Travel reviews by The F Family from UK

"The staff were very friendly and welcoming and encouraged everyone to mix.

Meals were social occaisions enabling guests to chat about what each party had seen, and other places they'd been. Early breakfast was tea and muffin, followed by a game drive, followed by a large brunch of eggs and bacon which we could eat leisurely as the next activity wasn't until 4. This meant we could relax and swim etc. After the evening meal we went to the night hide to see porcupine, the only place we saw them up close on our trip. The guide then dropped us off outside our hut.

The huts were all very private, with a view of birds at our own individual bird bath, and warthogs walking by. Extremely comfortable, and the fans worked well to relieve the mid day heat.
Food was excellent.

Pool was small, but good for cooling us down in the mid day heat.
Our guide, Richard, was a local and as well as telling us all about the animals and birds, he gave us a good insight into life in Namibia, and what it was like to grow up there. He also gave us some exciting drives in the Landcuiser, better than a roller coaster ride!
The only downside of Okonjima is that the animals are kept in compounds, albeit large ones. This will improve though as they are fencing off an even bigger area.

We arrived straight from the airport in Windhoek, and it was wonderful to be on a game drive the same day we arrived in Namibia."

"The tents are on wooden platforms and extremely comfortable, even down to the jug of milk in the fridge ,tea pot and coffee for us to make our own and have it on our verrandah.

Food was good, and breakfast was prepared when you wanted it, early or late.

There was a more formal feel at this lodge than Ongava or Okonjima, although the staff were friendly, it just wasn't as relaxed. However, it was an extrememly comfortable place to stay after driving round Etosha all day, and it was very close to Namutoni gate, so we didn't regret not staying inside Etosha itself. The speed bumps inside the Outpost were very high, and built for 4 wheel drives, not 2!

We bought a pass for 4 days to Etosha, so only had to fill in the paperwork once at the gate, so again there was no problem about staying outside the park.

The pool was good, and plenty of loungers round it, for a break from driving."

"We stayed here for the floodlit waterhole. and it was worth it. In the darkness we saw 2 Rhino, elephant, giraffe, and heard a male lion roaring in the distance which made our spines tingle.

We had no problems with the food, there was plenty, although not the same standard as other lodges we stayed at. A local school came and sang during dinner which was very good.

Our family chalet was large and comfortable although the concrete bathrooms did look rather strange, they worked fine.
I wouldn't want to stay here too long, but definitely worth at least one night for the waterhole."

"Very high speed bumps in the grounds to get to the lodge. Our car grounded so much that eventually all passengers got out at each bump (Over 20 to get to the Lodge), apart from the bump which had 4 lions sitting next to it.

Staff very efficient, a bit too quick though at clearing plates and rushing dinner. However, all staff were very friendly and full of information about the lodge, animals and Namibia in general.

Our guide, Henock came from Angola and was very good at finding lions and rhino. He also arranged for our daughter to have a local dish for breakfast, mopane worms and porridge. She ate it all, to the surprise of all the staff watching!

The rooms were excellent, but as our ones were at the back, we could not see the waterhole, and passers by could see us in the bathroom as there was no blind.

The Ongave private reserve is huge, it took us over an hour to drive back to the lodge at night, so you don't feel that the animals are in a compound.

Swimming pool is good, and cooled us off after a day of driving."

"Our girls loved this camp, even more than the luxurious lodges we had stayed in. The tents felt a bit cramped to us, but it was a real 'safari' experience. The bucket showers worked well, and there was plenty of hot water. Each tent was very private. looking out over the wonderful mountain scenery.

The mountain walk was excellent, with plenty of stops needed for the heat. We were told about plants and rocks and even given a lesson in the local click language. Food was very good, especially as we were so far from a road. More tea and coffee would be good though, as this was only served at breakfast and dinner, with no means of making any ourselves.

We saw 2 leopards during our stay, one sat in the road infront of the Landrover while we were trying to drive back to our car, which had been washed for us while we were away. Also they kindly gave us a large packed lunch as we were driving to Swakopmund afterwards. This was wonderful, as we drove through desert most of the way, with no restaurants en route!"

"Sam's Giardino is a bit of Switzerland in Swakopmund, which is a very german town. Sam is very helpful, showing us where to find all the places we wanted to go.

The rooms are large and comfortable, and the food is very good."