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Johannesburg
Johannesburg
Johannesburg

We mainly use convenient airport hotels like City Lodge...

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...Southern Sun OR Tambo

Johannesburg

Reviews of trips to Johannesburg

183 holiday reviews from our travellers of holidays which include Johannesburg.

Showing 1-10 of 183
Duration
Arrival date
Jane U
London

"My Nov 2023 trip"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 11 Nov 2023 and 16 Dec 2023
"I loved my trip. It really was the journey of a lifetime. It helped me a great deal to have the advice and support of Tom at Expert Africa in planning my trip, which was a fairly complex process as I was combining work and leisure for some of the time. Everything went smoothly and to schedule and I had no problems, which was amazing considering that I was away five weeks (everything except a cancelled flight home, but the airline dealt with that).


The places I stayed were well chosen and I enjoyed them all in different ways. I especially loved Fish River Lodge and the canyon there. I was lucky enough to meet the owners and to talk with them about their interesting plans to extend their conservation work in the area.


The only aspect of my journey that was different to what I expected and a bit more challenging was the driving. I did not have any problems, although I covered about 1,500 miles driving solo, but it is not easy driving on dirt roads (they are described as gravel roads but this is not really accurate). The car hire company and the Bradt guide recommend not driving above 70kph on dirt roads but that is not practicable over long distances and I think this advice should be revised. Nobody else was travelling at those speeds. If I had driven that slowly on certain days a 5-hour journey would have turned into an 8-hour journey, which presents a different kind of risk. I would recommend driving at the national speed limit, which is what I did, meaning that I was driving safely at 80-90 kph on those dirt roads. I think a frank discussion of what driving in Namibia realistically entails would have been useful, but this is a minor point!

Namibia is a beautiful country, for me part of its attraction is its remoteness and the opportunity to be alone in open spaces, but I also had encounters with Namibians of many different backgrounds, all of which were positive and interesting. I have brought home many happy memories and would love to return one day. Thank you, Tom, for making it happen." Read full review: 35 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
G & C
Ann Arbor

"My Aug 2023 trip"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 6 Aug 2023 and 15 Aug 2023
"This trip was just fantastic - from the very kind and helpful staff at each camp to the amazing animal viewing.

It's really great to see the efforts underway to protect these animals and their habitats." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Tom & Lise
NC USA

"We want to go back... now!"

I visited Zambia and 1 other country between 14 Jul 2023 and 28 Jul 2023
"The entire trip, even experienced in one outfit - thanks Delta Airlines, was more than we could have imagined.

From the time we arrived at our first camp it was magical... words fail to capture the experience.

We have some unique challenges with foods, but every camp had clearly planned and the accommodations were excellent and subtle.

The game drives were exciting with extensive wildlife sightings, but the game walks were viscerally rewarding. We found that on game drives you see Africa, but when hiking through the bush you experience Africa. The guides and rangers were outstanding and we never felt uncomfortable.

We also appreciate the support from Expert Africa throughout our trip, dealing with lost luggage, flight delays and cancellations - we especially appreciate the prompt responses as internet access and WiFi were inconsistently available (which we appreciated except when changes arose unexpectedly).

The ability to arrange an additional safari outside Johannesburg when our flight was cancelled allowed us to see rhino... and appreciate the quality and uniqueness of our experiences in South Luangwa." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Tom E
Bucks

"Botswana, Zimbabwe and Joburg"

I visited Botswana and 2 other countries between 5 Jul 2023 and 14 Jul 2023
"Our trip was fantastic. We all had a fabulous time.

It was well planned by Maruska.

We enjoyed staying in two different safari camps in two different countries as well as having 24 hours in Johannesburg." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Explorer
Dan Brownlee

"My Jun 2023 trip"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 26 Jun 2023 and 22 Jul 2023
"EA and Maruska provided great guidance and support. Very flexible in allowing us to modify the trip to meet our expanded intentions. Great vehicle, excellent itinerary.

We were surprised at the km of unpaved road. 3000km of 4000km. All serviceable, but occasionally very rough. Fuel readily available. 4305km/12.62km/liter/N$6905/$387 We consider this a good value.

We were very fortunate in that we had no tire or vehicle issues. We thought we were well prepared for communications. To our surprise neither of our iphones with T-mobile worked. We did not want to be out on the road without a phone to call for assistance, so we bought a che ap phone and 100 minutes of time. In the end we didn't need it but would not undertake the drive without a phone. Suggest you offer a phone as part of the package.

2nd- offer a basic sat based GPS system. Map is very good and easy to use, but a GPS allows better definition as to location, time and distance. We brought a basic Garmin GPS with southern Africa maps and it was indispensable.

In summation this was an adventure of a lifetime and EA made it possible." Read full review: 26 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr D.
Stillwater

"My June 2023 trip"

I visited Namibia and 3 other countries between 31 May 2023 and 19 Jun 2023
"Start to finish, this was an amazing trip. The guidance, planning and details worked into the trip by Maruska helped to make it so.

I am an independent traveler with considerable experience in Africa (45 countries on the continent) and usually make my own arrangements--or make things up as I go--but on the recommendation of a friend--and on a short fuse for putting it all together--I reached out to Maruska for help and am glad that I did.

Lodging, safaris, meals, and movements along the way were all excellent because of her expert guidance. This is one of the best experiences I have had on the continent.

This was the first experience for my wife in southern Africa and her first safari trips. It was a perfect introduction for her and memorable for both of us.

No problems. No worries. No issues or complaints." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
FR
Australia

"My May 2023 trip"

I visited Tanzania and 5 other countries between 28 May 2023 and 3 Jul 2023
"A few thoughts I had: I think it would be better to have a minimum of 3 nights at each camp or lodge as I found 2 nights was not enough especially as I lost a day due to a flight cancellation/postponement. If I'd had 3 nights at Plantation Lodge I could have still done the Ngorongoro crater safari. I know there are cost implications but in hindsight it is worth it for a better experience. And Plantation Lodge was my favourite accommodation and I only got one night there!

I would also prefer to stay in camps that are not too long a drive from the airstrips. I found more than one hour quite difficult as you just want to get there and it can also be a long drive back to camp after a safari. I would consider this if I was doing another trip.

Needless to say I preferred the luxury camps in Botswana which had a pool and included drinks and laundry, although I realise they cost more, and I did enjoy the other camps which felt closer to the wildlife etc. as a contrast. Paying for drinks and laundry was not expensive so that did not put me off.

The support and help from my Expert Africa agents with the few challenges I encountered was wonderful and
I can't speak highly enough of the quality of your company. Of course I don't know how you compare with others but having met agents from other companies and having feedback from other guests at the camps I felt very glad that I had chosen EA.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Perhaps to warn travellers about the potential for things to go wrong such as flight cancellations and injuries and talk through what to do in these situations. i know this in included in your written material but it is a lot to take in especially when having to get visas and vaccinations in preparation for the trip. I had read the information but still felt stressed when things happened. However your responses were so helpful and reassuring which helped me to calm down. Big thank you to Chris in this regard - I could only nominate one agent above but it is the sign of a good manager/owner to be prepared to step in out of hours to help a client." Read full review: 36 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari
Overall trip
Excellent
michael and susan
us

"My Apr 2023 trip"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 21 Apr 2023 and 8 May 2023
"We love Botswana and a good part of that is Expert Africa.

The service and attention to detail is outstanding and really lends to the enjoyment of the trip . We will always use them for our trips to Southern Africa ( this was our fourth trip with them). They truly are expert in the area. Also Tracy Lederer is a great friend and guide for us, making it easy and super fun." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Meryl
USA

"My Apr 2023 trip"

I visited Botswana and 2 other countries between 21 Apr 2023 and 8 May 2023
"The Expert Africa staff were excellent. From beginning to end, we always had staff directing us to where we had to go including getting us across the Botswana Zimbabwe border. Everyone was on time and professional. We felt completely cared for. I would highly recommend using Expert Africa and when I decide to take my next safari, I will be using them again!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms U
Idaho

"My Jan 2023 trip"

I visited Namibia and 2 other countries between 15 Jan 2023 and 30 Jan 2023
"Excellent.

I would try to combine trip to Okavango into one day if possible. I understand concerns with border crossing (as I had them) but very fast even though we lost power and were held up. I also would have spent another day at Okonjiwa although it would have broken my budget.

As Welwitschia Drive took so long and the map was so bad we ended up climbing Dune 7 at 6:30 pm which was a blessing. The sand was cool and climb was easy. In general I highly recommend the trip.

I will say we were rather unique travelers in that we were not looking for the massive herds and numerous predators. We had seen that before. Our interest was in the smaller things, nocturnal animals, unique environments and sustainable responses to those environments. So this might not be for everyone but worked perfectly for us." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 1-10 of 183
98%
183 reviews of Johannesburg by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
173
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Where to stay in Johannesburg

Our suggestions for places to stay in Johannesburg


City Lodge OR Tambo

City Lodge JNB

About 300m from International Arrivals at Johannesburg's O R Tambo International Airport, City Lodge makes a very convenient, well-priced stopover.


84% (162 reviews)
InterContinental O.R. Tambo

InterContinental at JNB

A short walk from the arrivals hall, The InterContinental Johannesburg O.R. Tambo Airport is a good quality airport hotel.


96% (27 reviews)
The Airport Grand

The Airport Grand

The Airport Grand Hotel is reasonably priced overnight hotel situated a short drive from Johannesburg O.R. Tambo International Airport.


76% (10 reviews)
Safari Club SA

Safari Club SA

The Safari Club SA is an original guesthouse with nice gardens and a relaxed atmosphere only a short transfer from Johannesburg International Airport.


78% (8 reviews)

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