Travel reviews by Mrs B from Bridgewater

"Great camp - very comfortable and welcoming. We felt totally safe and loved having the animals walking through, such an amazing experience. It's well run and Alex is a brilliant 'host' - she makes everything seem effortless but we're sure it can't be! The food is good although not as flavoursome as we expected. As there is no electricity at the camp we knew there'd be no fans or aircon of course - we found the tents to be quite hot and didn't really let the breeze blow through even with the window flaps pinned back. The mesh is good for stopping bugs but seemed to prevent airflow too.

Our guide and driver were good and really made an effort to find the big cats we were hoping to see. We saw leopards and cheetahs which was an absolute highlight. For the first two days we had the jeep to ourselves and noticed on the second day that the driver and guide were speaking to us less and less - they answered our questions but didn't volunteer much information. They would occasionally stop and talk in Swahili but not tell us what they had seen or were looking for, which was a bit alienating. We thought perhaps it was just how things were at this camp but when we were joined by another couple they said their other guide was much more informative and chatty. Whilst we realise that the individual workers have different approaches, we wondered if we had offended or upset our guides in some way.

On our last day, they drove us to the airstrip quite quickly - there wasn't much game about - we arrived an hour before the plane was due. We had expected to have a final 20 minute or so detour to a part of the park we'd not seen but the guide told us he'd heard our plane was due to land early. It actually came on time [or slightly late] so we sat in the heat for an hour. As soon as we arrived at the airstrip the guys jumped out and went to talk to the other drivers and guides who were there [for an earlier plane that was running late]. We were left to our own devices and weren't given any further information. They only reappeared when we were getting on our plane. Perhaps cynically, we felt this was just for them to receive their tip. It was a disappointing end to the trip.

In summary, we liked the camp very much and the staff were good but we did feel that our guide and driver were uncommunicative which was a bit of a let down. We would like to know if we did something to offend them."

"Gloria and Thomas run a great beach lodge - they were really welcoming and helpful. Each night they'd come round for a chat before dinner which is a great way to raise any minor issues or to make recommendations and get tips. It was a nice touch.

The accommodation is comfortable and simple without being luxurious. Simple things such as bags for towels and sarongs to use on the beach were a really nice touch. The food was excellent - the flavours and spicing combined western and Zanzibari cuisine really well. The drive through a poor fishing village to the lodge was an eye-opener to start with but as we saw more of Zanzibar we realised that the living standard was quite common. The area of the island where the lodge is located is quiet so there aren't any other places to go to eat but it is quiet and relaxing and away from any crowds.

The sea goes out a long way from the beach for much of the day so you can't swim there most of the time. We found a lot of seaweed in the water and tried to snorkel but couldn't find anything at all! It was a bit disappointing but we understand that the snorkel trip to the nearby island is good [we never got round to doing it!]. The pool at the lodge is lovely and we swam in it quite a bit.
We got a bit of hassle from locals when we walked on the beach but mostly a 'no thank you' was sufficient and they never came close to the lodge.

The staff were friendly but their English seemed quite limited so conversation was minimal. "You're welcome" was used a lot as a catch all for pretty much anything we said or asked - we gave up trying to chat to the staff after a couple of days [although one of the bar men tried really hard, bless him]. We found the service to be a bit inconsistent, one day we were offered afternoon tea which was brought to us on the beach - but never offered it again. We weren't sure why! It wasn't a problem to ask for it [there's no charge we discovered at the end] but it was a bit random.

There was a bit of a fight for the sunbeds under the shades which ultimately seemed to result in people getting up quite early to 'bags' a bed. We weren't too fussed and found a lovely spot under the trees but as the beds closer to the beach and under permanent shades were so popular, it would make sense to have some more [there are only 6 in total].

Overall a really nice little 'oasis of calm' where the days slip by easily and comfortably!"

"This hotel is really well located in Stone Town, at the quiet end of a great street for shopping and eating.

The hotel is essentially two buildings conjoined, surrounding a pretty courtyard and a great cooling swimming pool [very much appreciated in the heat of the day!]. Rooms are of various sizes and configurations, and we were showed several before making our choice [a nice touch]. The rooms are small, but fairly well appointed, with some nice, authentic furniture, and a comfortable bed and en-suite bathroom.

There is a great roof terrace from where you can watch the sun set [a much nicer location than the bar of the Africa House Hotel - crammed every day with coach parties from the nearby resorts all bussed in to have one drink and watch the sun go down]

Sadly, meals at the Dhow Palace can't be recommended - the menu is a mix of simple European dishes, which were not particularly appealing.

Overall, this is a comfortable place to spend a couple of days in Stone Town."

"Hilltop House was our first accomodation in Namibia and we unfortunately we were there less than 24 hours. However, we found all the staff very welcoming, friendly and helpful and the room was lovely. We had a great view across Windhoek and the location of the House is quiet and pretty.

The bed was comfortable and the room was decorated to a high standard, breakfast on the terrace in the morning was great.

The House is very near the Windhoek institution 'Joe's BeerHouse' and they reserved us a table the evening we arrived, which was really helpful - we certainly recommend it."

"Everything about Kulala Wilderness Camp was organised and friendly from our pick-up at the airstrip to our tours into Sossusvlei.

Wilderness Safaris [who own this Camp and many others across the country] are extremely professional and well-run. Their guides are all experts: really friendly and knowledgeable - they made our visit interesting and varied. Johannes [our guide] was excellent, he answered all our many questions and had a real enthusiasm and love of his country which was a joy to share. He really added to our trip.

The Camp itself is very well run, clean and comfortable - particularly considering how far from everything they are. It's a bit of a drive to the dunes and Sesriem from there but that just adds to the experience."

"The Schoeman's run an excellent safari to the Skeleton Coast - we really felt that they respect and love the Namibia and its people.

We were lucky enough to have Bertus and Michael to ourselves for the whole trip which was amazing. Bertus is a fantastic pilot, transporting us to remote parts of the coast and inland. We loved being able to get close to areas that many others never see and learning so much about the terrain, fauna and flora - not to mention meeting the Himba and seeing how they live. We were also lucky enough to see the desert-adapted elephants at Purros, an experience we won't forget.

The trip to the Kunene river was interesting but we felt that this final stage of the safari was a long way to go [by plane and jeep] for, essentially, a boat ride and an overnight stay and then a long journey back.

The camps aren't as luxurious as some places in Namibia, but are comfortable and cosy and the food is excellent. The Schoemans are no doubt feeling the pressure to upgrade but potential visitors should bear in mind that this safari is a 'once in a lifetime' opportunity to see remote parts of Namibia with personal guides who know and love the region. It's an experience that shouldn't be missed."

"Palmwag Rhino Camp is in a great spot, far from anywhere, and allows visitors to really get close to nature. We heard that a lion pride had made a kill right outside the camp a few weeks before we arrived - visitors had ringside seats! The camp is very comfortable - it does get very cold at night they provide plenty of bedding and even hot water bottles.

The guides are excellent, very knowledgeable and friendly - happy to answer any questions. They were keen to emphasise that a rhino sighting isn't guaranteed but with trackers going out every day to find rhinos, in reality chances are pretty good.

We drove to about 1km from where a mother and baby were sleeping and then got out to walk to within 80m of them. Unfortunately they got wind of us within a few minutes and trotted away [after a split second where we wondered if they would charge].

We would recommend staying here for two full days [three nights] so that you can go out two days' running - this will improve your chances of seeing the rhino quite close and for longer periods of time.

The camp is doing great things to save the black rhino and protect them, it's worth visiting this camp if only to support their work and spread the word of what they're doing. At Etosha you'll see [white probably] rhino just as close [if not closer] but these ones were truly wild."

"Having previously been at Palmwag Rhino Camp, where the animals all run at the first sign of humans, we were bowled over when we arrived at Okaukuejo and saw a giraffe at the watering hole at 4pm! We were staying in a WaterHole Villa - these have just been refurbished and the standard of ours was good. Tea/coffee-making, a fridge and aircon. We also had a small 'garden' that we could sit in however, as we were only 10m from the waterhole, we spent most of our downtime there.

Okaukuejo's waterhole is quite large and attracted a lot of animals throughout the day. However at night it really came alive. On our first night, after dinner [about 9pm] we saw over 30 elephants come to drink, plus four rhino [white] and eight giraffes. How the animals aren't spooked by all the noise from the people watching them, the spotlights and camera flashes going off is amazing - but they're not.

There is a tourist shop which sells food but the choice is limited and not particularly good quality. If you want to self cater [even the bungalows/villas have access to a BBQ], ensure you stock up at a supermarket before entering the park. The restaurant does an all-you-can-eat buffet for about £10 per person which is very reasonable. The food is always the same, salads/soup, breads, roasted game and hot veg/potatoes and a variety of desserts - it's not haute cuisine but it's fairly tasty.

We also stayed at Halali, and Okaukuejo was definitely the better equipped and furnished of the two. The staff aren't particularly friendly or helpful in either camp - perhaps because it's government run.

Finally, don't forget to check the sightings books in the main office at the camp, you'll get great tips about where the animals are and which waterholes are currently the most-frequented. We had an afternoon watching an elephant mudbath followed by a lion pride coming to drink thanks to a tip from this book."

"Halali is still undergoing refurbishment - which seems to be dragging on - the swimming pool still wasn't filled when we arrived [and apparently has been like that for months]. The staff were slightly more friendly than those at Okaukuejo but it depended on who you saw and whether they thought they'd get a tip.

Our villa was refurbished but had an ant problem - which we solved ourselves. It was quite nicely decorated and the camp was really quiet, which was lovely. The main room of the villa got very hot in the day and didn't really cool down at night but the bedrooms were air conditioned which made sleeping comfortable.

Halali's restaurant was boiling, maybe the aircon was broken both nights we were there but it was certainly very uncomfortable to sit in for long - most people ate outside [luckily there are few mosquitoes at this time of year]. No explanation or guidance was given. The food is pretty much the same as at Okaukuejo but there's less variety and it's not so well done. Some of the bread and desserts were stale and they seemed to run out of things a lot. The buffet was the same price as at Okaukuejo which seemed quite cheeky when the quality and quantity was worse.

We did take the guided night drive from Halali [as you can't go outside the gates after sunset alone]. Our guide tried hard to find animals but we were unlucky and saw nothing. Others had seen leopards, cheetah etc so it was quite disappointing but that's the luck of the draw. We saw nothing at the camp's waterhole although we visited it a few times, again this is just down to luck.

Overall this is a useful camp to stay in as it's in the middle of the park but the facilities still need to be improved [particularly the restaurant] and the staff need to work on their social skills."

"We stayed at Etango on our final night, it's only 5 mins from the airport but quiet and well-presented.

The owners are very friendly and the accomodation is comfortable and clean. The Ranch has lovely gardens and a small pool which was a nice way to spend some time recovering from a long drive. It's 40km back to Windhoek so we stayed for dinner which was good food and very reasonably priced.

A good spot to start or end your trip, pick up tips about the country and people or review your adventures before you leave!"