Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs F from Ealing

"We used the Ole-Sereni only as somewhere to stay overnight between flights in and out of Nairobi International airport. This is a high quality hotel with good facilities and a good view from the terrace of the Nairobi National Park (pity about the power lines!). Also we saw no animals but we only were there for breakfast and expected to see wildlife at our ultimate destinations in Rwanda and Namibia so enjoyed our first morning eating breakfast overlooking the park.

Our main comment is that Nairobi Airport at present is best avoided as the temporary immigration and customs hall (after a fire in the original terminal) is overcrowded, inefficient, not air-conditioned (so uncomfortably sweaty) and it takes ages to get through it. But if you have to pass through Nairobi and need somewhere nearby to stay the Ole-Sereni is a pleasant "oasis" ten minutes drive from there airport.!"

"This is a modern large hotel in Kigali - in fact it was the first major international hotel there.

It is well equipped has a large attractive looking swimming pool, although we did not get to try it.

We only used it for an overnight stay.

Expert Africa organised a private guide and 4WD for these travellers in Rwanda. They commented:

Patrick was an excellent guide and driver. We were in Rwanda for ten days and he took charge from our arrival in Kigali from the airport until he delivered us back to the airport for our departure.

He speaks excellent English and is very knowledgeable about Rwanda and about the places we visited. His driving of the 4x4 Toyota was skilled and competent so we always felt comfortable being driven by him. Our trip went absolutely to plan and to schedule thanks to his reliable and capable management - he delivered us for various trekking activities (chimpanzees, mountain gorillas and golden monkeys) and was waiting for us on our return.

He delivered everything that could be expected and is a very pleasant and interesting man as well."

"Nyungwe Top View as the name suggests is spectacularly located on a high hill top with distant views of Lake Kivu.

There is a central lodge building with the restaurant and reception area and two rows of individual thatched houses in an attractive landscaped garden area each accommodating one room plus ensuite facilities. WiFi is available near the reception.

Food was generally from a self-service buffet and qualified as good rather than excellent."

"Set on a steep hillside on the shore of Lake Kivu, the chalets are mostly built on stilts as is the main building and restaurant, overlooking an attractive very hilly garden and wonderful views of the lake.

There is a lot of choice on the menu and excellent food. The room we had was large and well appointed.

Wi Fi is available close to the main building."

"Trekking to see the mountain gorillas is what every visitor to Rwanda wants to do and as the name suggests this is an ideal base for doing this from.

Individual thatched houses set in attractive gardens with the Virunga volcanoes visible in the background. This is a very well staffed hotel - we had a wood fire lit for us in the fireplace of our room every evening (it is quite high altitude so cool in the evening). On returning from our trek it was "compulsory" to hand over our muddy walking boots on arrival at the hotel and use the slippers they lent us to get back to our room, and we had our boots returned next morning polished like new.

A local group of dancers performed for the guests on the lawn every evening.

The restaurant was a buffet and the food therefore rated good rather than excellent - but definitely good!"

"This is a modern hotel in the airport which you can walk to after collecting your baggage.

It is a big airport and a longish walk but we had clear instructions how to find the hotel. You leave your baggage trolly at a lift which takes you to the reception of the hotel. The rooms, breakfast, etc. were up to the standard to be expected in an international airport hotel.

Makes a transit through Jo'burg airport relatively painless."

"Our main reason for staying here is that it is so conveniently located for Windhoek Airport - maybe ten minutes drive away.

The accommodation and food were excellent and it provided a very pleasant welcome for us on our first evening back in Namibia (one of our favourite countries!). There was wifi in the bedroom.

We regretted having to leave early next day as it seemed a pleasing place to stay."

"Unusually for most of Namibia we experienced torrential rain at Waterberg every night - at least the day time was dry but we were glad to have a 4x4 when departing after the rains.

The setting and facilities are unusual and pleasing with a nice walking trail up the valley and back. An otherwise excellent Lodge was let down by lack of hot water in the morning - which as conditions were quite cool was not good. There was supposed to be a wood heated boiler providing hot water but for some reason - possibly the heavy rain at night - it didn't get lit in time while we were there.

This caused us to mark this down to "Good"."

"Contrary to the title I have used this is an unusual and exciting location on a large rock outcrop in the westernmost part of Etosha Pan National Park.

The rocks under our wooden framed chalet tent were inhabited by cute hyraxes (dassies) who emerge early in the morning to sun themselves. There is a wonderful view from the balcony of the park and one evening we watched a rhino strolling past and saw loads of more common species browsing only a couple of hundred metres away. There is a steep climb from the car park but a small buggy carries baggage (and passengers) up the steep track.

This part of Etosha is surprisingly empty of people - we drove 120km on our first morning around the park and only met two other vehicles but saw very many animals.

The facilities are excellent but we would rate the food as "good" and the waitresses need better training."

"We only used Opuwo as a staging post en route to Epupa (and on the way back) and we were pleasingly surprised (as so often in Namibia) by the unexpected very high quality of this Lodge. Opuwo itself is not very attractive or interesting but the Lodge is located on a hilltop with superb views from its terrace over its "infinity" swimming pool.

The main building is claimed as the largest thatched building in Namibia - probably one of the largest anywhere - and looks unusual and very attractive. We felt the food was some of the best we had sampled anywhere during our one month trip - they have really good chefs.

We looked forward to our second visit when returning from Epupa and were not disappointed."

"The well appointed wooden framed tented accommodation (with the usual ensuite facilities) are lined up along the bank of the Kunene River, which when we were there was in full flood, a raging torrent after heavy rains in Angola. We could hear the constant rush of flowing water which in some ways was pleasing but prompted us to check if the level was still coming up - we were only about 2m above the river level!

We worried about mosquitoes with so much water nearby but in fact there were hardly any insects and this was no problem. The falls are spectacular - the Lodge arranged excellent visits both to the best viewing point and also a very interesting and sensitively organised trip to a Himba village - our driver and tour guide was excellent (and being Himba himself could tell us a lot).

The food was exceptionally good but the son of the manager was temporarily in residence and he is a professional chef who has worked internationally including in London!"

"we passed through Opuwo twice and have already reviewed it. [Ed: see below] The second visit was as good as the first."

"We stayed here on a previous visit to Namibia two years earlier and revisited because it was the highlight of our previous tour of Namibia - so we had high expectations and we were not disappointed as it is as excellent as ever.

You have to leave your vehicle at a supervised shaded parking place at the entry point to the concession area about 30 miles from the camp and get picked up by one of the camp's 4x4s. The driver radios the camp when we are approaching and we were welcomed by the staff singing us a welcome song and offering us wet towels and refreshing drinks as we climbed out of the vehicle - that kind of sums up the exceptionally friendly and welcoming atmosphere at this camp. Nowhere else do you get a welcome like that!

The wooden framed safari tent was larger and better appointed than most (twin washbasins made of polished copper!) and food was always excellent - one night we had a bush supper illuminated with lanterns which is an experience to remember. The main reason for visiting is of course to track rhinos (the last part on foot) and we succeeded in tracking no less than five of the monstrous animals during our visit. The camp helps to subsidise the programme to protect and study the desert rhino.

The whole area has some of the most spectacular desert scenery in a country that is not short of spectacular scenery and we saw many other species which seem to do surprisingly well in the semi-desert conditions, especially giraffe (there are clumps of trees in water courses), elephant, many, many oryx, kudu, springbok, hyenas, etc., etc. Our guide (Jeff) and the various trackers were all experts on the wildlife, very capable and helpful.

A verdict of excellent is almost an understatement!"

"The most memorable thing from White Lady Lodge is the spectacular Brandberg - the highest mountain in Namibia which forms the background.

The lodge is set in a nice and slightly eccentric desert garden. Accommodation in small individual spaced out cottages set in a sandy maze of desert bushes is basic but perfectly good.

Food was good - not quite excellent."

"Sam's is an unusual but very pleasant place to stay. Sam is of Swiss origin and runs a very well managed hotel as might be expected. He has a restaurant and serves excellent food. The most memorable feature is the "Giardino" - a long narrow and lush garden with gurgling water features - huge koi carp in the pond and it attracts many birds including weaver birds who were fascinating to watch making beautifully woven spherical nests dangling from the ends of date palm fronds.

There is also Beethoven, Sam's huge friendly Bernese Mountain Dog - a species not normally found in Namibia - who wonders around in the Giardino. Sam's is about ten to fifteen minutes walk from the centre of Swakopmund with secure parking, which in an urban area is good.

There is much to see and do in and around Swakopmund. We went on two organised tours in 4x4 vehicles, one to Sandwich Bay and to explore the remote lagoon full of flamingoes and other interesting bird-life and also the giant sand dunes of the Namib coast with Turnstone Tours (pre booked with Expert Africa) and another Sam booked for us with "Living Desert Excursions" where we focussed more on interesting "minutiae" of the desert nearer to Swakopmund - creatures and plants adapted to the dunes.

Both trips were very well organised and of great interest with many photo opportunities."

"We decided to cancel this part of the itinerary so as to stay longer at Swakopmund, mainly because we had second thoughts about revisiting Sossus Vlei at such a hot time of the year (we heard the temperature there would be about 40 deg C at that time). So no comment."

"The Eningu Clayhouse is something a bit different as it has a Mexican look about it, reddish adobe with giant cacti. We used it mainly to finish our tour conveniently close to Windhoek International Airport (about 1 hour's drive away) but while still staying out in the bush.

We slightly regretted not having more time there as the Clayhouse is part of a large estate with a lot of wildlife in it and a water hole with a hide 50m from the cottages where the guests are accommodated - we saw kudus in particular but understood there are many other species Next time maybe!

Food was excellent and the accommodation was excellent too."

"Ondekaremba is very close to Windhoek Airport yet completely rural - it is an old German farm. A confusion which caused us to make a mistake in finding it is that the signpost off the main road says "Afrika Farm Ondekaremba" rather than "Ondekaremba Guest Farm" which was what we were looking for.

It has beautiful gardens and the staff were very friendly. Food was excellent. The room was of an acceptable standard although the bathroom had one or two minor maintenance issues which led us to choose "average" for the rooms."

"This is a travellers hotel rather than a safari camp so it does not really pretend to be anything very special other than being the most likely place to stay in this area.

It was a convenient place to use en-route to more interesting places!"

"Nxamaseri is located on an island so a matter of slight concern for us was to ensure we arrived at the pickup point where we were to leave our vehicle within the specified time slot. As it happened the roads are so good that travel time is predictable even from some distance away if you know the relevant distances and we arrived bang on schedule. Our vehicle was parked in a small village off the road where it was looked after. We were then taken in one of the Lodge's 4x4s to the Okavango River were we transferred with our baggage to a small boat with a wonderful introduction to the area of a 30 minute boat trip to the Lodge which is discreetly hidden among the trees on a small island.

The accommodation was amazingly luxurious for such a remote place. Food and facilities were equally attractive.

Staff were charming and our guide - called "Fish" (in English) who said he is a River Bushman was excellent and extremely knowledgeable about every aspect of the wildlife, birds, plants and animals.

Nxamaseri is especially notable for bird watchers - we saw 34 species in a day of cruising up and down the waterways between verdant islands. With hindsight this was one of the highlights of a trip involving stays at eighteen different places."

"Susuwe shares with Nxamaseri (our previous stay) being located on an island. It is in a remote part of Bwabwata National Park in the Caprivi Strip. It also shares being amazingly comfortable and well run considering the logistics necessary to supply it.

We were met by our guide, Bevan at the entrance to the National Park having had an easy drive across the border from Botswana and along most of the Caprivi Strip on excellent roads. As we had a 4x4 we followed our guide who had a Lodge 4x4 and parked our vehicle within sight of the Lodge to be conveyed across the river in a small boat. Those without 4x4s have to leave their vehicle at the police post at the park entrance.

Accommodation is to a very high standard, a large suite of attractive rooms in individual thatched "cottages" and again our Guide was excellent, and proved very knowledgeable (this seems to be the norm in Namibia). Other staff were very welcoming and so was the manager and the food was to a high standard. Modern features like WiFi also worked well.

One of the best features about this excellent place to stay is its location, in a game park with a huge variety of animals and birds. We did several tours both by 4x4 and by boat and apart from seeing 35 species of birds we were also lucky enough to get a very good sight of a young leopard who was unsuccessfully trying to hide in a bush. Having lived in and visited Africa many times this was our first good sighting of a Leopard an animal which is generally very difficult to find."

"We used Ndhovu as a convenient place to stay when heading westwards from Caprivi but it proved well worth visiting in its own right. Unlike most of the other places we stayed at this is managed by its owner, Horst Koch (who also owns a farm near Windhoek from which he sources a lot of his supplies). Horst and his staff were very friendly and helpful and the food was excellent too. We even found someone (we never found out who) had kindly washed our 4x4 which was looking quite muddy when we arrived.

The Lodge is along quite a rough track in a relatively populated and farmed area but about 15 minutes drive down the road towards Botswana is the small Mahengo National Park which can easily be explored without a guide. We also enjoyed an excellent river trip on the Kavango for a sundowner followed by a convivial dinner sitting at a long table with other guests.

The accommodation is mostly in individual sophisticated rigid framed tent (internally divided into a bedroom and ensuite) but we rated it good rather than excellent as it is not quite as lavishly equipped as accommodation in other places we had stayed, but it really was "good"!."

"We used Hakusembe for one night in transit from Caprivi to Etosha. It has been greatly enlarged with 15 new chalets which had just been opened only a few weeks before, making it much larger than most such camps with 22 chalets (compared with 7 chalets earlier).

Although this was the low season the occupancy seemed surprisingly high and the restaurant was still being enlarged to cope with the change of scale and was quite congested after our earlier experience in much smaller safari lodges. However the staff were very charming, our brand new chalet was well appointed and attractive and we had an enjoyable sundowner river trip on the Kavango River which the Lodge overlooks (the river forms the border with Angola)."

"This camp follows the format of having individual tented "rooms" spread out within an attractive area of gardens. The accommodation is large and well-equipped.

The staff were very helpful and charming and the food was excellent, served in a large thatched open "Lapa". There is wifi available.

The Lodge is conveniently located to reach the Fort Namutoni Gate of the Etosha National Park after only a few minutes drive."

"We had been spoiled staying in small luxurious lodges in Caprivi and this is quite a large complex of individual bungalows, like a small town rather than a safari lodge, and caters for relatively large numbers of people. So the restaurant is a self-service buffet and the food, although good, was not to the "gourmet" standards of some of the more exclusive lodges.

Although we rated it "average", the quality of this camp was quite acceptable - just that "excellent" and "good" in Namibia really mean something that is exceptionally good by international standards.

Unfortunately the water hole for animals by the camp, one of our reasons for wanting to stay there, was completely devoid of any four-legged visitors in the evening perhaps because it was the rainy season when there are plenty of alternative water sources."

"For anyone wanting to see wild Africa this is probably an almost unique location. You leave your vehicle (even a 4x4) at the main road (where it is guarded) and are ferried over sometimes very rough tracks in one of the Camp's open Land Rovers (probably about 15 kilometres from the "outside world) through truly stunning semi-desert scenery with herds of wild animals frequently to be seen.

This is a large concession area set aside by government approval to protect the indigenous black rhino population and the many other animals and birds in the area. It has always been a bit of untouched wild Africa and is being maintained as such. The Save the Rhino Trust shares some of the income from visitors and is actively monitoring and studying the rhino population and they arrange for visitors to get to creep up on some rhinos on foot and to witness how they record the condition of individual animals.

The staff were absolutely delightful - they welcome you when you arrive with a small group of them singing a welcoming song as part of the ritual of offering cold drinks and cold towels. Apart from this they proved extremely professional and capable. The accommodation is again in large canvas sided rigid framed "tents" albeit with ensuite bathrooms (solar heated water) even including twin basins and tasteful décor - as good as any 5 star hotel yet in the middle of a wilderness.

The camp is obviously environmentally conscious and run everything in such a way that water use is optimised and even firewood is imported from areas with sufficient wood. The hospitality was unmatched (which in a country like Namibia is saying something, as catering standards there are generally high) and the food was excellent.

However the most memorable aspect of our stay was the "activities" touring the surrounding concession area covering quite large distances with an absolutely excellent guide, Ali, who apart from being extremely knowledgeable about the wild life, plants, geology (you name it!) was an ace at driving a 4x4 through difficult terrain. We saw a wealth of wild life (in addition to the rhinos of course) in some of the most beautiful scenery we have had the pleasure to view.

If there was a grade above "excellent" then Desert Rhino Camp might deserve that!"

"Our visit was just one night and it followed the Desert Rhino camp which would be hard for anywhere to compete with (although Doro Nawas is run by the same organisation - Wilderness Trails - equally professionally).

Accommodation was spacious and well appointed in individual thatched chalets. The communal facilities are on a high rock outcrop with wonderful views. Food was good. Staff as always were welcoming and hospitable."

"Terrace Bay half way up the Skeleton Coast is vastly different from the inland locations we had left only a few hours before. It is a cool, sometimes foggy location with Atlantic rollers breaking 100m from the bungalows which comprise the accommodation. The settlement is tiny and quite bleak but with a unique and memorable character, with high yellow sand dunes behind it.

The restaurant is on a hill above the chalet bungalows (which are kind of "UK seaside 1950s" for want of a better description - not specially tasteful or luxurious but certainly adequate). As the heading suggests this was certainly completely different but pleasingly interesting for that. Food was plainer than in some places, but with reasonable choice a la carte and very acceptable.

Visitors needs to know that in early 2014 if approaching the Skeleton Coast Park from the East on the C39 (as we did) you needed to reach the park gate by 17:00 (when it closes) but if approaching from the South on the C34 we believe the gate for northbound traffic closes at 15:00 - worth checking if likely to be arriving late afternoon!"

"The Cornerstone is a very high quality B&B with a ring of rooms, each with its own veranda, surrounding a beautiful garden. The accommodation is spacious and comfortable (as seems to be the norm in Namibia) and we only sampled breakfasts which were very good.

It is a B&B so evening meals can easily be had in the many restaurants of Swakopmund - mostly within easy walking distance). The owner and his colleagues are friendly and helpful and can provide ideas and information on interesting things to see and do locally."

"Hoodia is conveniently located for Sossusvlei in a scenic semi desert region, surrounded by craggy hills. The accommodation is as usual spacious and well appointed in individual attractive looking thatched chalets and the Lodge itself consists of a large thatched partly open Lapa where meals are served.

This was one of the few places with air conditioning (in the chalet for use mainly at night) which in fact was appreciated as this is a very warm part of Namibia! As always wifi and all mod cons provided with welcoming and helpful staff."

"The Eagle's Nest chalets are located about 10km from the Eagle's Nest reception along a scenic but quite sandy track. They are integrated with great boulders that have fallen many years ago (we hoped!); our chalet was made of stone and semi built into the cliff.

The restaurant is at the reception area (and we believe there is more accommodation in that area) and offered a la carte waiter/waitress served food. The food was good but not particularly special.

A problem here can be extremes of temperature as our stone house embedded in the rock face was very warm at night - the stone having absorbed intense sunshine all day; there was a ceiling fan but it struggled a bit. We understand that at other times of the year this can be a very cold place, being at high altitude - we saw photographs of the local village with a dusting of snow - a rare event in Namibia - but only from a few months earlier. We couldn't help thinking that visitors arriving in the cooler months (April to November) might need some warm clothes."

"This was the only actual hotel we stayed in rather than a safari lodge. It is clean and well-appointed on a headland to the south of the interesting, still very Germanic town of Luederitz. There is a good restaurant in the hotel although other places can be reached quite easily in town.

Although this was quite different from the much smaller places we used for the rest of our trip - the restaurant one night had a busload of guests which was almost a culture shock for us - the staff were friendly and helpful upholding the high standards we had already come to expect in Namibia.

We gave the room a rating of "good" as it was genuinely good, but not excellent if compared with some of the other safari lodge accommodation we had experienced."

"There can be few places in the world which are so remote yet which have such a stunning view - Fish River Lodge is perched literally on the edge of the spectacular canyon of the same name. The rooms consist of individual chalets which are spacious and well appointed but which lack the charm of some of the tented and thatched camps.

The food and the service was good. We enjoyed a sundowner at one of the best viewing points and this was truly excellent and well organised by a very capable guide John.

Apart from the Fish River canyon the Lodge is approached along a winding track through spectacular remote scenery with occasional glimpses of wild animals."

"We used Bagatelle as a transit stop for one night en-route back to Windhoek and it proved so attractive we wished we had been able to stay longer. The camp is located in its own large private game reserve which used to be a ranch. The accommodation is in well appointed, spacious, framed tented chalets safari camp style, and ours was high on a red sandy dune with a pleasing view. As usual we enjoyed good hospitality and good food (buffet self-service) - good as buffets go but not "gourmet".

Activities here are particularly varied and interesting ranging from trips by 4x4 through the game park which extends many km (where a large variety of wild life can be seen in attractive surroundings), to a "bushmen walk" focussing on bushmen culture, to seeing some orphaned cheetahs that are kept in their own very large enclosure being fed.

There is also an observatory with an interesting lecture available on astronomy in the context of the southern hemisphere night sky."

"Although this is a very modern and clean little hotel, we were disappointed that the room we had was very gloomy with small windows high up with a "view" of no more than an electric fence on top of a wall - this is more of a design flaw than the fault of the staff or management.

It is possible we were unlucky with our room. Food was served in a small dining room and was to a good standard. Staff were friendly but we did not see much of them!"