long walk with the owner Arno and a couple of very knowledgeable bushmen. They showed us where to find food & water, and how to trap animals and make arrows etc. This was very interesting. Arno was very helpful and translated and answered any questions we had, and encouraged the bushman to show us things.

The next day we to the Nye Nye nature reserve to look at water birds and plants. This was also interesting, we saw lots of storks and flamingos etc.. Arno's skill in the 4x4 is good - He knows exactly where the car can and can't go...

When we left , Arno was kind enough to sell us 20 litres of petrol, so we did not have to divert back to Grootfontein - much appreciated!

A related note:

Half way between the junction of the C44 & B8, and Nhoma is a very interesting "Living Medicine project which also has bushmen demonstrating their life skills. http://www.lcfn.info/juhoansi/home. They are not allowed to go hunting, but we thought they it was a interesting and informative project with and a much higher spec than most village tours. It is a German Namibia co-operation project. For some tourists, this village may be all they need to get an authentic experience of bushmen life."

"Ideally positioned as a stop over for Nhoma on the road from Grootfontein up to Caprivi. Accommodation is good quality but very quirky. full of wooden carved posts to put your towell on etc. It is known for its birding, although we did not see huge variety. Food adequate.

Good internet access. but must sit in the garden on a specific chair to access it!"

"We liked Nunda very much. The staff were extremely friendly, and the birding guide was especially good. Accommodation was nice, and the environment was very pleasant.

Breakfast was good, but the supper was mainly shop bought and some combinations were weird and not nice e g potato and blue cheese soup! . If they improved their evening food, it would be super."

"The lodge is quite remote, so it is important to check that you have an arranged meeting with the driver.The instructions to meet are not very clear and need improving., They do not meet by the coloured post.

The brochure says "luxury accommodation" which is something of an exaggeration, but nevertheless the camp is very pleasant and comfortable although some repairs need to be done e g the room doors where the zips are partially broken and the swimming pool - brown and unusable .

The food is very good, some of the best we had on holiday, and also the guides were experienced and knowledgeable We had a nice time seeing lots of water birds and even fishing and the Tsodillo hill was interesting. , but a 2 day detour is prob too short for the effort of border crossing etc !"

"This lodge was disappointing

The transfer to the lodge (11kms) from the main road (in their vehicle) was pretty horrendous and took over an hour. We were late arriving because of this, and were required to make an immediate decision to go on an evening game drive, which we joined, but turned out to be lackind in game. wiith only 3 types of mammals. and a rather diffident guide The lodge communal accommodation was nice but the bedrooms were pleasant but tight on space. The dinners were fine and the first night my vegetarian food was good,. On the second, I was given lentils as my main course, which was OK but a little uninspiring, You cannot walk around outside the grounds in case of predators, so this limits any self birding etc

Our main criticism of our stay at this lodge is that the road there is poor and long and that we did not see much wildlife from teh truck on the first afternoon. This location is especially dependent on good rains supplying water for animals. They do offer a boat cruise unless you do the drive first as the river was too low . This part of was fine much better than the dry afternoon drive.,

When it came to paying the bill, we had to remind the owner that the fees should as on his website for dates after November 1.. He agreed."

"We only stayed for 1 night at Kalizo, but it was a nice place. The tents/rooms were good and spacious. but the bathroom is not ensuite and is in a separate bathroom next door, The food in the restaurant was very good, -much better than most .

We were a bit unlucky with rain, but we still got 2 guided outings and the the guided drive to see the Carmine Bee Eaters was really impressive and thoroughly recommended. (must go from August to December during the migration. .Again check the cost of the activities, because the book and verbal price differ.

Would recommend 2 days (not one)"

"We spent 2 days at Muchenje and although it was more exclusive than other places, I thought it was not good value!

The rooms were nice . and the owners friendly and helpful.. The guides were average and the wild life OK, but by no means exceptional. The vegetarian food was OK at night (stuffed tomato one day and stuffed aubergine on the next). The picnic lunch on the who;e day out was terrible. We received 2 small pieces of pizza 3 x 2 " and one hard boiled egg/ Meat eaters got 2 small chicken drumsticks. I got nothing! This was to last 11 hours. We did mention it to the lodge but heard nothing more.

The guide who did the early morning walking tours was the most knowledgeable. The night drive was done too fast with no spotted and we saw very little. It is not in the park and the area limited"