Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs D from London

"Excellent staff and ambience.

Perfect place to relax after a flight."

"Our third visit and keeps getting better. The new rooms and camp are outstanding but there is still the unique intimate atmosphere.

Quality of guiding as good as ever and great to see Moli developing new people.

Fly camp is a must for the wilderness lover and gives a different perspective and location to explore."

"A unique beautiful location approached by boat. Excellent and comfortable room which surpassed expectations.

Chimp trekking was fantastic, first day was arduous but worth it with circa 25 chimps around us. Second day was far easier with similar number of chimps in more open setting. Highly recommended. Masks must be worn with chimps, long trousers and shirt advised and a complete change of clothes required for each chimp trekking day.

Lunches were disappointing- no protein of any description. Final briefing for departure was confused and confusing."

"Lovely location with a country club atmosphere.

Enjoyed the short river walk, the food and relaxing. Excellent and friendly staff."

"A great rural location overlooking the lights of Windhoek with comfortable individual cabins and friendly service.

River Crossing was the perfect first night stop."

"A very enjoyable stay with very comfortable accommodation in a private reserve with many antelope. The 16 km walk feels like an achievement across the desert and is worth it for the lovely Dunes camp overnight but the game viewing on the walk is modest.

We did see our first Aardwolf on the evening drive! Like many Namibian lodges, the main course tends to be red meat/ game and there is no choice. We asked for an alternative but didn’t get a response at the table, so beware, you need to request the dinner menu at check in."

"A unique location with wonderful views over the canyon; their slogan “on the edge of eternity” is very apt!

The day trip into the canyon is a must; a scary road at times but excellent vehicle and guide. The rim walks are also great and imagine trekking down and staying overnight in the canyon would be fantastic, if you have the time. Beware we had some strong winds so warm clothing is essential outside the summer months. Ear plugs are provided in the rooms, due to the roaring wind!

There is a surprising amount of wildlife in the area."

"As soon as I read about Eagles Nest, I wanted to stay there and the reality exceeded expectations!

Our room, The Rock, is built literally around a rock and combines creative design with comfort. It is like being in a Western!

The Desert Inn provides excellent food with generous helpings, choice and friendly service. It is just 15 minutes drive from the famous wild horses and we saw a foal! It is a great location to visit Lüderitz/ Kolmanskop but we were sorry not to have longer at Eagles Nest itself to enjoy the location and do some of the walking trails on the property."

"A spectacular location, excellent guides, high quality of service and food and good choice of activities. 5* all round and an excellent finale to our amazing trip.

More wildlife than we were expecting, many oryx sightings from the room and jackal, cape fox and polecat all seen whilst walking to the main lodge! We recommend the day drive to experience the different aspects of the Namib Rand, the walk with San guides and horse- riding for a different way to experience this unique environment; all included."

"Traffic is bad so took an hour to reach but a comfortable oasis on arrival.

Staff were very supportive about our lost ( fortunately only delayed ) baggage."

"We very rarely revisit places but we came back after just 7 months to experience green Africa, which is testament to the very special experience that Moli and Noelle have created. It's certainly a myth that you don't see animals at this time of year, as we had great animal sightings and also flowers, butterflies and a completely different impression of Africa. Being the only guests in Ruaha was a true privilege and surveying the expansive wilderness from Kichaka's new home up high was like looking over a lost world.

This is a very special safari experience; completely immersive and unique. Thank you Moli and Noelle and all the team."

"Lovely location overlooking the sea with good shops and restaurants attached but well over an hour from the airport in the busy traffic- just 20 minutes after midnight!

We enjoyed dinner overlooking the sea and found the staff very friendly. Rooms are comfortable rather than luxurious but overall there is old world charm and would recommend for a relaxing day."

"Gave us just what we wanted for a two night stay and well situated for giraffe sanctuary, elephant orphanage and Karen Blixen House- highly recommended."

"Operating in a remote part of Ruaha, this is a special wilderness experience. Four nights at base camp and three nights fly camping were a perfect mix for us. We enjoyed walking four/ five hours each morning and evening game drives; a great combination. Game viewing was excellent and Moli is an inspirational guide.

Noelle is an excellent hostess and we enjoyed the food and their company. All in all outstanding; we want to go back!"

"We don't often revisit places but we fell in love with Chole Mjini five years ago. We enjoyed our return visit just as much.

Everything was as we remembered; the smell of frangipani on arrival; the dhow sailing; tree house living; good island food and relaxing activities. Anne and Jean are welcoming hosts and their passion for Chole is infectious."

"Beho Beho was very special ; luxury and comfort
but with the personal touches of a much loved
home . A quality experience in every detail and
charming hosts .
Excellent game viewing and varied terrain with
top calibre guides . Could have stayed longer
and hope to return ."

"A good balance with Beho Beho with different
terrain and the river bringing a new dimension .
Highlight was two nights fly camping.
Great service and friendly people ; charming new managers
who are working hard to make their mark .
Dedicated guide for the whole stay provided
a tailored programme . Good game viewing
especially lion ."

"One night lakeside ; one night river bank. ; two
great but different locations with all the sights
and sounds of the bush ! Comfortable but
authentic with excellent food and service."

"See previous [Ed: These travellers had two separate stays at Sand Rivers, either side of a 2-night fly-camp. See below for their comments on the camp.]]"

"We loved this, from the moment we landed and
walked through the Frangipani trees to our
beautiful tree house. We enjoyed experiencing
Anne's vision for the lodge and the community .
It was the perfect place to relax . Highlights
were the monitor lizards walking through camp,
swimming in the mangrove creek , sailing
an outrigger and dinner in the ruins .
We would love to go back !"

"The food is exceptional and the staff are charming. The
rooms are spacious , luxurious and beautifully
appointed.

It was a very comfortable end to the holiday."

"We needed a room overnight in transit.
It took us over an hour to get to it through
traffic on Friday night which felt far too
long after two flights . They are clearly well
organised for people in transit and gave us
an early breakfast but we never saw it in the
light and would have been better much nearer
the airport."

"Very friendly and helpful staff; a really good place to start the holiday."

"Perfect- a really special place. Loved watching all the wildlife from the terrace of the lodge.

Really well run and thoughtful planning of programmes to ensure everyone got variety eg we had a sundowner cruise just for us on our third night."

"We had an afternoon, overnight and moring on Mufasa and sailed to the opposite shore of the lake, which was good sailing and very enjoyable and we were well entertained.

Howard and MIchelle were oustanding hosts; a great combination of first class facilities and staying in someone's home."

"What a paradise! A totally relaxing atmosphere but still plenty of opportunity to be active; we loved the kayaking and snorkelling and doing nothing!!

Also enjoyed the buffet approach, which gave you more control over portion- size."

"Jimmy was an excellent guide with a big personality; Petronella was a good manager.

The scenic flight from Kulala to Swakopmund was a lovely surprise and a real highlight of the trip. All the pilots were great and go out of their way to make the flying an experience in itself."

"Sam is a first class and charming host; quietly organising you whilst giving you a lot of information on the town.

We attended 2 wine-tastings and found them very informative and pleasurable.

He made our stay in Swakopmund special and we would definitely go back."

"Ernst was an experienced guide who shared his obvious passion for the country in a very sincere manner. We loved fly camping and sleeping under the stars.

We had the opportunity to track and observe desert elephant on foot, which was very special.

We did however lose half a day of activity through battery failure on the vehicle."

"We enjoyed the rhino tracking but were surprised to be in a group of 2 vehicles and 12 people.

Enjoyed the company of other guests at the camp - 2 parties were also with Expert Africa!

We did find Chris, the camp manager knowledgeable and a big personality but also over-bearing and too dominant."

"Cameron and Wendy said the camp was a home and they definitely created a homely atmosphere, which we enjoyed.

The gap between morning visits to Etosha and the start of the afternoon drive was very short. I think it could be extended."

"Despite having booked in January, we were told at Palmweg that we were being moved from the Bush camp to the main camp. On arrival at Okanjima this was confirmed but no explanation was offered, despite our asking and we would like to know why this happened.

However we found the main camp garden and setting a real oasis and enjoyed our stay. The guides were all very committed and we enjoyed seeing the cheetah and leopard."