Zambia: reviews from our travellers

"Excellent will repeat." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"I think my third trip with expert Africa was probably my best so far.

The South Luangwa in particular exceeded my expectations and was truly an unforgettable experience. I certainly hope to revisit this part of Zambia in the near future. All the arrangements and flight connections worked without a hitch.

On reflection I should probably have selected a stop over on my outward journey as I travelled continuously for more than 30 hours. I think it is worth mentioning that travelling between the lodges in Malawi does involve some lengthy road trips. In my case nearly 6 hours each time. This is not really a problem , but I think should be born in mind.

I learned a great deal about Malawi and the problems facing the country while I was there , and there is a programme of recovery and restocking of wildlife going on across the country in areas that suffered greatly from poaching and neglect in recent decades. African Parks are the main driving force , and are to be congratulated and supported. Therefore I encourage people to visit the parks and lodges in Malawi in support of this project , as well as to visit a very interesting country.

My thanks to Claire in particular at Expert Africa for arranging everything , and for helping me to Plan such a successful trip.

I certainly intend to use Expert Africa again in the future." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zambia safari

"Our trip to Zambia was great.

The only things I would do differently next time would be to specify which guide (now that I know them) I wanted at Chongwe (Troy) and Shenton camps (Patrick), and I would not go to Tafika again." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Zambia safari

"I feel so lucky and grateful to have made acquaintance with Justin Huff from Expert Africa. His knowledge was so thorough and immediate that I knew I had to take advantage of his service to plan our African adventure-- even to the extent that I risked a relationship with a very important friend who is a travel agent. I just didn't want to make any mistakes, traveling so far and at such expense!

We met someone on our trip who had spent the equivalent of four months at a full time job researching his trip to Africa, rejecting agency after agency when they didn't include or provide the amenities that this man deemed essential to a perfect safari. I was BEYOND DELIGHTED to learn that every single thing this man had learned was the best way to go, Justin at Expert Africa had included in our trip to the extent that it was literally perfect. I don't think I can put it any more succinctly than that.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Only one. I felt that canvas wallet you provided was a tad excessive, as I have no future use for it, and didn't really need it during the trip. Maybe others feel differently, but I do plan to send ours back.

Thank you so much for running a fantastic operation!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Kenya safari

"Once again our trip was well organised and we enjoyed all the places where we stayed. I knew the type of camps we wanted to stay in and the areas we wanted to see and Claire did a very good job in matching these requirements to the appropriate camps. All the transfers and internal flights went smoothly making for a very stress free holiday.

South Luangwa as usual had lots of animals and birds to see and this far into the park there were very few other vehicles around.

It was our first trip to Kafue and I had chosen to go there to try and see more variety of antelope. I was a little disappointed with the game viewing at Musekese - although the camp and the people were great and we loved the river trips - but that is the lucky dip of safaris. There was evidence of lots of animals there we just didn't see them on this trip. Busanga however was better than expected with lots to see although with rather more distance to cover.

The quality of the guides was excellent in all the camps but special mention to Andrew best of them all." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Zambia safari

"Fantastic trip with more leopard sightings in a few days than in combined ten previous trips. Enjoyed the camps, experienced my first bush walk, my first canoe safari. Having lunch in the Zambezi river and dinner in the Lower Zambezi NP under moon light were exciting highlights of an already spectacular trip. Well taken care off by all camps and Expert Africa before and during the trip!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"Fantastic trip organised by Freddie Sutton. I am delighted Freddie suggested Zimbabwe as it turned out to be an excellent destination. As always, Freddie listens to your preferences and carefully recommends the best places to suit your tastes. I had a fantastic time in Mana Pools, with privileged experiences as a solo traveller and the only guest at Little Vundu. The sightings in Hwange were plentiful with very good guiding. And keeping the best until the end of my trip, I truly enjoyed every minute of my stay in Chongwe River Camp, Lower Zambezi, Zambia. The level of knowledge and efficiency of Expert Africa's team makes every trip they organise a wonderful holiday." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari

"This was our thirteenth safari, but after a gap of 10 years. Our expectations were high, but they were surpassed and we thoroughly enjoyed our trip.
I wanted to go to small, “rustic” and family run camps. These were good criteria and worked well for us. All were in excellent locations, but with hindsight it was a mistake to go back to the one we had been to before, which now has new owners.
We particularly loved Old Mondoro, mainly because it had:
- More activities, the river outings and it was the only camp, which could accommodate our wish for a two hour walk

- The view from our room over the siesta period was absolutely amazing with all the comings and goings of different animals and birds.
Mwamba was a very close second
The leopard sightings at Kaingo were spectacular, with guide, Yoram and excellent at Mwamba and Old Mondoro.
We also liked your concise travel documents and wallet." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Zambia safari

"This was an excellent holiday. We had visited Tafika and Kaingo twice before so had a good idea of what to expect, but Chikoko Tree Camp, and the walking activities there, were a new experience. Walking safaris are totally different from driving safaris and proved a great new experience for us, but not to be recommended for the faint of heart or anyone who is not physically fit. On one afternoon walk we had to make numerous detours due to encounters with elephants (a great experience!) and therefore had to walk at a fast pace in order to arrive back at camp just as darkness fell.

We did find the 30-hour journeys between the UK and Zambia more tiring than when there was a direct flight from Heathrow to Lusaka. We might consider an overnight stay, or an airline class upgrade on the night-time leg of the journey, should we decide on a repeat visit.

Our booking experience through Amanda was easy. She quickly grasped what our requirements were. As before with Expert Africa staff we were impressed that we were not pushed to do things that we didn't want. Amanda kept us up to date with progress regularly and very promptly via email.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

It was very good to be met by a Tours Africa representative at Lusaka airport. He had our names on a board, and collected our luggage while we obtained our visas. We weren't 100% sure that this would happen, as your 'Notes for travellers to Zambia' booklet says on page 11 "they'll normally meet you". First time travellers would find the meeting service very helpful, and the knowledge that it would actually happen very re-assuring." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"The trip was all we expected it to be and more. The choice of lodges was excellent and that has to be down to the experience of Expert Africa.
Extending our stay in some of the lodges was the correct decision as it allowed us to relax rather than feel we were always on the move.
We would definitely use ExpertAfrica again if we visited Africa again." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 16 on a Zambia safari