Holiday Reviews
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same trip can have different views!
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Namibia family safari, independent reviews
 Reviewed 3 Jan 2007 by Nicola Pulham |  |
We had a brilliant time in Namibia; it's a fantastic country with an amazing variety of scenery, wonderful birds and animals and a great climate. Compared to many other countries in Africa it is well run, has a reasonable infrastructure and can be enjoyed without too much hassle, important when travelling with 4 children.
The highlights were some amazing wilderness campsites and a young lion trying to catch a giraffe and making a complete hash of it! And then there were the black rhino at the waterhole, the Damara dik-diks, sooooo cute, the Himba village......I could go on for ever. No improvements necessary, it really was excellent and our guides were superb, from their inside knowledge to their wonderful cooking!
I would certainly recommend the trip to anyone even with young kids (ours 9-13). We saw so much and travelled huge distances but it never felt that we spent too long in the bus and there was always things to see out of the windows so kids happy. Rate it 10/10
The highlights were some amazing wilderness campsites and a young lion trying to catch a giraffe and making a complete hash of it! And then there were the black rhino at the waterhole, the Damara dik-diks, sooooo cute, the Himba village......I could go on for ever. No improvements necessary, it really was excellent and our guides were superb, from their inside knowledge to their wonderful cooking!
I would certainly recommend the trip to anyone even with young kids (ours 9-13). We saw so much and travelled huge distances but it never felt that we spent too long in the bus and there was always things to see out of the windows so kids happy. Rate it 10/10
| Reviewed 30 Aug 2006 by Richard House | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The walk through the dunes of Sossusvlei was the most memorable event. For the kids, their first sky-dive at Swapokmund was definitely the most exciting, but probably the most anxious for mother!
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
Take a travel plug for sinks in your wash bag. Only one campsite had any sink plugs. A terrible waste of water in such a dry country. Deciding on the volume of clothes to take was a problem. Knowing there is a coin-operated laundry at the Swapokmund accommodation would have been helpful. Hand washing elsewhere is possible, although air drying is only really possible where 2 nights are spent at the same campsite. Smart clothes aren't required. A three-season sleeping bag is ideally required for the desert nights, though the safari bus carries blankets for extra warmth. A head torch is more useful than a hand torch.
With so many wonderful sights, being able to charge the digital camera batteries was a must. Namibia uses the old British 3-pin standard with round pins. I took a UK three socket adapter with a short lead and wired up a plug bought in Windhoek on the first day. This enabled the whole group to charge batteries at Swapokmund and at the Etosha campsite.
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Namibia values the tourist industry and visitors to the remote parts of the country seems to benefit local people. The small campsites seemed to minimise the impact on the countryside and actually were of a more comfortable standard than the larger ones.
4. Any other comments?
We would rate the trip between 4* and 5*. The only downside was the time spent on the safari bus (2,200 miles) but there are few ways around that due to the size of the country.
| Reviewed 23 Aug 2006 by Ruth Atkinson | |
1. What was the most memorable or exciting part of your holiday?
The dunes at Sossusvlei, where both my 5 & 7 yr old made it to the top of dune 45. And Etosha with its expanse of wildlife.
2. What tips would you give other travellers booking this holiday?
There are long journeys involved, and you need to love or be prepared for some stunning (but basic) campsites. p.s the dust gets everywhere!
3. Did you feel that your holiday benefited local people, and minimized impacts on the environment?
Low impact, some good community projects, however the colonial past remains evident also.
4. Any other comments?
**** excellent family holiday. Fantastic guide.
