Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"This was our first trip to Botswana and we hope it won't be our last. The quantity and variety of animals and birds was simply amazing.

The camps we visited and their staff were all first class. Having both a guide and a tracker (a feature of Kwando safaris) worked very well - and they were more than happy to educate us when tracking the big cats. They were able to spot and identify animals and birds from a long way away (how do they do that!).

Our thanks to Amanda for recommending the camps we stayed in. They were excellent choices - all a little different from each other but all at the consistently high standard of guiding, accommodation, and food and drink.

We would be very happy to return to Lagoon, Splash and Rra Dinare and would recommend all three most highly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

This is only the second time we've used Expert Africa, and on both occasions have found the company to be excellent.

We identified only one area for improvement - more for the safari company than Expert Africa - and that is to try to allocate people to safari jeeps based on their interests rather than just their arrival date. We realise this might prove difficult, but it is an area we feel merits a review." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"A fabulous trip , really well organised at every stage . The guiding throughout was of a high standard and the staff in all the camps were lovely.

Saw every kind of wildlife you would expect to in that area.

A good time of year to go..hot but fewer crowds.

Have used Expert Africa several times before and would again." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Overall a wonderful trip and cannot wait to return to Africa. We saw so much and enjoyed some really special interactions between the animals rather than just looking at them thanks to the great guides. We even saw honey bagders, which Sue was very keen to see. Feisty little animals!! Driving, walking and boat trips all very enjoyable. We actually saw 7 different leopards over the 3 camps, which must be a record as I beleive they are quite elusive. The only downside I would comment on was there were reps visiting in Lagoon & Shinde who both tryed to take over the direction of our activities. I think they should be put in seperate vehicles." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Amanda was very helpful through the whole process. Tafika was an absolute highlight. Puku Ridge was lovely and gave us a nice relaxed 3 nights stay after a hectic 3 week self driving journey, so it served our needs, however, I felt this lodge fell short for the price tag.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: Expert Africa and Amanda have provided a great service, not to be faulted." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zambia safari

"We had a great time.

Partly due to booking late in the day we sorted our own flights from Manchester. The route is to Addis Ababa and then change for Windhoek. There is also an hour downtime at Geneva on the longer leg as some passengers get on/off. Another time I might prefer to change at Frankfurt and then go direct to Windhoek.

The driving is a challenge, especially as it was all down to me. You need the height of a big 4WD to protect you against the worst of the roads and elevate you for spotting wildlife. Make sure you have a coolbox included. This came up almost by accident in discussion but is an essential. Unless you fancy drinking 'bathwater' as you bounce along then you'll need one.

Food, drink, incidentals, fuel and generous tips are not very costly for us. Our main expense was the cost of trips we hadn't pre-booked but it gave us some flexibility. We recommend doing the hot air balloon trip.

The wildlife survey is a little misleading. It omits bird and sea life entirely. Presumably, it lists the animals that people are most interested in but we saw lots of other animals, large and small, that are unlisted. For example, we saw a striped jackel between the road and dunes near Walvis Bay and much more." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"We had a wonderful time in Zambia, stayed in beautiful stylish lodges, learned a lot about Zambia, its national parks and culture. Everything was seamless from beginning to end. Expert Africa excelled themselves again in the recommendations and arrangements on the ground." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"I went to spend time with the Desert Elephants and that exceeded my expectations.

Expert Africa and great with suggestions and organising. I had one hic up when I needed to back track and then come back again so I forfeited that route as the roads in Namibia have deteriorated over the years in my opinion. I think a great deal more lobbying is needed by lodges and tour operators to get those roads sorted out. Certainly back tracking makes no sense.

I love Namibia and this will not be the last time I visit." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"We have had a wonderful trip with Expert Africa.

Sabina was very helpful and enhanced our experience. It was fun to go and meet her in Windhoek." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"Jessica Plumb is an outstanding professional who was always available to us, even with last minute changes. We have recommended her to others and we would certainly contact her again if we were ever to return to Africa.

The camps we visited both had excellent facilities and staff but Jongomero staff really stole our heart! What wonderful and authentic people!

We recognized real changes in Southern Tanzania that have occurred during the five years since we last visited. Climate change has affected the weather. We had three evenings of rain at Jongomero (one torrential) that surprised everyone since it was still the dry season. At Siwandu, the temperatures reached the high nineties.
Both changes impacted game viewing but our guides were great and went above and beyond to ensure great viewing opportunities. Another change that we noticed in the Selous was “progress” since the new dam was completed. The airstrip has been expanded and they are building yet a newer, bigger one. There is now miles of unpaved highway and lots of truck traffic. Of course, all of this has impacted wildlife. Lastly, we talked at length with many of the camp staff. They told us that cell phones and technology in general is changing life in their villages. Many young people are looking at other options rather than the traditional tribal ways." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"Extremely well organized. Everything ran smoothly. Great locations and overall amazing camps. Only small criticism would be that food is all “western” orientated and camps often had a colonial feel which can jar somewhat.
Having said that, this was the trip of a lifetime. Thoroughly recommend." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Kenya safari