Travel reviews by Ms U from Idaho

"We stayed at City Lodge specifically because we believed we could store a suitcase, during our safari, with them. We could not and according to them this was never done due to insurance reasons. They provided us with an alternative that also did not work for a two week period.

On positive side, the room was clean, people were generally helpful and the breakfast was very good."

"The chalets were clean and comfortable.

We had two separated bedrooms which was very nice. We liked the restaurant which was good as there appeared no other options.

We recommend visiting Gantsi Craft which is on the next block. Gantsi is represented as a nonprofit organization "empowering the San."

While we can not verify its credentials, the jewelry is beautiful and very, very reasonably priced and the woman managing the shop was delightful."

"We arrived at meeting point 2 hours early and were pleasantly surprised that our guide was waiting. We had lunch on arrival and they accommodated my son's vegetarian request (when traveling he is flexible.)

The chalets were very comfortable. We went to Tsodillo Hills which I recommend. We spent about 6 hours looking at Bushman paintings. Our guide was very informative and the museum interesting.

We also saw elephant and a black mamba as well as kudu, impala, steinbuck and duiker. We also liked being on the river in the rainy season. The birding was terrific.

The staff also did an excellent job accommodating differing ages and interests."

"Nunda Lodge was pleasant and the food interesting.

It did remind me of lodges in the 1970s. The outdoor patio on the river was very nice. The highlight was seeing hippos traveling down stream looking like dolphins. I am amazed I have never seen this in a documentary. We slept really well; it was very quiet and the rooms had good airflow.

We also strongly recommend Mahango National Park. We could have spent several more hours there. The birds were terrific. It was only place we saw blue cranes. We also saw lechwe and sable antelope which we have rarely seen and usually in private reserves."

"We arrived at Mushara late and left early.

The tented chalets were very nice. The food was excellent and the decor beautiful. Probably had best gift shop we saw.

The cappuccino in the morning was wonderful."

"We requested to stay at Okauejo due to the waterhole. As it was the rainy season not much was there.

Still the location in Etosha was great so I would recommend staying in the chalets but would bring my own food. Also wifi was erratic making paying other than with cash difficult. (Using credit cards was easy everywhere else including all gas stations.)

We really enjoyed seeing Etosha in the rainy season. My son is very interested in reptiles and amphibians which abound during this time of year. I loved seeing all the babies. We watched a baby impala examine a millipede. Its reaction when the millipede was priceless.

We also got remarkably close to rhino and giraffe.

There were very few people in the park but the people there were very eager to share siting information."

"Okonjima should be on a different scale than any other lodges. In my opinion, and my son's, it wasn't just excellent -- it was perfect.

We stayed at Bush Suites which was stunning. The Suites could be in Architectural Digest as is. More importantly, the staff was far and away the best I have ever seen. Melissa and Gideon seemed to really want everything to be perfect for us -- and they listened to what we wanted.

We chose to go on a leopard drive with Gideon but told him about our interests in the smaller stuff. We saw bullfrogs, terrapins, tortoises, dikdiks, etc. as well as leopard and brown hyena He also was very knowledgeable about plants and birds. We arrived back late from the drive due to a severe rainstorm. Three different people were posted to check on our safety and Melissa had a fire going for our arrival "home." Unfortunately we could not do a night drive or pangolin walk due to the rain.

We had said we wanted to see the center in the morning but Gideon did not blink when we changed our minds to a game drive at 5:30 am. My son stayed up all night videoing the night time animals including a genet cat that Melissa told frequently appears in search of grapes. My son didn't want to miss a minute with unnecessary sleep.

I actually hugged Melissa goodbye something I have never done in 60 years of traveling. I cannot say enough.

Our only regret is not staying a second night."

"We arrived late at Spitzkoppen Lodge and left early two mornings later. The Lodge was very accommodating to our schedule and my son's eating preferences.

The owner moved our bags to parking area and checked us out at 6am. The Lodge has terrific food with vegetarian and vegan options. We only had one full day and we chose to climb in the morning and see Bushman's Paradise in the afternoon.

A park guide is required to visit Bushman's Paradise and apparently leaves at 4 pm. A very kind and informative guide from Little Bushman's Paradise willingly stayed late to guide us and a couple other groups through. The view and climb with the chain up the rocks alone were well worth the time.

An advantage of traveling in the rainy season was lots of different reptiles, amphibians and migratory birds. The accommodations are very comfortable and uniquely adapted to a fragile desert environment. We loved watching the agama lizards fight for territory while hyrax ran by and we ate lunch.

A magical and remote environment with every amenity."

"We arrived at 8 am during their breakfast rush asking if we could park our vehicle for several hours while we got national park passes and shopped (it was Saturday am and the only time we anticipated being in Swakopmund while things were open.

Not only was the proprietor helpful with parking he told us the correct place to go for passes and gave us a map to Welwitschia Drive with interpretations all while managing an overflowing breakfast room. The breakfast was wonderful and the rooms very comfortable with good internet and showers.

We climber Dune 7 outside of Walvis Bay. The government has just started charging but there is confusion as to amount non residents pay and where they pay. Fortunately everyone was interested in our climbing. I think we were the only non residents there."