US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Namib-Naukluft National Park is a place of stunning scenery and the amazing ambience of Africa
The drive through Namib Naukluft National Park has the feel of an off-road adventure because of the gravelly roads and the isolated atmosphere. While a 4x4 vehicle is not necessary, and my husband and I did the drive by ourselves in a compact car, a truck or SUV might be more desirable for many drivers. We set off around 9 am from Walvis Bay on the C14, which dips in and out of the park. Though we made only a few stops along the way at a variety of rock formations and impressive dunes for photos, it took us about 4 hours to get there. It was cool in the morning but quickly got very warm outside. While we did pass a few desert resorts, there isn't very much on the way through the park to Sossusvlei other than gorgeous scenery, so it's advisable to bring along plenty of water and some snacks for the road. We did get to see quite a lot of Gemsbok as we made our way deeper into the park. Passing signs for rest stops, one sees just a picnic table off to the side of the road, sometimes under the rare shade tree.
Closer to Sosussvlei, there is an entrance gate with some very helpful rangers who can answer any questions one might have, and probably get a guide for anyone who would like one. Here you show a passport and pay a small entrance fee, and at this station you can park the car and take a break from the road. There's a small convenience store with drinks, food, postcards and some other souvenirs as well as a restaurant that also offers free, clean restrooms. Back on the road, which at this point is paved again, the drive is filled with spectacular scenery of towering orange dunes against a backdrop of cloudless azure skies. Here we saw more Gemsbok and Ostrich. Driving until the road ends at a car park, there are a few choices. You can take a ranger-driven vehicle to Sosussvlei, which takes about 20 minutes, you can walk there, or you can just walk the area surrounding the car park, including Hidden Vlei. Since our timetable was thrown by the unexpectedly long time it took to get there, we decided to hike to Hidden Vlei so we could start the return drive and hopefully get back to Walvis Bay before dark. There were so many incredible natural wonders to gaze at and photograph. It was hot, though not unbearably so (in September) and we got to spend a lot of time enjoying the beautiful views of the Namib Sand Sea. The stark trees, many petrified from the dry atmosphere, together with the towering orange dunes and deep blue sky, made for an awesome experience.
Before long, it was time to get back on the road. On the way back to Walvis Bay, we decided to stop at an extremely small town called Solitaire to get some gas. This is a really cool little place; there are old cars rusting and staged out in the desert near their gas station/convenience store and once again, lots of chances to get some very memorable photos. The people here were really friendly and lovely to chat with. The road was still fine to drive on as the sun began to set, but with no road lights and isolation, we were glad to be getting closer to Walvis Bay. We'd seen a few other cars on the way down, and almost no one else once we'd left Solitaire, just Gemsbok. As the sun began to set, we saw a sight that will stay with me forever: a dazzle of zebras. The group stood watching us as we stopped the car. It was phenomenal. The sky turned marvelous shades of orange and pink as the sun went down, and within a few more minutes we were back at our quaint little homestay: Omega B&B. The owners were relived to see us as they'd been waiting to make sure we got back from the drive ok. I think all we would've had to worry about was a flat tire, but luckily no such misfortune had befallen us. Namibia gave us an extraordinary experience, and we found ourselves immediately discussing when we might be able to return!
For more information and pictures, please go to my blog: http://bylandorbyair.blogspot.com/2015/11/namibia-namib-naukluft-national-park.html
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Namibia by Carmen
Namibia probably has a lot to offer in the way of wildlife in other parts of the country, but Namib-Naukluft National Park seems to be mostly about stunning scenery and sand dunes.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Family Choice !!!
First: Eastern Sun did a wonderful Job. We (2Adults/3Kids-Aged 12y/8y/7y) have been on a 10 days Safari Tour in July 2015. Mercy was always listening to what we wanted to see and we had a regular email updating of our trip giving us good advices- until it was perfect. We as a family would like to say a huge -thank you- to Eastern Sun Tours- and would like to recommend this Tour Operator to all Visitors/Families with Kids!! All was very professional and well organized- from the pick up at Airport-to the End of Safari Tour at the office of Eastern Sun. We have had a very good Driver (Hassan) who took every time care of save driving and had a lot of Knowledge- explaining us everything of plants and animals as well as the local way of people living.This all made us enjoying an unforgettable and memorable Safari. Thanks once more. 100% Reliable!!
BR
Great professionals!
We had booked a Kili trek in advance from Brazil and all went perfect, as pre-arranged. The owner Ibra and his team were always ready to help, with a great sense of humour all the time. It was an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended! Thanks Ibra!
BR
Just perfect!
All went perfect in our 3 night safari. Mr Ibrahim always tried (successfully!) to accomodate all our needs, and we consider flexibility and dedicated customer care to be one of the qualities of this company. Our guide Johnson was a great 4x4 driver and had very good knowledge of the wildlife. We had an unforgettable experience, fully pleasant, with reliable professionals that knew how to do their jobs well. Thank you very much, Mr Ibrahim.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An Experience of a Lifetime!!
African Scenic Safaris provides exceptional service that will leave you impressed. They are professional, experts in their craft, trustworthy guides, and very responsive. I took a group of 4 on a 4 day safari trip in Tanzania. The exceptional service began with planning the trip with Amanda – she is very responsive and provides detailed feedback to your questions. You can tell right away that they place high value on you as a customer and that their goal is to make sure you walk away with an experience that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Our tour guides were very skilled and knowledgeable. You can tell they love what they do. They even dressed for success and stood out among their peers. I highly recommend their company and I will be referring them to my friends!
CA
Kruger / Cape Town / Hermanus
Second time using Pembury Tours and Susan Pattison-Wait for our travel through SA. Very professional in our dealings and Susan's personal touch and suggestions was much appreciated. The agenda / recommendations and process all met and in many cases exceeded expectations. Would not hesitate to work with Susan again and have recommended friends to as well.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent safari tour
We booked the safari in advance, so we were very excited about how it might be and whether everything will be fine...
When we arrived in Daressalam, Mack visited us at our hotel and gave us all the important information we needed. The next day he and our guide picked us up and the journey could start. Our guide was a very very nice guy (Joak) who always took care of us and wanted to make out the best of our trip. He showed and described us all the beautiful plants and wild animals, that was amazing.
The lodges where we stayed overnight were comfortable and in good condition. The whole trip was very well organized and planned. We had a great time in Tanzania and enjoyed it a lot.
The money you spend on such a trip is absolutely worth it....!!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Birding in Uganda
I had a chance to book a recent birding trip with Jungle Safaris. I wanted to see the Shoebill and other birds in Uganda. Ibrahim S was my guide (yes, the one mentioned in an earlier Malawi travel book by Brandt) and we had a fantastic time. We went to Mpamba Swamp and did see the incredible shoebill; we spent a day in the Botanical Gardens for some fantastic birding and then Mpambira (sp?) Forest. Ibrahim is extremely knowledgeable and passionate about birding. Great personality as well. I would book another birding tour with Jungle Safaris.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Authentic Safari with "Hello Tanzania"
We were 4 people who should spent some weeks in Dar es Salaam, and therefor we wanted to go for a safari. We contacted Hello Tanzania and they arranged a 3days safari for us in Mikumi and Udsungwa National Park. We got picked at our hotel in safari early in the morning on the first day. The driver was a great guy, who informed us with interesting things all the way on th long ride to Mikumi. He was very calm and nice talking with and we were very satisfied with him. When we came to Mikumi, we had a game drive with both our driver and another guide, and we had a lot of fun and saw a lot of animals like lions, giraffes, buffalos etc. During our safari we stayed at Camp Bastian, which was a great spot in the middle of the savannah. We got great food, and the cottages and beds were very lovely and real authentic. The second day we took to Udsungwa and hiked to see the gourgous waterfalls, a great experience. The last day we had another game drive in Mikumi before we started our drive back to Dar es Salaam. It was a great and fun safari, where we really got served in all ways, and we did not need anything at all. The driver and guides were so good and we enjoyed the safari a lot. Hello Tanzania were very professional and reliable all the way through the safari. Both in part of the arrangement of the safari, during the safari and even afterwards. They were taking care of us all the time, and it is with our deeply respect and satisfaction we truly recommend Hello Tanzania to all who wants a marvelous and authentic safari.
- 4 very happy danes