Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs G from N London
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
3
Countries visited
3
Lodges stayed in
30
Excursions taken
3
My May 2014 trip
Namibia between 9 May 2014 and 1 Jun 2014
"Brilliant trip, our third visit to Namibia, but not our last.
Special thanks to Sabina for organising our trip so well and with such patience."
Special thanks to Sabina for organising our trip so well and with such patience."
Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo
Olive Grove
"Great Overnight Stop"
1 night
Arrived
10 May 2014
"Very pleasant and comfortable, particularly enjoyed the bath by candlelight. Good food and friendly staff."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Wolwedans Desert Lodge
"One of the Most Beautiful Places on Earth!"
3 nights
Arrived
11 May 2014
"Our second visit to Wolwedans to enjoy the breathtaking scenery and relaxed atmosphere. We returned with high expectations and if anything we enjoyed it even more than we had hoped for. The food was excellent (although perhaps excessive in quantity), and the lodge should be commended for growing some of their own produce.
The guiding is very good, but on arrival we could have benefited from more dialogue about tailoring the activities to our particular interests."
The guiding is very good, but on arrival we could have benefited from more dialogue about tailoring the activities to our particular interests."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Ballooning in the Namib Desert
"Wonderful Balloon Trip in Namibrand Reserve"
12 May 2014 • Morning excursion
We highly recommend doing a balloon trip while staying at Wolwedans, to enjoy the spectacular scenery from a different viewpoint.
Excellent
Sossus Dune Lodge
"Very Good Stay Inside Namib-Naukluft Park"
2 nights
Arrived
14 May 2014
"Much improved.
We stayed here six years ago and returned because it is the only lodge inside the park gates, but based on our previous visit our expectations of the food and service were low. So we were very pleasantly surprised to find that the Sossus Dune Lodge has really got its act together and our stay was very enjoyable."
We stayed here six years ago and returned because it is the only lodge inside the park gates, but based on our previous visit our expectations of the food and service were low. So we were very pleasantly surprised to find that the Sossus Dune Lodge has really got its act together and our stay was very enjoyable."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Barkhan Dune Retreat
"Great overnight stop at Barchan"
1 night
Arrived
16 May 2014
"A very pleasant place to stay for a night or two, lovely views, hospitable owners."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Lagoon Lodge
"Excellent B&B in a Great Location"
1 night
Arrived
17 May 2014
"Walvis Bay is much underrated and the Lagoon Lodge B&B has a fantastic location with a view over the lagoon where flamingos, pelicans and dolphins provide entertainment over the excellent breakfast.
The owners are very pleasant and helpful, and their son owns the outstanding Lyon des Sables restaurant which we highly recommend for dinner."
The owners are very pleasant and helpful, and their son owns the outstanding Lyon des Sables restaurant which we highly recommend for dinner."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Mowani Mountain Camp
"Outstanding Lodge"
2 nights
Arrived
18 May 2014
"This is a really outstanding lodge in a very attractive location.
Wonderful sun-downer with a great view, excellent service and food."
Wonderful sun-downer with a great view, excellent service and food."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Dolomite Camp
"Nice idea, shame about the lodge..."
1 night
Arrived
20 May 2014
"This was the biggest disappointment of our trip.
We love Etosha, but unfortunately we can't recommend Dolomite Camp. The idea is good, but the execution is poor. There is a long and steep walk to most of the rooms, with no certainty of assistance carrying your bags.
The staff seem rather uninterested and don't really understand what their guests need from them."
We love Etosha, but unfortunately we can't recommend Dolomite Camp. The idea is good, but the execution is poor. There is a long and steep walk to most of the rooms, with no certainty of assistance carrying your bags.
The staff seem rather uninterested and don't really understand what their guests need from them."
Poor
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Poor
Location
Good
Service
Poor
Rooms
Good
Food
Poor
Okaukuejo Camp
"Best camp in Etosha"
2 nights
Arrived
21 May 2014
"We stayed in Premier Waterhole chalet 34 with a balcony with a great view over the waterhole, which we highly recommend.
We have stayed at Okaukuejo twice before and they've really got their act together compared to our previous visits, especially the food, which is vastly improved. Overall our expectations were exceeded."
We have stayed at Okaukuejo twice before and they've really got their act together compared to our previous visits, especially the food, which is vastly improved. Overall our expectations were exceeded."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Onguma Bush Camp
"Great overnight stop at Onguma"
1 night
Arrived
23 May 2014
"If you don't stay inside the park at Namutoni, this is the place to stay to explore the eastern side of Etosha. Onguma's Bush Camp is much improved - last time we stayed here it seemed to have pretensions that it couldn't live up to, but on this visit we found the rooms, food and service all very good. We recommend the waterhole / pool view rooms.
If you're driving to Onguma from Etosha close to sunset, watch out for the speed camera on the road that leads to the gate."
If you're driving to Onguma from Etosha close to sunset, watch out for the speed camera on the road that leads to the gate."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Hakusembe River Lodge
"Nice lodge on the Kavango River"
1 night
Arrived
24 May 2014
"Excellent lodge for an overnight stop on the way to Caprivi. Nice views of the river and simple but excellent food.
The drive from the main road to the lodge was a bit tricky, the main track was flooded and we had to ring the lodge to send someone out to guide us along an alternative route."
The drive from the main road to the lodge was a bit tricky, the main track was flooded and we had to ring the lodge to send someone out to guide us along an alternative route."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Lianshulu Lodge
"Wildlife encounters at Lianshulu!"
2 nights
Arrived
25 May 2014
"A very comfortable and attractive lodge on the Kwando River, offering river trips and game drives.
Plenty of wildlife, elephants roam the camp at night and monkeys will be after your breakfast in the morning!"
Plenty of wildlife, elephants roam the camp at night and monkeys will be after your breakfast in the morning!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Ichingo Chobe River Lodge
"Remote lodge on Impalila Island"
2 nights
Arrived
27 May 2014
"Great location on a fast-moving section of the Chobe River. Very good river excursions and walking on the island with our excellent guide Robert.
The lodge was very pleasant and relaxing and the food was outstanding."
The lodge was very pleasant and relaxing and the food was outstanding."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Chobe Princesses
"Peaceful cruising on the Chobe River"
2 nights
Arrived
29 May 2014
"The houseboats offer a really good way to experience the river scenery and view the wildlife, especially at sunrise and sunset.
The trips on the small tender boats were good, but watching the world go by from the viewing deck of the houseboat was even better."
The trips on the small tender boats were good, but watching the world go by from the viewing deck of the houseboat was even better."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Trip to Tanzania by Mr & Mrs G from London
Tanzania and 1 other country between 20 Aug 2011 and 4 Sep 2011
"Fantastic trip, would recommend Tanzania very highly.
Very well organised, very happy to travel with Expert Africa in the future."
Very well organised, very happy to travel with Expert Africa in the future."
Oliver's Camp
"Oliver's Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
21 Aug 2011
"Great location near the swamp in the southern part of Tarangire. Very friendly and relaxed atmosphere, pleasant and helpful staff, good guides.
Really appreciated being able to do a walk as well as the game drives."
Really appreciated being able to do a walk as well as the game drives."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Lemala Ngorongoro
"Lemala Ngorongoro review"
2 nights
Arrived
24 Aug 2011
"Brilliant location on the road into the crater, so we were virtually the first vehicle in the crater in the morning.
We enjoyed the slightly simpler accommodation, which gives more of a feeling of being in the wilderness. The service was very friendly and helpful, but didn't quite have the smooth efficiency of some of the other lodges."
We enjoyed the slightly simpler accommodation, which gives more of a feeling of being in the wilderness. The service was very friendly and helpful, but didn't quite have the smooth efficiency of some of the other lodges."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Sayari Camp
"Sayari Mara Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
26 Aug 2011
"Fantastic lodge in every way, lovely room, great food & wine, close to the Mara river, excellent guides. Tremendously flexible in accommodating their guests' needs.
A special mention for Tanya for being so welcoming and running things with such tremendous efficiency and enthusiasm."
A special mention for Tanya for being so welcoming and running things with such tremendous efficiency and enthusiasm."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Greystoke Mahale
"Greystoke Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
29 Aug 2011
"Amazing place. Wonderful location, excellent design, great staff.
Greystoke exceeded our expectations because as well as seeing the chimpanzees, it's also a very lovely and relaxing place to stay."
Greystoke exceeded our expectations because as well as seeing the chimpanzees, it's also a very lovely and relaxing place to stay."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Matemwe Lodge
"Matemwe Bungalows review"
3 nights
Arrived
1 Sep 2011
"Beautiful location, you could spend the whole day watching the scene from your bungalow as view changes with the tide, the dhows come and go and the villagers forage on the reef.
We were slightly disappointed that the beach is not really ideal for swimming or snorkelling. Even at high tide the sea was a seaweed soup and you have to watch out for a sharp reef and spiny sea urchins. Good activities, snorkelling near a local island, reef walking and sailing in a dhow.
Enjoyed being closer to the local population than while on safari."
We were slightly disappointed that the beach is not really ideal for swimming or snorkelling. Even at high tide the sea was a seaweed soup and you have to watch out for a sharp reef and spiny sea urchins. Good activities, snorkelling near a local island, reef walking and sailing in a dhow.
Enjoyed being closer to the local population than while on safari."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Namibia Sep 08
Namibia between 4 Sep 2008 and 22 Sep 2008
"Fantastic, we're already planning our next trip. A very memorable holiday, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
Suggestions for improvement:
Just one - the travel notes say that an adaptor for South Africa and Namibia is hard to find, and it may be better to take a UK power lead and re-wire it to a local plug. This isn't very helpful, because most power leads for battery chargers and shavers have sealed plugs, so you can't disconnect them without damaging them. However, I think the adaptors are becoming more widely available - I found them at Nomad Travel shops, at Selfridges, on Amazon, at Heathrow and at Johannesburg Airport, and if I'd kept looking no doubt I would have found them in lots of other places."
Suggestions for improvement:
Just one - the travel notes say that an adaptor for South Africa and Namibia is hard to find, and it may be better to take a UK power lead and re-wire it to a local plug. This isn't very helpful, because most power leads for battery chargers and shavers have sealed plugs, so you can't disconnect them without damaging them. However, I think the adaptors are becoming more widely available - I found them at Nomad Travel shops, at Selfridges, on Amazon, at Heathrow and at Johannesburg Airport, and if I'd kept looking no doubt I would have found them in lots of other places."
Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo
Heinitzburg Hotel
"Heinitzburg Hotel review"
1 night
Arrived
4 Sep 2008
"Very pleasant, attractive & comfortable rooms, food very good (portions were actually quite large, not tiny as had been suggested), service generally good although junior staff occasionally appeared slightly confused."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Schoeman's Skeleton Coast Safaris
"Schoeman's Skeleton Coast safaris review"
3 nights
Arrived
5 Sep 2008
"Fantastic.
Andre Schoeman was an outstanding guide & pilot, the flying route and camp locations were superb.
The camps were just right - simple but comfortable.
An unforgettable experience."
Andre Schoeman was an outstanding guide & pilot, the flying route and camp locations were superb.
The camps were just right - simple but comfortable.
An unforgettable experience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Heinitzburg Hotel
"Heinitzburg Hotel review"
1 night
Arrived
8 Sep 2008
"As before"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Wolwedans Dune Camp
"Wolwedans Dune Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
9 Sep 2008
"Wolvedans is a magical place. The camp is excellent, attractive and comfortable, but without any pretension or attempt at excessive luxury. Probably the best run of the lodges and camps we stayed at, very good food, service and guiding."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Sossus Dune Lodge
"Sossus Dune Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
11 Sep 2008
"The rooms are very attractive and well designed, and the location is excellent, being inside the park. But the service is completely chaotic, to the point of being comical. The staff are friendly and pleasant, but even the simplest request seems to cause total confusion.
We did not make use of the guiding here, since it seemed rather over-priced for what is really just a drive to the dunes, so we drove ourselves instead."
We did not make use of the guiding here, since it seemed rather over-priced for what is really just a drive to the dunes, so we drove ourselves instead."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Excellent
Service
Poor
Facilities
Average
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Average
The Stiltz
"The Stiltz review"
2 nights
Arrived
13 Sep 2008
"Good location, very pleasant and attractive room. Reception was closed when we arrived and not yet open when we set off for our activities, so we didn't see much of the staff. Breakfast was good."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Coast and Sandwich Harbour
"Sandwich Harbour Tour"
14 Sep 2008 • All-day excursion
The only bad day of the trip. The trouble started the night before, when apparently there was a problem re-fuelling the Land Rover, with dirt getting into the fuel, followed by an argument with the petrol pump attendant, which ended with the guide (Bruno) being bitten on the arm! As a result, neither Bruno nor the first choice vehicle were available for our tour.
The next problem was that the tide was very high at the time of our trip, so we were only able to drive half way along the beach. And then it turned out that the substitute vehicle wasn't powerful enough to take an alternative route across the dunes. So we walked, for more than 4 hours in total, wet sand, steep dunes, quite tiring. And even after that, we didn't get to Sandwich Harbour, just a distant 10-minute view from the top of a sand dune. Not that there was much to see anyway, some pelicans and cormorants a long way away. Most of the migratory birds hadn't arrived yet, and the flamingoes that should have been there were still in Botswana.
And then, walking back, the tide had covered the beach by then, so we ended up being drenched, after which we had to climb a dune that was just a bit too steep in order to get back to the car.
So, to summarise, 4 hours walking, exhausted, wet and nothing much to see. It's a shame we weren't given the facts before we set out, so we could have made an informed decision and perhaps adapted the tour to make the best of the situation.
The next problem was that the tide was very high at the time of our trip, so we were only able to drive half way along the beach. And then it turned out that the substitute vehicle wasn't powerful enough to take an alternative route across the dunes. So we walked, for more than 4 hours in total, wet sand, steep dunes, quite tiring. And even after that, we didn't get to Sandwich Harbour, just a distant 10-minute view from the top of a sand dune. Not that there was much to see anyway, some pelicans and cormorants a long way away. Most of the migratory birds hadn't arrived yet, and the flamingoes that should have been there were still in Botswana.
And then, walking back, the tide had covered the beach by then, so we ended up being drenched, after which we had to climb a dune that was just a bit too steep in order to get back to the car.
So, to summarise, 4 hours walking, exhausted, wet and nothing much to see. It's a shame we weren't given the facts before we set out, so we could have made an informed decision and perhaps adapted the tour to make the best of the situation.
Terrible
Ondudu Safari Lodge
"Erongo Wilderness Lodge review"
1 night
Arrived
15 Sep 2008
"We liked Erongo very much. Perhaps not quite as spectacular as some of the other locations, but it was pleasant and attractive, and we enjoyed our guided walk."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Kayaking with seals
"Walvis Bay Kayaking"
15 Sep 2008 • Morning excursion
Great fun, lots of seals and dolphins, excellent guide, highly recommended.
Ongava Tented Camp
"Ongava Tented Camp review"
1 night
Arrived
16 Sep 2008
"Very attractive room. We enjoyed the drive, but a private reserve will never be as exciting as seeing animals truly in the wild. The deck overlooking the waterhole was very good. Food disappointing."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Poor
Facilities
Good
Okaukuejo Camp
"Okaukuejo Restcamp review"
1 night
Arrived
17 Sep 2008
"Great being inside the park. The room was simple but very nice, but the food is pretty awful. We'll self-cater next time. We saw some fantastic game at the waterhole (worth putting up with the food), which is why we have rated the facilities and our overall experience as excellent."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Terrible
Onguma Tented Camp
"Onguma Tented Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
18 Sep 2008
"Onguma was good without being outstanding. Perhaps we were getting a little tired of the luxury camps by this time, and feeling nostalgic for the remoteness and pleasant simplicity of the Schoeman's camps."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Okonjima Bush Camp
"Okonjima Bush Camp review"
1 night
Arrived
20 Sep 2008
"At last, leopards & cheetah! Not exactly wild, but great to see them, and good to stay in a place where the people are clearly passionate about what they do."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Heinitzburg Hotel
"Heinitzburg Hotel review"
1 night
Arrived
21 Sep 2008
"As before."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent