Name: Botswana:Under African Skies
Brand: Cheeseman's Ecology Safaris
SKU: N/A
Price: 10750 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)

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Birdquest Tours

nature of birdlife is awsome and beautiful

Namibia & The Okavango

Exodus Adventure Travels

Campofrio Safaris

Africa Adventure Vacations

Valiant Safaris

Alaitol Safaris

Kiboko Safaris

Cheeseman's Ecology Safaris

Discover Corps

Lappet Faced Safaris

Wildreality Safari

African Budget Safaris

My husband and I have never done a trip like this and we have never camped 
before.  We loved it.  The tour is interesting and varied.  The walk in the 
dessert was spectacular, climbing the Dune was quite hard, but watching the 
sun rise made the climb worth every step.  Eating supper round a camp fire 
was really nice and sociable and the food was really good.  We are vegetarian 
and we were well looked after.    We saw hundreds of animals:  giraffe, rhino 
(and a baby rhino), lions, elephants and their babies, springbok, zebra, 
ostrich, fabulous birds, warthogs, hyena, jackal, many types of deer and 
antelope, baboons... We wish we could do it all over again.
The most inspirational moment of the trip was the herd of elephants that came 
to the waterhole in Etosha.  So many other animals came too.  It was a really 
beautiful experience.


The group leader, Ben,  was excellent.  He looked after us with care and 
consideration.  He had excellent knowledge on every question that was asked 
and he was very good at finding the animals for us to see.  The crew (the 
driver and the cook - Jonas and  Orbert)  were also excellent.


July was a good time to travel because it was not too hot during the day.  
The temperature does fall at night so a really good sleeping bag and a 
blanket (if you feel the cold) is a good plan.  The facilities at each site 
vary so it is better if you can be flexible.  You need malaria tablets, but 
there were very few insects at that time of year - it may be different at 
other times.  We are very cautious so we had insect repellent clothes. You 
can get clothes washed at the hotel in Swakopmund and one or two other 
places, so you need to plan clothes carefully.  Some of the roads are very 
bumpy, but then we were travelling through the dessert.  It would definitely 
help if you have a head torch with you.


If you have a little bit of adventure tucked in your spirit and you like so 
see animals in the wild - this is a fantastic trip.

Discover Namibia - Camping

Discover Namibia - Lodges, is a well organised and good value tour, taking in 
the main tourist locations of mid to north Namibia. If you are prepared for 
some long travel days on dirt/salt roads and go with an open mind about the 
sights and scenes you will encounter, you will not be disappointed. It is 
accurately marketed as a low to moderate activity level, even the ascent of 
Dune 45 at Sossusvlei. Accommodation is in 2-3* lodges, all of a satisfactory 
standard for 1 or 2 nights, some even memorable. Transport in a specialised 
safari truck with a push up roof provided the opportunity to view the 
landscape and game in relative comfort and from a high position. The 
driver/guide (Ronney) and his assistant (Jonas) were first class, very 
knowledgeable and took excellent care of our party.
There were so many great experiences on this trip that it is difficult to 
single one out, so here's a few. Watching the sunrise on the crest of Dune 45 
followed by the eerie scene of petrified trees at Deadvlei was remarkable. 
Watching sunsets across a desert landscape and the emergence of the southern 
hemisphere night sky in the desert at Sesriem were stunningly beautiful. 
Driving through Etosha N.P., seeing game close up and even coming across an 
old lion that had been injured in a fight and unlikely to survive was sad to 
see but a true reflection of what actually happens in nature. Above all, 
observing a male Cheetah on the prowl close to Namutoni Camp in Etosha N.P. 
was breathtaking. The Waterburg Plateau was like a lost world in the sky and 
despite the rain, a memorable place......and so many, many more.


Ronney was a first class driver and an excellent guide. While not a 
specialist in any particular discipline, his general knowledge of his 
country, its history, geography, geology, large and small animals, plants and 
ornithology to mention a few was outstanding. He constantly ensured our 
safety and well-being throughout the trip, kept us posted on the day's events 
and provided us with invaluable information on do's and dont's. He was very 
ably supported by his assistant, Jonas, who was also a very capable cook and 
prepared some excellent lunches and evening meals. They worked as a team and 
nothing was too much trouble for them. While in Etosha N.P., Ronney provided 
us with more game drives than we had expected and used his local knowledge 
and contacts to find us some great photo opportunities. I'm sure other guides 
and assistants are good but if you book this trip and get Ronney and Jonas, 
you've hit the jackpot !


You can't easily obtain Namibian Dollars before you arrive in the country (or 
exchange them outside) but you don't really need them as South African Rand 
are accepted everywhere at an exchange rate of 1:1 with no commission charged 
at banks or Bureau de Change. If you buy anything in Rand, change is often 
given in N$ which you can offload. My advice is to take some Rand to cover 
your day of arrival and get more when you are in Windhoek.  We had the 
opportunity to do so before we hit the road on the first day at the Western 
Union office and again at Swakopmund using an ATM. Both gave very favourable 
rates compared to getting your currency in the UK, as did our Halifax Clarity 
and Revolut cards for other spending.
This trip includes Swakopmund which appears on almost all similar tour 
itineraries in Namibia, so quite difficult to avoid. It is a former German 
colonial town but only a few buildings from that era remain. If you are not 
into high octane activities or do not have the budget for the rather 
expensive optional extras (most of which we had done elsewhere), do find time 
to visit the excellent small museum which contains lots of information and 
artifacts on the history, geography, geology, plants, wildlife, etc., and a 
particularly good gallery describing the various native peoples that are now 
collectively Namibians. It's run by volunteers who really help you to enjoy 
the experience. Next door, there's a great little café with patio seating 
where you can have coffee and cake while watching the Atlantic breaking on 
the shoreline. For a good value, quality meal with excellent service go to 
Kucki's Pub for seafood or game - book a table as it was full on both nights 
we went.
Namibians do not consider a meal without meat a meal at all and it is served 
everywhere, with good portion sizes, which is good news for carnivores ! Try 
the Gemsbok (Oryx) - actually you'll find it difficult to avoid in the set 
dinners at lodges, Springbok and Kudu, all of which have a unique flavour. 
Vegetarians may find menus more limited and in some places even difficult to 
get a balanced diet.
As experienced travellers both on business and leisure, in our opinion Himba 
(and perhaps to a lesser extent Herero) women are further examples of female 
exploitation. Our route took us past a Himba village just outside Outjo where 
stalls are set up and women in traditional dress sell cheap (plastic) 
souvenirs . It was only on our arrival and when apparently prompted by their 
male "minder" that they started their combining their hair, applying ochre 
and posing for photos (which we avoided by staying in the truck with another 
couple). Most were just teenage girls and this may be the only way they can 
make a living but it saddened us to see it. As stated, this is our opinion 
and you must make your own decision on whether or not it is acceptable in the 
21st century.


Our only real disappointment with the whole itinerary was the visit to the 
Namib Carnivore Conservation Centre on Day 4. It is described in the 
itinerary as "Cheetah tracking" but in fact we were driven into a fenced 
compound to observe a family of approximately 7 rather docile-looking 
cheetahs laying under a tree. In addition, the word conservation is not 
entirely accurate. The cheetahs are all orphaned or born into captivity and 
will remain in the sanctuary for life as they have not learnt any hunting 
skills from their mothers that would allow them to be returned to the wild. 
They must be fed regularly and although they could potentially be used for 
breeding purposes, any offspring would end up in zoos (or similar centres).
That said, it was a couple of hours in a two-week itinerary, so not much to 
complain about. In all other respects, this is a highly recommended tour of a 
fascinating country.

Certainly the way to see Namibia - early starts frequently and rough roads 
but all fades into significance  when put into perspective.  If your're 
considering it, but are uncertain, just book it and enjoy.
Difficult. Standing on top of a massive sand dune at sunrise? The 800 year 
old dead acacia trees against the white salt pan, red dunes and blue sky in 
Deadvlei? Or elephants drinking at a water hole at sunset?  I cannot decide.


Our group leader, Ronney, was excellent. Nothing was too much trouble, 
constantly attentive, we lacked nothing. He seems to do the camping trips 
end-to-end so there's a good change of getting him.


In July/ August the desert is COLD. A duvet jacket is not out of place, as 
are fleece trousers, warm socks and a hat.  The days can also be cold despite 
the sun, only warming up towards midday. As you go north, after the third 
day, it gets warmer and the warm gear becomes unnecessary.
Camping is fun and confortable, the tents are easy to put up (the staff are 
supposed to do it, but we found it more fun to do it ourselves, which they 
appreciated) but getting organised in the dark in the tent is a pain. I would 
recommend a lantern to hang from the centre loop of the tent roof (intended 
for mozzie nets which aren't necessary most of the time) and of course good 
head torches are vital. Don't bring a cheap one.
Toilets at the campsites are immaculate at virtually all the sites. As are 
the service station toilets - you could eat off the floor in most of them. 
Even the longdrop toilets (thankfully very few and none in the campsites) are 
clean and don't smell. The whole country is clean: I don't think I saw a 
single piece of litter the whole trip. It puts our country to shame.
Everything gets a bit dusty and sandy. Packing clothes and sleeping bag into 
dustproof bags (or even drybags) helps to keep you organised and everything 
stays relatively dustfree.
For all but the most hardened campers, an inflatable pillow is useful. If for 
nothing else, sitting on it helps iron out some of the jarring on the dirt 
roads!


Batteries AA and AAA are widely available , although quite expensive, so 
better to bring plenty of spares. A good camera with a lot of memory cards. 
If you are using an SLR then a long lens is a big advantage for the animals 
(I took a 500mm) but a wideangle wasn't used.

Very good ,well organised holiday.
Enjoyed the hotel and camping food .
No day was boring.
Seeing a leopard.
Climbing sand dune 45 at sunrise.


Ronney was an excellent leader.
Communicated well with the group and took good care of us.


Take plenty of warm clothing in July August
We were surprised how cold it was at the start of the camping
Temperature in the north much much warmer .We went from one extreme to the 
other.
Camping is not glamping but one step up from my last camping trip as we had 
proper toilets and showers .
Quite a lot of travelling involved ,sometimes on bumpy terrain.


Very good holiday , but I would agree with ‘ not for the faint hearted’

I always hope that my annual holiday will deliver a "wow" moment. This trip 
delivered three. Firstly, the trip from Sessriem to Walvis Bay was 
astonishing, passing through several radically different environments in one 
day - from the fringes of the Namib desert, via plains and mountains to the 
sea; then the incredible views from Vingerklip - reminiscent of California; 
then best of all the proliferation of wildlife at Etosha - we had 40 
elephants young and old playing at the waterhole just yards from where we 
were sitting at Okaukuejo. Then there were the walking lions, the sleeping 
lions, zebras, springbok, kudu and a dozen giraffes at another waterhole. Oh, 
we finally got to spot a family of wild cheetahs after a long game drive near 
Namatoni. Mustn't forget Dune 45 and Dead Vlei and the fact that often ours 
was the only vehicle on the road.
Etosha, Etosha, Etosha. I guess we were particularly lucky to visit during 
the dry season, but even though I knew our chances of seeing the "big" 
mammals would be good, I could not have predicted the vast numbers we 
actually saw. We ticked off more than 40 species of animal - birds and 
mammals - in Etosha overall.


Shane was quite a character who clearly knows Namibia well and is proud of 
his country. He ensured everyone in the group got what they wanted from the 
trip. Our driver, Benson, was also a star, coping with the harsh African 
roads, despite having to repair a double puncture and a shattered window. He 
also proved to be a decent campsite cook.


If you love spectacular scenery and spotting wild animals, then this is a 
must trip for you.


We took South African Rand to Namibia from the UK and this was readily 
accepted as if it was their own currency. We also flew out a day earlier than 
the group. This gave us a chance to look round Windhoek, but also meant we 
had the opportunity to recover from the overnight flight before starting the 
tour.

How many elephants does it take to fill a waterhole?

Whilst the driving at times becomes slightly tiresome the sights and nature 
where fantastic. The group were wonderful and the guide Ben was extremely 
informative.
At Etosha watering hole where we saw 30 elephants walking with there young


He was incredible


Bring a cushion for the trip and definitely bring some decent binoculars and 
camera


I would recommend it to anyone who loves animals