Nature Travel Namibia
Nature Travel Namibia
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Member Of:
- TASA & Namibia Tourism Board
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $81 to $650 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
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for a custom tour
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Reviews
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Lots of Birds - and Animals, too
We had a great trip with Nature Travel Namibia over New Year 2015, seeing a huge number of birds as well as lots of antelope, cats, and other animals in only one week.
Three years ago, we took a group tour with a different company to the other, more famous leg of Namibia - the Namib Desert, the coast at Swakopmund, Damaraland and one day at Okakuejo in Etosha - and had such a good time we wanted to do the other leg which, as we hoped, is quite different.
We had only seven and a half days, and we wanted to fit a lot in. After discussion with Nick and Janeke, we worked out a stripped-down backwards version of the '10-Day Etosha, Caprivi, Chobe And Victoria Falls' trip which they offer. We flew in to Victoria Falls at noon and did a three-hour tour. This short visit was great as the falls are more spectacular than any photo can show, and it completely revived us after thirty hours of travel from our home. Then we went straight to Chobe in Botswana (2 nights), after which we crossed into Namibia and went along the Zambesi/Caprivi Strip via Camp Kwando (1 night), Mahangu (2). We stayed at Mushara (1) on the east of Etosha followed by a full day crossing Etosha to Okakuejo (1), then a final couple of hours in the park before driving down to Windhoek for the last night before flying out. This worked very well. Of course, the extra days of the full trip would have been even better, especially for some birds that we heard or saw briefly but didn't have the time to follow up on.
The accomodation was well-chosen and of high quality, and all the places had all the facilities you could want, and good food (and wine).
We arranged a private trip for just the two of us because we had been to East Africa four times, as well as our previous Namibia visit, and we had seen a lot of the basic birds and animals already - not that we didn't want to see them again, but we also wanted to spend time looking for some things, birds especially, that Africa beginners in a group might not be so interested in. It wasn't cheap, but in our opinion it was great value for money, everything went smoothly, and we were completely satisfied. (And, obviously, the price per person comes down if there are more of you.)
The trip had a great balance between land and river, birds and animals. We did three boat trips on the rivers (and all three were quite different). And we also saw lots of the spectacular Namibian skyscapes and sunsets. It was the rainy season in theory, but actually there was some cloud but little rain (nice for us, not so good for the local farmers).
Nick wasn't available, but we had another specialist bird guide who was very knowledgeable, and also great company. We saw over 220 species of bird in the week, of which 60 were new for us, and about 50 more were 'first decent photos'. Given our time constraint, we were very happy with this. Highlights for us on the river were great close-up views of Slaty Egret, Black Egret, Purple Heron amd Pygmy Duck. Our guide knew a spot where we got good sightings of Souza's Shrike and Tinkling Cisticola. He also had a spot for Little Jacana, which was a bird we especially wanted to see, and Sharp-tailed Starling. We saw Blue Crane in Etosha. On the trip we also got 23 accipiters and falcons, mostly with decent views.
We also wanted to find the local antelopes, and we got beautiful views of Sable, as well as Puku, Red Lechwe, Southern Reedbuck and Greater Kudu, as well as Common Duiker, which were all new for us. We saw seventeen antelope species in total, and I think we would have got Roan if we had an extra day at Mahangu.
We had seen Hippos before, of course, and Elephants, but we were surprised by how moved and impressed we were by the large groups of both that we saw. And the other regulars were there of course - Giraffe, Zebra, and so on. We also saw Lion and Cheetah, and our eagle-eyed guide found a well-hidden Leopard.
One special highlight was the huge Black Mamba that we saw clearly (and photographed) moving through the trees, and which our guide found because of the alarm calls of birds which had spotted it.
All in all, this was a great trip, organised and run by professionals, and which we happily recommend. And if you want to shorten or lengthen it, or do more in one place and less in another, or add a side-trip to somewhere not on the main plan, just ask!
And if you can time it to fit in with the great riverside New Year party with live music at Mahangu Safari Lodge, as we did, then go for it. Just avoid the Jägermeister!
Email Sue Mc | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous adventure
Thanks to Nick for the most amazing adventure. Nick was fabulous, entertaining and a wonderful source of knowledge. He organised the most epic adventure that saw us travel over 3000 kms through Namibia, Botswana and Zambia. We climbed ‘Big Daddy’ the tallest dune in Sossusvlei in the Namib Desert, went on an amazing desert adventure with Tommy, safari’ed through Etosha & Chobe viewing the rich diversity of wildlife, in fact we saw over 46 mammals interacting in their natural environment not to mention the wonderful bird life, sipped cocktails on the banks of the magic Kwondo River, meandered through the Okavango Delta watching hippos, swam in the Devils Pools at Victoria Falls and so much more. We stayed in a variety of accommodation from glam camping to pole huts and a luxury lodge just outside Etosha National Park. The three weeks went so quickly it now seems a blur. Nick is a vet and a conservationist, plus a really nice person. We were two families with 8 in total. We learnt so much and saw so much because of his incredible knowledge and understanding of the wildlife.
US
Email D Dimi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Prompt, efficient and well organised.
Amber from Nature Travel was very responsive and organised our intense agenda to perfection. Delano was a great driver, we felt very comfortable and entertained throughout the entire journey. The properties we stayed were beautiful, with great food and excellent customer service. We truly enjoyed our vacation in Namibia.
IT
Email Luca & Federica | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect organization
Me and my wife asked Nature Travel Nambia to organize our 5 days Safari in Nambia and we receieved prompt assistance from Amber. She was very kind since the beginning answering all our questions and requests.
She quickly offered us a satisfying intenerary around Etosha natural park with very well chosen lodges to stay. Everything was perfectly detailed and organized. This organization made us very comfortable ready to enjoy our safari
Arrived in Nambia, we met our tour guide Delano who is a very passionate about nature, animals and his country; we appreciated his passion.
We spent great days "gaming" with him enjoying wild life and chatting about many different subjects. He was super kind with us (and we're sure he is with anyone) .
Based on our experience I'd certainly reccomend Nature Travel Namibia to anyone who needs a perfect organization and prefers to live the experience together with someone local
NZ
Email Catherine D | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The trip of a lifetime
It often feels a little risky doing business with an overseas company, especially if you don’t personally know anybody who has used them, but we were so pleased and relieved that we chose Nature Travel Namibia to make the arrangements for our trip to this amazing country. Our entire trip went smoothly and according to plan. If there were any hitches, we certainly weren’t aware of them. From the first email we sent to the last, Amber Lynne was professional, helpful and very prompt with her investigations on our behalf. She asked all the right questions of us (even when she knew it was going to lead to more work for her) and answered our questions as quickly as she could. She was a pleasure to deal with. We were very happy with the standard of the accommodation (mid-range), the vehicle (perfect for game viewing and in great condition) and, as you’ll read soon, our guide.
From our experience, travelling in Namibia with a private guide is the way to go. If you can scrape together the budget to do it this way, you won't regret it. The guide does all the hard work (and the driving, which is a big deal) and shoulders the stress while you get to sit back and simply enjoy your holiday. The guide knows where to find the best lookout points, the best places to eat (or just to have a stop) and the best game viewing spots. If they know what they are doing, they will quickly figure out your interests, point out the things they know you will want to see on your travels and tell you all sorts of interesting things along the way. Our guide was Joram, and he was great. Nothing we wanted to see or do was too much trouble for him and he was a crucial part of what made this trip so fantastic.
Our tour was based on the 11-day Classic Namibia (extended) safari on the Nature Travel Namibia website with a couple of extra days tagged on. We’d originally looked at the 8-day safari, but we were all pleased we decided on the longer one. The distances between places are vast, so to be able to spend a bit more time in each area is well worth it. We had read a warning about luggage being delayed going into Windhoek and that is exactly what happened to us (and several other people we spoke to). We had already decided to spend a day in Windhoek prior to starting our safari to get over our jet lag a bit, and when our luggage didn't arrive, we were very glad we did.
Namibia is a country I’d been wanting to go to for decades, so I had very high expectations. Well, this holiday exceeded those expectations. It honestly was the trip of a lifetime for our family of four adults, and Nature Travel Namibia deserves the credit for making it so. I can't recommend them highly enough.
Email Sian Parker | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A top notch experience from start to finish
I found Nature Travel Namibia recommended in the Rough Guide and, after reviewing their website, got in touch with them about our trip. From start to finish they were incredibly responsive, helpful and professional.
Whilst we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted to do, Petra really helped us hone the trip and offered some great adaptations to our plan, particularly the recommend for Jackalberry camp in the Caprivi Strip. She then handled all the booking and organisation of transport, accommodation and activities, both for Namibia and Botswana, following up with an extremely detailed itinerary document covering all possible information we could need.
Everything ran flawlessly at each stage of the trip - not one issue across a whole month, though even if there were I wouldn't have been concerned, as Petra and her colleagues respond so swiftly to any query or contact.
A particular shout out goes to their choice of car rental company - Warthog 4x4. They were excellent, taking us through everything we might need to know about the vehicle in great detail, and making us feel utterly confident about heading out on our own. NTN clearly check their suppliers and people they recommend, which is of great reassurance too.
Overall, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. Indeed, I already recommended them to several people we met whilst on our trip! An excellent company providing great service.
US
Email John S. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
An unforgettable trip
We just completed a 14-day privately guided trip through Namibia. We started in Windhoek, headed south to the Kalahari, then further south to Kolmanskop, headed north to the Sossusvlei and Swakopmund, then through the Skeleton Coast to Damaraland, finishing in Etosha. What a magical trip. An incredible country made even better by the itinerary put together by Petra. Every detail was considered, every lodge jaw-dropping, she anticipated everything, including highlights and even when we might be fatigued and need a little pampering at one of the lodges. Our guide, Buzzy, knew everything about the flora, fauna, history, and culture of our travels. He spotted things I would have driven right by, and provided context to the incredible scenery (without that you are really just looking at a postcard.) I do not have enough superlatives in my vocabulary. I will say that I have a general rule that I do not go back to a place I have already visited, but I will make an exception to that rule here.
Email Hugh | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
An experience of a lifetime - brilliantly organised
My wife and I recently did a 10 day safari across Namibia and Botswana, ending with a visit to the Victoria Falls organised by Nature Travel Namibia. Their execution was flawless despite the complexity of the trip we planned. Nicolette, who organised our itinerary in collaboration with us, was extremely responsive to all our requests, made excellent choices for us in terms of places to visit and accommodation, and provided us with a superb guide, Marius, who was friendly, helpful, informative, knowledgeable, and responsible. Everything worked like clockwork, and we had the trip of a lifetime.
With regard to the trip we covered Etosha, Caprivi (BwaBwata National Park), Savute and Chobe before ending at Vic Falls. While Savute was the highlight in terms of game viewing (amongst other things we saw the rare African Wild Dogs) we had spectacular game sightings in all parks covering all of the 'big 5'.
FR
Email Rachel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great tour for solo traveller
Had a last minute work trip to Namibia, and was lucky enough to have Nature Travel Namibia arrange a tailor-made trip that fit into my limited travel time, with very short notice. Had a fantastic time, my tour guide was incredible and very knowledgeable and can thoroughly recommend Nature Travel Namibia.
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Email Shailesh | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding, worldclass customer service, responsive, knowledgeable guide, exceeded expectations
Nature Travel Namibia is a world-class tour operator that provided excellent value for the money spent. Nicolette Muller, our tour organizer and coordinator was excellent and responsive. While in the USA I got responses within time zone differences, while in Namibia, responses were in real-time, and believe me you will need real-time support when your airline changes flights at apparently random times when you do not have Internet access or things happen beyond your control (provide your booking login details including passwords to Nicolette). Nicolette's response was the main reason for deciding to select Nature Travel Namibia, but it just got better from there. My guide and driver Marc Cronje was outstanding; he was friendly, very knowledgeable, and flexible; the hours spent in the car with Marc were filled with interesting discussions and an informal discourse on birds (by the way Namibia has some amazing birds). The tour was customized for me as a single traveler, another feather in Nature Travel Namibia's cap (in fact it is a group of companies that does bird watching - Nature Travel Birding, NT Kruger, NT Africa, etc.). One of my requirements was to visit dark sky locations, since Namibia has one of the darkest night skies in the world; consequently, the first several nights were catered to dark sky and Southern Milkyway viewing in Keetmanshoop, Sossuss Dune Lodge, and Star Dune Camp. I was told that Nicolette has personally visited the lodges she recommends, which is a huge plus. The accommodations (I chose mid-range) as chosen by Nicolette were outstanding. I spent 16 days in Namibia, and this was my second trip to African in two decades, and I was totally blown away by the experience and the efficiency of the tour operator. In summary if you are looking for a tour operator to visit Namibia (or Kruger in South Africa, or for birdwatching anywhere in the world), without reservations I highly recommend Nature Travel Namibia or the Nature Travel Group of companies. I did go in time of the COVID situation, and though Namibia is on the USA travel.gov "do not travel list", it is safer than many cities in the USA; all individuals everywhere in Namibia use masks and hand sanitizers and the population density is much lower than any of the major metros in USA. As a final disclaimer: I was neither paid nor coerced into writing this review, and the words are all my own. Hope you enjoy your upcoming trip wherever it may take you. Cheers!