Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs S from CT USA

"We were here only briefly -- a single night at the start of our journey. The room was fine -- clean and comfortable. The location was good -- within easy walking distance of a good lunch spot (The Village Cafe) and a lovely dinner spot (The Tug). The staff was extremely friendly, and helped answer many of our questions. The breakfast spread was lovely, although we were in a hurry to get to our morning activity so couldn't linger too much to enjoy it."

"Our stop at Cape Cross Lodge was primarily as a break in our long drive up the Skeleton Coast, so we did not spend much time here -- but our brief stay was very enjoyable. Our room was lovely -- overlooking the ocean and a spectacular sunset. It was very quiet at the lodge -- probably because of the time of year. Dinner and breakfast were fine and the service was friendly. We enjoyed the small museum in the lobby showing the history of Cape Cross. The lodge also prepared a nice box lunch for us to bring with us when we left. I wish we had had the energy to walk along the beach."

"What can I say? I had very high expectations given the cost, and they were exceeded. I will try to separate my comments categorically.

First the drive. There are a few ways to get to the Shipwreck Lodge, and we chose to drive. This worked well for us, but I would only recommend it for people experienced and comfortable with off-road driving, and competent in changing tires. While we were fortunate not to have a flat, this seemed to be an exception, and we stopped to help some people change a tire. It was approximately a 5 1/2 hour drive from Cape Cross to Mowe Bay on roads that got increasingly difficult as we went (smooth gravel to bumpy gravel to sandy gravel). During our entire drive we saw almost no other vehicles. The landscape was incredibly desolate but oddly beautiful. Dunes, hills, shifting colors with regular views of the ocean to our left. Bring cash to pay for the park permit at the park entrance. It was about 3 1/2 hours to Terrace Bay. Here we were able to top off the gas tank (the petrol "housing" is not obvious -- but if you don't see it just ask someone). They currently do take credit cards, but we advise bringing cash for petrol just in case. There was also a little kiosk where we could buy a coke. We ate our box lunch here before continuing on. There was a cell signal, so I emailed the lodge to say we were leaving Terrace Bay and on our way for the 3:00pm meetup. Perhaps overkill but I knew the next 2 hours would be a remote drive. Indeed, we saw no cars between Terrace and Mowe Bay. Upon arrival in Mowe Bay we weren't sure where to go -- we learned that we should park next to the little building with the Museum sign out front. Happily there was also a rest room in the building up the hill. We were met promptly at 3:00 -- with snacks and drinks -- by the super friendly guides driving 2 safari vehicles for our 1-1/2 hour drive to the actual lodge.

THE LODGE ITSELF. The creative design and decor of the lodge (both the individual "shipwreck" rooms and the main lodge) really enhanced the experience. We were in Room 10 -- the farthest from the main lodge - which meant a rather long slog along a sand path. I quite enjoyed it, but I gave up on wearing shoes in camp. Each room has a small wood deck at the entrance door with Adirondack style chairs -- perfect for sunset viewing. The main room was very spacious, with a large, comfortable bed, and a day bed that I took to using for my afternoon journal writing as I gazed out the large picture windows toward the sea. The bathroom was lovely -- a wood (teak?) shower -- completely open -- and a neat porthole window design was very pleasing. In between the two rooms was a small cubicle area with space for suitcases/gear and a small desk with coffee/tea/cookies. There was also a wood-burning stove, though we had no need to use it. The main lodge was equally appealing -- a large room split between the dining tables and a comfortable area with chairs and sofas -- books, games etc. This room also has a large stove that probably gets a lot of use. There is also a wide deck with chairs looking out to the sea.

THE STAFF. I adored the staff here. Every last person appeared genuinely friendly and happy to be there and went out of his/her way to accommodate us (although we didn't really have any special requests!) We got to know a few folks more than others who I will mention by name, but they were all wonderful. Our guide, Chris, was phenomenal -- easy-going and very knowledgeable about the whole coastline -- the flora, fauna, dunes etc. one young man, Kate (not sure of spelling), was so kind and friendly. He was often the person assigned to serve us dinner, so we enjoyed talking with him. He is Himba, and like many others, comes from a nearby town (relatively near!) to work at the lodge. Also Margaret -- who literally rushed out to greet us when we first arrived with a smile so wide it took up her entire face. The chefs are wonderful -- we enjoyed all our meals. Each meal had a choice of 2 starters, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. The staff is very well trained in their jobs. I don't think there was a single activity that we returned from -- even if it was on our own and un-guided -- when there wasn't someone waiting for us with a refreshing non-alcoholic "shot" and a cool towel.

THE LANDSCAPE AND ACTIVITIES. I fell in love with the landscape, There was great beauty in its desolation and roughness. We stayed 3 nights, so had 2 full days to explore. Our first day was my favorite because we chose for it to be relatively unstructured. In the morning we chose to walk to the ocean -- a deceivingly long journey of about 3 km each way. We went at a slow, steady but leisurely pace and it took us about an hour each way. There are sticks with buoys on top as markers to guide the way through the little hillocks and dunes (it is a rather larger dry riverbed that forms the mouth of the Hoarusib River). We saw lots of tracks -- and in the distance saw 3 oryx making their way along the sands. The ocean is rough and forlorn and beautiful with lots of ghost crabs. Because the seal population has made such a big comeback there were also a lot of dead seals -- just a heads up! As an alternative to walking there, the staff is happy to drive guests to the shore so they can take a longer walk along the beach, and then pick them up later. In the afternoon Chris took us out on the quad bikes -- for us a 45 minute tour was plenty. I highly recommend this because it really gave us a whole other feeling to be high up in the sand dunes. That evening we joined the 6pm sundowner drive which was spectacular. The next day we did the drive up the Hoarusib River Valley, which was well worth it to see the varied landscape -- lots of oryx and springbok and birds. Chris educated us on the ecology of the area, and how the sand gets there, and many other aspects of the environment. The only downside was that this journey was combined to take another family all the way to the park border so they could transfer out to the sister camp. The family was lovely and we enjoyed their company -- but it made for a much longer day in the vehicle than we would have liked.

A WORD OF WARNING. We experienced very unusual weather -- mild evenings and mornings, rather hot afternoons, clear skies and only a light breeze. In other words -- we lucked out. My understanding is that the weather can often be very cool, foggy and windy -- hence the need for woodstoves! I'm sure we would have found a way to enjoy our time there in those conditions -- but since you will have no control over that it is important to approach your visit with the expectation that the weather may be foul, and enjoy that for what it is."

"We chose to stay at Mowani Mountain Camp because it was geographically in between our other destinations. The drive there was easy and well marked. We stayed for two nights.The accommodations were wonderful. The bed was comfortable and I loved the openness to the outdoors. The deck was a great place to sit and watch the dassies and rock agamas scurry around the boulders. I loved having an outdoor bathroom and shower -- with the luxury of an indoor bathroom as well for when it rains or at nighttime. There are no keys for the rooms, which was not a big problem because there is a room safe. However, they also don't lock from the inside. There was an awkward moment when a housekeeper came in the evening to turn on the outside light and walked in to the room without knocking. Luckily we were just resting!

Because we were resting between 2 long drives we chose not to participate in any guided activities. On our one full day we drove over to see the engravings at Twyfelfontein, which was worth it because it was so close-by -- not that interesting if you have to travel a long way to get there. We also checked out the Organ Pipes and Burnt Mountain -- these were a bust -- but nearby so we didn't waste too much time (although it was not worth the 50NAD per person). We had a wonderful afternoon at the pool, and in the early evening did the one hour walk around the perimeter of the lodge which was lovely. We almost skipped sunset from the viewpoint -- I am so glad we didn't! The setting was lovely with chairs and pillows set up, and appetizers were served and the sunset was breathtaking.

The service was very friendly. We particularly liked talking with Ambrosius, who was very energetic and eager to teach me some basic Damara words such as thank-you and how are you? He put a table out by the fire pit for us for our last evening so we could eat under the stars.

The food was good but not superb. There was a set menu with a choice of entrees. There is no wifi -- so plan accordingly. We did have an intermittent cell signal, adequate to send an occasional text but not enough to predictably use email. Luckily this was not a big deal for us -- but may be for other travelers."

"Expert Africa recommended Mundulea to me after I mentioned that one of the things we did not like about safaris was the amount of time spent driving, and that we would not consider the vacation a bust if we did not see the big five (and I had previously mentioned how much I love to walk). We stayed for 3 nights, and we were the only guests so it was truly a private walking safari.

The directions were clear. When we got to the gate it was about a 25 minute drive up to the main farmhouse on the property. I'm not sure what I expected -- but we left our car and immediately had our bags loaded into Bruno's open air safari vehicle for the 20+ minute drive in to the bush camp. I had given no prior thought to the fact that we would be both incommunicado and without power, so my one regret was that I had forgotten to text my kids to tell them we'd be unreachable for the next few days. And I had not thought to bring a spare camera battery -- but luckily had charged it fully the night before, and Bruno was able to charge my iPhone in his vehicle using my USB cord -- so that was my 2nd camera which I used in airplane mode to preserve the battery. So it all worked out despite my lack of prior thinking.

What a magical place Bruno has created! The camp itself is nestled into the bush with all kinds of wonderful details -- chairs made out of the leadwood fence posts he removed from the cattle ranching days, a beautiful dining table made from a tree from the property. Even the fire pit was made from recycled iron bars. I loved our tent -- a very spacious tent with a comfortable bed, an outdoor patio area and an outdoor bathroom with hot and cold running water and flush toilet. What luxury!

After a brief rest upon arrival, we met for coffee in the "kitchen" and then set out on our first walk. The days fell into a very comfortable rhythm. We would meet at 7:15AM for breakfast. Then head out in a new direction around 8:00AM and walk until around noon. After lunch we would rest and/or hang out in the hide to watch animals come to the watering hole and salt lick. Then we would meet for late afternoon coffee and head out for a late afternoon/evening walk -- coming back almost in the dark. This would be followed by a nice cold beer around the fire and dinner, before heading off to bed. We slept more soundly here than anywhere else -- including home!

THE WALKS. Bruno has created an amazing habitat and is a wealth of knowledge about every aspect of it. I loved learning a little bit of everything. Starting with the animals, he showed us all the different tracks -- and could discern not just the difference between all the different antelope tracks, but what they may be doing (such as one male wildebeest chasing another male out of his territory). He could even discern the tracks of different species of snakes. When you are walking you are more likely to scare off animals, or only see them from a distance, so we did not see a ton of animals on our walks. Our two most exciting sightings were 1) a giraffe, and 2) a honey badger we came across trying to get into a giant tortoise. We also saw a few antelope from a distance (a kudu, impala, wildebeest), and a very large male warthog. And a brief ostrich sighting. From the hides (both the camp hide and another, bigger one we visited on our walk) we were able to get much closer -- we enjoyed watching impala, red hartebeest, a tsessebe, tons of warthogs, a dik-dik, oryx and on our last day a herd of 15 kudu. We probably saw our greatest number of animals on our drive out near the farmhouse -- large herds of widlebeest, springbok and impala. But it was so much more than just animals. We learned about lots of different insects -- including the dung beetle, antlion, termite and others. Bruno indulged my interest in wildflowers and spent time at lunch looking through all his books to help me identify them. We learned about the trees -- fig, leadwood, marula, saringa. We learned about the rhino and aardvark from their holes and tracks -- even though we did not see any in the flesh. We did not move quickly, but we covered a lot of ground -- about 7.5 miles (12km) the first day and 9.5 miles (15km) the second day.

We loved our meals here too. His helper, Tommy, was a whiz cooking over the fire. The homemade bread was delicious. Breakfasts were granola, fruit and yogurt with bread. Lunch was a Nicoise style salad with bread. The dinners were the highlight. Kabeljou (fish) with rice and pumpkin; chicken tagine with pasta, and on the last night, eland strips with re-fried polenta and locally grown spinach.

I really didn't want to leave!

A note on clothing. Everything worked out fine -- but I may have done things differently if I had put more thought into it. First a word on shoes. My husband and I both wore trail shoes -- basically high quality sneakers. On day 2 Tom went to remove what he thought was a rock, and discovered it was a thorn that had gone through the sole and pierced the footbed. He then proceeded to pull about 20 thorns from the soles with a pair of pliers -- and I have about 3 or 4! I think a much thicker soled boot would have been a better choice. The same with clothes -- I wore capris and shorts, which worked out fine -- but I did get a few inevitable scratches so a wiser choice may have been long pants. I also was lucky -- due to the unfortunate drought situation the grass was neither thick nor high -- but if it had been a normal year it would have been unpleasant with shorts."

"Our visit to Elegant Farmstead was as a final "shipping off" point, so we were only here for a minimal time. The room was adequate. The staff was friendly and the grounds were lovely. We did take a dip in the pool. There was wifi in the main area but it was a fairly weak signal."