Reviews

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Kristi   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2017 Reviewed: Aug 27, 2017

Email Kristi

Uganda Birding and Gorilla Trekking Trip with Nature Travel Birding
5/5

We are very pleased with our trip August 2017 to Uganda with Nick Buys of Nature Travel Birding. Our pre-trip expectations were high and Nick delivered! Logistically Uganda is not an "easy" trip but Nick handled the challenges on the ground with ease and expertise. Lodging and food were adequate although WIFI was very spotty. The main focus of the trip was birding and gorilla trekking. Nick is very astute of quickly assessing your bird list and pursuing additions to the list as well as focusing on endemics species. Many daily excursions were conducted with the assistance of local guides with great knowledge of local birding hotspots. The net effect was a very focused search of species with minimal down time. Nick never loses sight of his clients needs and has the expertise and experience to assist in the location of the bird. Gorilla and Chimp trekking was as advertised; wonderful and astonishing!

This trip was primarily forest birding with a lots of time spent looking up at the canopy. Usual days were up before sunrise and back at sunset. Roads are not the best, mostly gravel, and we drove many kms to maximize out experience. Our 14 day trip brought a closeness to trip participants (including locals) which proved to be fun and rewarding.

We saw upwards of 400 species of birds, probably over 50% new additions to our bird list. We had three sightings of the shoebill, one for 20 minutes within 10 meters of us. Other birding highlights included spectacular visuals of the Green Breasted Pitta and African Green Broadbill. Our gorilla trekking had us spend over 1 hour with a family again meters away from us. Chimps were high in the forest canopy but provided entertainment by raining down projectiles at us!

Overall a great trip and wonderful experience. Nick is passionate about his guiding and love of birding and mammals. We are already in discussion with Nick on our next trip.

Kakun   –  
Spain ES
Visited: August 2017 Reviewed: Aug 24, 2017

Email Kakun  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

An amazing trip in Namibia
5/5

We have just returned from an unforgettable trip to Namibia. Nature Travel prepared us a perfect trip in record time. Everything has been flawless. The country is a wonder for the senses: spectacular sunsets, changes of light, birds singing, wild animals .... We travel from the wonderful Namib desert, Swakopmund with its coast, the wonderful park of Etosha with its incredible fauna , The Okavango Delta with its impressive flow of water, ending at Victoria Falls. Nature travel provided us with Lodge and camps each with a special charm, to highlight the Namib Desert Lodge in the Namib Desert and the Mushara Lodge in Etosha. We also had a luxury guide, Lucky Gaoeb, who taught us his beloved country with extraordinary dedication and affection.
Undoubtedly Namibia deserves at least one visit and Nature Travel made our trip extraordinary.

Arancha   –  
Switzerland CH
Visited: August 2017 Reviewed: Aug 20, 2017

Email Arancha  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Amazing experience of wildlife, people, landscapes in Namibia
5/5

Three of us spent two weeks traveling over Namibia, Botswana and ending in Vic Falls. Esmari put together a great Programme with stays in the most iconic places from the Namib Desert, Naukluft Park, Swakopmund to Etosha, the Caprivi strip, the Okavango Delta and ending in Victoria Falls. The combination of landscapes, colors, wildlife and people was simply stunning. We had a great guide, Lucky Gaoeb who drove us around and helped us discover nature and the countries. Super professional and passionate about his country. Namib Desert is a must do, keep enough time to discover it and walk around. For wildlife, Etosha Park is a must but if you have time also visit Mahangu reserve were you will have a closeness to wildlife. You cannot miss the Okavango delta, and if you can do a helicopter ride to get an aerial view of this inmensity of water. All lodges selected by Nature Travel were excellent. Particularly nice were the Gondwana Namib Desert Resort in Sesriem and Musharra Lodge in Etosha. All and all, highly recommendable ! Do visit Namibia ❤️❤️

Beth   –  
Australia AU
Visited: July 2017 Reviewed: Jul 17, 2017

Email Beth  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Namibian tour designed just for you with great Namib desert and Etosha Game Reserve experiences!
5/5

We had a great 12 day trip through parts of Namibia. We were a family of 4 with a guide provided just for us.
We traveled in a comfortable vehicle from Windhoek into the Namib desert, to Swakopmund, then onto Etosha Game Reserve finishing with a great stop over at the Okinjima Afrikat Foundation to see some leopards and cheetahs.
Esmari was very helpful with arrangements at nature Travel Namibia and our guide Holger was very helpful, experienced and informative.
We were very pleased with the fabulous Namib desert experience, and also with the amount of beautiful African animals that we saw in Etosha National Park.
The accommodation all worked well- and particularly enjoyed staying at Okaukuejo Resort with the access to the water hole for animal viewing!
The Africat Foundation Okinjima was also a particular highlight with lovely rooms, food and experiences. We recommend 2 days there instead of only one.
Holger looked after us very well and we are very pleased with how it all went.
We definitely recommend this tour to other people.

Neil   –  
Australia AU
Visited: June 2017 Reviewed: Jul 9, 2017

Email Neil  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

An oustanding experience. Well organised and flexible with our personal requests.
5/5

Our safari was way beyond our expectations; it was simply wonderful. Of course it could hardly have been anything else given the sheer beauty of the Namibian landscape and the wonderful wildlife in Etosha. But we have to thank you for putting it all together so that we could experience so much of your great country. The details of the organisation all worked perfectly, the accommodation was excellent, the food was good, but above all our guide Kit was the perfact ’fit’ for us and we rapidly became good friends. His knowledge and experience was oustanding and we believe we could not have had a better exposure to all that Namibia has to offer, thanks to his guidance.
Having approached our safari with just a little apprehension – it was our first visit to Africa – we are now extolling the virtues of a Namibin safari to all our friends.

Patrick   –  
France FR
Visited: June 2017 Reviewed: Jun 30, 2017

Email Patrick  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Perfect organization, from A to Z
5/5

We spent 8 days in Namibia. The program was very well prepared and our driver/guide was extremely competent. Nothing to add but thank you very much for this extraordinary trip !

Karen Woodward   –  
United States US
Visited: June 2017 Reviewed: Jun 23, 2017

Email Karen Woodward  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Incredible experience with outstanding guide.
5/5

I'm an experienced traveler having been to 46 countries. This was my third trip to Africa where I'd visited 7 countries but not been to Namibia yet. I discovered Nature Travel Namibia through Safari Bookings and couldn't be more pleased. One never knows quite what to expect when trying a new company. What a wonderful surprise this was. Nick Buys has an infectious love and knowledge of his country and wildlife. We made a last minute decision to travel. With such short notice, he was able to arrange for everything we wanted and was flexible as the trip progressed. Accommodations were superior with wonderful meals. We were on a safari trip, but my boyfriend is also a birder. Nick knows his birds and got me hooked on them too. All future trips to Africa will be with his company. I've recommended him to all my friends. I know he also leads birding trips elsewhere and we will definitely go with him.

Bruce Davies   –  
United States US
Visited: April 2017 Reviewed: Apr 22, 2017

Email Bruce Davies

Excellent introduction to Namibia! Quality tour from start to finish.
5/5

Nature Travel Namibia provided an excellent introduction to the marvels of Namibia. The logistics were seamless, the trip itself was amazing, accommodations just right , our guide Kit was perfect , and I would go back with them anytime . Esmari, running their operation, who I have not met but have corresponded with before, during and after the trip, was professional, alert to specific needs, and a delight to deal with. My son, currently a Peace Corps volunteer in Comorous, met me in Windhoek for this trip. It was a trip of a lifetime and it could not have been any better .
I recommend Nature Travel Namibia without reservation.

Karen and Ron   –  
United States US
Visited: March 2017 Reviewed: Apr 13, 2017

Email Karen and Ron  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

8 days in Namibia
5/5

Our adventure in Namibia was facilitated by Naturetravel Namibia. What an amazing country . Esmari planned our itinerary to give us an overview of the highest sand dunes in the world, cities surrounded by desert, ancient rock engravings and Etosha National Park for an amazing opportunity to see the animals. We opted to do a driving tour with a private driver/guide and we're extremely fortunate to have had Rodger spend 8 days with us. His knowledge of politics, animals, history, plants, geology and customs kept us alert and learning through out the trip. Some of the long drives seems a lot shorter due to lively informative discussions we shared along the way. We feel like we have a new friend in Namibia!
We did a counter clockwise loop through the country starting in Windhoek. We posed in front of 600 year old dead trees trapped in the dunes, hiked back into off road ponds of flamingos, watched thousands of seals frolicking in the ocean and nursing babies on the beach, were awed by Namibian nights skies, all the time knowing Rodger was taking care of details.
Thank you Esmari and Rodger for sharing Namibia with us!

Auriol   –  
France FR
Visited: April 2017 Reviewed: Apr 13, 2017

Email Auriol  |  65+ years of age  |  Experience level: over 5 safaris

Grand tour of Namibia
5/5

The tour you put together for us was undoubtedly one of the best touring holidays we have ever had'

Namibia is a fascinating country of so many contrasts, and stunning scenery. Having lived in South Africa for so many years, and understanding weather and drought conditions, it was wonderful to see the country looking so green and lush, and even a river or two with water in them! We also understand why there was so remarkably little game to be seen in the Etosha. (A first time visitor wanting to see game would have been very disappointed) But we also knew when we booked it was not the prime time of year to be coming. I was not convinced about doing the 'Living Desert Tour' but it was the most fascinating and informative morning!

Jakes was in all respects a marvellous guide, safe driver, and so attentive and considerate of all our needs before we even realised we had any. He is passionate about the country, and with his farming background, so knowledgeable and interested in all aspects of ecology, flora and fauna. He is a very interesting dinner conversationalist; we have an insatiable curiosity about countries we visit, not just what we are looking at, but also about the people and their thoughts, politics and attitudes and history.

Thank you for changing the Hilton Hotel for us - I know I said a city hotel, but the Belvedere was in all respects far more comfortable.
All the hotels and lodges you booked for us were excellent, rooms comfortable, food good and all situated in amazing environments.

We would totally recommend your organisational skills and itinerary recommendations to anyone.

Average User Rating
4.9/5
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