Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"If anyone were to ask me how I would do it again, I think that I would make the trip a bit shorter and only use the Robin Pope facilities. If I had known how much I was to see in the first 8 days, I would have been happy to shorten the trip. But as a first timer I did not know this. I certainly do not regret the Kafunta add-on to my trip, but it would have been okay without it as the first 8 days were so perfect." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"This was our first safari holiday and our first time in Africa and as such this was an excellent holiday with all expectations met or exceeded and with many surprises on the way. The holiday was very well organised and transfers between the lodges never caused a problem.

We saw all the animals we had hoped to see, and a few more, and despite the early morning starts, the immersion in the world of safaris was both restful and refreshing. Driving in Namibia was unproblematic and the border crossings in and out of Botswana were relatively quick.

My personal highlights: watching giraffes taking on cheetahs at Okonjima; walking to a group of Rhinos at Ongava; the beautiful Tree Top camp at Onguma; fishing in the Okavango at Nxamaresi; and the huge herds of elephants at Nambwa and Garden Lodge." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip was amazing!

Lucy could not have done a better job of meeting our needs. Her knowledge of the camps allowed her to help us make choices that would be good for us.
If she didn't have the information, she would find a colleague who did.

Everything was seamless." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Very satisfactory is overstating it a bit, but the main detractor was the weather and one can't legislate for that." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Kenya safari

"Our trip was absolutely outstanding in every way. We didn't want to leave and we are already planning our next visit. From picking up our hire car at Windhoek airport to our last stop in Okonjima the whole trip ran smoothly and without a single hitch. Self-driving was a dream - much more relaxing than driving in the UK/Europe. The landscape and wildlife are stunning.

The advice we received at Expert Africa was second to none and Tom always allowed us as much time as we wanted to ask numerous questions; we never felt rushed into making a decision. We'd have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending Expert Africa to friends and family.

The highlights of our trip were, without question: (i) our stay at Sossusvlei Desert Lodge - we can't wait to go back there; (ii) the rich and diverse wildlife we saw from our base in Namutoni, Etosha; (iii) our stay at Okonjima Bush Camp. On reflection we wouldn't return to Okaukuejo Camp - sadly the accommodation is in need of an upgrade.

In short, 'out of this world'." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"Apart form the problems with the hire-vehicle, we would thoroughly recommend this itinerary for its selection of excellent, if different, lodges in varied environments. The standards of service, excellent food and wines, friendly staff and knowledgable guides were beyond reproach. We rated the Safarihoek Lodge, Etosha Heights as the most luxurious accommodation with wildlife to match in its large reserve, previously a hunting farm. As with all our previous trips with Expert Africa, everything ran very smoothly.

Since our last visit in 2013, the condition of some of the gravel roads has deteriorated quite a lot, and we noted that most other guests at our lodges were driving the Toyota Hilux , a much tougher vehicle that our X-trail. We only met one grader this time and the road approaching Spitzkoppen Lodge and the road from there to Uis were particularly bad. Money (Chinese?) seems to be being spent in upgrading the tarred roads on which we travelled, most of which had already adequate surfaces.

Although you quoted for flights when we enquired, you did point out that we might get better rates elsewhere. We thank you for that, as we were able to fly from Southampton (25 miles from us) to Windhoek via Schipol with KLM for a very reasonable price, without the hassles of transit at Jo'burg - thankyou." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"Our trip was wonderful. We loved each camp for different reasons, so we are not able to pick a "favourite", and that's a good thing. We would return to each of them.

Everything was as expected and described, with 2 minor exceptions: our transfer from Batonka Guest Lodge was to arrive at 8 am, giving us time to have breakfast at 7 am, but he arrived at 7 am, so there was a bit of a rush. I would have preferred to know this in advance.

The other exception was certainly to our advantage: apparently the road transfer from Hwange Bush Camp to Somalisa Expeditions is not a comfortable journey, so the owner of Hwange Bush Camp arranged for us to fly, and we were told he covered the cost on his own. He has apparently communicated this to agents (including Expert Africa).

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not much to suggest, only this: perhaps consider updating the general description of Zimbabwe, as a lot has changed in the last year. You should know that when we mentioned we had booked with you, many other travellers (and some of the camp staff) said "oh, they have an excellent website". Thank you." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Wow! Spectacular! We had a fantastic 3-week trip with Expert Africa to Botswana and Zambia. When we first had the idea of trying to go to Africa, not knowing where, when, or with which outfitter, Megan Green gave the best, most thorough response to our inquiries. The website was also wonderfully designed with succinct, user-friendly information. The timely correspondence of the staff and the website were huge plusses during our planning phase.

Everything about our itinerary was well designed, and we were never rushed. For example, the night in Jo-burg to rest and explore a bit before flying the next day to Maun to begin our safari was well enjoyed. The night in Livingstone between Botswana and Zambia was also well received and taken advantage of to rest. The camps were also laid out in a manner where it felt like every camp we went to was a little bit more luxurious than the prior one, so it kept feeling like we were spoiled over and over - all of the camps exceeded our expectations as well.

We had zero travel issues, everything ran seamlessly! One issue popped up where our itinerary said alcohol was included at one camp, and the camp staff upon check-in insisted that alcohol is never included there. We emailed Expert Africa and they sorted it out within two hours.

Our safety was never a concern, and the trip kept getting better and better! We highly recommend Expert Africa, and both Botswana and Zambia." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"perfect holiday. very good organization and structure from the places we stayed" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"Fabulous trip. So diverse.

In Namibia, very long drives between locations, 6-7 hours per day over corrugated roads." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip