Expert Africa specialises in high-quality, tailor-made trips to selected areas of Southern and East Africa. We are based in the UK, although our travellers come from around the world.

Expert Africa's background

Our parent company, Sunvil Holidays, has been a tour operator since 1970, and operated for several years before then as Cyprus Property Tours.

Our Africa programme began in 1991, with one of the first programmes to Namibia of any tour operator. Since 1994, we have continued to slowly and steadily expand further into Africa, remaining careful to maintain the highest levels of knowledge and expertise in our specialist countries.

In 1995 several of Sunvil Holiday's more adventurous and tailor-made programmes, including Africa, were gathered together under the umbrella of a new name: Sunvil Discovery. Then in 1998 we produced our first stand-alone brochure, under the name of Sunvil Discovery Africa.

In December 2005, we changed our name to Expert Africa – to better reflect what we do, how we go about doing it, and the high level of expertise in our team. Every one of our team has lived, worked or travelled extensively in Africa and all have grown to love it.

Our management, team and everything else about us remained the same during this change of name, and we remain a proud part of the Sunvil family of travel companies – which is one of the UK's few owner-run, independent tour operators.

In 2007 we launched a Wild about Africa programme, which offers guided small-group adventures in Namibia and Botswana – countries where our expertise is already very strong.

Expert Africa's bonding: 100% Protection Guaranteed

All our holidays conform with the bonding requirements of the Association of Independent Tour Operators (AITO) – of which we are a member. Expert Africa offers a 100% financial guarantee for everyone who books a holiday with us. Everyone will fall into one of three situations:

1) Full packages booked

A full package is made up of any travel arrangements which include a flight element.

In the event that Expert Africa should fail, any repatriation required or any refund of monies held by Expert Africa for holidays to be provided in the future, are covered by the company's ATOL Bond (Air Travel Organisers' Licence) held by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

See precise details of our ATOL protection here: ATOL 5206.

The CAA will, therefore, arrange any necessary repatriation and any refund of monies paid to Expert Africa in advance. Payment will also be made direct to suppliers by the CAA in order to enable those on holiday at the time of a collapse to continue with their vacation.

2) Package with no flights

A package with no flights is made up of accommodation and other ground arrangements where clients have organised their own flights. This kind of trip cannot be covered by an ATOL bond.

In the event that Expert Africa fails, then any suppliers who have not yet been paid for holidays which are currently under way will be reimbursed by our Bond Obligors, Travel & General, via AITO Trust which is a trade body licensed by Government for financial guarantee purposes.

Clients will, therefore, be able to complete their holiday. The Trust will also refund any monies for ground arrangements made by Expert Africa which have not as yet been taken but for which money has been received by the company in advance.

In this case, reimbursement covers only the elements of the holiday booked with Expert Africa. Note that this does not cover the client in the event of the failure of an airline with which they have booked their own flights.

3) Accommodation only

Expert Africa also provides a financial guarantee when accommodation only has been booked - even though this is not required by law. (This kind of trip cannot be protected by an ATOL bond.)

In the event that Expert Africa fails, any accommodation provider will be paid by Travel & General/AITO Trust under their AITOT scheme, so that any clients currently on holiday will be able to complete their trip. The Trust will also cover any monies received by Expert Africa in advance for accommodation only to be taken in the future.

Again, the client is not covered in the event of the failure of an airline with which they have booked their own flights.

Expert Africa therefore covers all aspects of its turnover with a financial guarantee so that every client knows they will not lose money in the event that the company fails.

Responsibility in the event of a problem

It is important to note that Expert Africa always acts as a Principal, whether for a full Package, a Package with no flights or an accommodation only booking. This means that Expert Africa takes full responsibility for the actions of its suppliers and that the contract is always between the traveller and Expert Africa.

Should there be a problem with any of the holiday arrangements booked with Expert Africa, Expert Africa is liable for the actions of its suppliers. All contracts are, therefore, legally enforceable under UK law. Our travellers would not have to 'chase' suppliers abroad.

We do not act as an Agent, as a large number of travel providers – including many web-based companies – have recently started to do. There are many financial benefits (less VAT) to them operating in this way, but it provides no protection for the travellers.

Companies acting as an Agent are usually trying to avoid the responsibility and costs of being a Principle. Legally their travellers have direct contracts between the travellers and the service providers abroad. Thus, in the event of a problem overseas, such companies can legally abandon their travellers to make claims directly again a supplier through the courts of that country.

We are ABTA members

Expert Africa is a full member (No. Y1608) of UK's best known trade association, ABTA – the Travel Association.

Contrary to popular belief, a tour operator's membership of ABTA no longer automatically provides their travellers with any financial protection. (See here for details.)

Our membership does, however, offer us (and our travellers) some protection should a trip be booked with us through an ABTA-bonded travel agent who subsequently goes bust.

Comparing Expert Africa with the competition

Buying a trip which is sold on one invoice, from one fully-bonded tour operator, like Expert Africa, is the only way of protecting yourself against the unexpected. A number of travel companies, including airlines, went out of business in 2009. If you book something other than the full package, then should one element be cancelled you will be in a tricky situation – potentially substantially out of pocket, as one element of your trip (like a flight) fails, whilst you still have to pay in full for the other parts that you have booked.

For a guarantee of 100% financial protection – you need to book your whole trip with one fully-bonded tour operator, like Expert Africa. If you wish to consider the competition, then check their bonding carefully:

a) If you are planning to book a full package, then check out the company's credentials on the CAA's website.

b) if you are not planning to book a full package, then ask how your money is protected? Some won't understand, and others will claim that their ATOL covers it. (In fact, an ATOL bond cannot protect such trips.) Beware of either response; neither company will have proper protection.

c) Look for AITO membership to guarantee full protection.


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