Dear miss Janssen,
We greatly enjoyed a very beautiful, surprising and satisfying trip to Namibia. It was the first time for us that we had an African country as a travel destination and it has been great for us: a very friendly people, always ready to help and always with a smile and a joke. A very beautiful, open landscape where in some areas and also in lodges everything is done to preserve the natural environment and even to bring it back to its original state. Everything in perfect harmony and with respect for the local wildlife. And in every place we stayed a very tasty and surprising cuisine!
Our feedback:
Upon arrival in Windhoek clear briefing by Daleen Steyn of Wilderness Safaris regarding itinerary and various lodges as well as refueling options and activities on site. Very smooth and correct handling of the rental car both on departure and on return by AVIS.
The itinerary from Windhoek via Kalahari and Sossusvlei back north across Swakopmund, via Damaraland to Etosha with the last stop Okunjima was a very good choice. Because as we progressed it got better and better and especially warmer.
In the Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch we had hoped for a Dune Chalet as we had initially booked, but we still got the standard room that was not quite easy. Bad shower, little lighting and at that time it was only 2-3 degrees outside and therefore quite cold in the room. Fortunately very good and woolly duvets and an excellent kitchen.
Kulala Desert Lodge was a breath of fresh air compared to Bagatelle. Very nicely located, beautiful sleeping quarters and a very warm welcome. It is a pleasure to see how the staff is always friendly and does everything they can to make your stay as pleasant as possible. With even a performance by the cook, kitchen staff, waiters and guides with local singing.
Central Guesthouse Swakopmund. Coming from the rather warm Sossusvlei we had not expected a humid and somewhat foggy Swakopmund. This was our first experience with a B&B formula. If we were to do this again, knowing what awaited us in Damaraland, Etosha and Okunjima, we would limit our stay in Swakopmund to two instead of three nights and would prefer a hotel.
Doro Nawas - Damaraland. Simply fantastic! The main building does not reflect what you can expect inside at all on the outside. A very beautiful realization with fantastic staff, always friendly, always available and oh so soothing. We would have happily stayed there for a night, if only to take a breather and have an extra day of rest.
Taleni Etosha Village - you should have missed this one. Coming from Doro Nawas, this is a totally different extreme that we weren't expecting. A fairly cool reception, a standard explanation of coffee, tea and dining options and then the key to the room in your hand to be able to look it up yourself. When we arrived we didn't know what we saw. This is the ideal place for people who want to experience the real bush feeling by sleeping in a tent, showering between the branches and eating in an open space at temperatures of 8°, but not for us. Fortunately, a very tasty kitchen, a super-friendly cook and accompanying kitchen staff made up for a lot and we quickly put the situation into perspective.
Onguma Tented Camp was a breath of fresh air again. Beautifully situated in a beautiful reserve with a view of the waterhole and with beautifully furnished "tented rooms". Very friendly and hospitable welcome and perfect service with again a very tasty kitchen. Also a place where we would have preferred to stay one night longer.
Finally, Okonjima. A place that anyone visiting Namibia should definitely visit. A fairly impressive entrance to the reserve where you can drive endlessly and where you feel that everything is done to live here in harmony and with respect for wildlife. We also got to know Okonjima Bush Camp there. The small scale of this accommodation appealed to us even more than Okonjima Main Camp, although we really liked the beautiful interior of the barn and the very nice rooms. But in the Busch Camp we had the feeling that it was still a bit cozier, probably because of the small scale and the warmer clothing. Here we were lucky enough to get a View Room as we initially booked and not a standard room which was offered as an alternative. Again a perfect and very friendly welcome and always that smile that will stay with us for a long time.
In all lodges you could perfectly match the planned activities and these were offered without much insistence. You were given the time to look at it and consider it and then let us know in the evening what you wanted to do the next day. The guide even made time during dinner to brief you on the activity choice you had made and let you know what best to wear and take with you. A perfect service and this in every lodge where we stayed.
Our experience gave us the feeling that you had previously established the right itinerary that builds up in crescendo and where you end the trip with the most beautiful places and real wildlife. A perfect choice that we were very happy about and which we would certainly recommend to future Namibia travelers.
With best regards,
Chris & Ann de Gols-Marrannes