Travel reviews by Ms J & Mr R from Bath

"We stayed here en route to Swakopmund because we didn't want to stay overnight in Windhoek.

It was a longer journey then we expected due to the gravel road and we did go slightly out of our way. But it was a lovely place with good food and we were made to feel very welcome."

"We enjoyed our time at the Secret Garden Guesthouse. It is very well located in the centre of Swakopmund and we found the owners very helpful and accommodating. Would definitely recommend if you are looking for a slightly cheaper option.

Day trip along coast south of Swakopmund.

Great trip - one of our highlights. Highly recommended."

"We enjoyed our stay at Doro Nawas. The rooms are exceptional and the staff all very eager to please.

We went on a desert elephant tracking trip which was great fun. We only came across one adult male but had a great time searching for others.

The food was ok but could have been better. My only critisism really is that compared to other places we stayed of a similar standard Doro Nawas was very expensive particularly the activities."

"This was one of our favourite places. It may not be the most luxurious camp but what they do, they do extremely well.

The food was wholesome and delicious - some of the best we tasted on our trip. The tents were very comfortable and we were made to feel extremely welcome.

The beauty of Etendeka is its location in the middle of nowhere. Don't expect to see an abundance of wildlife here - come for the solitude. Highly recommended."

"Dolomite has a fantastic location on the west side of Etosha. It has been built to a high standard but like so many of the state run places it lacks attention to detail. Our room was lovely but not quite finished - the toilet door handle was missing. There was also a gap at the bottom of the patio doors which we had to block up at night.

The staff were all eager to please but we felt they hadn't had the right training so the service overall was lacking. Food arrived late and was disappointing. But the location of Dolomite makes it worth staying there."

"We were pleasantly surprised by Okaukuejo having read reviews on this website.

Our room was very comfortable and cool and very close to the waterhole. The food was ok - we weren't expecting anything more.

The real reason to stay here is its location in the centre of Etosha and the waterhole. We had the most amazing sightings during our stay. It was like an open air theatre.

In fact one day we didn't venture out into the park because there was so much going on at the waterhole. Highly recommended."

"This was a good value alternative to staying inside Etosha. It was conveniently located not too far from the gate.

The food was good as was the service."

"We loved Onguma.

The rooms were great, the food was equisite and the service fantastic. Definitely one of the best places we stayed and conveniently located for the east of Etosha where we had fantastic lion sightings at Chudop waterhole."

"We stayed here for two nights as a mid way point on our way to the Caprivi.

We didn't feel it was particularly special but it served our purposes."

"Having been to Etosha, the Caprivi Strip doesn't really compare from a wildlife point of view. But it was interesting to drive along on our way to Botswana.

Ndhovu is a nice camp and the service is good. However we were put in the floating tent on the river - as a room it's very nice but not for the faint hearted. We didn't sleep much because the hippos were very active around us at night. In hindsight a tent on land would have been more conducive to a good night's sleep!"

"This was probably our least favourite place that we stayed during our four week trip. In fairness I had predicted this from the reviews on this website but it suited our budget. We stayed two nights but one would have been enough.

The rooms are not great and as so many people have pointed out are very noisy. There was a big tour group there when we visited and we felt everything was geared towards them - we couldn't book on a safari trip because they were using all the vehicles. We went on a sunset boat trip and the driver had to get back early to go and pick up some of the group. I wouldn't recommend the sunset boat trip - it's expensive and nowhere near as good as one we did a few days later on the Chobe River.

Overall I wouldn't recommend Mazambala."

"This is a wonderful place to stay.

The rooms are lovely, the food was fantastic, the staff were all very helpful and the boat trip along the Chobe River was amazing - well worth doing."

"We were disappointed with our trip to the Three Baobabs. The place itself is lovely - the rooms magnificent. But the location isn't great. It took ages to get there from the Garden Lodge and it's situated in the middle of nowhere. So our trip to Savuti the next day was painfully long.

The whole point of going to this camp is to go to Savuti but because it is so far away we got there too late in the morning and had to leave too early in the afternoon. We were in the car - which was not comfortable and was not conducive to taking photos because it was enclosed - all day. And our wildlife sightings were very disappointing.

I wouldn't recommend Three Boababs because of its location."

"This hotel is very well situated for the Falls.

It's nothing special but suited our purposes and budget."

"What a wonderful place. We'd definitely go back here.

The location was magnificent, the rooms wonderful, the food amazing and plentiful. We had a great trip to visit the local village with absolutely no pressure to give money - which is so unusual. We loved the fact that the lodge gives so much support to the local villages.

Not a place for children but a wonderful opportunity to unwind and a great place to end our holiday."

"We got a very warm welcome at Bagatelle despite arriving after sunset. The drive from Windhoek took us longer than we thought it would.

The ranch is in a beautiful location and the staff were extremely helpful and catered to our every need. We stayed in one of the dune chalets which was gorgeous but in hindsight we would probably have been better off staying in one of the straw bale chalets as we were very very cold at night (even with hot water bottles!) - this is probably because these rooms are on stilts so have no insulation. We were there in the winter - i'm sure in the summer they'd be perfect.

The highlight of Bagatelle was definitely seeing the meerkats. The sundowner game drive we felt was overpriced and we didn't see much."

"This was one of our favourite places. The cabins are lovely and very picturesque. The food was excellent as was the service. And the sundowner walk was a nice extra. Great location for the Fish River Canyon.

It's worth stopping off at the Quiver Tree Forest and Giant's Playground en route."

"Unfortunately we couldn't get a room at Eagles Nest so we stayed at the Desert Horse Inn. The rooms were spacious, very clean and comfortable. The food was excellent.

We didn't particularly rate Luderitz but we loved our trip to Kolmanskop, the old diamond mining town - well worth a visit but it's worth noting that it closes at lunchtime."

"We stayed at Sossus Dune because it is the only lodge inside the gate and being keen photographers we wanted to be at Sossusvlei for sunrise. As far as the location goes you can't beat it.

The lodge itself is lovely - it has been very sympathetically designed to blend into the landscape and the rooms are beautiful. After saying that there is a lack of atmosphere at Sossus Dune. The staff were all very helpful and eager to please but didn't have the passion which staff at other lodges had. There didn't seem to be anyone in charge when we were there - maybe this is because it is state owned - and i think this showed.

But it was definitely the best place for us to stay. We met so many frustrated photographers at Sossusvlei who hadn't managed to get through the gate until sunrise and then had to drive a further 60 km to get to Sossusvlei. Some of the lodges do have their own private gates but I understand you can't take your own vehicle through them - you have to go on an organised trip.

Beware at Sossusvlei there isn't much sign posting. We arrived before anyone else and had no idea how to get to Deadvlei. In the end we had to wait for another car to turn up to show us where to go. The sign had in fact fallen down but there weren't many markings.

We also went ballooning while at Sesriem which was wonderful. Expensive but well worth it. An experience we'll never forget.

One tip we would give - if you can afford it and you are used to driving a 4X4 we would definitely recommend hiring one. Most of the roads we drove on were gravel roads and we were very pleased we had a 4X4."

"This was a highlight of our trip and definitely to be recommended. The Tok Tokkie Trail is very special.

There were four of us on our trip along with our guide Dijongo. It was lovely to be walking through all the scenery we'd driven through and we learned so much about 'life' in the desert. We were very well looked after - the food was great and our 'rooms' though simple were lovely.

There were so many thoughtful touches - we were given ponchos and hot water bottles to keep us warm at dinner and in our camp beds, we were brought cups of tea in bed in the morning before sunrise and at lunch there was even a tent with deckchairs for us to take shelter from the midday sun. The walking isn't difficult but you have to be reasonably fit."

"We used this a a stopover on our way to Swakopmund. It's a lovely place and the food was probably the best we had throughout our holliday.

Hannetjie and Willem are fantastic hosts and make you feel at home instantly."

"This is a gem in the middle of Swakopmund. It's a gorgeous bed and breakfast. The rooms are lovely and the breakfasts excellent. It's very well located so you can easily walk into town and the owners are very friendly and helpful.

The only downside for us was that we found it rather noisy at night. It was surprisingly hot while we were there so we slept with the windows open and could hear a lot of traffic and train noise. I suspect if we had been there at the beginning of our holiday we wouldn't have noticed it so much. It was probably because we had had two weeks of blissful silence in the desert.

We would highly recommend the kayaking trip with Jeanne - fabulous."