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Email Debbie | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our 11 day route in Namibia revealed stunning variety
My husband, son and his wife recently completed an 11-day self-drive Safari in Namibia. Our route took us to Sesriem, Swakopmund, the Skeleton Coast and Damaraland, and finally Etosha national Park. We stayed in beautiful lodges, several and national parks, all along the way.
We began the trip with the other worldly landscapes of Sossusvilei, where we climbed the dunes and marveled at scenery we have never seen before. The lodge was comfortable and the food was good. It was a wonderful introduction to Namibia. From there we took the terrible road through Solitaire up to Swakopmund but our Toyota fortuna was up to the task and we arrived in good time and good shape. In Swakopmund, we did two different tours. My husband and I did a 4x4 dune tour in Sandwich Harbor- more stunning scenery - and my son and his wife did a kayak trip with seals. Both were really enjoyable.
From there, we drove north into Skeleton Coast national Park, stopping at the Cape Cross seal colony. That was a highlight. I've seen many seals in my life, but not so many so close.
Our afternoon drive to Palmwag was a little nerve-wracking because of the sand storm covering the highway, We were rewarded for our journey with a very comfortable two nights at Etendeka Mountain Camp. We didn't see much wildlife but our guide made our hike and game drive so interesting, we enjoyed it thoroughly. This is completely different scenery from any place we had been so far. I have never seen so many stars in my life. The wonderful guides and incredible skies were real highlights of this part of our trip. I felt immersed in Namibia.
From here we drove to Etosha, which for us seem like saving the best for last, despite loving every bit of it so far. Our first night we stayed in Okaujueo. We loved our chalet, had a wonderful dinner and sunset and sunrise at the water hole were amazing. I would definitely stay here at least one night. We were only able to get one night so moved on to halali, also a government place within the park. This was not as nice, but it was fine and the water hole was gorgeous. Gorgeous. Every day we did self-game drives and saw more wildlife than we could have imagined. We stayed outside the park in a luxury villa for our last two nights and did a game drive with them that was a amazing. Our guide seem to have a sense about where the lions, leopards, and hyenas having dinner were and so we were able to add those to our list.
We all think Namibia has so much variety of activities and landscapes, that it makes a perfect vacation destination.
CA
Email Betty | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful country
I enjoyed 10N/11D in Namibia after a safari in Tanzania so I was looking for more landscape than animals.
The dunes were magical. The rocks were enchanting.
The animals in Etosha National Park did disappoint but maybe were just weren't lucky.
The lodges we stayed in were hit and miss. Loved some. Hated others like Hobarte.
Beautiful country but I won't be back.
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Email Olga K | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari with tons of animals! 3 day tour of Etosha
This was a great tour, i would recommend to anyone. Saw soo many animals, had a great guide (Leonard) to show me around Etosha.
ES
Email Andy & Dori | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Land of beauty and adventure
Our 3-week trip to Namibia, organized by Lilly from Great Explorations Namibia, was an unforgettable experience that we would highly recommend to anyone with a love for adventure.
We contacted Lilly several months in advance, and she proved to be an outstanding organizer. Her first-hand knowledge of Namibia was invaluable in setting up a holiday for success
She listened to our wishes and put together a tailor-made package that exceeded our expectations
The accommodations Lilly booked for us, which included both campsites and lodges, were excellent. The food at most places we stayed was outstanding, and the accommodations were wonderful throughout the trip
Namibia's landscapes are breathtaking, with enormous sand dunes, towering mountain ranges, awesome canyons, and fascinating wildlife
We were able to experience incredibly diverse landscapes and locations
The wildlife of Namibia is composed of its flora and fauna, including a wealth of small mammals.
We were particularly thrilled to see the desert-adapted elephants striding along the dusty earth.
Lilly's support was invaluable throughout the trip. When we faced challenges, such as a cancelled flight, she helped us determine what to do around potentially rearranging the tour schedule, with good cheer and humour
Her proactive approach and efficiency in dealing with all our requests were highly appreciated
In conclusion, our trip to Namibia was a wonderful experience. The landscapes were stunning, the wildlife was abundant, and the people were kind and helpful. Lilly's organization and support made the trip smooth and enjoyable. We will definitely contact her again for a future trip to Africa. Well done, Lilly!
Email Mark L***y | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Just a unique and beautiful country with such welcoming people wherever we went
We travelled to Namibia on a 16 night itinerary organised perfectly by Lilly Fleischmann from Great Explorations Namibia. The trip was just fantastic with a mix of Windhoek for a couple of days, then south to Bagatelle Kalahari lodge, then to the Sossulvelei area to view the amazing dunes. Next stop was Swapakomund for an overnight stay before leaving for Damaraland and a 2 night very luxurious stay at Camp Kipwe. Another 2 nights at Grootberg showed us another part of Damaraland before travelling to Etosha for 2 nights at Okonkuejo lodge and one night at Halili lodge right in the park. There was abundant wildlife esp around the waterholes and the floodlit waterholes esp at Halili was just superb with 10 rhinos coming down to drink about 10pm. Next was Onguma camp just outside Etosha with a memorable sundowner game drive. Finally a superb stay at Okinjima reserve with an upgrade to the Bush camp facility which is just perfect. We were self driving and the vehicle supplied by Namibia2Go was perfect for us and managed all the roads, even some pretty rough "african roads" with ease. To end we had a last night in Windhoek with a memorable dinner at the Stellenbosch restaurant where we had probably the best steaks you could find anywhere in the world paired with a fabulous bottle of red wine to complement the food. We felt totally safe in Namibia all the time and definitely recommend the country to any travellers looking for a combination of scenery, wildlife, food and culture. It has it all in abundance. Also we would completely recommend Lilly who did all our lodge bookings and car hire and furnished us with excellent trip notes to help us navigate successfully without getting lost once.
DE
Email Alexander | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Namibia is a marvelous gem; fantastic wildlife and landscapes, great atmosphere and friendly people
We spent an amazing 16 days in Namibia exploring the country in a self drive safari organized by Lilly from Great Explorations Namibia. The itinerary was perfect for us with just the right amount of driving every day. The landscapes are just breathtakingly beautiful and every day felt like a small new adventure to us. Some of our personal highlights were: Sossusvlei where you feel like being stuck in a surreal Salvador dali picture, sandwich bay where sand dessert meets ocean, hiking at Spitzkoppe and of course etosha national park where there is plenty of wildlife just a few meters away from your car.
Every lodge on our tour had its own charme and many of them offered great game drives. We felt safe and welcome everywhere and the people we met were friendly and always willing to help. All in all we just had a fantastic time in Namibia!
Email Julien & Joyce | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An amazing holiday destination
We spent two and a half hugely enjoyable weeks in the company of a driver/guide travelling over 2,000 miles visiting many of the country’s main holiday attractions. Highlights included game viewing in Etosha National Park and in Erindi, the country’s largest private game reserve. At the latter we were fortunate to see a very rare, but quite spectacular, live cheetah kill. Our time further south in the desert was also at times breathtaking, whether at Deadvlei and Dune 45 in the Namib Desert, or on a 4-wheel drive safari to Sandwich Harbour.
All this was made possible for us by Criss Cross Namibia Safaris and Randi, our guide, whose knowledge, enthusiasm, conservation focus, and his jolly company made this, without doubt, a holiday to remember.
IE
Email Simone Haase | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Holiday of a lifetime
We loved the HolidayWe are two couples in their late fifties We missed our connecting flight to windhoek due to a technical problem with the plane Safari bookings couldn't have been more helpful to change the pickup short notice. We drove to camp sossus which was probably the best catering experience we ever had .Friendly efficient staff ,beautiful recycled bungalows with star bed (you sleep outside in a proper bed with duvets and pillows Wow) wonderful food and very interesting outings From there we went to swakopmund and took a boat to the seal colonies .Pelicans and seals hoped onto the boat and we got to try freshly harvested oysters with sparkling wine and if you don't like oysters there were other goodies .Put warm clothes on .From there up the skeleton coast interesting but cold and from there to damara land .Ugab Terrace lodge Wow The staff couldn't do enough for us the view exceptional and the excursion wonderful. From there to Okutala Etoscha lodge with white rhinos and free ranging giraffes (one welcomed us on arrival at our bungalow) Food and staff again very good .Then two days in Etoscha halali resort with a very impressive waterhole ,well worth getting up early in the morning and late at night We saw elephant herds with babies black and white Rhinos oryx, kudu ,springbok, dik-diks, lions, owls vultures giraffes ,zebras , honeybadgers and many more And the hwole time we felt very safe and got value for money .We will be back Thank you for the staff in safari bookings to organize such a wonderful trip
Email o4acamera | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A holiday to Namibia is a wonderful memory that will last a lifetime.
We had a wonderful comprehensive 16 day interary planned by the marvellous Great Explorations Namibia that looped us south from Windhoek to the Namib, West to Luderitz and then hooked back through Swakopmund and Etosha National Park. Self driving in Namibia is all about being off the beaten trek and if you are feeling adventurous/want a comfortable drive hire a long wheel base 4x4 car to absorb the lumps and bumps of the journey. October weather was perfect with cooler evenings but pleasant heat during the day. Friendly customer service was to be found at all our accomodation, the standard of produce was high, with the best seafood was in Luderitz and Swakopmund. Flights on the national carrier are often limited to a 20kg suitcase so pack lightly! Many places of interest in Namibia have airspace exclusions for UAVs to the point that it's barely worth the hassle of bringing one. On the plus side, the clear skies and lack of light pollution make this a great place to practice astrophotography as well as wildlife photography. Is there as much wildlife to spot as in other popular safari destinations? The answer is "no", but on the plus side to that equation, there are not as many tourist coaches queing up behind you at water holes etc to photograph animals when you do see them. I am delighted with the variety ofwildlife we saw. This was holiday to cherish forever.
BR
Email Ricardo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
I had a great time. Namibia is amazing and for sure it was a trip of a lifetime.
