Namibian lodges - advance booking or not?

Hello,

I'll be spending a few weeks next July in a trip across Namibia. I'm finding out that prices on printed guides (LP, Bradt, etc...) are often outdated, not to mention that many new lodges have opened since and the existing ones have often been revamped or gone upmarket. To top it all, booking a stay with a lodge there seems like some kind of hassle: they want advance payment thru int'l money transfers, etc. That's more than I can be bothered with, considering I will rarely be staying for more than 2 nights in the same place; that would amount to lots of transactions and time-consuming phone calls to Namibia.

How risky (if at all) would it be for me to just go there and find accommodation according to what's available, to what price I can haggle, and what looks nice? Would that be a longshot? Is July packed with European tourists, or a rather quiet time of the year? Would I often risk finding no accommodation left at all? If I were to bring a tent just in case, would this improve my chances of not having to sleep under the stars. Of course, this whole initiative wouldn't include places where MET-run lodges are the only option (Skeleton-coast, Etosha, etc...).

Thanks a lot for your help. Cheers.

Hi Raf,

I'm not going to Namibia but I am spending time in a few different lodges and b & b next June/July in South Africa. I researched the lodges on the internet then had a tour operator co-ordinate the whole trip including booking the lodges and transfers.

I don't want to take a chance on missing out on a great price at a good lodge. Then again, by booking in advance I have the advantage of paying at the current exchange rate. The Rand is 10 to $1 US.

Did you look to see if the Namibian lodges are online? I know most of S.A., Zim, Zam and Bots are online. June/July is low season for southern Africa. Good for us!!

Joanna,

I'm booking safari in Botswanna and Zambia and lodges in S.A. all of which are charging the low season rate for June/July. Like I said, its a great time to travel in Africa with the US dollar, 30 days in Africa will cost me around $5,000!!!

Absolutely!! I started out researching with the intention of doing all of the bookings myself. I tried working with a tour operator in SA who wasn't very helpful in co-ordinating the entire trip. It would have taken a heck of a lot of time to do all the arrangements myself. I contacted an agent here in the US who specializes in trips to Africa. She had my itinerary, bookings and flights sorted out within a day or so and there was no commission charge!!

Interesting, about the high/ low season thing. When I made my plans for SA and Botswana in 2001, I was told that July- Sept. is HIGH season for Botswana. According to guidebooks, Zambia is the same. Think it might have been low season for SA.

However, after Sept. 11 it became clear really quickly that bookings were down, and they expected them to stay down all year. Before I left, Wilderness Safaris was already planning for belt tightening, and there were some hints about possible deals. (BTW, immediately after Sept. 11 they offered anyone who wanted to stay on longer, or go to ANY of their camps, an incredibly cheap extension rate. I was wishing I could have taken them up on this, but I had a whole series of other stuff booked. As I said before, a total class outfit! )

So...perhaps bookings are down so far, that high season is low season this year. Giving us yet one more reason to go this year!

I've had a look in the brochures I have to hand, and the prices do tend to go up in July - *very* steeply in some cases, particularly Botswana.

We live in hope. I'm *seriously* missing Africa and hoping to go back next year. Probably the brochures I have were printed, or at least set out before September 11th. However, the letter which was enclosed with the brochure from my usual company mentioned Sept 11th, but did not hint at any price reductions. How things will pan out as bookings come in, or don't, may change things, I suppose. As far as I can see, Brits are travelling pretty much as before. US citizens may be more wary.

Liz

When I made reservations (late July 2001) for a Sept. 2001 trip, it was high season rates. And I was travelling alone. My travel agent managed to get all the Botswana camps to forego the single supplement, but I did pay high season rates. (Remember this was prior to Sept 11, and lots of people consider Sept. the best month to see Botswana.) The camps all had good numbers of tourists, but I don't think any of them were fully booked.

I suspect that the lodges/camps live in hope, too. So they won't PRINT anything with lower rates. However, as the year goes on, it may be easier to negotiate deals