Travel reviews by Mr N & Ms S from London

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Breaking new ground

On this trip, I visited Kenya between 16-Feb-2013 and 22-Feb-2013 and I travelled with 1 other person.

By way of background, the Kenya leg of this trip to Africa, was something of an add-on. The main purpose of the trip was a week in the Central African Republic; but, on discovering that the best way to get to CAR from London was via Nairobi, we decided to have a week in Kenya en route, mainly for vacation but also because we both had some non-vacation interests to pursue there which we could usefully incorporate.

Fortuitously, this decision coincided with EA's expansion into Kenya; so, at pretty short notice, we put ourselves in EA's hands again (for the twelfth time since 2006). Guided by new team member and Kenya expert Richard Trillo - aided by Ellie Dunkels who has arranged trips for us in the past - we went through a number of options before settling on Leleshwa as both convenient for our non-vacation elements and consistent with our vacation priorities and preferences. As our separate crits make clear, it was an excellent choice, not only in its own right but also as our introduction to safari in Kenya, a country which we are sure we will be exploring further in the not too distant future.

Indeed, overall - and worth underlining as we were, we believe, EA's first ever clients to Kenya - the whole trip was well up to the very high standards we know Chris McIntyre and the team set for themselves.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Loita Hills Mobile 16-Feb-2013 review: A walk on the wild side	Excellent
Leleshwa, Kenya 18-Feb-2013 review: The Mara without the 'madding crowd'	Excellent
Sankara 20-Feb-2013 review: Convenient and comfortable	Excellent

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Our eleventh Expert Africa experience

On this trip, I visited Zambia & Zimbabwe between 28-Dec-2012 and 12-Jan-2013 and I travelled with 1 other person.

This, our eleventh, trip with Expert Africa was arranged at very short notice. As always EA in general and, in thjis instance, Claire Scott in particular, pulled out all the stops to find an itinerary which worked for us and we were delighted with the results.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We are very impressed by the outcome of the upgrading of the website. And we welcome the addition to the EA portfolio of Kenya, which we are currently actively investigating with an eye to our twelfth EA-arranged trip.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Camp Hwange, Zimbabwe 29-Dec-2012 review: Very happy new year!	Excellent
Amalinda, Zimbabwe 2-Jan-2013 review: A broad and rewarding experience	Excellent
Zambezi Sun, Zambia 7-Jan-2013 review: Our third stay in less than a year!	Excellent
Eight Reedbuck Hotel, Zambia 10-Jan-2013 review: Our third stay in less than a year!	Excellent

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Our 10th trip with Expert Africa!

On this trip, I visited Zambia & Zimbabwe between 20-Sep-2012 and 4-Oct-2012 and I travelled with 1 other person.

The fact that we have now made ten trips with EA since 2006 speaks for itself - and this one was right up there with the best. We continue to have no hesitation recommending Chris and his team to others.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Kanga Bush Camp, Zimbabwe 20-Sep-2012 review: A treasure trove in Mana Pools	Excellent
Vundu Camp, Zimbabwe 24-Sep-2012 review: A wonderful river location	Excellent
Pioneer Camp, Zambia 28-Sep-2012 review: Convenient and comfortable	Good
Zambezi Sun, Zambia 29-Sep-2012 review: Our preferred Livingstone accommodation!	Excellent
Eight Reedbuck Hotel, Zambia 1-Oct-2012 review: A great place to stay in Lusaka	Excellent

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A well balanced trip

On this trip, I visited Zambia between 24-May-2012 and 7-Jun-2012 and I travelled with 1 other person.

Our fourth visit to Zambia in less than three years was built partly around 'pure' vacation and partly around one or two other interests we wanted to follow. We were able to pursue satisfactorily our non-vacation objectives and have a most enjoyable break in the process, not least thanks to the - as always first rate - advice we gleaned from Expert Africa while we were planning this, our ninth, trip with the firm.

On the vacation element, we thought that we got the balance right between the more conventional South Luangwa leg and the more exotic Bangweulu/Kasanka leg.

Overall, we are very satisfied

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

On the website, the recent evolution (on which work is ongoing) is rapidly pushing it towards the 'very good' category.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Zambezi Sun, Zambia 24-May-2012 review: A good base in Livingstone	Good
Shoebill Island Camp, Zambia 27-May-2012 review: Remarkable wetlands, remarkable wildlife	Good
Wasa Lodge, Zambia 29-May-2012 review: Sitatunga Central!	Good
Tafika, Zambia 1-Jun-2012 review: A happy return to Tafika	Excellent
Eight Reedbuck Hotel, Zambia 5-Jun-2012 review: A good base in Lusaka	Good

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Another great trip with Expert Africa

On this trip, I visited Botswana between 6-Jan-2012 and 22-Jan-2012 and I travelled with 1 other person.

This was a great trip, our eighth with Expert Africa since 2006, which entirely met our expectations and requirements.

Megan (and Lucy before her) did a great job on getting quite a complex itinerary to work. Thanks to all the team.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Motswiri Camp, Botswana 7-Jan-2012 review: A walkers' and riders' paradise	Excellent
Nxai Pan Camp, Botswana 11-Jan-2012 review: A less known but no less impressive migration	Excellent
Rileys Hotel, Botswana 15-Jan-2012 review: The place to stay in Maun	Good
Gaborone Sun 17-Jan-2012 review: Good business hotel	Excellent
Own arrangement 19-Jan-2012 review: A good business hotel in Jo'burg	Excellent

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A well-balanced itinerary

On this trip, I visited Tanzania between 30-Aug-2011 and 15-Sep-2011 and I travelled with 1 other person.

This was, perhaps, the most tricky of our seven (to date) trips with Expert Africa in that for the first eight days we were travelling with family who hadn't been to Africa before and we therefore needed to accommodate "first time" expectations while, within the same trip, looking to cater for our own somewhat different objectives.

Expert Africa was able to come up with a 15-day programme which fully met these two sets of objectives.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Oliver's Camp, Tanzania 31-Aug-2011 review: More elephants than impalas	Good
Olakira Mara - Ndutu Camp, Tanzania 4-Sep-2011 review: All the big five and much more	Good
Chada Camp, Tanzania 8-Sep-2011 review: Well worth the journey	Excellent
Greystoke Camp, Tanzania 12-Sep-2011 review: Not just about chimps	Good

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My Dec 2010 trip

On this trip, I visited Zambia & Zimbabwe between 26-Dec-2010 and 10-Jan-2011 and I travelled with 1 other person.

We booked this trip (unusually for us) at very short notice but EA was able to come up with an itinerary which totally matched our parameters and which worked out extremely well (including the potentially tricky issue of crossing the Zam/Zim border twi ce with different carriers on each side). We were very happy with the whole experience

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

As mentioned in feedback from previous trips we do think the website could be usefully updated more frequently. But we would congratulate you on the 2011 brochure which is a step up from the still very good 20010 version.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Zambezi Sun, Zambia 27-Dec-2010 review: Fun by the Falls	Good
Somalisa Camp, Zimbabwe 30-Dec-2010 review: Super Somalisa	Excellent
Ilala Lodge, Zimbabwe 4-Jan-2011 review: Idyllic Ilala	Excellent
Taj Pamodzi Hotel, Zambia 9-Jan-2011 review: A convenient overnighter	Good

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Our Fifth Year With Expert Africa

On this trip, I visited Zambia between 22-Sep-2010 and 8-Oct-2010 and I travelled with 1 other person.

We had a great holiday.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Chikoko Tree Camp, Zambia 23-Sep-2010 review: Wonderful for Walkers	Excellent
Tafika, Zambia 26-Sep-2010 review: Microlight Highlight	Excellent
Chiawa Camp, Zambia 30-Sep-2010 review: Wonderful Warblers	Good

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A First Class Foray

On this trip, I visited Botswana & Zambia between 8-Dec-2009 and 22-Dec-2009 and I travelled with 1 other person.

This vacation – our fourth in four years with Expert Africa – was definitely the best we have done so far. We achieved in full our two main objectives, ie seeing Africa green from the rains (including a storm in the Kalahari while we were there); and focusing primarily on birds (with copious help from our expert guides, nearly 200 species identified over 12 days including some real rarities). Furthermore, we managed to see more species of mammals than we have on any of our previous three trips despite the more abundant vegetation and the national park restrictions in the Kalahari; and, of course, we had the pleasure of the Victoria Falls.

The high bird count was in part a reflection of the season. But we also felt that we benefitted in that respect – and similarly with mammals – from staying in four very different terroirs during our trip, ie the “mighty Zambezi” just above Vic Falls, Linyanti, the Delta and the Kalahari. And, needless to say, we would not have been anything like as successful without expert guides in all four camps in which we stayed.

Given the amount of moving around we did – more than usual, especially when one includes the day-trip into Zimbabwe – we should also note that the logistics worked throughout with commendable smoothness thanks to a combination of your planning and extremely competent and pleasant people looking after us locally.

In sum, this was a great trip.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Sindabezi, Zambia 9-Dec-2009 review: Romancing by the river	Good
Lebala Camp, Botswana 11-Dec-2009 review: Lush Linyanti	Good
Xaranna Okavango Delta Lodge, Botswana 14-Dec-2009 review: The Delights of the Delta	Good
Tau Pan Camp, Botswana 17-Dec-2009 review: Aficionados' Africa	Good

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An excellent programme

On this trip, I visited Botswana between 13-Sep-2008 and 27-Sep-2008 and I travelled with 1 other person.

For the third year in a row, Expert Africa put together an excellent safari for us (previously we went under their guidance to Tanzania and to Namibia). We have nothing but praise for the genuine expertise the firm brings to the table and they have consistently matched our requirements and exceeded our expectations.

We really enjoyed our whole Botswana experience.

Suggestions for improvement:

None at present, thank you.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Mapula Lodge, Botswana 14-Sep-2008 review: Mapula - A Great Addition by Expert Africa	Excellent
Kwara Camp, Botswana 18-Sep-2008 review: Kwara - Wide ranging Activities	Excellent
Lebala Camp, Botswana 22-Sep-2008 review: Lebala - Real comfort and great animals	Good

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My Oct 2007 trip

On this trip, I visited Namibia between 3-Oct-2007 and 14-Oct-2007 and I travelled with 1 other person.

We were very pleased with the level of service we received from Expert Africa, especially when we had to change our itinerary late in the day on which Sabina worked extensively and imaginatively to come up with a solution where we might otherwise have had to cancel the entire trip. We cannot praise Sabina too highly.

We were glad we limited our travel. We met many people who were spending a night here and a night there trying to see the majority of the country in a couple of weeks - several of whom were attracted by our more limited programme. From our perspective, we'd reckon we got far better value out of the vacation by focusing on one particular corner of Namibia's vastness.

Bottom line: this was a great trip - not least as we saw 32 different mammal species including many we did not see in Tanzania last year - and we will be coming back to Expert Africa shortly to explore options for Botswana next year and hopefully (now Clare's seen rhinos) satisfy Alastair's 26 year quest to see wild dogs!

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Waterberg Plateau Lodge 4-Oct-2007 review: Calm, views and rhinos - ideal short stay	Good
Ongava Tented Camp, Namibia 6-Oct-2007 review: A great centre-piece to a fab vacation	Excellent
Halali Camp, Namibia 10-Oct-2007 review: Sound accommodation, great waterhole	Good
Okaukuejo Camp, Namibia 12-Oct-2007 review: Fine facilities, first clas waterhole	Excellent