Most Inspirational Moment
Etosha night drive; rhino tracking.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent - knowledgeable, interesting, helpful, organized, and able to adapt to difficulties along the way,
Reviews
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Reviews
Discover Namibia - Lodges
Trip ran smoothly with an excellent guide who was a fount of knowledge, and who also coped with some difficulties along the way (lost luggage, bouts of illness).
Fabulous trip!
I absolutely loved every minute of that trip. I went in April and we got to see many different dramatic landscapes and amazing wildlife. Every evening we had clear details on what would happen the next day, departure and driving times, number of stops, and what to wear. Some drives looked long on paper but the landscapes were always interesting to watch and we never knew when wildlife would be visible.
The itinerary is well designed as we discovered landscapes and alternated days with short drives and multiple hikes and days with longer drives but plenty of stops on the way. Some mornings started relatively early but that is necessary to see wildlife and walk in the desert before it gets too hot.
The lodging ranged from absolutely fabulous (Damara Mopane Lodge and Otjiwa Safari Lodge for example) to painting peeling off the wall in Etosha National Park. Regardless, all were clean and quiet and being so close to the waterhole in Etosha was well worth the slightly less luxurious room.
The bus we used is especially well designed to travel on dirt roads and to see immense landscapes and wildlife. The provided extra cushions were welcome on bumpy roads and all seats had seatbelts. Once we got into Etosha, we opened the roof and (shoes off) would stand on seats to have a 360 degrees view. The front and side windows also open. That means everyone could see the wildlife from different angles with obstructing the view of others in the group.
I had high expectations when I booked that trip and I came home with all those expectations exceeded.
Most Inspirational Moment
Only the one most inspiring moment? I can't choose. Climbing the red sand dunes of the oldest desert on the planet, seeing the Namib sand gecko and desert-adapted giraffes and elephants that only live in Namibia, seeing cheetahs up close, walking up to white rhinos, spotting two black rhinos face off at sunset, coming face to face with a family of warthogs outside the lodge, seeing remarkably old and well preserved cave paintings, driving long the coast where the desert meets the ocean, and petting Mila the meerkat of the Brandberg White Lady Lodge. Everyday brought something new and amazing, and sometimes unexpected like the honey badger we never expected to spot.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Shane was great. He had a great plan to ensure we always had cold water to access on the bus and we could always access it even during the night if needed. He was great at spotting wildlife and also at sensing excitement in the bus and stopping even for the 100th springbok or giraffe. He modified the itinerary slightly by switching activities between days so we got to do everything planned but with shorter drives. And some evenings he answered the same question 10 times.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Pack layers. Mornings and evenings were chilly in some places, and days got hot. The temperature changed fast at sunrise and sunset. We got our pant legs quite wet during the white rhino tracking and it was chilly but so worth it. Bring a good camera (seriously, everywhere in Namibia is amazing for photography) with protective gear against wind and sand and a cleaning kit. I used my camera cleaning kit almost daily and others on the tour used my cleaning kit too. Talk with the group leader about your plans. During our day off in Swakopmund, I had read about optional excursions and was debating between the Living Desert tour and the Sandwich Harbor tour. I couldn't make my mind and Shane managed to arrange for me to do both, warning me it would be an exhausting day. I did the Living Desert tour at 8:30 am, got back in town, changed cars, and got back from the Sandwich Harbor tour just 30 min before our planned dinner time. It was exhausting but I regret nothing! I saw and learned so much and am so grateful I was able to do both excursions. And during a meal, ask for a Malawi Shandy. It might become your favorite drink on a hot day.
Discover Namibia - Lodges
Efficient and knowledgeable office staff Great trip with local guide
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing Dune 45 and seeing Deadvlei Visiting white lady rock paintings in Brandberg Etosha game drives and seeing Rhinos, Leopard, Cheethah, Lions, Jackals, Hyenas, 16 elephants at a water hole and over a hundred Zebras at our lodges waterhole Rhino tracking in Otjiwa
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent leader, friendly and helpful. As a group we tended to like to have information on the next day earlier than at our evening meal to help with packing planning etc but it tended to be given after dinner
Discover Namibia
Brilliant trip for seeing wildlife & very varied landscapes.
Most Inspirational Moment
Seeng leopards, white rhino & elephants at fairly close quarters.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Excellent
Advice for Potential Travellers
The early starts & sometimes long journeys are not for the feint hearted but definitely worth the effort!
Discover Namibia - Lodges
I’ve really enjoyed both trips I have done with Exodus – the mixture of local expertise and interesting companions makes for a fantastic break. I like the mixture of couples and singles, I like the smooth organisation of the trips, I like the interesting and beautiful places I have visited.
Most Inspirational Moment
Loads of them! The night sky and empty landscapes at Weltevrede. Sand dunes and learning a bit about the geology of the area. Seeing humpback whales off the boat at Swakopmund. Amazing landscapes of ancient dried riverbeds. Game drives where I saw far more rhinos than I could ever have hoped, plus elephants and lions and cheetahs and leopards. There are too many highlights!
Thoughts on Group Leader
Shane came across as a really nice guy - he was fun to be around, knowledgeable, a great driver and he clearly has a great working relationship with the folk at the lodges and guest houses we stayed at which I think really paid off for us.
Best trip ever!
I really enjoyed getting to see all the animals you usually only see in books or Disney movies: Lions, meerkats, elephants, mongoose… the list goes forever. As if this wasn’t enough, the Namibian landscape is varied and impressive with sand dunes, mountains and the ocean. This trip takes you to all of these, and offers unforgettable adventures, such as tracking rhinos on foot or flying over the desert in a helicopter!
The pace of this trip is gentle enough that you will get some R&R in besides all the action, but is never boring – how could it be when there’s so much to see and do?
Most Inspirational Moment
I loved tracking the rhinos on foot, as it gave us a chance to experience these wonderful creatures in their natural environment without anyone else around.
Thoughts on Group Leader
I will nominate Shane as leader of the year! He was the most up-beat, fun guide with extensive knowledge on pretty much anything under the sun. No matter what we asked him (astronomy, flora, fauna, geography), he was ready with a detailed answer. He always took us to the best restaurants and made sure we had everything we needed. Intelligent and sunny, he's the ideal guide. Thank you for helping us have the best time, Shane! I miss you!
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be sure to bring your malaria pills as it can be tricky to get them in Namibia outside the bigger cities. It's best to buy your anti-mosquito spray in Namibia as a higher concentration of Deet is necessary than what is typically sold in North America and Europe. Also be sure to make loads of space on your photo-taking device of choice, as you will have plenty to take photos of! :)
A country of stunning diverse landscapes
We booked this trip to celebrate my 70th birthday, aware that it included some long days on rough bumpy roads and a couple of challenging walks. I am very fit for my age but did find the itinerary very intense, with numerous early morning starts (a 6:15 alarm felt like a lie in for us!) and little time for relaxation or recovery (apart from the free day in Swakopmund, when we declined all the optional activities). The walk in Brandberg was difficult underfoot, with lots of rocks to negotiate and boulders to scramble over, with the potential to twist an ankle with each step; we were rewarded by the sight of cave paintings dating over 2,000 years, which fascinated me but may not be to everyone’s interest. The walking trail at Waterberg is even more challenging, and nobody in our group completed it (one couple went part of the way up); most opted for a game drive that took us onto the plateau, and we were fortunate to come upon a group of giraffes at a waterhole / salt lick at close quarters, but otherwise there was little to see on the drive. I would have liked to have experienced and learned more about the history and culture of the country. Waterberg is a place of great significance in the Herero genocide and I think time could have been better spent exploring its historical aspects (there is a German cemetery there but we had no time to visit it), instead of the walking trail or the optional game drive. And the brief encounter with Himba and Herero people on day 7 was merely a photo and shopping opportunity (you had to pay to take photos – I declined – and nobody in our group bothered with the market stalls); I would have preferred to have spent time seeing their village and learning about their culture and history.
That’s the negative aspects of the trip dealt with. On the positive side, Namibia is a country of contrasting landscapes, each of them impressive in its own way: red ochre sand dunes, lunar landscapes, vast open plains and grasslands, strange granite outcrops, desolate mountains, limitless horizons … and the grandeur of the Waterberg Plateau, a table top mountain fringed with bare granite and best appreciated from below and a short distance away. We saw a variety of wildlife along the way, and a good deal in Etosha, although the recent rains after a three year drought meant that game was hard to spot in the tall grass and vegetation that had sprung up; we saw no leopards, briefly glimpsed a few cheetahs (although we got up close to a group in the cheetah conservatory early in the trip), and spotted the head of a lone male lion resting in the long grass and watching us for a short moment. But we had some amazing encounters with elephants, giraffes, wildebeest and zebra, and saw many different antelopes and other fauna. Unfortunately the flamingos had left Walvis Bay, and the desert elephants were no longer in the valley at Brandberg, which was disappointing. Wildlife watching is mostly a matter of luck, and nothing is guaranteed.The best wildlife encounter was the rhino safari at the end of the trip, when we walked to within 20 feet of three white rhino at Eagle’s Rest; an unforgettable experience.
There were many other interesting sights and experiences along the way: countless giant ground crickets, almost everywhere we went; walking through the Sesriem Canyon ; old German colonial architecture in Swakopmund; eating apple strudel and ice cream at Anton’s Cafe; the Zeila wreck on the Skeleton Coast; pet meerkats in Brandberg White Lady Lodge.
Most Inspirational Moment
Hard to say, but walking with three rhinos in Otjiwa takes some beating, with the huge animals watching us, no more than 20 feet away. And the sight of thousands of zebra, with some wildebeest for company, stretched out in columns for more than a mile either side of - and on - the road in Etosha NP was very impressive. And the apple strudel with ice cream in Anton’s Cafe in Swakopmund was simply divine!
Thoughts on Group Leader
What can I tell you about Shane? Simply to say that we couldn’t have asked for more from a group leader and guide. He was tireless in doing everything he could to ensure we had the best possible experience. He described the twelve of us in the group as his “family”, but trying to manage a group of British travellers (actually there was a Frenchman among us, but he’s an honorary Brit as resident in the UK for a while) with a number of eccentricities must have seemed a bit like herding cats to him! He has a great sense of humour, an infectious laugh, and was always approachable and responsive to the group’s wishes and needs. When my wife was taken ill on day 3, he ensured we got into Swakopmund the next day in time to take her to the pharmacy for antibiotics before it closed. When we had no hot water in our room at Okaukuejo Lodge in Etosha, he investigated the problem and arranged for it to be fixed straight away. His organisational skills guaranteed everything happened on time, in what was a very busy and tight schedule. He was an excellent driver on the long drives, often on very rough and rutted road, and his skills ensured we had a safe trip. He really is a great guy.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Be mindful of what you take with you: travel as light as possible and use the laundry facilities at the lodges wherever you can. Travel cubes are a great help to organise your clothing and accessories, as you will be living out of your bag. Temperatures range from very hot in the daytime to chilly at early morning and evenings; it can get particularly cold in the open 4x4 vehicles used on optional game drives. Take clothes for both extremes. Listen carefully to what your group leader says. There is often a lot of information to take in, so make sure you know what the arrangements and timings are for the group. Buy an eSim for your mobile phone, as WiFi is unreliable and often unavailable in many locations. You can then set up a WhatsApp group to share information. Be prepared for long days on the road travelling between lodges, so maybe take earbuds to listen to music, or podcasts or audiobooks on the bus.
Great trip to a fascinating country
From sand dunes to rock piles to boat trips to game safaris, there is so much to see in Namibia, albeit separated by several hours of less interesting drives through desert scrub. But this trip managed to make it all interesting, splitting the longer drives up with short stops. The converted truck/bus (“Gogga”) was comfortable enough, even though the AC had problems coping with the 35°C + heat. Accommodations were good, and vegetarians were accommodated well enough.
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing the dunes just after dawn.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Shane was a great leader - organized, efficient, friendly, funny. He is also a great driver with apparently unlimited tamina, coping with hours of driving on bumpy dirt roads.
Advice for Potential Travellers
The long hours bumping along on dirt roads can be gruelling, even for passengers. Add in some early morning starts, and it can be a tiring trip for us old fogeys.
Stunning scenery and Amazing Wildlife
A packed and varied itinerary with desert landscapes, mountain walks and a chance to see a huge range of wildlife (we got to see the Big 5). Accommodation was good: big rooms, mosquito nets when needed, always a fridge and kettle, tea, coffee. Pretty good for vegetarians. Breath-taking skies and vast plains and mountains.
Most Inspirational Moment
Climbing Dune 45. Seeing Deadvlei. Flying over the desert. Spotting leopard, lions, rhino (both black and white)...., including 4 cubs playing. waterhole in Etosha outstanding. The vastness of the landscape, the huge red skies.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Shane was wonderful: funny, organised, gave all the correct information, has a great knowledge and love for his country.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Take warm clothes for early mornings. Scarf or buff for the dust. Some of the extra costs are out of date so check before booking (extra game drive at Etosha was double quoted price). Take Rand, they are accepted everywhere. Tap Water not safe at White Lady lodge and we were advised not to drink tap water in Etosha. Malaria prophylaxis advice is variable: we were all told different things. Felt very safe. Advice is not to go into Windhoek at night and only catch hotel shuttle. Food and drink costs very cheap. Lovely people. Full on trip but you will love it.
Amazing Holiday
Fantastic trip, saw such a range of wildlife. Really great to go to so many different locations on this trip. Great guide, comfortable and spacious vehicle and some very nice lodges and hotels. Would highly reccomend this trip.
Most Inspirational Moment
So many to choose from. One highlight was seeing rare mountain zebra at the waterhole outside our room at Weltevrede Guest Farm. Another was seeing multiple humpback whales during the optional scenic flight. Overall though just the vast amount of animals we saw throughout the entire trip.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Shane Katjirua was fantastic. He was very organised, patient, helpful and funny. He was a mine of imformation. His driving was exceptional and he was able to spot wildlife whilst on game drives that we missed. He really made the holiday.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Do take advantage of the optional trips. Especially the optional game drive in Etosha National Park. We also did the Sossusvlei Scenic Flight by Eagle Eye Aviation, depending on group size the plane can be very small and hot, but it was definitely worth doing. Also highly reccomend the Ocean Adventures seal and dolphin trip from Swakopmund.