Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs C from Bristol

"This was a good stop for our first night in Namibia.

The room was modern and a comfortable bed. The staff were friendly. There is a rooftop bar with snacks available, and a restaurant on site where we had a decent evening meal.

Breakfast had a good choice, including healthy options."

"This was a wonderful introduction to Namibian wildlife.

The conservancy had been converted from a cattle farm, and had welcomed at threat leopards and cheetahs from the surrounding area. They are to be seen in an enclosed protected area of 220 square kilometres. Effectively, they live and hunt as wild animals. The reserve is also home to many other animals and birds. As well as the animals below we saw; warthogs; waterbuck; kudu; impala; duiker; springbok; dik-dik antelopes; steenbok antelopes; jackals; bat-eared fox; lesser spotted genet. And birds; kori bustard; red-crested korhan, also known as the suicide bird. The male attracts females by flying high in the air and dropping quickly, fatal if misjudging hitting the ground! Our guide, John M, on our late afternoon drive was very knowledgeable, and effective in spotting the many animals.

The setting of the main buildings of the lodge was wonderful, curving around a small waterhole, with savannah beyond. Individual lodges extended from there. Our lodge was spacious, well furnished with a large comfortable bed. A veranda gave good views to the savannah.

Just sitting on the veranda we saw giraffes, kudu, oryx and jackals. A small duiker antelope came so close to the edge of the veranda that we could have touched it.

The staff were friendly and professional Meals were nicely cooked and varied."

"We had two separate one night stays here. This was the first stay. The two separate stays actually worked very well as after the first stay we left for two nights in a lodge in the east of Etosha. We came back for one night before continuing our travels. Driving long distances through the park enabled us to see lots of wildlife, more than we would have seen if we had stayed in the vicinity of the camp.

Our first impressions were how big the camp was. As well as a campground there are many individual chalets. We stayed in a chalet near the waterhole.

Evenings seemed to be the best time to see animals at the waterhole. We saw two elephants, a giraffe, and when it was dark 2 black rhinos. An afternoon drive with a guide was rather disappointing, except for seeing one black rhino at a waterhole in the park. Also a steenbok. The guide spotted a lioness lying under a tree about 200 metres away, but his eye was better than ours!

Driving through the park the following day we saw many many animals: elephants; giraffes; zebra; wildebeest; springbok; ostriches;

One comment re administration: It would be good if, on check-in, one could check in and pay the park fee with the same person. At present, there are two separate queues, one for checking in/out. A second to pay the park fee."

"A wonderful lodge, with 7 individual lodges and the common dining/welcome area overlooking the waterhole. The individual lodges are spaced to give privacy. The interior was spacious and well furnished, nice big bed, indoor and outdoor shower.

The staff, especially Stanley, were friendly and welcoming. The game drive guides enabled us to appreciate the animals that we saw.

The food and dining experiences were excellent. On the afternoon game drive we saw very few animals, except for 3 lions just as dusk fell. Our sundowner refreshments prior to that were delicious. I particularly enjoyed my Cape Pink Gin and tonic.

On our second day there we had a lazy day sitting on our veranda. From there we saw animals coming down to the waterhole: black faced impala; zebras; warthogs; kudu. Walking back to our lodge after lunch, 2 giraffes were 25 meters away. The following morning we went on an early game drive. Very excitingly, we came across a group of 6 lions lying on the track. We were able to stop and observe them for 15 minutes."

"To get here we had driven back from the east side of the park, again seeing many animals.

One memorable sighting was of a large group of about 30 elephants of various ages at a large waterhole in the park. Several of them entered the water. The younger ones particularly seemed to be having fun submerging themselves and splashing around. Back at Okaukuejo Camp 2 large groups of elephants visited the waterhole in the late afternoon. Again the younger ones enjoyed splashing around.

Around 9pm at least 6 Black Rhinos visited. 3 or 4 had a youngster with them.

Our chalet was near the waterhole again, and was quite comfortable. The meal at the restaurant was of decent quality."

"The setting of the Camp is spectacular, the individual buildings fitted among large pink granite boulders. Then there is the view across the valley . The camp was nicely set out; the reception areas with a spacious sitting and dining area. The food was very good, as has been the case with all the individual Camps we have stayed at. The individual lodges were superb also; spacious room; secluded; large bed; lovely view.

Apart from the Camp the highlight of our stay was the morning drive to find the desert adapted elephants. This entailed a drive of about 45 minutes, then our guide searching around a dry river valley until we found them. We saw about 6 small groups of elephants, and the vehicle was able to get very close to them. They didn't appear disturbed by our presence. In the late morning our guide took us close to some village water cisterns, which are the only source of water for the elephants in the dry season.

Another interest in the area are the Twyfelfontein rock engravings . These depicted many different animals. One engraving was said to show 2 seals and a penguin!"

"A comfortable stay for 2 nights. Very close to town centre, a good restaurant just across the street. Several more restaurants within 10-15minutes walk.

Swakopmund is an opportunity to buy take home gifts. There are two or three shops in town which sell locally produced items.

The Kristall Galerie is well worth a visit. For a small entrance fee you can browse their amazing collection of rocks and minerals. Should you wish you can buy mineral specimens or jewellery."

"Another exceptional lodge, individual chalets either side of the main dining/reception buildings. The meals were well conceived and delicious. Our chalet was spacious, a large comfortable bed, outdoor and indoor showers.

The sundowner experience here was exceptional. We were driven from the lodge at 6pm to a hill a short distance away. There we discovered individual tables on the side of the hill overlooking the plain. Tables were already set up with snacks and our choice of drinks.

Once we were all settled Daniel, our guide, left and we had relaxing hour and a half enjoying the sunset and the atmosphere. Really something special and very professionally done."

"We just had one night here but would happily have stayed longer. The setting up a side valley between granite bouldered hillsides was intriguing. The comfortable accommodation was in small individual bungalows around a nicely landscaped courtyard, the main farmhouse being one side. There were many intriguing plants, including our first sight of a Quiver tree.

Our hosts were very approachable. It was fascinating to hear the history of the farm, and the struggles of managing in such a remote and arid area.

Meals were taken in common with our hosts round a big table. Again this was a very pleasant experience. For our evening meal we had a delicious stew made from oryx meat. There were plentiful wild oryx on the property."

"Our first impression at Fish River Lodge was of walking through the main building to the jaw dropping view of the canyon.

A deck runs along that side of the building with sitting places and a swimming pool. Individual lodges were strung out on either side of the main building. Our lodge was modern and very comfortable.

The canyon drive excursion is well worth going on. Leaving the lodge at 7.30 we were driven along to a side canyon, and then slowly down to the floor. Our experienced guide slowly negotiated tricky slopes in the 4WD vehicle, pointing out interesting features along the way.

Our destination was under a rock shelf at the bottom of the canyon. Here we were able to have a refreshing swim, with the catfish, in a large fresh water pool. A delicious lunch was barbecued chicken and sausage, with side salads, not forgetting the beer and wine! A slow drive back up, again with masterful use of the 4WD function, got us back to the lodge about 4.30."

"Just what we needed for a short one night stay.

The guesthouse was comfortable in a quiet street within walking distance of the centre. Our room was big with a comfortable bed.

All the rooms appear to be colour themed. Ours was green."

"We loved staying in our spacious individual cottage in this wine estate and farm. Complimentary items in our cottage included a well stocked fridge with unusual (to us) soft drinks and 2 bottles of wine. A bowl of fresh fruit was kept topped up. Honey bush tea, again new to me, was delicious.

They grow many of their own fruit and vegetables, and the grounds are beautifully laid out. We stayed for 3 nights and there was something new to explore every day.

There are 3 different restaurants, catering for various tastes and budgets. Two are within the old farm buildings; the third in a big greenhouse. One restaurant does themed nights; we ate at an Italian themed night, with plentiful antipasto and tasty pizzas. Breakfasts offered a large choice; fruits, which included the farm's own blueberries and clementines; cheeses; cold meats; cereals; cooked breakfasts.

The leisure facilities were impressive; a gym; a spa; an outdoor pool; another heated pool partially under cover with jacuzzis."