Travel reviews by Dr and Mrs B - Hertfordshire

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Luangwa in the Emerald Season

On this trip, I visited Zambia between 16-Feb-2012 and 25-Feb-2012 and I travelled with 1 other person.

Great short trip at a very different time of the year to the main tourist season. The stark contrast between the brown of the dry season, and the lush greens of this time of year was most striking. It was alike a completely different place. The light was clear - little dust in the air - great for photographs. The weather was a little variable - first few days were overcast with occasional light rain and one very rainy day. The second part of the trip brought bright sunshine every day.

Watching an already high Luangwa River rise by around 2 metres in a day and a half was quite memorable. Plenty to see - lots of the larger animals and birds around, all looking very healthy. The big cats were inevitably more elusive although we had a great leopard sighting on our way in, and a couple of lion sightings while we were there. Best of all, though, it was like having our own private safari - we were the only guests in each camp, and the staff were all very welcoming and accommodating of our requests and interests. It also meant we could spend as little or as much time as we wanted on each sighting without worrying about the needs and interests of other guests.

If you've been on safari a few times in the dry season, we'd most definitely recommend visiting at this time of year.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None we can think of. We keep recommending you to others, so that's certainly an endorsement!

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Luangwa River Camp, Zambia 16-Feb-2012 review: Luangwa River Camp review	Excellent
Nsefu, Zambia 18-Feb-2012 review: Nsefu review	Excellent
Nkwali, Zambia 21-Feb-2012 review: Nkwali review	Excellent
Eight Reedbuck Hotel, Zambia 24-Feb-2012 review: Eight Reedbuck Hotel review	Good

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South & North Luangwa, Zambia

On this trip, I visited Zambia between 15-Sep-2011 and 1-Oct-2011 and I travelled with 1 other person.

Outstanding trip. We thought our last visit to Zambia couldn't be bettered, but it has been. All the camps were excellent - no negative comments or suggestions for improvement. The African bush remains as alluring as ever.

Unfortunately for our bank balance we'll be back - please wait for the call!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We really can't think of any. This is our fourth trip organised through Expert Africa, and every one has exceeded expectations. We've also recommended you to others, and they've also experienced outstanding service.

Keep it up!

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Mwamba Bushcamp, Zambia 15-Sep-2011 review: Mwamba Bushcamp review	Excellent
Kaingo Camp, Zambia 19-Sep-2011 review: Kaingo Camp review	Excellent
Tafika, Zambia 22-Sep-2011 review: Tafika review	Excellent
Mwaleshi Camp, Zambia 25-Sep-2011 review: Mwaleshi Camp review	Excellent
Nkwali, Zambia 28-Sep-2011 review: Nkwali review	Excellent
Pioneer Camp, Zambia 30-Sep-2011 review: Pioneer Camp review	Good

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Overall comments on our Zambian trip

On this trip, I visited Zambia between 3-Oct-2009 and 15-Oct-2009 and I travelled with 1 other person.

Unbelievable! This trip exceeded our expectations by a long way, and we can't wait to go back.

One tiny comment: As a keen photographer making maximum use of the "sweet" light a couple of hours after sunrise, and an hour or two before sunset, is crucial to getting good photos. If there was any way in which the guides could be given basic training in this, and how to best position the vehicle for the best light angle, this would make a difference between an "excellent" and a "superb" drive.

For us, it's not so much seeing the big cats on every drive, but the opportunity to take those "once in a lifetime" photos, even if it is"just" a family of baboons doing what baboons do but in the superb early morning or late afternoon light. Some guides were superb at this - both Patrick and Freya at Kaingo and Mwamba, for example, and Alex and Bryan at Tafika, and all guides were more than willing to try to get the best position when requetsed.

We didn't quite feel that the guide at Sausage Tree had the same intrinsic sensitivity, although this is a minor comment on a truly expert and experienced guide. We appreciate it can be difficult when there are several couples on the same vehicle, and compromises may need to be made to meet the objectives and expectations of everybody involved. This feedback is given in a psotive spirit with the objective of making a superb experience even better.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nothing specific. Everything was extremely well organised and went superbly smoothly. Claire was incredibly helpful in arranging our preferences, with excellent communications all round.

I stayed at and have reviewed:

Place	Overall rating
Kaingo Camp, Zambia 3-Oct-2009 review: Kaingo Camp	Excellent
Mwamba Bushcamp, Zambia 6-Oct-2009 review: Mwamba Bush Camp	Excellent
Tafika, Zambia 9-Oct-2009 review: Tafika	Excellent
Sausage Tree Camp, Zambia 12-Oct-2009 review: Sausage Tree	Excellent