Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"The combination of Mana Pools, Lake Kariba and Hwange gave us a varied and interesting view of Zimbabwe safaris - it felt like 3 different safaris rolled into one! We thoroughly enjoyed the trip which went totally without hiccup from start to finish.

We were a little surprised that the dining arrangements at the Wilderness camps were not automatically communal - indeed the default was separate tables (although Ruckomechi did ask our preference on arrival). But this was quickly changed when the camp managers realised that the majority of their guests welcomed dining with their fellow travellers. We totally understand that some may not wish to share a table but in our experience this is part of the overall safari experience." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zimbabwe safari

"As usual an excellent trip with Expert Africa." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zimbabwe safari

"I really think an indication should be given as to the likely preferences of other guests at the various camps. If the management at Selinda Explorers had not acted positively to my concerns my holiday would have been less enjoyable. Information should be given about private vehicles.

Please note the person who I booked with has left the firm. I have just selected a random to close this web site down." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"We only arranged the Kwara part of our safari with you and I do feel I have to mentioned the overall highlight of our journey of 4 weeks. We stayed a couple of days at Oddballs doing bushwalks. I know you don't work with them. You should!" Read full review: 2 nights in Africa; 2 on a Botswana safari

"Our trip to Beho Beho in the Selous was fantastic. It might have just been the time of year we travelled, but I don't think I would recommend this as a first safari destination as the game viewing was not as prolific as, say, the Serengheti. We were very pleased that we spent a whole week at this Lodge, not just for the wonderful atmosphere, company and food, but because the first few days we didn't see too much. In a sense this is wrong as there is so much to see, but it was more in the way of landscape and bird life which was truly lovely.

However, towards the end of the stay we saw an enormous amount - it was as though the larger animals had all been off on their own safaris and came back on the same day! So we were driving areas we had visited before and rather than deserted they were heavily populated.

The guiding was superlative and we liked the system the Lodge had of rotating the guides so you went out with each guide and benefitted from the particular enthusiasms and expertise of each.

Kilindi was a lovely chill out place with friendly staff and delicious food - even lots of choice every day for a vegetarian. We had a fabulous time and I would jump at the chance to do it all again and stay at these venues.

Yes, one of our bags arrived two days after us - but people were helpful and this really did not have any negative impact on our trip - in fact, it demonstrated just how much trouble people will go to (Trisha & Heribert at Beho Beho) to ensure you are sorted and inconvenienced to the smallest possible degree." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"This trip was a great introduction to Africa! The amount of preparation and information provided by Expert Africa meant that there was very little that we had to worry about, but still felt that we were in control of our own adventure.

Overall our highlights were exploring the sand dunes at Sossusvlei, our day trip out of Swakopmund to Sandwich Harbour, the wildlife at Etosha NP, the village life and waterways of the Caprivi Strip and the up close and personal experience of Camp Hwange.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We were incredibly impressed with the service we got from Maruska, she put together our trip at very short notice, was always quick to respond to emails, and seemed incredibly knowledgeable when we spoke to her on the phone. We would happily recommend her and Expert Africa to anyone wanting to book a trip to Africa." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 5 on a Namibia trip

"Overall this was a great trip, I was trying to be honest about some of the drawbacks. When we arrived at River Crossing I asked for a room with one large bed and they were able put us in another room.

I'm not sure if the other lodges had rooms other than two single beds pushed together, but for a married couple if that was something you could have requested it would have been appreciated.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I know people are looking for a deal on the rental car but you should probably be more persuasive about a 4X4." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"My trip had been skillfully designed for me, I felt. And was quite excellent." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"It had been about nine years since we were last in Southern Africa and we had the pleasurable task of introducing some members of my family to this wonderful part of the world for the first time. It was a bit of a challenge to chart a course of safaris and 'chill-out' in the Cape when you have a combination of first-timers and a couple of 'old lags' to keep happy.

With the patient and knowledgeable Tracy at Expert Africa to help with suggestions and alternatives, I found the task was not as daunting as it might have been even when some members threw a bit of a curve ball at the end of the process, an eventuality that Tracy handled with professional grace and efficiency.

My partner and I have been clients of Expert Africa since Sunvil brought Chris in to broaden its product range. This he has delivered with peerless professionalism and has built a knowledgeable and very competent team over the years who, in this client's opinion, provide the best service available in the UK. Well done all and thanks to Tracy again." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Car Hire by Bidvest. We ask for a car where all the windows wind completely down. As keen photographers this gives the window sill to steady the camera. Bidvest receptionist assured us that the Toyota Etios did this. The rear windows did not wind right down which meant trying to balance our long lenses on the edge of a pane of glass which also was rounded, hence a bit of a nightmare.

Basically we loved the trip but but the generator problem and the window problem detracted a little." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip