Travel reviews by The H Family from Swanmore

"Thank you Expert Africa, for arranging , at very short notice, a superbly organised trip for us to accommodate visiting my daughter at Mpongwe in the north of Zambia, travelling back to both sides of the Zambesi river at Livingstone the Victoria Falls followed by a week in the most amazing mobile walking safari in the Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe. Following a short stay at my daughter's hospital in Mpongwe we travelled by taxi and bus, via Lusaka, to Sindabezi and Tongabezi lodges. The only hitch was at the Lusaka bus station when the local mafia tried to arrest one on our party for loitering when he went off for a quiet cigarette!!. Otherwise the bus station was easy to find and felt safe to wait in whilst we waited for the family bus to Livingstone.

I can fully recommend the Sindabezi and Tongabezi lodges; they are safari luxury personified. The food, service and accommodation were fabulous and offered us a wonderful rest with a touch of excitement, hippos and elephants in camp at night, along with an opportunity to canoe down the Zambezi ( avoiding hippos, crocs and whirlpools! ). The inclusive trips on the river in early morning & at sundown were especially appreciated as were the bubble baths under the stars.

The Victoria Falls are something to behold, despite it being the dry season they were magnificent ( but best from the Zimbabwean side). The Ilana Hotel in Zimbabwe is colonial style and could not be faulted and we were impressed that there was very little harassment in the town. Interestingly we went and had lunch at the Victoria Falls Hotel for the view and experience and the food was terrible. Mama Africa, in the middle of town, offered a good n alternative to hotel meals with traditional entertainment and food with Kudu stew etc.

At no point did we have any problems with transfers, border crossings or security and meeting up with the various party members at different points of the holiday worked perfectly. We had been concerned that there could have been problems with holidaying in Zimbabwe, but we were met with a universal friendliness and optimism.

The mobile walking safari organised and hosted by Kazuma Trails was tremendous. We had the right mix of freedom, excitement and comfort with fabulous opportunities to view Hwange National Park with all its occupants. Andrew, our guide, expertly introduced us to huge numbers of animals and birds and the camp staff looked after us handsomely. Felix the tracker, Carnecious the cook, hostess Gemma and camp staff Ivan and Brighton, all get A*

Your literature and guidance did fail to inform us it could be exceedingly hot in October - it was 46 degrees - and hot at night so we did not need the woolly hats and jumpers we took but it did not hold us back

Thank you Chris and Claire for the most exciting and wonderful holiday we have ever had."

"Fabulous lodges with superb food and excellent activities included.I can fully recommend the Sindabezi and Tongabezi lodges; they are safari luxury personified. The food, service and accommodation were fabulous and offered us a wonderful rest with a touch of excitement, hippos and elephants in camp at night, along with an opportunity to canoe down the Zambezi ( avoiding hippos, crocs and whirlpools! ) and even a trip into Livingstone resulted in us witnessing the birth of a baby elephant on the road side. The inclusive trips on the river in early morning & at sundown were especially appreciated as was the trip into the market."

"What a stunning location - an island of excitement and luxury with fabulous food and activities. The staff were so attentive and the guides so informed friendly and helpful - loved the bubble baths under the stars"

"Very well positioned colonial style hotel with superb facilities and food and great staff.The swimming pool was very welcome in the 46 degree heat. The Ilana Hotel in Zimbabwe could not be faulted and on top of this we were impressed that there was very little harassment in the town when we wandered around."

"The mobile walking safari was tremendous! We had the right mix of freedom, excitement and comfort with fabulous opportunities to view Hwange National Park with all its occupants. Andrew, our guide, expertly introduced us to huge numbers of animals and birds and the camp staff looked after us handsomely. Felix the tracker, Carnecious the cook, hostess Gemma and camp staff Ivan and Brighton, all get A*

Thank you Andrew and Gemma and the crew for making this the most exciting and wonderful experience we have had as a family. The whole family were ecstatic about the experience with enough adrenaline flowing whilst tracking and stalking animals and luxury in mobile camps to make this the most memorable time ever. We tracked and saw white rhino, nose to tail elephants, lions, fabulous birds, giraffes, zebras - it was amazing.

We learnt so much from Andrew about the flora and fauna and how to respect the environment and stay safe. Despite the heat (46 degrees) we were out every day at daylight to sunset without one murmour of protest from the family and supported by the camp team we had loads of water available, great food and felt like we were really well looked after

We would fully recommend Lukozi to any future customers"