Travel reviews by Ms K & Mr J from USA

"The hotel is very new and well built. They looked after us well and we were very comfortable. It seemed oddly soul-less, although this may have been because it was off-season, or perhaps because it seems a little out of character for the residential area where it's located.

There are 4 restaurants on-site however these are not necessarily part of the hotel. We ate at the Butcher Block which was excellent. We didn't have a reservation and had to wait at the bar for a table to become free, which wasn't a problem. It was fun to see the locals enjoying Friday night out!

There is a very nice spa and pool on premises, although you have to walk through a parking garage to get there."

"Nice lodge and very comfortable rooms. The rooms are air-conditioned and have mosquito nets - comfortable for sleeping. The pool was small but pleasantly cool and was a nice place to spend some down-time. Our guide picked us up from the airstrip, and took great care of us throughout our stay until he took us back to catch our next flight.

He was extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of Sossusvlei park and gave us a fantastic tour. There were four people in our tour group and he was able to support different needs or desires of all tour members. In particular since I was the only person interested in climbing part of Big Daddy, he gave me directions on where to go and how to reconnect with the group so that I never felt like I was on my own. Lunch under a tree in a secluded area was spectacular, as was the sun-downer drink on a hilltop near the lodge.

It should be noted that this tour doesn't get you to the dunes for sunrise. Anyone looking for that experience should stay at a lodge within the park.

Our guidebook needs updating regarding the Sesriem Canyon - it indicates that swimming in the pools may be possible. Since it hasn't rained in 10 years, these pools are now only likely to attract tadpoles!"

"Such a lovely camp! There are only 9 rooms so there's a very intimate feeling. The rooms were comfortable and air conditioned. No mosquito nets so it was important to keep the windows closed and the AC on - since it cools off so nicely at night it might have been nice to open windows. The outdoor "bathrooms" were fun, although a tad chilly first thing in the morning - I wonder how well that works in winter? The pool is pretty but tiny.

The lodge is charming and while the main area is roomy, it was always arranged so that mealtimes provided an intimate experience for everyone. Everyone gathers for sundowner cocktails on the lookout at the top of the camp; this was a great place to enjoy the view, but wasn't open until 6:30. It should be pointed out that our booking form showed that drinks and laundry were included. Drinks were in fact NOT included in the room rate, and the camp isn't offering a laundry service due to the lack of water. There is a small pool beside the lounge/dining room which attracts lots of birds and lizards so that you are serenaded as you sit.

The Nature Tour was fantastic! In addition to the two of us, there was one large Spanish group with its own guide at our camp. Thank you Camp Kipwe for recognizing that this wouldn't have been a great experience for us, and arranging for us to go with another couple from their sister lodge. Our guide was experienced and gave us a great time, finding elephants twice, despite the guidebooks telling us that they can't be seen from November to March (we were there in January). Also being off-season, there weren't many groups out there and we had plenty of peace and time to watch the elephants in the river beds. Even if we hadn't seen them, it was great fun driving up and down in the sandy river-bottom!

The afternoon excursion was to the rock carvings at Twyfelfontein, as well as Burnt Mountain and Organ Pipes. The carvings were interesting and our guide was well-informed about them. This was a very hot activity and I wished I'd brought even lighter-weight clothes. The other attractions weren't as good, although I think they may have been better viewed later in the day.

Food was excellent and you couldn't wish for a better view."

"I can't think of anything about this camp that could possibly be changed! The attention to detail and providing a safe but full-on experience was phenomenal. Our guide Salomon took amazing care of us from start to finish. The camp is beside a man-made water-hole which attracts many animals throughout the day (and apparently also the night!). It would be enough simply to sit in the shade and watch the wildlife come and go.

The rooms are tented but comfortable. There's no air-conditioning but despite it being summer that wasn't really a problem. Laundry service was included which was helpful. The food was wonderful, best of our entire trip, and the service as we were around the camp was flawless. The only thing that didn't quite work was the dinner on our own veranda - since we had to have a guard whenever we were outside after dark it wasn't quite as intimate as might have been planned!

It was rainy season but we had no rain and not even much cloud; however there was standing water to be found, and lush undergrowth, which probably limited some of our animal sightings. Nevertheless we saw plenty of wildlife, including lions, and on two occasions we were able to get out of the truck to track rhino through the bush. We didn't see a leopard but heard that there were tracks around the camp in the morning. We didn't see many small animals as there were too many places to hide. We were told that this was low season due to the heat and lower likelihood of animal sightings, but I would consider this a fair trade-off for the peace and emptiness of the place.

While most of our excursions were on the Ongava property (which is clearly teeming with wildlife), we also did a trip to Entosha National Park. I wouldn't consider this a highlight as there were fewer animals around, but it gave us a great sense of the vastness of the region."

"This was a comfortable and convenient place to stay on our last night.

The rooms were air-conditioned and attractive. The food was good but not awesome. The overall feel of the place was welcoming and busy, partly because it is close to down-town.

Compared to our experience in the camps, the service wasn't quite as good, but by then we were setting the bar pretty high. Never did figure out how to work the safe."