Travel reviews by Mrs W from Bath

"We were very happy with using River Crossing as an overnight stay close to the airport at the beginning and end of our holiday. You have to negotiate the new airport road construction part way along the access road but this was well signposted. It is a shame but the new road can clearly be seen from the lodge terrace and the lower numbered rooms (rooms 7 upwards still have nice views of the hills).

The rooms were spacious, clean and functional with good air conditioning, tea/coffee making facilities, a fridge with complimentary water and plenty of hot water in the bathroom. My room at the start of the holiday had a hand-held shower over a corner bath which was awkward to use so it’s best to make sure you get a room with a shower only.

No wildlife drives or walks were offered and I’m assuming this is because the new road has and will affect their ability to do this.

We found the staff friendly and the food decent. There is a 3 course set meal offered in the evenings with a choice of 2 starters and 2 main courses and a dessert. We got charged only for the courses we ate."

"We stayed for 2 nights at the beginning of our trip. The access road is about 10km and it was a fun drive as there was plenty of wildlife to spot.

The rooms and common areas were beautiful. Its great having the small waterhole outside your room where some of the wildlife and birds come to drink. The lodge also provides seed for you to feed the birds which is a nice touch.

Surprisingly this was one of the very few lodges where we weren’t greeted as we arrived but had to go and find reception.

On the first afternoon we did a game drive where we tracked and had great views of one collared leopard with its juvenile cub. After dinner we went to the night hide where they put out leftovers from the kitchen. We had very good views of two porcupines and also spring & scrub hares on the short drive to the hide. We had to ask twice to do this activity as they seemed a bit reluctant.

On the second day we did a (very cold!) morning drive. Good game but unfortunately we couldn’t pick up any leopard signals in the area we had been assigned.

We requested to do the Pangolin tracking in the afternoon. The trackers go out at about 4pm and if you are lucky (which we were) they find a pangolin out and about in the daylight. It was about a 20 minute drive and then a short walk to see the Pangolin where we spent about 15 minutes following it around. It was fantastic! If the trackers don’t find a pangolin in the afternoon then you go out after dinner. If you want to do this activity then make sure you let them know asap as it is limited to 6 people. The only downside to this paid for activity (~£100 per person) is that you miss out on an included activity in the afternoon.

Food was good. We were on a fully inclusive package and what this includes at the different lodges varies. At Okonjima most wine and spirits on the drinks menu were not included and you had to be careful when ordering e.g. when asked what gin we wanted out of the 8-10 on offer we had to say “the fully inclusive gin”. Also it was disappointing that the ‘mini-bar’ in the room did not contain anything apart from water & milk. We could have asked for beer etc to be put in the fridge but we expected it to be already fully stocked as part of the fully inclusive package!"

"This is a beautiful lodge. The common areas were very inviting and well shaded so a nice place to relax. The tents were also beautiful, however, we found them extremely hot during the afternoon and the cooling system completely inadequate except within the mosquito netting at night. It was also disappointing that the location and design of the tents means that you couldn’t relax on the decking between game drives as there was almost no shade.

We found the staff very well trained and friendly and the food very good. Although we were not fully inclusive we could see that most wine & spirits were included with only a few premium brands that weren’t. The tents also had a fully stocked mini bar.

The lodge offers game drives into Etosha but we wanted to self-drive. It would have been a nice touch (once the lodge established that we weren’t purchasing their activity) to provide some information and tips on self-driving in Etosha e.g. how entry works, the sightings book & where to purchase a map etc.

We did the Sundowner drive – the only activity offered in the Onguma reserve. It was a very pleasant experience although the game is not at the same level as Etosha. It was irritating to be told that there were lions at one of the other Onguma lodge waterholes but that we weren’t allowed to go and see them!

We had 6 people on the Sundowner drive, and the front seat had been ‘reserved’ by one couple. The vehicle holds 9 (in 3 rows of 3 seats) and the activity sheet highlights that they might fill the vehicle to maximum capacity on all drives. Note also that the lodge says that all activities must be booked in advance. This was not the case at any other lodge we stayed at.

A note for the lodge staff on how to handle issues. I had a blocked sink in my room which I reported on the first evening when I went to dinner. When I went to bed I was told it had been fixed – it hadn’t. I reported it the next morning and when I returned from the game drive 7 hours later it had still not been fixed. I only found this out when I got back to my tent and found the bathroom a bomb site with the handy man in the process of repairing. I went back to reception to ask what the situation was as relaxing in my room was not possible. Reception did not know that a repair was taking place and went to find out the situation. When they came back they completely ignored me and I had to go back to reception again and ask what was going on. I was told that they didn’t know how long it would take. There was no apology, no offer to organise refreshments and no progress updates in the 1.5 hours I had to wait in the common area. Eventually they came & told me everything was completed. The sink was fixed and the tent had been fully cleaned and set back in order.

I was pretty annoyed at the poor service and asked to speak to the manager who wasn’t available. However, they managed to save the day as when we went to dinner the manager in charge had obviously been informed and was very, very apologetic and set us up a special table for dinner and a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine.

There can always be maintenance issues with rooms but it is how they handle them that is most important. Reception should have been aware of the issue and intercepted me before I got to my room and APOLOGISED and explained the situation. They should have offered me refreshments and given me frequent updates on progress."

"We stayed here for one night in a Premier Waterhole Chalet as it was a convenient location and to enjoy the wildlife at the waterhole. We had to pay the deposit on arrival but there was no inventory and it was returned on check out.

Our chalet was clean and the air con worked well. However there were a number of light bulbs that needed replacing. The staff were efficient if not particularly friendly. We didn’t have dinner in the restaurant but bought a lunch pack from our previous lodge and had it as a picnic on our balcony whilst watching the waterhole in the evening.

Breakfast was adequate but you could be waiting a while if there was a queue to get your eggs cooked. Overall we had a satisfactory stay.

We topped up with petrol here but at the time they were rationing everyone to 20 litres as they were running out."

"We had a very enjoyable 2 night stay here. We decided to use it as a relaxing stop after a number of days self-driving in Etosha. We were in rooms 7 & 8 in the row of thatched chalets. Simple rooms with small bathrooms but clean. No kettle or fridge but they will bring you hot water to make drinks. No aircon only a fan but the rooms are well designed with thick walls and thatch which keeps them lovely and cool. They also had attractive and well shaded terraces out the back.

We spent a lot of the day relaxing on the waterhole viewing deck and watching the parade of wildlife coming to drink. We were very lucky that lions were around the lodge the whole 2 days we stayed, spotting them both in the mornings and evenings. We also did a night drive where again we saw the lions up close as well as jackal, spring hares & scrub hare.

The food was good and the staff very friendly. Overall the stay here exceeded our expectations."

"One of the highlights of our trip. Stunning scenery, remote location, and extremely friendly and welcoming staff. The drives are very bumpy but the vehicles are pretty comfortable and cope with it well. We had unseasonably cold weather when we were there but were provided with thick ponchos and hot water bottles for the drives (and in our bed at night). We stayed 3 nights. On the first morning we found a Rhino after about 5 hours. Approaching on foot was very exhilarating and not for the faint hearted!

We stopped for an enjoyable picnic lunch under a shady tree before driving about 2 hours back to the lodge. The second morning we found a Rhino earlier in the drive which meant we returned to the lodge for lunch.

The food was very good and the organisation and all the staff were extremely professional. Our only mild criticism is that almost everyone only stays for 2 nights so we visited the ‘Scorpion Club’ twice.
I won’t remark on the tents etc as I understand the camp is closing for rebuilding in the first half of 2024.

Note: directions say after turning right onto the C43 you follow the road for 9km and turn left. You might want to note in your directions that that this turning is reassuringly sign posted Desert Rhino Camp. There is nothing at the meeting site so it’s useful to know that if you are going to arrive early you can call in at Palmwag Lodge 3km south of the Desert Rhino turning for a drink and toilet stop!"

"Beautiful rooms in a stunning location. We were very happy that we were in ‘Superior View Rooms’ which had fabulous views and faced west so that you could enjoy the sunsets from your balcony.

We went on a trip to see the desert adapted elephants. We passed lots of vehicles on the drive but were very lucky that there were only 2 vehicles at the time we saw the elephants. Overall, this activity felt more touristy than I was expecting.

The food was good and the staff professional. Our only criticism would be that some of the waiting staff were obviously angling for individual tips which made us feel uncomfortable. We religiously put tips in the staff box so that all the staff benefited."

"- – although very windy and some rain whilst we were there. Luckily it brightened up the next day so we got to enjoy the views in the sunshine. The lodges are well equipped although they did feel and look like mobile homes on stilts. The lodges are strung out and some are a long way from the main area. They take and collect your luggage (and yourselves!) on a golf cart and you can pre-arrange a time for them to pick you up for dinner. Only problem is if you are at the restaurant and have left something in your room it will take about 15 minute walk to collect!

We did the ‘Small Bushman Tour’ on the afternoon we arrived. There were a lot more people on the tour than I was expecting as they use a vehicle that holds 20 people (and it was pretty much full). The guide was very informative but in hindsight I would have probably have walked/driven to the sights myself rather than being with a crowd.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. We found the food very average and I had a suspicion that most of it was ready made frozen food that was reheated."

"Very friendly and accommodating staff. Also very good at helping us get in and out of the quite tight secure parking area!

Good location for walking to all the restaurants etc. Nice rooms and decent breakfast. We were very satisfied with our stay here."

"This is a beautiful lodge in a stunning location. The rooms were lovely and very well equipped and the food was good.

Our one issue was the Soussusvlei excursion. Overall we were very disappointed with this activity – except the lunch which was fantastic.

[ Ed: See their comments on this trip amongst our reviews of the Hoodia Sossusvlei excursion. ]

Although there’s lots of positives about the lodge we probably wouldn’t have stayed here if we’d known what the excursion was going to be like. I would have done more research and either found someone who does give an ‘off the beaten track’ experience or found somewhere we could have self-driven to the sites as early as possible and to our own timetable.

We didn’t do the Sundowner experience which at N$850 each (~£38) seemed pretty expensive.

If you are not worried about getting off the beaten track then this lodge is a great option."

"One of the highlights of our trip. The setting is spectacular and the rooms and common areas are beautiful. The drives through the magnificent landscapes were great - informative and very relaxing.
We enjoyed all the food and particularly the salads at lunch made with lovely fresh produce.

There’s quite a long access road which starts very bumpy but most of it is pretty good."

"We stopped over here one night on the way back to Windhoek. It was very acceptable stop.

The rooms were spacious with a bedroom and adjacent living area. A nice bonus was the mini bar whose contents were included in the room rate. Some of the design choices were a little incongruous and seemed out of place in an African lodge e.g. the navy velvet and gold crescent sofa, the black and gold tiles in the bathroom (which also had appallingly dim lighting). Also, we didn’t understand the purpose of the outdoor shower which had no privacy.

There are attractive communal areas although again some of the furnishing choices seem out of place. The restaurant menu was very ambitious with a menu of 5 courses, including amuse bouche and a palate cleanser, but I think they managed to pull it off and we enjoyed the food. Lots of very well price wine on offer."

"as per previous feedback"

"Very nice hotel with excellent service. The staff were very helpful and allowed us to check in early which was a relief since we arrived on the 9am flight!

There was refurbishment work going on in the hotel (which they did warn us about at reception) and it was very noisy in our room. Luckily this did not affect us as we had a trip booked but if we'd wanted to chill out for the day it would have been difficult.

Ideally we would have been warned via Expert Africa before our arrival."

"We loved our stay at LIttle Kwara. The "tents" were perfect and all the staff were friendly & helpful. Our guide & trackers excellent.

We saw great game on the drives and the scenery on the boat trip was idyllic.

Would definitely visit again!"

"Overall we had a very enjoyable stay at Lebala. All the staff were were very friendly. All the game drives were great fun especially getting up close with the elephants! We were unlucky on the number of predators we saw but that's just how it goes.

A couple of minor points that did not detract from our stay:

1. The staff were unaware that we had booked a private vehicle until we informed them when we realised they were putting us on a shared vehicle. Once they had checked they sent us out on our own but the remaining guests had to wait an hour before they got another vechicle to take them out. This put us in a embarrassing situation and impacted the other guests. I think what they should have done was to send us all out on the shared vehicle and then when they had sorted another vehicle to come and find us and take us off!

2. The new tents are beautiful but because of the open design it does mean that they get un-necessarily hot during the middle of the day. The balcony has no shade and the sun shines right into the tent, the curtains are light and filmy so shutting them doesn't help cut out the sun."

"We thought Tongabezi was fantastic. We were in one of the river cottages which was really lovely and the views of the Zambezi were incredible.

We thought the food here was extremely good. Service & friendliness of the staff excellent. We particularly enjoyed the boat trips - the sunrise & sunset cruises and would highly recommend the bird watching trip.

Our only annoyance was that we were overcharged for our helicopter ride. We requested a 22 minute flight but at the time of booking were told that the 15 minute or 30 minute durations were more popular and we might not find enough people wanting the 22 mins. We said that we would alternatively go for the 15 mins if necessary. Tongabezi weren't specific about the length of ride when they confirmed our booking but on my watch the actual trip was 24 mins.

When we check out we were charged for a 30 minute trip even though at no point had we said we would do the 30 mins. We did complain but we could not get the charge reduced."