Travel reviews by Ms J from Arizona

"Albert was an excellent guide and we spent two of three activity drives with him. Ask for Albert!!

The conservation activity was very weak - the guide (not Albert) only knew what he'd memorized and couldn't answer questions to any depth (such as about the relocation of rehabilitated animals or the educational programs for farmers ) If I were going again I would look at some of the other cheetah rehab sites as an alternative.

Somehow this camp seems more "talk" than real action about conservation education/rehabilitation."

"We were doing a self drive. The section of road from Khorixas was corrugated bedrock with frequent dips - the worst we encountered in 3000 kms. The main road, C39, was not marked after Khorixas so after 3 hours driving we wondered if we'd gotten off on a side road. Finally came to a crossroads so could locate ourselves on the good map provided by Exp. Africa. The turn off for Doro Nawas was poorly marked (small sign off to one side) and went right through the middle of some familiy's farm. After 5 kms we saw what looked to be a burnt cinder on top of a hill in the distance. This is Doro Nawas.

A steep climb up bare, rocky hillside from our car lead to the reception. We were welcomed graciously and enjoyed our stay.The staff were gracious and helpful.

Unfortuately, the activities (not included) were very expensive...the afternoon, 2 hour, elephant drive would have been over $130. for myself and 13 yr old grandaughter and this was not a good value for me.

It would not be a good location for someone with physical problems (knee or hip weakness) due to the steep and uneven climb up/down between lodge and cabins."

"I would go to this camp again to experience the vastness of the area. Also to appreciate the incredible ability of species to survive in such an arid, inhospitable environment. Our guide was the best!

As for the black rhino... for understandable safety issues one can only catch a distant view. Since we were on foot on what seemed the surface of the moon I was happy not to get closer to this unpredictable animal.

More worthwhile was seeing the Desert Elephant, giraffe and many other animals who somehow survive there. For this camp you have to enjoy riding for bumpy hours in the vehicles!

Again this camp espouses to provide education to the area villagers and contribute financially to the Himba community. There was little evidence that this happens in actuality beyond the brochure.

They don't do washing here...but you can do your own - it dries is less than an hour!"

"Our accomodation's location was outstanding! We overlooked the waterhole and could sit on our balcony in our pj's to watch the night time display! The watehole made our trip there! Unfortunately the neither the hot water, a.c., nor ceiling fans worked during our 3 day stay.

For self drive you need to be prepared BEFORE coming. Get groceries, stamps and information ahead of time in Outjo. Don't expect to be able to use the pay phone or find an array of groceries in camp. The little camp grocery store runs of bread by noon and has only a small assortment of food stuffs (like a US convenience store.) The snack bar closes early so one is forced to eat dinner in the pricey restaurant which only has a set price meal.

The telephone did not work with our Namibian phone cards, and 2 of the 3 phones were out of order. On a good note, the petrol station is open long hours and the petrol is normal prices. They don't take credit cards for gas but will write you a chit which you can pay at the grocery store. There is an internet site...expensive but available if you need it.

There is little information to be had on what areas animals are in, even in a general way. The staff at the information desk also handles reservations and I found them rather short tempered to the point of rudeness when asked for a map, etc.

Road conditions in Etosha are poor with miles of corrugation, unlike the rest of Namibian roads which are kept in good condition. In a small car this gets tiresome (no pun intended) after several 40 km forrays to hope to see animals.

This is Etosha's 100th annivesary year. There was much hubub to prepare for the events. They really need to look at how they can serve the visitors with food, groceries and pleasantly delivered services instead of building more to impress dignataries. I really would not go to Etosha's camp Okaukuejo again."

"The German owners have only been there 6 months, and the wife is trying gamely to run the place while her husband works in South Africa.

The service was friendly and accomodating and the food good. All the facilities are worn, especially the beds (huge troughs in the mattresses,) bedding and linens. It is generally fairly clean but needs upgrading, refreshing badly.

The ponds are full of hundreds of frogs, which croak loudly until the last light is turned out! This didn't bother me but my grandaughter couldn't get to sleep. We would stay there again in transit as the location is very convenient."

"Getting thru the 5km sand road to the lodge was a challenge in our Toyota Corolla. I had to drive off road thru bushes to avoid getting stuck in the deeper sand - not a welcome experience for a middle aged woman and her 13 yr old grandaughter. When we left I was anxious about getting a puncture but luckily we managed to get thru unscathed.

The camp itself is at a spectatular location, with tents set up near the river edge. The tents are adequately furnished and plenty of blankets kept us warm. A hippo island mid-river kept us entertained for hours with a herd of 12+ hippos.

At our arrival the staff interns (2) and permanent staff (1) told us they had been working there 3 weeks and 1 month respectively and were soon leaving. They were young people, 1 German woman, a Brazilian and So. African man, pleasant but not knowlegable at all about the area or animals. The SA man, who drove the game drive truck, had animal and bird guide books for a reference when asked questions.

The camp owner appeared at dinner as a bon vivant, sitting and entertaining a small table of guests. Food was simple but adequate and good. One definately got a feeling from the owner of the old days of white supremacy. The staff appeared subdued and submissive rather than open and interactive, as we'd become accustomed to at all other camps.

The 3 activities included the option of a guided tour of the local village and this was fascinating. The guide lived in one of the buildings and we met his grandmother and some school children. This was the highlight of our 2 night stay!

You could easily pass on the "game drive" and see the few animals elsewhere with a more experienced guide. We didn't do the hippo island boat trip because the interns said that the day before we came a client bribed the boat driver to actually land on the island. This was to take photo's at closer range. There were a dozen huge hippos and their calves on the island at the time. The interns felt that this was very dangerous and I agreed - so decided to not do that activity."

"Rileys is such a great hotel for location! They were the ONLY place in Botswana that took American Express.

Not a great hotel but familiar, comfortable and clean. Rileys just has it's own personality and we keep going back for more."

"Ker Downey camps remain my favorites. Their staff and guides are wonderful! It's good to see the guides able to work their way up into more administrative jobs with seniority and ability recognized. Loved the elephant dung/sisal paths!!

I am a bit sorry to see a "one size for all" somewhat slick welcoming routine - I saw the exact routine at Selinda. I much preferred the "take you to your room first" routine which was more individualized to the clients immediate needs. Too many people at a time, much prefer 16 to the 20+ we encountered; lacks the "family" feeling."

"Of our more famous camps this was our least favorite for safety yet our all out favorite for what we saw.

We witnessed 3 lions chasing a warthog across the veld, across a wide but shallow part of the delta and then it dove into an aardvark hole and survived!! Our guide, the camp manager (can't remember his name, sorry, a wonderful Greek name), was knowledgeble and passionate about the Delta and the animals!

On our last morning 3 lionesses paraded past our vehicle with 5 adorable cubs! They were followed by the most healthy male lion we had yet seen!!

Upon arrival at Selinda we were assigned to the last tent out. On the walk there we saw many trees, some quite large, ripped apart - by elephant, we were told. That night at 1230 a.m. a bull elephant spent 1 1/2 hours leaning against our tent whilst ripping 2 trees down right next to the tent. I was afraid that a branch would come right thru the tent. My 13 yr old grandaughter and I devised a plan for hiding should that or anything else happen. We had no way to call for help had we needed it.

I feel that the last tent, knowing that elephants were around at night, should not have been given to a single woman with a child. Also we should have been given some way to get help. This event was not exciting, even in retrospect. I was responsible for my grandaughter's safety and the camp should have been more responsible for our safety."

"Edo's was a wonderful experience and we hope to go back in the next few years!!

Izelle is just wonderful - so intuitive and a nuturing person. What a natural, charismatice asst. director and guide!! At first Stephan seemed a little brusque, with fairly poor social skills. But as he relaxed, he IS quite young, he showed great knowledge and caring for Edo's Camp, the local people and animal/bird life.

We ended our trip really appreciating Stephan and his many skills!!! We hope he is given the oportunity to travel outside of Botswana so that he rounds out his (very few) rough edges. He has the making of a very memorable camp director!!

I think Edo's should work on their food; especially the cooking of vegetables and the presentation."

"This is a hunting lodge. My grandaughter was horrified by the stuffed baby giraffe and it's mom standing next to the breakfast table. Every room was filled with examples of stuffed animals representing the best of every species, deleted from the gene pool. If you are interested in taxidemy this is the place for you!

Our room was nice, clean and ICY COLD. One thin blanket on each bed. When we realized how cold the room would get we got dressed at 11 pm and went to the reception to get more blankets. In every other place we stayed we had had plenty of warm quilts, blankets or covers.

There were 17 for dinner, divided into 4 parties of which we were one. It was freezing cold (41 degrees) yet they served everyone outside at 730 pm. All of us 17 wore our warm everythings, hats and mittens and were still very cold. The hostess/owner seemed extremely stressed and had difficulty managing getting the food out in a timely way. She was not especially pleasant; when others complained about being cold she replied, "Cold? Oh, I am roasting. How can you be cold?"

For us this was a no-star place."

"The Rivendell is a camper's hotel. It is slightly run-down but sufficient. Mattresses are troughed. The breakfasts were good and there were cooking facilities, if one wanted.

At the end of the trip it would have been nicer to stay right in town at a hotel, closer to shopping and with parking. I would rate the Rivendell between Avg. and Poor."