Namibia Nomad

Traveler Reviews

• O

  Olga4.0•August 2017
  I took Namibia Nomad tour and I've got very contradictory feelings about my experience. On the one hand, I've seen...
  I took Namibia Nomad tour and I've got very contradictory feelings about my experience. On the one hand, I've seen and experienced some really unforgettable things that will stay in my heart forever. Camping life was ok for me, the food was great and plentiful. We had a knowledgeable and experienced tour leader, who gave detailed information about the places to those who were interested. Peter and Juda, thank you for your professionalism and dedication to your work, and especially for the good mood and happy smile you were giving to every group member. Now the things i didn't like. The truck was full to the capacity (28 people) and it was really jammed inside. In fact in the first days of my trip we travelled in 2 trucks, so it was a group of around 40 people in campings and activities. 40 young yelling noisy uncontrollable people. That was not how I imagined my African dream! I think the space in the truck could have been arranged in a better way. 8 seats out of 28 were facing backwards and were extremely uncomfortable, no leg space or leg support, you sit knee-to-knee with the person in front. Windows had no curtains so we had to use the solutions like blankets and scarves on the windows... No ventilation or air conditioning other than open windows was available, and windows opened only completely to the end that produced air drafts and made us sick. As the truck was overcrowded it looked like complete mess and we didn't have enough space for our belongings. There was always somebody's stuff on the floor blocking the narrow passage. Things fall down and get lost there. I think the problem could be solved by fixing additional shelves above the seats. The truck itself was very old and falling apart. According to truck rules we were supposed to switch seats every day as not all of them were equally comfortable, however a number of people were not willing to do that, so many of us had to spend much time in uncomfortable back seats... Still all this was just a minor thing to me as I didn't expect to get five star comfort on a budget trip. What turned this trip into a nightmare for me was this crowd of loud youngsters from UK, USA, New Zealand and Australia, who were yelling and making noise non-stop from morning till night, without any consideration to the people around. Being locked up with them in the truck for 6-8 hr a day was a real torture. It was especially annoying during safaris and nature walks, when one would expect to hear the sounds of nature and silence. 3 days before the end of the trip a drunk party started on the truck. It was morning (!) time and after several hours of watching this crowd drinking, dancing, singing and yelling with the loud music on, my only solution was to leave the tour. No reimbursement was offered to me and apparently company's policy is to protect the interests of the majority - this rude partying crowd with low level of culture. If the company took its clients' comfort and peace seriously, some basic behavior rules could have been imposed on all group members with certain sanctions on those who don't respect them. That's a difficult job for a tour leader, but we all pay big money for the tour and we all want to enjoy it! I've seen other travellers complaining about the same problems in their feedback, but apparently Absolute doesn't want to do anything to solve them...Show more
  Traveled in July 2017
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Hi Olga, Thank you for your review. This is the very first we have heard about your concerns, including your decision to leave the tour. We are currently looking into the details you have raised about your tour and getting feedback from your crew. Kind regards, The team at Absolute Africa

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• GM

  Gary4.5•October 2016
  Absolute Africa Southern and Eastern Africa Overland Camping 2 tours on 2 different trucks that has left us wanting...
  Absolute Africa Southern and Eastern Africa Overland Camping 2 tours on 2 different trucks that has left us wanting more. Tour 1: June 2016 "Namibia Nomad" 21 days from Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe to Cape Town, SA on Eeyore. Tour 2: July 2016 "Week in the Gorilla Lands" 8 days from Entebbe, Uganda to Kigali, Rwanda on Shaggy. Tour 1: We joined this trip in Victoria Falls, the truck had already been travelling for several weeks so the group was well established. At this time a couple of people left and 3 of us joined making the total number on board 14. There were 5 of the original 11 that had started in Kenya and that were travelling all the way to Cape Town. If you are contemplating doing the 73 days my advice would be to book it as you will never regret the experience you will get on an adventure like this. With only 14 on board we had plenty of room to spread out, move around and keep more gear at hand on the truck – at this stage I'm thinking 16 would be about perfect. On this leg the camping grounds and supermarkets were good (a big improvement on those further north I was told). All but two of the camp sites had hot water, most had wifi and a couple even had free wifi. Things were good on board, we all got along ok and we saw some incredible things and visited some great game parks. The scenery and climate changes as we headed south and the optional excursions were good. On arriving in the Cape it was hard to say goodbye. Highlights of Tour 1 Game drive in Chobe National Park. Etosha National Park - the waterhole on the 2nd night. Sleeping under the stars at Spitzkoppe. Sand boarding at Swakopmund. Tour 2: We joined this tour in Entebbe, Uganda with about 8 others. My initial thoughts were what a large group this was as with the newbies we were 24 and within days would be at 28, the trucks maximin. My previous thoughts from the 1st tour were that anything over 16 would be too many but this proved to be wrong. With the truck full everybody packed a little better and kept personal stuff closer at hand. More attention was given to packing tents, rolling bed rolls and packing the truck. The fridge was well organised by everyone having a named plastic container to store any food they had. The camp duties seemed easier and all in all I believe the full truck functioned better than the half full truck we had experienced earlier. The campsites and accommodation through Uganda were pretty basic - hot water was a luxury and in Kisoro power and running water was sporadic. Into Rwanda things got a little better and Red Rocks Camp was one of my over all favourites from either tour. The Gorilla's were by far the highlight on this trip but the Genocide Memorial provided a defining moment. Surprisingly enough after only eight days it was harder to say goodbye to this truck than it had been to finish the tour in Cape Town. Standing in the drive way of Discovery Lodge in Kigali waving good bye to our truckies will be a memory I will keep for years to come. Our thanks goes out to our guides and drivers, Vee & Dave and Joe & Patrick. Highlights of tour 2 River cruise in Queen Elizabeth National Park. The village walk going to lake Mutanda after the coffee tour in Kisoro. By far the Gorilla encounter in the Bwindi National park. Becoming more aware of the Genocide that took place in Rwanda and the visit to the Genocide Memorial. My tips: If you can choose which way you do the trip travelling North to South would be much more enjoyable. If you are booking stages like we did make sure you know what comes before and after – for example you can add an additional stage to your existing trip (we had the time and would have loved to add 3 days to our Gorilla adventure to experience Tanzania for example). You need your own plates and cutlery, adding a Thermos to this will allow you to enjoy hot drinks on the long travel days. A named hard plastic "snap lock" container to store your food in the small fridge on board will be priceless. We brought locally (PEP) blankets and pillows for greater comfort in the tent and on the truck. A sleeping bag liner is great for the warm nights but a sleeping bag is essential for the colder ones. It seems silly to talk about thermals in Africa but if you are travelling in the colder months you will need these including beanie, scarf and gloves for the colder nights, the early starts and especially the early morning game drives. Some of the "travel days" are slow & long so be prepared with cards, games, videos or a good book. You can charge your electronic devices on the truck but only while it is moving, when the truck is full pressure can go on the 6 - 8 power points available at the front of the truck. Dust can be a problem (you are crossing deserts after all) so consider snap lock bags for cameras etc and perhaps dust masks for the bad days. Roadside bathroom stops are a reality, make sure you have your own toilet paper and don’t be precious. Hygiene is really important and the truck will generally have hand sanitiser on board, but have your own as well. Go with an open mind and be prepared to get involved (it really is good fun). Leave nothing but footprints. As stated in the introduction to this post we are left with no illusion that we will be back to Africa before long and for that we thank Absolute Africa for a fantastic experience and highly recommend them to anyone considering an overland camping adventure. Show more
  Traveled in June 2016
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thank you so much for your thorough review of your two tours, Gary. We are glad you enjoyed your time in Africa so much and look forward to welcoming you back if you want to fill in the section from Tanzania to Vic Falls in the future!

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• KA

  Kahil4.5•September 2016
  My time travelling with Absolute Africa from Zimbabwe to Cape town was amazing. We drove down from Zimbabwe lovingly...
  My time travelling with Absolute Africa from Zimbabwe to Cape town was amazing. We drove down from Zimbabwe lovingly embracing the African massage on the rougher roads in Wiley (truck name. With our well organised guide Manache and our trusted driver/mechanic Juda - we saw all the sights, did game drives, learnt about African history and of course did some adrenaline activities. The highlight of the tour was cooking outside and camping outside. Every moment was enjoyable, mostly due to our guide and driver. Show more
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  Traveled in July 2016
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thank you for your review, Kahil. We are glad you enjoyed your tour through Southern Africa so much and will pass your comments onto your crew. Please get in touch if you wish to explore East Africa in the future!

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• TF

  Todd4.0•September 2016
  I had an excellent tour. I did the Namibian Nomad tour, along with Garden Route, and enjoyed it immensely. I had a...
  I had an excellent tour. I did the Namibian Nomad tour, along with Garden Route, and enjoyed it immensely. I had a fantastic tour guide in Manache and driver in Judah. The tour experience was great, minus the truck breaking down, but it was all fun. Show more
  Traveled in July 2016
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Todd. We are pleased to hear you had a great time on your tour. We have passed on your comments to Manache and Judah too.

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• MK

  Manuel4.5•February 2016
  This was the first time I was ever to southern Africa and I loved it! I was on the Namibia Nomad Tour, which went...
  This was the first time I was ever to southern Africa and I loved it! I was on the Namibia Nomad Tour, which went from Victoria Falls to Cape Town. The driver JB and the tour guide Troy did a very good job of showing us all animals and what Africa is like. There was always a lot to do and even though it was the rain season, we saw a lot of animals (with babies). Don't worry about the weather, as in Southern Namibia and South Africa we fully arrived in the dry summer and there was no rain anymore. Namibia Nomad, Jan 16 - Feb 16Show more
  Traveled in January 2016
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thanks for your feedback Manuel, its great to hear you had such a good time with Troy and JB. Hopefully we will see you again on one of our other tours!

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  Cameron5.0•January 2015
  The Namibia Nomad tour exceeded all expectations that I had prior to departing. Not only was the route excellent and...
  The Namibia Nomad tour exceeded all expectations that I had prior to departing. Not only was the route excellent and included a number of interesting stops and activities to partake in, but our guide Peter did an excellent job in coordinating all members of the tour and requisite meals. During the three weeks on the truck I do not recall eating the same dinner twice which speaks to Peter's cooking prowess. I made many good friends on this tour whilst partaking in a wide range of awesome activities. While some of the drives were stated to be long, they were shorter than I anticipated and were passed quickly by reading and playing games with other members on the tour. Overall a highly recommended tour. The front office staff were extremely contactable and responded to my emails promptly. The staff on the tour were personable and fun too.Show more
  Traveled in December 2014
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  What lovely feedback! Thank you so much for your kind words, we will be sure to pass them onto all of the team.

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  Deborah5.0•December 2014
  Best time of my life! The trip was amazing and Vailet was such a good guide!! The meals were awsome, she did know...
  Best time of my life! The trip was amazing and Vailet was such a good guide!! The meals were awsome, she did know about every shop and cash machines and things to do in the cities and places we stayed during the tour. Such a nice trip!!!Show more
  Traveled in October 2014
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  Thank you for a lovely review, we're glad you enjoyed your Namibian Nomad tour!

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  Melissa5.0•December 2014
  It really was a once in a lifetime trip!!! Right from enquiring about which tour to go on Absolute Africa were...
  It really was a once in a lifetime trip!!! Right from enquiring about which tour to go on Absolute Africa were helpful and incredibly friendly. Our tour guide Ally was lovely and really informative as was our driver Dave. Best month of my life by far! I will definitely be visiting Africa again and would only ever go with the amazing Absolute Africa :)Show more
  Traveled in August 2014
  

  Reply from: Absolute Africa

  It's wonderful to hear you had a great time, thanks so much for the review!

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