Travel reviews by Mr S from Sri Lanka
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
8
Excursions taken
0
A Perfect Trip
Namibia and 1 other country between 4 Apr 2018 and 19 Apr 2018
"We had an absolutely amazing trip: it was a truly unforgettable experience that we loved every minute of.
We saw and did so much within just two weeks: the desert, dunes and mountains of Namibia; the San; the Vic Falls; the Delta; Cape Town and Table Mountain; the flights over the desert and delta; brilliant game sightings including all the Big 5.
Namibia is an incredible country with amazing scenery, fascinating culture, superb wildlife and huge open spaces - the shortest drive we had from the gate to the main building in five lodges was about half an hour! It was a pleasure to drive in, with the straight, empty roads, and even better to fly over. Botswana complemented it perfectly: it was wonderful to go from the desert and mountains of Namibia to the Chobe river and Okavango Delta and see animals and go on game drives in a completely different environment.
Flying from Sossuvlei to Damaraland made this all possible: as well as being one of the highlights of the trip, it saved us 10 hours on the road and having to stop in Swakopmund. This meant we could fit more in within the time we had and massively reduced the total amount of time we spent driving. Our driver in Namibia, Shorty, drove very safely and was an integral part of our trip - our best sightings of giraffes were with him, driving out of Gocheganas and Okonjima!
What stood out most, though, was all the people we met and the wonderful welcome we received at all the lodges, which really made everything that much more special. We especially appreciated how great everyone was with our kids.
The service from both Expert Africa and Wilderness Safaris was outstanding and could not be faulted in any way. All the arrangements ran like clockwork. Given we had a total of 10 flights (from leaving Sri Lanka to returning), 9 lodges and 18 activities, this was quite an achievement and testament to exceptional efficiency and attention to detail. There was always someone waiting to collect us at the appointed time; all the lodges were expecting us and had our room ready; all the activities were booked.
I am so grateful to Maruska for her advice, assistance and organisation. I first contacted her about two years in advance and must have sent over a hundred emails in total. She always replied immediately with helpful and detailed answers that displayed her detailed knowledge of the area and determination to make sure we would be happy with every aspect of the trip. She simply could not have done any more.
If we are lucky enough to be able to go back to Africa , we should certainly use Expert Africa again and will recommend them to all our friends.
Thank you for organsing a simply brilliant adventure: we have brought back memories that will last a lifetime.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: This was the first time I had ever booked a trip / holiday through an agent - which I imagine may be true for many of your clients. Although Maruska was ever-willing to give quotes for as many different options as I wanted and to suggest ways to cut costs if required, I would have appreciated at least a rough idea of what was costing what in the overall quote.
I wonder whether it might be possible to give an indication of the cost of different lodges on your website (even if this is just a code such as $$ or $$$ etc) so clients can see how expensive different lodges are and how costs in different countries compare. Some indication of how the costs of different modes of transport compare would also be useful."
We saw and did so much within just two weeks: the desert, dunes and mountains of Namibia; the San; the Vic Falls; the Delta; Cape Town and Table Mountain; the flights over the desert and delta; brilliant game sightings including all the Big 5.
Namibia is an incredible country with amazing scenery, fascinating culture, superb wildlife and huge open spaces - the shortest drive we had from the gate to the main building in five lodges was about half an hour! It was a pleasure to drive in, with the straight, empty roads, and even better to fly over. Botswana complemented it perfectly: it was wonderful to go from the desert and mountains of Namibia to the Chobe river and Okavango Delta and see animals and go on game drives in a completely different environment.
Flying from Sossuvlei to Damaraland made this all possible: as well as being one of the highlights of the trip, it saved us 10 hours on the road and having to stop in Swakopmund. This meant we could fit more in within the time we had and massively reduced the total amount of time we spent driving. Our driver in Namibia, Shorty, drove very safely and was an integral part of our trip - our best sightings of giraffes were with him, driving out of Gocheganas and Okonjima!
What stood out most, though, was all the people we met and the wonderful welcome we received at all the lodges, which really made everything that much more special. We especially appreciated how great everyone was with our kids.
The service from both Expert Africa and Wilderness Safaris was outstanding and could not be faulted in any way. All the arrangements ran like clockwork. Given we had a total of 10 flights (from leaving Sri Lanka to returning), 9 lodges and 18 activities, this was quite an achievement and testament to exceptional efficiency and attention to detail. There was always someone waiting to collect us at the appointed time; all the lodges were expecting us and had our room ready; all the activities were booked.
I am so grateful to Maruska for her advice, assistance and organisation. I first contacted her about two years in advance and must have sent over a hundred emails in total. She always replied immediately with helpful and detailed answers that displayed her detailed knowledge of the area and determination to make sure we would be happy with every aspect of the trip. She simply could not have done any more.
If we are lucky enough to be able to go back to Africa , we should certainly use Expert Africa again and will recommend them to all our friends.
Thank you for organsing a simply brilliant adventure: we have brought back memories that will last a lifetime.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: This was the first time I had ever booked a trip / holiday through an agent - which I imagine may be true for many of your clients. Although Maruska was ever-willing to give quotes for as many different options as I wanted and to suggest ways to cut costs if required, I would have appreciated at least a rough idea of what was costing what in the overall quote.
I wonder whether it might be possible to give an indication of the cost of different lodges on your website (even if this is just a code such as $$ or $$$ etc) so clients can see how expensive different lodges are and how costs in different countries compare. Some indication of how the costs of different modes of transport compare would also be useful."
Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe
GocheGanas
"Great First Stop"
1 night
Arrived
4 Apr 2018
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Kulala Desert Lodge
"Stunning Location and Great Service"
2 nights
Arrived
5 Apr 2018
"Kulala was one of our favourite lodges of the whole trip and Sossuvlei and the dunes one of the overall highlights.
It was our first experience of the Wilderness Safaris experience, which we loved, with the highly individual service, superb locations and focus on conservation, culture and community. The rooms were comfortable but still close enough to a tent for you still to feel you were in the desert. All the staff were welcoming and appeared to enjoy being part of the team, creating a wonderful atmosphere. Our guide Stanley set the standard for the rest of the trip. All of us loved climbing Dune 45 and Big Daddy, especially our 9 year-old son, who set the pace at the front!
Among the many great experiences were the incredible stars at night, sleeping outside on the roof, going out at night to hunt for scorpions with Stanley and Alfred, the barbeque and singing on our second night, and great sundowners followed by drinks and hot towels on return.
Coming from Sri Lanka, where every verandah and balcony has a ceiling fan, we were surprised there were no fans in the main area, given how hot it must get in summer - as we were at many lodges. Better coffee could be another improvement for the future."
It was our first experience of the Wilderness Safaris experience, which we loved, with the highly individual service, superb locations and focus on conservation, culture and community. The rooms were comfortable but still close enough to a tent for you still to feel you were in the desert. All the staff were welcoming and appeared to enjoy being part of the team, creating a wonderful atmosphere. Our guide Stanley set the standard for the rest of the trip. All of us loved climbing Dune 45 and Big Daddy, especially our 9 year-old son, who set the pace at the front!
Among the many great experiences were the incredible stars at night, sleeping outside on the roof, going out at night to hunt for scorpions with Stanley and Alfred, the barbeque and singing on our second night, and great sundowners followed by drinks and hot towels on return.
Coming from Sri Lanka, where every verandah and balcony has a ceiling fan, we were surprised there were no fans in the main area, given how hot it must get in summer - as we were at many lodges. Better coffee could be another improvement for the future."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Doro Nawas
"Superb Location"
2 nights
Arrived
7 Apr 2018
"We arrived after an amazing flight from Kulala, flying first over the Namib Desert and then the mountains of Damaraland, which was an unforgettable experience. The views from Doro Nawas were equally amazing and we loved the rooms with the outdoor showers and beds that could be rolled out on the balcony.
The highlight of our stay was seeing the Desert Elephants - especially as some recent rain meant they were hard to find so it felt more special when we finally did track them down. Our guide Reginald went above and beyond the call of duty, first running up a hill to look for them and then driving up what was close to a cliff. We were lucky to see the elephants in the mountains, which were more attractive than the river area, and saw one climbing a very steep slope in search of clean water.
Doro Nawas was, nevertheless, probably our least favourite camp. It is great that the camp employs the local Damara community but we felt more training and better management were required. There were also lots of rats in the rocks by the pool, which we felt was a health risk. It was a shame that we missed on the outside dinner as we stayed on a Saturday and Sunday night but it was only held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays."
The highlight of our stay was seeing the Desert Elephants - especially as some recent rain meant they were hard to find so it felt more special when we finally did track them down. Our guide Reginald went above and beyond the call of duty, first running up a hill to look for them and then driving up what was close to a cliff. We were lucky to see the elephants in the mountains, which were more attractive than the river area, and saw one climbing a very steep slope in search of clean water.
Doro Nawas was, nevertheless, probably our least favourite camp. It is great that the camp employs the local Damara community but we felt more training and better management were required. There were also lots of rats in the rocks by the pool, which we felt was a health risk. It was a shame that we missed on the outside dinner as we stayed on a Saturday and Sunday night but it was only held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Okonjima Plains Camp
"Outstanding Game Drive at Okonjima"
1 night
Arrived
9 Apr 2018
"We loved the leopard-tracking drive. Daniel was an excellent guide and we had a great sighting of a leopard, plus three separate rhino sightings (including 7 of their 10 rhinos) and lots of other game.
I had been worried that the tracking might make the drive seem artificial but it actually added to the experience. We reached a point where Daniel said Shera's cub was only about five metres away despite there being no sign - and then suddenly there it was staring straight at us. We also woke in the morning to find a family of warthogs sleeping on the verandah of our room, which was lovely.
The rooms were great, as was the food - especially some memorably good omelettes at breakfast.
We would definitely recommend Okonjima as a great stop for anyone visiting Namibia, as well as a convenient location to break up the long journey from Etosha or Damaraland to Windhoek."
I had been worried that the tracking might make the drive seem artificial but it actually added to the experience. We reached a point where Daniel said Shera's cub was only about five metres away despite there being no sign - and then suddenly there it was staring straight at us. We also woke in the morning to find a family of warthogs sleeping on the verandah of our room, which was lovely.
The rooms were great, as was the food - especially some memorably good omelettes at breakfast.
We would definitely recommend Okonjima as a great stop for anyone visiting Namibia, as well as a convenient location to break up the long journey from Etosha or Damaraland to Windhoek."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Naankuse Lodge (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Beautiful Lodge & Great Activity"
1 night
Arrived
10 Apr 2018
"Another great lodge and superb location - outstanding food, lovely pool and great rooms. Is an open shower in the middle of the room really practical for many guests though?
We did the Ancient San Skills Academy activity. Learning about the San and their traditional way of life had been a main aim of our trip but I had been worried that, wherever we went, it would seem staged and artificial. We felt the activity was organised very well though: we learned a lot and our kids loved trying out the bow and arrows and attempting (and failing) to start a fire. While not entirely authentic - the bushmen do not actually stay in the camp where the activity takes place and wear normal clothes in their homes in the Nyae Nyae conservancy - N/a ’an ku sê appears to do a good job employing Bushmen, providing the school for their children and supporting the San community. Our guide Matheus was also a Bushman and provided interesting insights on this work and the (lack of) opportunities for the San in modern Namibia.
N/a ’an ku sê is very convenient for the airport so a good option for the first or last night of a trip. An excellent recommendation by Maruska - despite it not being featured by Expert Africa. Why not?"
We did the Ancient San Skills Academy activity. Learning about the San and their traditional way of life had been a main aim of our trip but I had been worried that, wherever we went, it would seem staged and artificial. We felt the activity was organised very well though: we learned a lot and our kids loved trying out the bow and arrows and attempting (and failing) to start a fire. While not entirely authentic - the bushmen do not actually stay in the camp where the activity takes place and wear normal clothes in their homes in the Nyae Nyae conservancy - N/a ’an ku sê appears to do a good job employing Bushmen, providing the school for their children and supporting the San community. Our guide Matheus was also a Bushman and provided interesting insights on this work and the (lack of) opportunities for the San in modern Namibia.
N/a ’an ku sê is very convenient for the airport so a good option for the first or last night of a trip. An excellent recommendation by Maruska - despite it not being featured by Expert Africa. Why not?"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Bayete Guest Lodge (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Decent stop-off at Victoria Falls"
1 night
Arrived
11 Apr 2018
"The location was convenient, the pool area was good, the staff were very nice and the food exceeded our expectations, especially at dinner. This was just what we were looking for in the very short time we were at the Vic Falls. The only negative was that our family room was a bit dingy and musty - though other rooms looked brighter.
The Falls were, of course, stunning - though in the wet season, there was so much spray that you couldn't see them nearly as well as when I had been in the dry season before. We also did the zipline, which was an unforgettable experience in such a stunning location and the kids loved.
The local agent (no connection to Bayete) told us, however, that we needed to bring our passports to gain access to the Falls, which was incorrect and, given how wet we got, very inconvenient."
The Falls were, of course, stunning - though in the wet season, there was so much spray that you couldn't see them nearly as well as when I had been in the dry season before. We also did the zipline, which was an unforgettable experience in such a stunning location and the kids loved.
The local agent (no connection to Bayete) told us, however, that we needed to bring our passports to gain access to the Falls, which was incorrect and, given how wet we got, very inconvenient."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Poor
Food
Good
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Bakwena Lodge (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)
"Great Lodge on Chobe River"
2 nights
Arrived
12 Apr 2018
"We loved Bakwena: beautiful location with rooms overlooking the Chobe River and bushbuck in the camp, lovely common areas, great atmosphere created by the all-female staff, excellent food, fantastic outdoor shower.
Both the cruise on the Chobe River and the game drives in the park were excellent. Den was a great guide and we saw fairly large herds of elephants, including some tiny babies; lots of hippos, crocodiles and buffalo; a leopard; and four different lion sightings. The only negative was the half-hour drive from the lodge to the park.
We certainly recommend Bakwena and suggest Expert Africa start offering it as an option to their clients."
Both the cruise on the Chobe River and the game drives in the park were excellent. Den was a great guide and we saw fairly large herds of elephants, including some tiny babies; lots of hippos, crocodiles and buffalo; a leopard; and four different lion sightings. The only negative was the half-hour drive from the lodge to the park.
We certainly recommend Bakwena and suggest Expert Africa start offering it as an option to their clients."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Little Vumbura
"Unforgettable Experience"
3 nights
Arrived
14 Apr 2018
"Visiting the Okavango Delta was the highlight of the trip and Little Vumbura more than lived up to expectations. The delta is stunningly beautiful. The camp was lovely and we loved the boat ride to and from the island every day. The view from our balcony with red lechwe just outside in front of the waters was amazing and the experience of being in an unfenced camp with animals all around was incredible: there were kudu on the path, hippo visiting at night and a lion just outside our room one night hunting the lechwe.
Being able to drive off-road brought a whole new dimension to the game drives: driving through water that often came up to the bonnet and bundu bashing was a rollercoaster in itself. Our guide G was superb and we had wonderful close-up sightings of sable antelope, lions with four cubs and a leopard with her cub - although a coupe of drives were very quiet. The mokoro allowed us to see the delta from a different perspective, as well as see a tiny reed frog and red lechwe leaping through the water in front of us.
What made Little Vumbura so magical, though, was the wonderful welcome from all the staff and the great atmosphere in the camp. The managers Anton and Laura were ever-present and superb company. Nothing seemed like too much trouble.
Our son loved having his own Bush Buddy, OB, looking after him. Our daughter does not drink fizzy drinks so had spent two weeks watching the rest of us having sundowners with nothing to have herself - but the chef, Antonio, not only arranged for her to get some chocolate milk but put it in a special bottle too. Two of the female staff also took ages to braid her hair. We were very lucky that our last night coincided with the weekly boma night, which was the perfect end to our adventure in Africa."
Being able to drive off-road brought a whole new dimension to the game drives: driving through water that often came up to the bonnet and bundu bashing was a rollercoaster in itself. Our guide G was superb and we had wonderful close-up sightings of sable antelope, lions with four cubs and a leopard with her cub - although a coupe of drives were very quiet. The mokoro allowed us to see the delta from a different perspective, as well as see a tiny reed frog and red lechwe leaping through the water in front of us.
What made Little Vumbura so magical, though, was the wonderful welcome from all the staff and the great atmosphere in the camp. The managers Anton and Laura were ever-present and superb company. Nothing seemed like too much trouble.
Our son loved having his own Bush Buddy, OB, looking after him. Our daughter does not drink fizzy drinks so had spent two weeks watching the rest of us having sundowners with nothing to have herself - but the chef, Antonio, not only arranged for her to get some chocolate milk but put it in a special bottle too. Two of the female staff also took ages to braid her hair. We were very lucky that our last night coincided with the weekly boma night, which was the perfect end to our adventure in Africa."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
It provided a really exciting first stop for our kids, which a boutique hotel in Windhoek may not have, and a taste of what was to come.
Our guide for the drive, Rocky, was excellent but the service could have been a little better, especially in the restaurant."