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South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa
South Africa

Cape Town, a most spectacular city

... something more to learn about wine

Whale watching from shore in Hermanus

Little Karoo, a diverse self-drive destination

... whale watching along the Garden Route

70km of shoreline along the De Hoop reserve

Hike in the Augrabies Falls National Park

Admire the scenery of the Little Karoo

Kwandwe, for families with budding wildlife enthusiasts

Bask under Lion's Head at Camp's Bay

... seals pop up to say hello all along the coast

The Waterfront, bustling shops and restaurants

South Africa

South Africa: reviews from our travellers

Unedited reviews written by our most recent travellers to South Africa

Showing 61-70 of 484
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs L
Surrey

"Nov 2021 trip"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 22 Nov 2021 and 2 Dec 2021
"Botswana was as amazing as we had imagined...in this ongoing pandemic it was like coming alive again.

Our return to 11 nights in a UK quarantine hotel somewhat detracted from the overall experience but this was no reflection on Botswana or ExpertAfrica.

Maruska's knowledge and patience in planning an itinerary that we would enjoy was invaluable. But her assistance in dealing with the difficulties presented by the Omicron variant, reorganising plans for our return and reassuring our family, was truly appreciated and demonstrated her care and concern.

Many thanks!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr A
St Albans

"My Oct 2021 trip"

I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 30 Oct 2021 and 14 Nov 2021
"A really excellent trip. We had a fantastic time. We were very lucky to be in an early wave of visitors following the removal of Botswana and S Africa from the UK's red list about a month ago. There were very few other tourists there - which made the trip an even bigger "treat".

The stand out thing about safari on a fly-in/out to a private concession (vs fly drive which we have done previously) is that the guides and trackers are dedicated to finding the best vantage point for viewing game and will go off road to do so. We had some amazing sightings which we simply would not have seen if we had been driving ourselves.

The S African leg of the trip was very different from that in the Botswanan bush but still very enjoyable. The strength of the Rand vs GBP made eating out very affordable." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr P
New Jersey

"My Sep 2021 trip"

I visited Namibia and 1 other country between 28 Sep 2021 and 18 Oct 2021
"It was remarkably better than I had even hoped. A trip we won't soon forget.

The Covid-19 restrictions were unpleasant but once we departed Airworld we were fine.

My one concern is the cost, which makes this hard to recommend to most of my relatives though I have friends who could afford it." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs P
Toronto

"Outstanding trip"

I visited South Africa and 1 other country between 11 Sep 2021 and 3 Oct 2021
"Book as soon as possible to visit Botswana this year.

We were very torn about going or delaying our trip because of Covid but in the end there were so many Covid-related perks that we are so thrilled that we went ahead.

Most important, for people who enjoy privacy, each group had their own landrover and guide. It was special to just have my husband and myself on all of the game drives. Similarly for meals one has one's own table, although one can enjoy other guests around the fire for drinks in the evening and can also request a table with others.

We can't thank Tracy enough for being so patient as we went back and forth, but also encouraging us to go. She was outstanding in every way.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

There is no way that Tracy could improve her service as it is outstanding. Thank you Tracy." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 7 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Ms C.
São Paulo

"My Aug 2021 trip"

I visited South Africa between 25 Aug 2021 and 8 Sep 2021
"My trip to South Africa went beyond any expectations, I really loved the country and is definitely a place I would go back.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I would recommend people to go to Johannesburg first and then end the trip in Cape Town, first because of the history, the scenario and because we buy more things in Cape Town/Franschhoek, so we don't have to carry them along to the other cities.

Other than that, the service is great and I have nothing to complain." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 3 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
T T
Boise

"Once in a life time experience!"

I visited Zimbabwe and 1 other country between 21 Jul 2021 and 5 Aug 2021
"My biggest fear of going on safari was not acquiring COVID but having testing for one or all of our 5 party members significantly impacting the trip.

I put my faith in Expert Africa, and everything went seamlessly. From pick up and testing at JNB airport for our initial tests for Zimbabwe to all the planes and vehicles along the way, there were conscientious staff on time waiting to assist us.

While it was a leap of faith, we were rewarded with camps with few other travelers giving us undivided attention and spectacular game viewing.


Here a few things I felt were important in making my trip such a success so that you might consider duplicating them for future clients.

First, I feel the order of the camps is crucial. Somalisa Acacia in Hwange national park was a good place to start. The camp itself is luxurious and beautiful, and the game viewing is very good. If guests can request a guide, I highly recommend Calvit. He made the experience. This camp, however, is about 10° colder than the others. I think going from cold to warm is much easier to adapt to than the other way around.

Steve Edward’s camp at Lake Kariba is significantly different than the other two camps. It is largely water-based which offers a different experience from typical game drives. I think it was a nice way to break up the land based parks. While I felt the game viewing wasn’t as good as the other two locations, the ability to go to the fishing village and see how a large portion of Zimbabwe lives was the most interesting thing I experienced on the trip. An opportunity not to be missed by any of your clients. Also fishing was tremendously fun for my boys.

Finally, I cannot praise the final camp at Mana Pools enough. Its location along the Zambezi river with an expansive view and extraordinary game was by far the highlight of the trip. No camp will surpass it and by having it last, the vacation ends with a crescendo. Also, we found Mash to be an excellent guide again to be recommended if possible.

The Armadale Lodge was very pleasant with large private grounds if a day in Harare is required. My wish is that others may have our experience.

Once in a life time experience!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Excellent
R & C
England

"My Feb 2020 trip"

I visited South Africa between 29 Feb 2020 and 11 Mar 2020
"Excellent trip! To be honest, I can't recall an Expert Africa trip that wasn't, but this was right up there.

Both Lucy and your properties worked brilliantly with respect to Making it easy for Sheila's limited mobility. I think every property managed to put give us the closest room/suite/villa to keep distance down, and Sanbona allocated the front passenger suite in the land cruiser to Sheila.

Great combination of properties locations scenery etc. By the way, Bontebok Reserve was worth the visit - not lots of animals, but lived up to its bontebok moniker with plenty of good views of them.

I know Sanbona isn't one of your regular properties. So here's my perspective (having visited a wide range in the past - Addo, Kariega, Etosha, Selous etc).
Ok, so it doesn't compete with these for scale.
The scenery was great, if you like your geology on the surface (I do).
Limited numbers of antelope visible - a few kudu and not much else.
Great views of the big beasts (elephants, rhino, giraffe - and the white lions are truly special).
The guide was very good, and I think did a great job with a group of people who were only there overnight and therefore a focus on seeing the big ones. I'm sure we would have seen more of the smaller animals if we'd been there longer. We also didn't have time to spend around the dam and lake, so there would be plenty to see over a longer stay.
It's very dry, and unsurprisingly it's some time since they've operated boat trips (still showing on their publicity) - not a problem but worth noting in case someone's heart was set on it.
The accommodation/suite was fabulous. I imagine the Dwyka Tentedd camp would be similarly amazing.

So, pretty much as we'd discussed with Lucy, if you'd more time and the inclination to head to the Eastern Cape, the Addo / Kariega option is the better bet. But if not, Sanbona is definitely worth one or two nights for anyone interested in a safari (and even for those who've visited much bigger safari areas).

Ok I think that's about it for feedback - other than a huge thank you to Lucy and everyone's go contributed for putting together a great trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nah, it's brilliant.

I hope the current virus problems don't impact you and your partners/properties too severely, and indeed you all keep safe." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 8 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr A
Oxfordshire

"My Feb 2020 trip"

I visited South Africa between 14 Feb 2020 and 28 Feb 2020
"Another great trip organised by Expert africa" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 2 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
Bucks

"Summary of our trip"

I visited South Africa between 26 Jan 2020 and 15 Feb 2020
"Claire put together an excellent itinerary with a nice selection of accommodation none of which was large impersonal corporate hotels. The whole trip worked well and in particular driving directions were spot on which was very helpful given the distances we covered. We did use a friend's map of the Garden Route as the directions were missing details of actual distances - this might be helpful for future clients. We used 'MapStudio Garden Route & Route 62' a lot of the time.

Our only hairy moment was taking the car back to the airport (which we had avoided on arrival by having car delivered to hotel) and this was slightly stressful as we had to return the car with a full tank but the BP garage was located on an obscure location on the other side of the car rental return area. It was chaotic at the BP station as everyone was filling up before returning their cars. That said the check in at Bidvest was very good and straightforward.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Although the holiday was expensive it was worth it and we couldn't have put it together without Claire's assistance." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 18 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr&Mrs H
Winchester

"South African Honeymoon 2020"

I visited South Africa between 11 Jan 2020 and 25 Jan 2020
"We had a wonderful honeymoon in South Africa.

It was a perfect combination of sightseeing in Cape Town, wine drinking in Franschhoek, relaxing in Plettenberg Bay and game viewing at Kwandwe. It was a great experience of a beautiful country and we hope to go back sometime." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a South Africa trip
Overall trip
Excellent
Showing 61-70 of 484
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484 reviews of South Africa by travellers since August 2007
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