Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B from Buckinghamshire
Return to the Land of Contrasts
On this trip, I visited Namibia between 26-Aug-2012 and 13-Sep-2012 and I travelled with 1 other person.
Excellent
This trip was designed to blend new places with old friends and it worked very well. We certainly enjoyed our return trip and it was interesting going back to some of the places we visited last time to see how they had developed.
Etosha turned out not to be as busy as expected and many times we had the pleasure of viewing waterholes alone. With one exception the camps we stayed in did not disappoint and the gravel driving was a feature of the trip not something to be feared. It took us through some of the most outstanding landscapes and to the most beautiful places.
I stayed at and have reviewed:
| Place | Overall rating |
|---|---|
| Erongo Wilderness Lodge, Namibia 27-Aug-2012 review: The Beauty of Erongo |
Excellent |
| Doro Nawas, Namibia 29-Aug-2012 review: Looking for Oscar |
Good |
| Dolomite Camp, Namibia 31-Aug-2012 review: The newest camp in the park |
Excellent |
| Okaukuejo Camp, Namibia 3-Sep-2012 review: Okaukuejo lives up expectations |
Excellent |
| Halali Camp, Namibia 5-Sep-2012 review: Wildlife at Halali |
Excellent |
| Mushara Bush Camp, Namibia 7-Sep-2012 review: Mushara Excellence |
Excellent |
| Okonjima Main Camp, Namibia 10-Sep-2012 review: The home of Africat |
Excellent |
A safari with a difference
On this trip, I visited Zambia between 25-Jul-2010 and 7-Aug-2010 and I travelled with 1 other person.
Excellent
Both South Lauangwa and Lower Zambezi are stunningly beautiful. The camps we visited gave us a nice mix of locations and options for game viewing. We especially loved the after dark activity and got some of our best sightings in the eveining including Aardvark and African wild cat.
I have more mixed feelings about the bush walks. For photographic reasons and the video I take, I do like to get as close as possible to the animals. Bush walking is about a different experience and is very enjoyable but will not get you close to the animals. When time is limited it takes careful planning to get a comfortable balance and that is not always available. For example In small bush camps they may not have the resources to meet all expectations so you can find yourself doing a bush walk even when you may have wanted to go on a drive. Whilst the quantity of wildlife may not be as prolific as that say in Kenya the big advantage that Zambia has over the Masi Mara for example is that you are unlikely to have to fight for a sighting with lots of other trucks. There is plenty of space.
Personally it was not so much the quality of guiding that stood out, though it is excellent, but the warmth of the Zambian people. All the staff we met loved what they do and will always go the extra mile to make it special for you. Treat them with respect and they will respect you.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
This was our third trip with Expert Africa. Given the turbulence in the travel arrangements due to the BA strikes I cannot speak highly enough of the way in which Claire picked up ( when Anna left) our holiday booking and very efficiently finalised the arraangements.
The whole holiday worked smoothly and was a real pleasure from start to finish.
I stayed at and have reviewed:
| Place | Overall rating |
|---|---|
| Kaingo Camp, Zambia 26-Jul-2010 review: Hippo Heaven |
Good |
| Kuyenda Bushcamp, Zambia 30-Jul-2010 review: High standards and attention to detail |
Excellent |
| Old Mondoro Bushcamp, Zambia 2-Aug-2010 review: Wildlife at your door step |
Excellent |
| Chongwe River Camp, Zambia 4-Aug-2010 review: A camp of two halves |
Good |
My Aug 2008 trip
On this trip, I visited Botswana & Zambia between 14-Aug-2008 and 26-Aug-2008 and I travelled with 1 other person.
Excellent
In fact I would go higher than this if the choices allowed and say that it was truely memorable. The key factors were:
1. The initial conversation with Chris and and Anna to help make our choices.
2. The Expert Africa web site is just brilliant at providing information for making informed choices.
3. The way that Anna coomunicated with us and when necessary made changes to accommodate our preferences.
4. The Lodges did just what it says on the tin.
5. The wildlife was beyond our expectations
6. The Delta and Chobe are a good combination
If I could improve on this the only thing I would need is a trip that geared to the needs of a video enthusiast. Guides that don't talk too much and fellow tourists that can avoide asking questions or chating when I am filming. Not many tourists take video so don't understand how much a microphone can pick up. The only answer is to have a truck to yourslef but at $500 a day at Duba is a bit too much on top of the trip cost.
This was our second trip organised with Expert Africa. My comments above reflect the high satisfaction we have with both the individuals and the company. This was also reflected by others whom we met on this trip who had booked with Expert Africa. We particualrly appreciate the care in making selections geared to what we like doing. The two way communication feels more like a partnership than a traditional customer relationship. You have proved that this standard can be maintained so we would have no hesitation in both coming to you again and recommending others to save themselves a lot of trouble and use Expert Africa.
I stayed at and have reviewed:
| Place | Overall rating |
|---|---|
| Royal Livingstone Hotel, Zambia 15-Aug-2008 review: Royal Livingstone Hotel review |
Excellent |
| Muchenje Safari Lodge, Botswana 17-Aug-2008 review: Muchenje Safari Lodge review |
Excellent |
| Linyanti Bush Camp and Linyanti Ebony , Botswana 20-Aug-2008 review: Linyanti Bush Camp review |
Excellent |
| Duba Plains Camp, Botswana 22-Aug-2008 review: Duba Plains review |
Excellent |
| Pom Pom Camp, Botswana 25-Aug-2008 review: Pom Pom review |
Excellent |
A wonderful holiday in a superb country
On this trip, I visited Namibia between 27-Jul-2007 and 17-Aug-2007 and I travelled with 1 other person.
Excellent
The service form expert africa has been excellent and Sabina has been a mine of help and information to us. She has done everything we asked for and kept us in touch every step of the way. I have already recommended you to other friends and would use you again without hestitation.
Your brochure itself is worth having just to look at and gives an accurate and enticing description of what we have seen.
There is really only one thing I would have changed and that was the car. Technically you are right to say that it is manageable in a 2wd car. It would however have been so much more comfortable in a 4wd. We had no punctures and no breakdowns but the bumping and shaking on the rougher gravel roads was testing if only worying about shaking the car to bits.
As for Namibia it lived up to and exceeded all our expectations. Neither of us wanted to come bcak to England the holiday was that good. The scenery is so varied and the people so friendly that I would go back any time. Like many we have hundreds of photographs and hours of video so that I can make my own DVD to remind us of a fabulous time.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
