Travel reviews by Ms J & Mr J from Reading

"Room was adequate though rather functional. Coffee machine didn't work and nor did the replacement kettle - didn't seem like the equipment was checked. Took the owner ages to find something that worked, though she did eventually.

The breakfast was really mean - tiny glass for diluted fruit juice and the fruit consisted of a plate with (literally) one slither of apple, one grape halved, a segment of orange and a small slice of melon artfully arranged on a big white plate. Limited options for cooked breakfast - one lady asked for an omelette and was told she could have one. Not a place I would return to if other options available, though it was clean.

Did not match up anywhere near to Swakop b+b or Cornerstone, where we stayed 2 years ago. Lacked generosity."

"A wonderful location with excellent facilities. Good tent.
Best of all - outstanding friendly and helpful staff. A really good atmosphere in the Lodge - the staff were all well trained and it felt a really nice place to be. We got a puncture on the approach to Kualala - the manager immediately took care of the vehicle and asked a colleague to change the tyre and mend the puncture for us. All effortless and no formal charge (thank you!).

Our guide up the dunes was very good, well informed and competent.

Very very good service all round - thank you. One small comment - I think I undertook climbing Big Daddy too lightly. I got up there but thought maybe visitors might be warned that it is quite challenging climbing up in the heat (obvious I know!)"

"Between the two cars we had two punctures and one cracked windscreen to deal with. The guest house was very accommodating about us being in and out during the morning while the cars were being fixed. Nice breakfast - much more generous and tasty than in Windhoek."

"Lovely situation. Our guided walk to see sunset was excellent, with an excellent guide. I think he was the best one as the next morning the guide who was telling us about the birds was not as well informed.
Good food, served on lovely terrace. Very friendly new manager. Love birds at 7 am from terrace a particular attraction - also lots of other birds. Only sorry there was no room/ time for a longer stay.

The only negative comment is that the mosiquito nets in our rooms were totally inadequate - did not fit around the bed, leaving a large gap where the nets were meant to overlap and lots of holes. Fortunately it was not mosquito season. If it weren't for this I would rate room excellent."

"We were only able to stay one night and it was a really long detour - but the great trip out to (successfully) see the desert elephants made it worthwhile. Excellent local guide with whom we were totally confident when the elephants came very near. Interesting social commentary on the village where he grew up and his parents still live - we went there. Shame that the old farm house is no longer used for camping after the 2011 rains. Wondered why Wilderness community programme didn't help village to develop a craft centre, showing off local crafts skills etc, as a well to bring income into a very poor village that is now mainly older people.

Breakfast good - best granola we had all trip! Delicious. Lovely staff - feisty and a good team spirit.

The main memory we will have of Doro !Nawas is the staff's friendliness and their keenness to teach us 'the click'. We engaged with several staff over breakfast and what was exceptional was the way they broke out into spontaneous singing for us, with most of the kitchen staff then coming out to join them. It was fun and not contrived. I was very impressed that the manager was quite happy for about 10 of his staff to spend time with us when he might have been more worried about getting the jobs done.I really thought that Wilderness had instilled a great team spirit and the staff were excellently trained. I felt that Wilderness were good employers and that it showed in how the staff were with guests and each other."

"A well run camp, though not as special and Kualala or Doro !Nawas. A large party made its presence felt and on the first night when the black rhino came to the waterhole they all started moving the very heavy chairs and making a noise, scaring the back rhino away within a few minutes. Frustrating! Maybe a notice on the terrace reminding guests to respect the need for relative quiet when animals come to the waterhole would be good - it was clearly awkward for the staff to say anything to the party.

Staff were excellent and very friendly, well informed and helpful.

I was concerned that Anderssons Camp might not be as good as staying inside Etosha with access to the waterhole in the evening, especially as we saw nothing at waterhole first night. But it was completely worth staying at Andersson - in fact brilliant. We saw black rhino both 2 and 3rd nights and watched a pride of 13 lion for about 2 hours on the third night. Fabulous!

We had no need to use any of the guide services - we saw masses in Etosha driving ourselves, including a lion killing a springbok and lots of birds. It was perfect and we so much enjoyed driving around ourselves and spending as much time as we wanted at various spots."

"We enjoyed the luxury and relaxation of Mushara after 3 days in Etosha. It was a lovely place. But it was an up-market hotel and lacked the local spirit and generosity we experienced in the lodges - I didn't have the feeling that there was much commitment to promoting Namibia. Food was good but portions, especially at breakfast, felt carefully cost controlled. Staff very nice and friendly but there wasn't the joie de vivre and community spirit that we experienced at Doro !Nawas or Kualala.

The word conservation was not in any of the Mushara literature we read and, despite not having much rain for 5 years, the hose pipes were left on for several hour, flooding the grass and paths. It felt like the white owned cattle farm had been transformed into a hotel where profit was the main motivation. But having said that we thoroughly enjoyed the night there and facilities."

"We had a really wonderful time at Mundulea. It was excellent being able to have informed in-depth discussions with Bruno about animals, birds and conservation. I particularly enjoyed the opportunity to discuss current Namibian politics and progress. Bruno's leg was broken and so his son Ky took us on guided walks - Ky was excellent. Really well informed and knowledgable and very personable.

We really appreciated Bruno's decision to take us out one evening to a place where he does not usually take guest. An amazing evening - a real privilege. While at Mundulea we saw lots of animals and birds, really benefitting from Bruno's unrivalled knowledge. Watching the animals in the evening was entrancing - not dramatic big 5 but the whole spectrum of wildlife coming to the waterhole near the camp. The walks were lovely and very instructive. John's bad knee was effortlessly accommodated in the schedule. The food, method of killing and cooking, was terrific - best eland I will ever taste, killed with bow and arrow and cooked over open fire."