Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Great holiday in that Pam knew what to expect.

The last two Lodges might have disappointed others who expected more and had researched less.

Malawi was disturbingly poverty stricken and food aid was obvious everywhere.

Lake Malawi is dropping alarmingly and one good rainy season will not be enough to restore the lake. What happens to the tourist business if the lake drops another metre from the September 2016 level does not bear thinking about." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Malawi trip

"This was our first time in the Western Cape, the scenery is stunning and it was a special holiday.

We saw what we hoped for during a September/October trip: Southern Right Whales African penguins, and fabulous spring flora generally and in the Postberg Reserve. The opportunity to walk unguided in all of the reserves we visited is a bit special (West Coast, Bontebok, De Hoop, Chapman's Peak, Cape Point)

We had not expected the weather to be so cold with persistent bitter winds; but it was mostly dry.

Some of the driving directions were out of date and some ignored more obvious, shorter routes.

We were correctly warned that driving standards in SA are poor. We saw the aftermath of 2 serious accidents; were overtaken while driving single file through road works and generally felt we were lucky to escape alive!

Overall, accommodation standards were high, but someone should have warned us (and Expert Africa?) that De Hoop is still undergoing redevelopment and our beautiful room was adjacent to a noisy building site.

We discovered the penguin colony at Betty's Bay by accident: much larger than at Boulders on the Cape peninsular, and worth highlighting for anyone visiting the Hermanus area, as is the Harold Porter botanical garden." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a South Africa trip

"On the whole, our visit to Zanzibar was delightful and the holiday arrangements made for us by Expert Africa were very satisfactory. We applaud James Denny for his assistance and responsiveness throughout our planning process and trip. We cannot say enough good things about Matemwe Lodge -- it is a fabulous retreat. Our initial disappointment with our room at the Zanzibar Palace Hotel was quickly addressed with a move to a better room. Our thanks to James and the Expert Africa staff for their assistance." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zanzibar holiday

"The best safari we have ever had. Great accommodation. Planning our 2018 trip now.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No. Keep doing what you are doing and I will be back" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 11 on a South Africa trip

"Overall a lovely trip.

Certainly Bird Island was a highlight." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Seychelles holiday

"A very memorable trip. The Caprivi Strip is so different to the rest of Namibia. Delightful lodges. Expert Africa very good, as always.
Only two small comments:

1. there was a chap from Wilderness Safaris at Windhoek airport to meet & greet us. This has never happened before, so we walked straight past him. I hope he wasn't offended, but there was nothing from Expert Africa to say that we were being met at the airport. Bit of a surprise.

2. Wild Horizons transfers. Perfect and on-time for each occasion. The problem was communication. We we not given a pick-up time for the transfer to Livingstone Airport. Our previous driver said we would be contacted and informed 24 hours before pick-up. We were not contacted, and none of the telephone numbers given in Zimbabwe was contactable either from a mobile or the hotel's phones. I even tried sending a text, but there was no reply. In the end we had to ask the Avani concierge to phone Wild Horizons local office in Zambia. If Wild Horizons has a local office, why give travellers lots of numbers in Zimbabwe ? (none of which seem to work)." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"We have been to Namibia before and it definitely did not disappoint this time, such a magical country.

It was our first time in Botswana and we loved it and would like to see more, as is always the case in Africa in my experience. The people were so friendly and the wildlife amazing.

Victoria Falls was also good and we were glad we took your advice about seeing the falls from the Zimbabwe side as there was plenty of water! It was also a nice little town to wander around with interesting history, a good end to our trip." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"We had the most amazing time. We were a family of six adults who have all had a lot of experience in Africa.

We felt that Laikipia Wilderness Camp was truly special and suited us perfectly as we are all country people who adore the bush. We loved the amount of freedom and lack of routine which meant that every day was different. We could relax in a bush environment, seeing animals, birds, fishing etc. and feel that we were in 'proper' Africa.

This was balanced well with more luxury at Elsa's Kopje which we all enjoyed. Elsa's is in a fabulous location and there is always very good game and birding there. The managers, Philip and Charlie, run the camp extremely well and are very attentive to guests needs. We did a lot of driving on this trip, first to Laikipia and then between Laikipia and Elsa's. The drivers were good but each drive was a bit long and bumpy, although very interesting. This was not helped that on both occasions, the drivers were very late.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari

"Following a brilliant first safari last year to two camps in southern Tanzania we returned to explore northern Tanzania. We thought that this trip would not have the wow factor of a first safari but nevertheless Liz put together a fantastic itinerary and we had an amazing time yet again. The diversity of the parks and camps we visited made the trip so interesting.

We stayed at four camps all run by Asilia and all the flights and changeovers went like a dream, perfect.

At all four camps the service and attention we received was first class and the staff and guides were very friendly and courteous and committed to making our trip a memorable experience. I would certainly recommend Asilia camps.

Although it was nice to savour the facilities of the two luxury camps (Highlands and Sayari) we did prefer the character of the two more rustic camps (Oliver’s and Namiri Plains.

Many thanks to Expert Africa and Liz for another brilliant safari." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"The self-drive trip was very successful.

From Expert Africa's staff to those in the various lodges ... and to those in petrol stations, cafes and restaurants, thanks for your friendly, helpful approach." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip