Travel reviews by Dr B from Canada

"I have recommended Expert Africa and Tracy Lederer several times to travellers I met on this trip. The first part in Namibia at the Namib-Naukluft Park was even more rewarding than I expected. It was very hot, however, I had 6 clear nights and took advantage of them to do my astrophotography with some excellent results. Being allowed to enter the main park early at 4.30am was a huge bonus. After that I was a little sleep deprived, but it was worth it Both Sossus Dune Lodge and Sossusvlei Desert Lodge were excellent.

The two "cat" related lodges Okonjima Bush Camp and Cheetah View Lodge were interesting and worth visiting. I spent 6 days at Cheetah View Lodge, 3 days at both lodges would have been sufficient.

Olive Grove Guesthouse and Ilala Lodge were repeat visits and I enjoyed both.

The disappointment of the tour was the Pangolin Photo Tour. It should have been excellent but the combination of an inexperienced Photo Host and poor drivers at the Ker and Downey camps was not effective. I would recommend the Chobe River as a wildlife photography site, however, I would be less enthusiastic about Pangolin Tour Company unless you were assured of an experienced photo host. The two Ker and Downey camps were OK, however, I've stayed in better camps in the Moremi and Kalahari areas."

Feedback response

The Pangolin Photo Tour was suggested by this travellers for their trip as it specialises in photography, which was a main focus for this safari. Expert Africa have not used them previously but were happy to book them for this traveller as it seemed to suit their requirements for this trip. We are sorry to hear that it didn't work well for this traveller, and we have noted the comments about it's suitability for further enquirers.

"This trip was a long time coming. I have been on safari several times and once before to Botswana My companions were newbie safari goers so it was really interesting seeing how they responded to the different locations and wildlife.

From the beginning in Windhoek to end at Stanley's camp our trip exceeded expectation. The only hiccup was in Swakopmund due to the weather and a health issue that was efficiently dealt with at a local Medical Clinic. Neither of these were in any way related to the organization of the trip by Tracy our brilliant Expert Africa organizational wizard.

The highlights of the Namibian section of the trip were Andersson's camp in the Ongava Reserve beside Etosha National Park. It was a true privilege to be so close to wild White Rhino. All three of us are keen photographers so the hide beside the watering hole was fantastic for capturing closeups of the visiting wildlife, including numerous birds. The second was Sesriem and the visit to Sossusvlei in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. We stayed at the Hoodia camp, outside the gates to the park which meant we were unable to see the sunrise at the dunes, however watching the changing light on the dunes as the sun rose was still a fantastic experience. This location was also one of the best for astrophotography - no light pollution, no airplane light trails and clear Milky Way shots over the surrounding mountains.

Next was Victoria Falls, we experienced two evenings of torrential rain and thunderstorms, which was very unusual. We still took some great shots of rainbows in the mist of the Falls and went on an early morning river cruise - a fantastic experience. When visiting the falls make sure you have good rain gear (you can hire some from the local pedlars at the gates to the Falls) you will get soaked when the Falls are in full flood - we had 90% capacity and the viewing points above #8 were like being in a shower.

Botswana was all about wildlife and lived up to it's reputation we saw all of the big 5 several times and had fantastic sightings of leopard and at Stanley's watched a pride of lions prepare for an impala hunt. We missed the event as we had to leave for the airstrip - it's impossible to predict what wildlife will do but it was a great way to end our last day on safari.

In the circumstances of this trip I think Tracy did a brilliant job of juggling bookings that had initially been made in 2019 to work in 2022. The only glitches we had were due to the companies Expert Africa work with and most probably due to the speed with which travel ramped back up after the pandemic."

"This was one of the best holidays I have ever taken, I thank Chloe for the choice of the camps and the itinerary worked brilliantly. i really enjoyed visiting the different types of camp and seeing (if only briefly) the different areas of Botswana. I know I will be back.

Even though I gave some negative comments, I truly believe if Vumbura renews the furnishings and improves their maintenance it will be a Premium camp. The location and wildlife were some of the best on the trip, also the managers were really trying to do their best in a changing situation in the midst of construction.

I don't intend to let the attitude of the managers at the Savute Safari Lodge affect my enjoyment and memories of the time I spent there, I met some interesting and friendly guests at the lodge and saw great wildlife and the third guide OB was one of the better guides of the trip. Travelling as a single person has it's challenges and I know that, it was the unexpected contrast with how I had been treated at the other camps that made it such an unpleasant surprise.

All in all it was a great experience and I would repeat it tomorrow if I had the chance!"