Namibia
Namibia’s Splendor: Desert, Culture and Magnificent Wildlife
Program No. 22269RJ
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Namibia’s Splendor: Desert, Culture and Magnificent Wildlife
Namibia’s Splendor: Desert, Culture and Magnificent Wildlife
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Participant Reviews
Based on 17 Reviews
SHOWING
This program crams everything Namibia into one comprehensive package. You get history, culture, geology, wild life, contemporary life. The visit to the Himba village and the township outside of Swamkoflund are key to presenting a real picture of Namibia today.
— Review left October 8, 2025
Although I have been to southern Africa a number of times, this was my first trip to Namibia. This trip to the second smallest populated country in the world, according to our tour guides, was excellent. "We had a very compatible group of 12 participants who truly enjoyed the learning experience. For photgraphers, there is no shortage of photo ops. Namibia may not be a third-world country, but there were a lot of rustic experiences in our trip.
— Review left August 7, 2025
This was my first tour and I have to say it set the bar high for any future excursions. Our guides, Johann and Imms were fantastic. So knowledgeable and friendly! They really set the tone for how smoothly our vacation went. Namibia is such a beautiful country, I highly recommend taking this experience!
— Review left June 11, 2025
This was a terrific trip with our excellent and unfailingly nice and upbeat tour leader Johann, a varied and very interesting itinerary and unique sometimes dazzling scenery, much wildlife, comfortable and attractive and even spectacular accommodations, delicious meals in accommodations and restaurants and on picnics (complete with freshly brewed coffee!), some long drives but in a comfortable vehicle and with thoughtful breaks.
— Review left May 19, 2025
Great people, program, country to visit. Wonderful experience with new friends. We didn't want to come home!
— Review left May 19, 2025
This trip is a wonderful snapshot into Namibia. It was our very first tour group experience and we were very pleased with the planning and seamless execution. Our guides were great, but Johan is particularly knowledgeable and accommodating - we enjoyed the days very much when we found ourselves in his vehicle. Plan on hiking at least a portion of Big Daddy Dune - this was a real highlight for me!
— Review left November 19, 2024
This program far exceeded any expectations I might have had! Namibia is a fascinating country -- our lodges were excellent as was the quality of our meals. Above all our guides, Johann and Gert were the best -- very knowledgeable, kind and considerate. Yes -- lots of early morning game drives -- lots of time on bumpy unpaved roads -- but all of that contributed to the feeling of being on a grand adventure!
— Review left October 8, 2024
I believe that people who post trip commentaries on public websites should specify their demographic. I'm a 77-year-old woman from the US with some knee problems but otherwise in good health.
This trip exceeded my expectations. It was extraordinary, superb! The itinerary was very well thought out, with two-night stays planned in most places, so we were not rushed. We rattled along on unpaved roads a lot, but it was well worth it to see the unique landscapes and wild animals of Namibia. All of the hotels and lodges were fine. The food in the lodges was excellent. Last and most important: both guides were top-notch. They were not just knowledgeable, but kind, helpful, energetic, hard-working, friendly, and efficient. Johann lived up to his established stellar reputation. Gert did a terrific job, despite this being his first guiding trip of this type. Both guides went out of their way to fulfill individual requests. For example, this is quite a sedentary trip, and I would have liked more opportunities for exercise. The guides tried to help me with this; they took me on nature walks and even drove me to a heated indoor pool in Swakopmund. (The lodge pools are ice cold). There are a lot of pre-dawn wake-up calls on this tour of Namibia, so prepare to be an early riser!
— Review left October 3, 2024
This program was fantastic! Wonderful sights and varied experiences including visiting a school, an orphanage and a township. Seeing the wildlife was a thrilling adventure. This trip requires physical agility to get into and out of vehicle several times a day and to go up and down stairs at some lodging. It is best to be fit and physically independent on this adventure.
— Review left September 29, 2024
Great overview of Namibia. Wildlife, culture, geology abound. Have to see it to believe it!
— Review left May 26, 2024
Namibia is a country to be seen, so distinctively different from any other country I have visited. Our guide, Johann, was amazingly knowledgeable, not only about his country, but its animals, plant life and unique geology.
— Review left May 3, 2024
Fabulous trip. Our guide Johann was wonderful. I’ve done a lot of travel but this was a first with Roads Scholar. I wish I knew about them before. We ran into other parties at the lodges and they didn’t see near the animals we saw. Johann could track them all. He never gave up. His knowledge was unbelievable about every animal, plant, and bird. I wish I could have a Johann as a guide again but he only works Namibia.
— Review left April 11, 2023
The Namibia tour had it all! Amazing wildlife, interesting cultures, beautiful landscapes, kind and generous people, fabulous food, exquisite sand dunes, varied geography, lovely rock engravings, great accommodations, Johann and Sebastian, superb group leaders, and more. The trip of a lifetime!
— Review left November 30, 2022
This is an amazing adventure. Namibia’s landscape, people, and animals brought joy to my life.
— Review left October 18, 2022
Best all-around tour I’ve ever taken. With excellent guides Franco and Alpha, we had great lessons on safari, history, culture, geography, geology, astronomy, and photography. Wonderful memories. Wonderful learning experiences.
Rating 5 stars
— Review left October 14, 2022
What an incredible adventure! We visited with desert adapted elephants, we learned about the geology of the ancient continent of Gondwana, we saw petroglyphs that were thousands of years old and walked among amazing red dunes. This was all made possible by Road Scholar's choice of Ultimate Safaris as program provider. Our two amazing guides, Alpha and Franco, had incredible knowledge about the smallest insect in the Namib to an incredible last night of observing our galaxy!
— Review left October 7, 2022
I had to wait through two long years of the pandemic before finally getting to go on this trip, but was it ever worth the wait. Namibia has an entirely unique beauty, from rugged mountains to blazing orange sand dunes. There is a tremendous array of wildlife, and while the populations are smaller in the desert, it makes each sighting that much more wondrous. We spent quite a lot of time watching individual animals, which was always fascinating. The safari camps were all distinctive and interesting in themselves. We had ample opportunities to see how the people live in various parts of the country. And we had one of the best guides, Johann, that I've ever had the pleasure of traveling with. This was unquestionably one of my best trips.
— Review left July 21, 2022