Travel reviews by Mr P M & family from UK

"This is a great place to recover from a long flight before heading elsewhere on safari. Due to flight schedules we had 2 nights here and really enjoyed our stay. We were able to do several of the self guided walks and enjoyed the experience of walking near to several species of antelope, monkeys, warthogs and giraffes. The bird life was also excellent. Game drives are available and we did the sundowner drive which was very nice. The staff were very friendly and the food excellent. Would definitely stay here again if we return to Zambia."

"This is a wonderful camp with great management, staff and guiding. Several hosting surprises were also a highlight. The younger guides in particular were extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The landscape was very dry as a result of poor rainfall earlier this year but that didn’t detract from the game viewing, which was excellent.
Our highlight was the canoeing, which is a completely different experience from the game drives - it was very quiet and peaceful and provides an opportunity to see animals from a new perspective. It was also exhilarating being so close to large herds of elephants and the bird life was wonderful with lots of kingfishers and herons.
The Starbed experience (at an additional cost) was excellent with great attention to detail. The night sounds and incredible sunrise made it an unforgettable experience.
The accommodation and food were both excellent.
Overall a wonderful experience."

"This is a wonderful camp - whilst it is classed as a bushcamp it is extremely comfortable and has everything you need for an authentic safari experience. We are fortunate enough to have visited some great camps elsewhere in Africa and this camp is up there with the best.
This camp links very well with Chiawa - the seamless 90 minute boat transfer along the Zambezi was a great experience. As with Chiawa, the management team, staff and guides were all excellent. The younger guides were particularly knowledgeable and enthusiastic and went the extra mile to provide exceptional game viewing.
The accommodation was very good - the lodges overlook the Zambezi and had everything you need with the outside shower and bath providing great views.
Away from the river, the landscape around the camp is spectacular, particularly the winterthorn forests. Wildlife viewings were excellent, with elephants, leopards and warthogs being frequent visitors in the camp. Hippos were everywhere on the river banks and we saw wild dogs on several occasions. We were also particularly lucky to see aardvarks on the night drives.
Numerous activities were available and a highlight was the canoeing trip with fantastic bird life and exhilarating close up encounters with hippos and elephants.
We really enjoyed the communal dining and the opportunity to share experiences with other guests. It is easy to see why so many guests return and why it is necessary to book a year in advance for this camp."

"This is a great hotel for a short stay before or after a safari in Zambia. The accommodation is very good, the food excellent and the hotel is full of interesting African art. It’s also not far from the airport so transfers are very easy. Would definitely use again if visiting Zambia."

"We were underwhelmed during our short visit and felt that this was poor value for money. The lodge has only recently reopened and the communal areas are in serious need of refurbishment.

There were only two other guests at the same time as us and the lodge felt very tired and unloved. The food in particular was awful. Staff were welcoming and the room was ok. We enjoyed one of the walking trails although they weren’t particularly well marked - we enjoyed sitting at a lagoon and watching the giraffes.

The lodge is in a transitional period and we were told that refurbishment and rebranding are being undertaken by Natural Selection. The place definitely has potential - we were just there at the wrong time!"

"It’s hard to find any fault with this camp - it meets the usual high standards of a top Wilderness Safaris lodge.

April is not the best time to see wildlife because of the high vegetation but thanks to excellent guiding we were able to see a good variety of game, including lion and leopard. Overall we had a wonderful experience."

"Whilst the lodge was lovely, our overall experience was slightly disappointing because of the shortage of wildlife.

The vegetation was very high and overgrown with large areas of mopane woodland. It was only because an elephant had recently died that we were able to see lions and hyenas around the carcass. Without that we would have seen very little. Our guide was only average - he didn’t engage that well and he was nearing the end of his two month shift.

I think we could have omitted this camp from our itinerary without our overall experience suffering."

"We really enjoyed our experience at this camp - in particular the guiding on the game drives was exceptional. Having a tracker on the front of the vehicle really makes a difference. In one half hour period we saw wild dogs hunting, lions on an impala kill and an angry herd of elephants chasing off the lions.

The staff at the lodge were excellent and looked after us really well. Whilst this camp isn’t as well appointed as a typical Wilderness Safaris camp, it hit the mark for us and the focus on wildlife was excellent.

The lack of wi-if was a good thing from our perspective although probably not for others.

The camp was quiet when we first arrived but got busier during our stay and we enjoyed the communal dining experiences and breakfast around the fire."

"This was the final stop on our trip and we are so pleased we visited this camp. We wanted a contrast from the delta areas and this was completely different. We expected the area to be very arid but were pleasantly surprised that there was a fair amount of grass and water around. There were also large herds of zebra and wildebeest. The landscapes and sunsets are spectacular.

The camp itself was comfortable, although more basic than the camps we had previously visited. Our only negative experiences were the amount of mosquitoes and the poor quality and lack of choice for the food.

We originally feared that the trip to see the meerkats and bushmen might be a little touristy but they were both excellent - do them if you get the chance. Our relatively young guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about this area and this contributed to our positive experience."

"A very comfortable and friendly hotel with knowledgeable and helpful staff. The hotel has a very good restaurant ( The Palm) and there is also an excellent restaurant virtually next door (The Three Monkeys).

The Lookout, another good restaurant with spectacular views over the Zambezi gorge, is nearby.

We enjoyed the Zambezi sunset cruise on the hotel's own small boat. The Falls themselves are only a short walk away. We had two nights here and saw everything we wanted to in that time.

The hotel is very good value - you don't need to stay in the more expensive hotels."

"Most things about this camp were excellent - the spectacular location, the camp itself and the accomodation.

The food was acceptable but not of the same high standard as some of the other Wilderness camps we have visited. The staff were very friendly and helpful but unlike other camps it was not clear who was in charge. Being a water camp we were able to do boat trips and a mokoro ride as well as the usual excellent game drives. Our guide, G, was very knowledgeable and personable. There was plenty of game and the bird life was exceptional.

We had three nights here which was ideal - we had time to relax as well as seeing everything we wanted to."

"This was the highlight of our holiday. The camp was exceptional - the location, diverse landscapes, accomodation, staff and the food.

The game drives were excellent - we saw lots of game and bird life and the scenery and landscapes were beautiful. Our guide, Duke, was very knowledgeable and personable and we really enjoyed his company. Three nights was ideal here, allowing us to relax, see a lot of wildlife and enjoy the experience.

We would strongly recommend this camp and would love to return one day."

"This was a very nice way to spend a couple of nights at the end of our holiday. The boat itself was comfortable and the staff very good. We felt the rooms, particularly the bathrooms and toilets, needed some refurbishment and the boat looked a little 'tired'. The only activity provided was boat trips by small tender along the Chobe River bank - this became a little predictable.

We weren't offered any other activities, such as fishing from a smaller boat. We suspect that because there was a larger group of seven AustralIans aboard the activity was centred on what they wanted and we were expected to tag along. We didn't see a lot of game on the riverbank but this was not an issue as we had already seen plenty in the Delta. The high water levels also restricted the movement of some of the wildlife - we were told that large herds of elephants regularly cross the river when the water level is lower.

Having said that, the bird life was exceptional and the scenery and sunsets spectacular.l"

"Olive Grove is a very convenient place to spend an initial night in Namibia.

The accommodation was very comfortable, the staff very friendly and helpful and the breakfast we had there was very good."

"We booked Erongo as a convenient breaking point for our journey from Windhoek to Etosha and only stayed one night. It was one of the highlights of our trip and we wished we had stayed two nights.

Rooms are excellent and the location superb. We enjoyed one of the marked walks (the Eagle Trail) and also did the Sundowner walk and the shorter 2 hour morning walk, both of which were excellent. Guides were very knowledgeable and interesting and staff very friendly.

Highly recommended."

"The accommodation and setting of Onguma are excellent and we enjoyed our stay there.

The only problem was the lack of game in the reserve - to be fair it had been incredibly dry and the landscape was desperately parched, but we saw little or no game in the reserve itself on our afternoon and night drives. The morning drive into Etosha was better and we saw plenty of game there. Our guide was ok but wasn't very informative - he just pointed out the animals.

The waterhole in front of the camp is in a great setting and it is very relaxing to sit and watch animals drink, albeit we didn't see much during our stay."

"We enjoyed our stay at Ongava - the accomodation was good, the staff very friendly and the reserve itself had plenty of game. Our guide, Leon, was good and we saw plenty of lions as well as white and black rhino. The game drives in the reserve and into Etosha were very good.

The food was very good and the meal set up in the bush for our second night was fantastic. We enjoyed the communal dining experience as it gave us the opportunity to meet other travellers from different countries. We liked the flexibility we were given to organise our activities during our stay.

The waterhole in front of the camp attracted lots of game, including rhinos, giraffe and (very briefly) a brown hyena."

"We travelled all around Namibia and this was the highlight of our trip.

Whilst very remote, it is definitely worth the extra effort to get there. The accommodation, setting and atmosphere are superb and the staff fantastic. We really liked the communal dining experience and we met some very interesting people, who we hope to catch up with in the future.

Our guide, Chris, was excellent - very informative and interesting. We really enjoyed the morning trip to see the desert adapted elephants along with the spectacular outdoor breakfast at sunrise - definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The food and setting was first class.

A special word of thanks to Adams, the chap who guarded our car at the pick-up point - he was a real character.

We enjoyed the impromptu stargazing provided by the guides. We were very sad to leave."

"We didn't really like Swakopmund - the weather was cold and grey and we'd driven down from Damaraland, which we'd really liked. The guesthouse is fine, comfortable and the staff were very helpful and friendly. To be honest, we couldn't really see anywhere that looked better, as most accommodation appeared to be in similar guest houses.

The activities we did in Swakopmund were good - our children (aged 20 and 23) enjoyed sand boarding and quad-biking whilst my wife and I did an excellent trip to Sandwicj Harbour with Turnstone Tours (highly recommended)."

"This is a lovely camp with excellent accomodation, great staff and a relaxed atmosphere.

Our guide, Joas, was excellent and we really enjoyed our Sundowner drive and our morning trip to the dunes. Kulala's private entrance to the park is a big advantage and saves a lot of time. The morning trip to the dunes was a highlight of our trip - we climbed Big Daddy and took spectacular pictures at Deadvlei.

We took the opportunity to sleep on the roof under the stars, which was a great experience. This lodge is slightly larger than some of the smaller camps we stayed at so the experience is less personal, but it is still highly recommended."

"This was our final stopping point in Namibia and a very convenient place to stay near the airport.

The rooms were good and the staff very friendly and helpful.

Although it calls itself a game reserve we didn't see much and the drives/walks were not heavily promoted."