Archives: SP Testimonials

In Feb-March of 2020 I made the plunge, fulfilled my life long dream, and went to Africa, specifically Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. Nature Travel Namibia handled the tour, and I couldn’t have been happier. Marc and Charyl were excellent leaders. On the one hand they were professional and no-nonsense which made me (as a solo female traveler) feel protected. On the other hand they both had a light and humorous side which gave us all some good laughs and a fun time. But the thing that really made the trip was their incredible knowledge of the areas we traveled. This trip focused on birding, and they bent over backwards to make sure we saw our “target” birds….and some beauties there were at that!!! For people who go on a mammal-oriented safari, the birds may not be that important, but for birders, the beauty and wonder of birds is a total “high”, plus birders are also super interested in the mammals.

Both Marc and Charyl were highly knowledgeable about the ecology of the areas we visited and the behavior of the birds/animals. They well also well informed about the human activities of the area and even the geology! I saw and learned so much! All those other things on my bucket list have now evaporated. Next trip – back to Africa, hopefully on a different trip with Nature Travel Namibia!

This is a belated review of a private 14 day nature trip of Northern Namibia in December 2018 that was led by Marc Cronje of Nature Birding Travel, who served as our superlative and indefatigable host, guide, driver, fixer and companion throughout.

Beginning with an airport pick-up at Livingstone in Southern Zambia, the tour encompassed a brief stop in Zimbabwe to visit Victoria Falls; two days in Zambia to bird the Zambezi River; two days in Botswana to bird the Zambezi floodplains and Okavango River, and the remainder of the time in Namibia, with a route that took us through the Okavango to Etosha for 4 days; a day in the spectacular, other-worldly Damaraland region; two days in the Erongo Mountains, where we stayed at the amazing Erongo Widerness Lodge; and a final morning of coastal birding in Walvis Bay. We are experienced, well-travelled birders with an equally strong interest in all other forms of wildlife, as well as in natural landscapes and ecosystems, so our hope for this tour — which was fully realized — was to experience a wide range of Southern African flora, fauna and avian life at an unhurried pace that would allow for full immersion. As this is a review rather than a trip report, we do not provide here a detailed account of species sighted, but the birding and wildlife experience was richly rewarding and exceeded expectations, with nearly 350 species of birds sighted, 40 species of mammals (including no fewer than ten separate encounters with lions), and one exciting sighting of a Black Mamba on the first morning of the trip.

The itinerary of the trip was exceptionally well designed, with consideration given to keeping daily travel distances manageable in order to allow time for leisurely enjoyment of all wildlife. The well-chosen lodges were (other than in Etosha NP) small, privately run establishments with individual character and charm, allowing for varied experiences while delivering a uniformly high standard of service.

Marc Cronje proved to be a world-class guide, whose deep knowledge and appreciation of wildlife, landscape, and birds is matched by his superb wildlife spotting and identification skills and by his infectious enthusiasm and passion for his job. He worked tirelessly on our behalf, from first light until night fall, and even then he was always eager to go owling.

Beyond his skills as a nature guide, Marc is a great communicator with a robust sense of humor. His patience, politeness and respect for others was a pleasure to behold and a real asset when dealing with border officials, a necessity on a trip that encompassed four countries.

We could not recommend Marc and Nature Birding Travel more highly and look forward to arranging our next nature safari adventure with him.

This birds and mammals trip in Southern Africa was our second trip with Nick Buys. We have been already with him in Namibia 4 years ago in a very succesfull trip.We visited South of Zambia (Nkanga River Conservation Area, South Kafue and Livingstone surroundings), the Caprivi Strip (Kwando River and Mahango Game Reserve) and Northern Botswana (Okavango Panhandle and northern Chobe).The places we visited were wonderfull. We felt the privilege to be the only ones in the middle of the bush and his fauna in the very preserved Nanzhila Plains-Kafue National Park. We had excellent boat trips on Zambezi, Chobe, Okavango and Kwando Rivers. Sunsets were stunning !
We stayed in very comfortable and peacefull lodgings were we could appreciate the magic of wild Africa.This trip was focused on a list of possible life’s firsts, for both birds and mammals. The lists was not so long, as we already have been in various trips in eastern and southern Africa. It consisted most of all in specialities and endemics, as Black-cheeked Lovebird, Schalow’s Turaco, Pel’s Fishing-owl, Bradfield’s Hornbill, Chaplin’s Barbet, African Broadbill, Miombo Tit, Copper Sunbird, Black-eared Seed-eater…
We managed to see more than 300 bird species, and almost all the possible species on our list that occurs in the area.
We only failed for 3 species of Miombo forest, certainly because of the severe drought that occured this year. Actually forests were very quite, and Nick had to work hard to find us some dificult birds in that conditions. On the other hand, and certainly because of the drought, this trip was very successful for small raptors as African Cuckoo-hawk, Lizard Buzzard, Western Banded Snake Eagle, African Goshawk, Ovambo Sparrowhawk, Little Sparrohawk, Eurasian Hobby, Dickinson’s Kestrel… We had excellent sightings of a Lanner hunting a Cape Turtle Dove, a Dickinson’s Kestrel drinking at a water hole and a pair of Little Sparrohawks breeding.

Mammals sightings were also great, with 45 species.
The best was the day spent with a troup of 21 Wild Dogs in Kafue (10 adults and 11 puppies) : they spent the day lying and playing at the side of a water hole in the company of many herbivores (surprisingly very relaxed) and birds who came to drink, including Black-cheeked Lovebirds. At the end of the afternoon, we could follow them one hour hunting in the bush. At the end, we didn’t see them catching anything, but a pair of breeding leopards managed to catch an impala that was running away from the Wild Dogs !
Thanks to some night drives and night walks, we also had a good selection of nocturnal mammals, with 2 species of Galago, Common Genet, African Civet, Bush Pig, South African Porcupine…

We want to thank Nick warmly for this trip. Again we really appreciated his qualities as a guide, his professionalism, his excellent knowings in the species and the habitats, his sens of respect of nature, his organisation, his patience and his excellent sense of humor.
We hope to come back soon in Africa for another such succesfull trip with him.

This morning the four of us went on a half day birding tour at Avis Dam with Nature Travel Namibia. Previous, our guide, was outstanding. He was well prepared and very knowledgeable. He waited to make sure we each saw the bird, asked if we were okay, didn’t rush and did his best to show us a photograph of the bird. I highly recommend Previous.

Having birded around the world I can confidently say that Nature Travel Namibia put together one of the best safaris I have ever enjoyed. Everything was perfect – the pre-trip information, the organization, the quality of the accommodation and food, but most of all the professionalism and friendliness of the guide Marc who managed to find nearly every one of the specials that I’d gone to see. Will definitely use them again.

I embarked on my trip to Namibia in Jan ’19 having previously used Nick and Nature Travel Birding for an excellent trip to Ghana.
The trip started in the Caprivi on the border with Botswana and continued throughout much of the rest of Namibia. There was fantastic birding to be had with excellent views and photo opportunities throughout the trip. Etosha was excellent and a highlight with great mammals as well as birds.
Nick was a tremendous guide, extremely knowledgeable and really made sure the trip went well. There was a general flexibility and genial atmosphere to the whole trip with Nick being patient and accommodating to get those extra couple of photos. The accommodation, food and itinerary were spot on.
I wouldn’t hesitate to reconsider Nature Travel Birding and continue to plan future trips with Nick and team.

Dear adventuresome birders,
I have finished a 13 day birding tour with Nature Travel Birding. The organization of the administrative details by personal guide Nick Buys exceeded expectations. The tour to NE India was jam packed with opportunity.
My personal exposure to a 5 hour drive through construction dust overwhelmed my 68 year old lungs. Nick and the other participants tolerated my slowing up the pace magnanimously. The elevation at 6,500 + was revealing that my “wind” endurance was less than the demand. Yet, I saw or heard no complaints from the leader, extra guides nor the two couples with us. I am grateful for their kindness.
I’m taking time in this review to drive a very positive point. This group was professional, courteous and kind with determination to help me enjoy the tour. After six nights of coughing harshly I was driven five hours to a hospital. Antibiotics were prescribed and I spent two days resting with one of the extra tour assistants who waited for me to make a decision to return. I elected to return to finish the last four nights of the tour. I will add that my hearing handicap had me continuously asking for names to be repeated. I had become a high-maintenance participant.
To the point: sometimes an experience can go wrong during a tour. You would like to know that your guide has your safety as the priority, that you will be taken care of in a professional, caring manner. Nick Buys was thorough and efficient in this endeavor. Thank you sir.
I strongly recommend this company’s services.

Nick takes care of every angle of a birding safari from the areas visited to the lodges we stayed in.
Nick communicated by email and sent an itinerary of the places we would visit and the lodges we would stay in. (That way we could look up the lodges ahead of time). I had birded with Nick before so I knew he would take care of all the details. The lodges were great-usually by a river or waterhole.
I was very excited when one night a hippo came up beside our tent to eat!
Nick will stop whenever you want to take pictures. That was great. Everybody had a window seat as he only takes six people on a tour.
Everything was great.

Thanks so much for the most amazing trip with all the targets sighted. Marc and Steve were superb as guides, they treated us like royalty, nothing was too much trouble and their excitement when a target sighting was achieved was infectious. The gorillas and chimps were just spectacular. The birds were super special with hundreds of species spotted.

Everything about Nature Travel Namibia was top notch. The itinerary was perfect – great birding and game sightings, excellent lodges and food. Nick is a world class guide who is entertaining, organized and a pro. Arranging the safari was easy from payment to pick up at the airport to travel help. I highly recommend this company to those wanting a once in a lifetime experience