South Africa: reviews from our travellers

"Had an amazing time - I am presenting Namibia and Rwanda to our University Woman's club and slide 1 refers to Expert Africa and Maruska and how great they were with the developing this trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I was satisfied with all aspects of the trip and service.

I will recommend Expert Africa to my friends." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"This was a special trip for us as a family and Tracy put together some really great alternatives in order to make our timings work. Each country was different and immaculately planned. The attention to detail and our particular needs was expertly handled and the suggestions given to us were all perfectly matched.
This trip was fabulous, it will be a memory which never fades." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 5 on a Mozambique holiday

"Have nothing to add beyond writing that Maruska was tremendous to work with. Well done!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

The only suggestion would be to have people drive out the east gate of Etosha (which we did) and south through Otavi on the way to Mundulea Reserve, rather than you suggested departure through the south date of Etosha. Although more gravel road, you see more game." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"We chose Expert Africa on the recommendation of a close friend who had used the agency a couple of years ago. We are so glad we did!

We dealt with Maruska, who was amazing. She is knowledgeable, efficient and our questions (which seemed endless) were answered promptly and cheerfully. We were particularly impressed that Maruska put us in touch with a colleague in the UK office because she was not as familiar with the Seychelles. Admitting that, and getting us the information, is not something everyone is good at doing.

The Zambia portion of the trip was amazing and exceeded all of our expectations. The camps Maruska suggested were excellent - she asked us lots of questions and really tailored the experience to our preferences. She was very familiar with all the camps and her comments were spot on. We would definitely go back to Zambia.

We enjoyed the Seychelles. Seeing those amazing beaches and swimming in the warm ocean was delightful.

We would recommend Expert Africa." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"This was a trip of a lifetime. We had a magical time.

Maruska did an excellent job of putting together the perfect itinerary for our family. I had started with only two places in mind: Victoria Falls and Etosha National Park. I would say Chobe River experience was a highlight and I didn't even know about it until Maruska brought it up. Thank you for everything.

My friends have already started to ask me about our experience and I'm definitely going to recommend that they use Expert Africa in planning their trips to this wonderful continent." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"The trip was outstanding! And Lucy Copson was excellent and responsive, in helping us plan and navigate our way through the whole process.

I would highly recommend Expert Africa in general and Lucy Copson in particular, when looking to book an African adventure.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nope - you all get an A+! Thank you very much for a trip of a lifetime." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Cannot say enough about Lucy's assistance, recommendations, and responsiveness. She proved to be an exceptional representative for Expert Africa and her knowledge of the area was extremely helpful. We want to thank her for making our travels truly memorable." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Overall, and in every detail, this trip truly turned out much better than we had expected - and our expectations were high.

Maruska went the extra mile, several times, to ensure that our itinerary was precisely what we wanted. When the initial camp selections turned out to be more expensive than we wanted, Maruska proposed alternatives that worked out very well.

Our safaris to Botswana and Namibia couldn't have been better.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We never received a brochure, but did receive a glossy guide to your offerings, after we had returned home. Since we used your web site, and it's very good, it wasn't really an issue.

There were a number of comments about various camps that were only for Expert Africa, but there wasn't a place to put them. So we were obliged to just put them at the end of reviews. Ditto for some suggestions regarding improvements at camps, probably only of interest to camp managers. These things could be removed before posting the reviews, if you like.

We'd like to thank the Expert Africa team, and Maruska in particular, for arranging this very special trip for us." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"Overall this was a great trip.

Kgalagadi is a magical park which generates a feeling of camaraderie among the visitors. Drivers still wave to each other like they are sharing some closely guarded secret. It would be possible to spend two weeks there, with at least three days at each camp. This would make the trip more relaxed and give more time to appreciate each area. Put in the hours in this park and you will get some fantastic sightings. There's no elephant, buffalo or rhino but it's great for birds, predators and the smaller critters. Tiny creatures can get in the chalets, although gratefully for us these were mainly the friendly, cuter end of the spectrum. Shouldn't bother most but might not be for everyone.

If you can book into a Kgalagadi widerness camp you can leave the modern world behind. Forget smartphones and the internet, at present there is no network coverage, apart from in Twee Rivieren.

If possible hire a 4x4. You don't have to but it will enhance the trip enormously. The road can be rough and the elevated driving position is great for spotting. If you can, get a double cab so you can easily stow your drinks, cool box, camera etc. For photography it's doubtful you can can beat Kgalagadi and Etosha.

The weather in late May to early June was fantastic for us, warm in the day and cool at night. It getting dry at this time of year so the waterholes in both parks are populated with small and large herds of animals. In Etosha the numbers seem astounding at times.

The timing was tricky and when our heathrow flight was delayed we could easily have missed our connection from Joburg to Upington. Luckily we traveled with hand luggage only and made it with a half hour to spare. Likewise, you probably need to stop over in Upington as we did, especially if you need to stock up before heading to Kgalagadi.

No fault of Expert Africa but it may have included just a bit too much driving. It was our choice to include Kgalagadi and Etosha. Not particularly the driving in the parks but between the two. However, this is a balancing act between time and resources and we don't regret it all." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"It exceeded our expectations for just about everything.

For your adventurist guest, when staying in Victoria falls, take a rafting trip on the Zambezi river and don't forget to do the Gorge swing if you don't have a heart condition! Botswana may be more expensive that other African countries for you Safari, but if you are concerned about the well being of the local people, we have been told that your money actually goes to free health care and education for their people. The Zero tolerance for poaching by the government appears to be working.

Its a very special place and without recommendations from Maruska Adye of Expert Africa, we would have never known what we were missing.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

You need to update the info on laundry. There is no limits on what they wash. Shinde, Okuti and Muchenjie all provided flash lights and had plenty of medical supplies. No need to supplement this when trying to keep baggage to a minimum. Trip itinerary was flawless. All of the connections to and from camps, while "open" went off like clock work.

Thanks Again Maruska!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari