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Paul B Jones
CA
Visited:
October 2010
Reviewed: Aug 29, 2011
35-50 years of age
Namibia - beautiful, safe, packed with wildlife.
In October, 2010 my wife and I traveled through Namibia with Rockjumper Tours on a wildlife watching expedition. This was our first trip to Africa and everything, from seeing hundreds of new birds to close encounters with lions and elephants, was great. We highly recommend this destination, especially if you are considering a first trip to Africa. Our tour company (Rockjumper) was super professional and our guide (Markus Lilje) fantastic.
Some pictures from our trip are available here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulbjones/sets/72157626436836293/
A full report on the expedition is here:
http://www.surfbirds.com/trip_report.php?id=1943
Phil Stronge
GB
Visited:
June 2009
Reviewed: Aug 28, 2011
20-35 years of age
An incredible country, one of my favourite destinations in the world.
Scyv76
LU
Visited:
September 2010
Reviewed: Aug 28, 2011
20-35 years of age
Harsh landscapes that represent the beauty of Africa with its endlessly vast plains.
We used to be a party of 25 people driving in a tour bus with one tour guide who also used to be the driver. Our guide told us a lot of the country and the people itself and did a great job. Considering the accommodations, Namibia is a country with a great price / quality ratio, similar to South Africa in fact and better as Kenya / Tanzania, countries we visited the year before. When it comes to landscapes, Namibia is a real treasure for the adventurer; endless landscapes in the middle of nowhere, beautiful colors (especially in the Namib desert) and harsh vast plains are just among a few things to highlight. Wildlife is great too, especially in the Etosha national park where we unfortunately just stayed one and a half day. We would recommend to go for a jeep with a private guide (as we did) and not to
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ride with the tour bus through the park as it is done by many tourists, ...this is no real safari feeling watching animals through windows in a sticky tour bus. By the way, the Etosha national park is well known for its bird watching possibilities. Besides Etosha, the Namib desert with Sossusvlei / Deadvlei (something not to miss) was our second highlight. The colors during sunrise / sundown are among the most beautiful things you can see, especially for photographers. Weather was great during our 2 week trip through Namibia (no rain in fact). Only two things we would change when returning again to Namibia : 1) Looking for a tour operator who travels in smaller groups, in fact 25 people per bus is above average and a bit too much. 2) Trying to expand the trip to the Zambezi Region who touches Botswana and is well known for its incredible wildlife.
Rachel Dunsdon
Visited:
February 2011
Reviewed: Aug 27, 2011
Wild, empty and beautiful country with wildlife to be seen in many areas.
We headed north from Windhoek and stayed at Aloe Grove safari lodge. We were the only guests and were treated to an individual safari experience with the owners family where we saw leopard, cheetah, lion and lots of various antelopes.
We next headed to the Cheetah conservation fund where we learnt a lot about the conflict between farmers and environmentalists.
Next spent 3 days at Etosha NP. There was a great variety of animals to be seen but no elephants at this time of year. Birdlife was good.
Headed
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to the Namib Naukluft NP where we went on a desert adventure with Tommy's tours. Great fun, educational trip where you get to see small desert creatures and drive over high dunes.We went to the Fish river canyon and to Ai Ais thermal springs in the south of the country. Heading back to Windhoek we stopped at the quiver tree forest just outside Keetmanshoop. Here we had another cheetah experience which was great value as was included in the camping and entrance fee. The Hardap dam is another good place for spotting wildlife.
We only had one other trip - a walk around the Sossussvlei area - very remote and beautiful. In Feb 2011, they had a lot of rain so we saw the dunes with grass growing on them and flooding in the area making for a unique experience.
The scenery in Namibia is superb, the roads are empty and in most places are in good condition (most are gravel). It's a good idea to take plenty water, food and plan for delays. We booked very little in advance and just went with the flow. Nowhere we went disappointed.
Our favourite places would be Etosha, Spitzkoppe, Sossussvlei, the fish river canyon and lake Oanub. Food was excellent in Windhoek and Swakopmund and in the good lodges. Sometimes the choice was limited in other locations. All campsites come well equipped with BBQ, so we tended to cook ourselves when in remoter places.
Photos from our trip are posted on http://www.flickr.com/photos/racheldunsdon/ check out under Namibia and wildlife.
The wildlife was superb! The landscape and scenery as well.
Excellent wildlife, spectacular scenery, lots to do and see, interesting people.
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we were able to see rescued leopards and cheetahs up close. Those three days cost nearly as much as the whole camping trip but it was well worth it.
Jan Travelingcrow
NL
Visited:
May 2008
Reviewed: Aug 27, 2011
Email Jan Travelingcrow | 50-65 years of age
The Sound of Silence of Amazing Namibia
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felt unsafe or not being welcome. We traveled in May-June which is just outside the high season. Advantage is that it is not crowded, not even in the main touristic areas. Disadvantage is that the wildlife is more shattered and more difficult to spot as water is still available and the grasses are rather high. But we saw more than enough to balance the scales. Where to go? Make your choice, it is beautiful everywhere. My personal highlight: sitting between two cheetahs on the grass and stroking their necks, while they were licking my bare legs. Advice is, do not travel more than 300 km per day and try to plan a longer stay at highlights as Etosha, Namib Rand and Namib Naukluft Park. A warning: Africa get under your skin! You will always want to come back.
Mindy McAdams
US
Visited:
July 2010
Reviewed: Aug 26, 2011
50-65 years of age
The Africa you don't know about
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not from Africa, and their knowledge was really superficial. I would also point out that even for people in their 20's, sleeping in a tent for 3 weeks or more becomes less pleasant as time goes on (assuming you're not used to it). Two weeks is not bad at all, but 3 weeks requires endurance. So it you're looking into tent-camping trips in Namibia or elsewhere, you should look closely at who is going to be your guide or leader throughout the trip.
woods950
US
Visited:
July 2008
Reviewed: Aug 15, 2011
20-35 years of age
Abundant wildlife and feeling like civilization hasn't really hit this country yet are the two things that I love about Namibia and was glad I was able to spend a part of my life (7 months) living in Opuwo. Go to Opuwo.
petlob
Visited:
February 2011
Reviewed: Jul 18, 2011
We have visited many African countries but Namibia is the most elemental - the deserts and dunes are just stunning.