Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Overall, our trip was a most enjoyable and memorable experience, and we would have no hesitation in recommending Expert Africa to other travellers.

Our advisor Ellie was knowledgeable and helpful, and was mindful of the fact that we were hoping to have high quality wildlife experiences but that we did not have an unlimited budget. She made many helpful suggestions, and was very successful in meeting our aims. I spoke to Chris at one time, and he made some helpful suggestions which we later appreciated, particularly about flying from Arusha directly to Ruaha, and not taking the Dar Express to Dar first (which was our original plan so that we might visit the Usambara Mountains, but this would not have been feasible in the time available). Ellie's planning was very thorough, and everything worked smoothly.

The only thing that didn't work was that the mailed package did not arrive in time before we left. It would have been better to allow more time.

Ubuntu and Kwihala were easily the most professional people we stayed with, and we thoroughly enjoyed staying at their two tented camps. Please pass this comment on to them. Both managers, staff and guides were excellent at both camps.
The only reservation we had was about our first guide, Kevin. He was quite pleasant and was also fairly knowledgeable about wildlife and birds. However, he has been a guide for some time, and seemed to be going through the motions a fair bit, and was not particularly enthusiastic (certainly compared to other guides we have used). He did not usually proffer a lot of information on his own initiative, apart from an excellent dissertation about the Rift Valley. He would provide information when we asked, but we had specifically told him we were interested in everything, including local culture.

When we were driving along in Tarangire (in particular) and Ngorongoro, he was not constantly scanning as the best guides do.He would often just drive along, frequently listening to the CB radio which tended to be on all the time. I would often spot things he would not, and I know from using other guides that my eyes are nowhere near as good as the best guides' eyes.
I know that guides use the CB radio for communication, but we got the sense he was using it (constantly) more for his own interest, and it became very annoying on occasions. We may be wrong there, but as we were starting to descend into Ngorongo Crater in the early morning light, I asked him to turn off the radio so we could enjoy the experience but he didn't hear or notice.

He did do a more thorough job in Lake Manyara, and we were happy with our safari experience there.

We don't necessarily want to cause a problem for Kevin, as he has his good points. However, we also have a number of specific complaints.

On our first night's stay in Sopa Lodge in Tarangire, we had to ask the management for some more bottled water. We found out the next day that Kevin had a large supply of bottled water on board, but he failed to inform us of this. He claimed he did, but my wife and I are quite aware of the importance of water, and he certainly didn't inform us.

On the way to Tarangire when we arrived at the big tourist shop where everybody stops, he made a beeline for the coffee bar for his free coffee. We don't begrudge him this, but he left us to our own devices (which is fine), but he had not really informed us of what was going on, or asked whether we might like a coffee, or indicated how long we would be there. This attitude contrasted with the few other guides we have used, who would make sure you were informed and were looked after.

Lastly, on the second morning during breakfast, he picked up my Nikon camera with its telephoto lens attached and played around with it for a short while. He did this without asking. As it happens, I was surprised but I didn't take exception to it as I could see he wasn't going to do any harm. However, I thought a lot of photographers I know would take exception to it, particularly as he could inadvertently damage something.

The above are all fairly minor gripes in the overall safari experience. As I said, Kevin was quite personable and pleasant, and we generally got on well. However, we believe his performance would be improved if he was more aware of his clients' requirements and showed greater enthusiasm and a little more "gung ho" attitude to do his best for his clients." Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 16 on a Tanzania safari

"our trip surpassed all expectations. We were met at all airports by some lovely people.

We were comfortable and made to feel at home by everybody we met." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Loved it. Would love to go back. Every day was different and, even though some of the journeys were uncomfortable and long, there was always something to look at.

The information you provided before we left was excellent. It was easy to find the lodges and you told us what we needed to know about how things worked in Namibia. We also found the guidebook to be very helpful.

Just so you know, the bakery in Outjo has been knocked down and is being rebuilt. Also, there is now a petrol station at the airport which is not restricted to hire firms.

Also we found a gem of a place in Uis where we stopped for coffee. It's called The Cactus Coffee Shop and Garden Centre. The setting is idyllic and we wanted to stay all day. The coffee is very good, the gardens are attractive and there are bird feeders which attract the birds as you drink and eat. You sit in the shade and are soothed by gentle classical music. Bliss!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Perhaps offer alternatives to the Wilderness Safaris lodges? Perhaps offer slightly less luxurious but still comfortable accommodation to reduce the costs? With hindsight we would perhaps have preferred to spend more on the car and a little less on the accommodation." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"This trip was a big financial investment - but worth every penny.

We have wonderful memories, a journal and many photographs. Would always recommend working with an experienced travel agency - such as Expert Africa - particularly if it is your first trip. Think it would be helpful to describe a typical Safari day - early rise etc. Also, a traveller's itinerary printed on one single sheet would make the trip easier to manage." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a wonderful experience overall. Please see my individual camp reviews for more detail.

The highlight was definitely Greystoke Mahale - if you can possible find a way to go there, do it! Our other experiences had high points and low points, but it was a great adventure overall and we were very pleased with the logistics and coordination by Expert Africa." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall a wonderful holiday.

All arrangements were to our satisfaction and as promised.

We can`t wait to go again. Beho Beho in the "green season" is a distinct possibility" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a wonderful and unforgettable trip. We loved every part of it and we would love to come back.

We were so happy to to see such beauty: the landscapes, the wildlife, the flora.

We highly recommend Nomad Tanzania, a great safari company with outstanding safari camps with a bush feeling, amazing guides and very nice staff.

Elizabeth Wollen, from Expert Africa, did an excellent job in advising us for this trip. She managed to match and exceed our expectations, thank you." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari

"Fantastic we had a great time." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"Our trip was simply amazing, eye-opening, educational, diverse, fun and everything you would expect from visiting one of the most culture-rich countries in the world! A trip we will simply never forget.

It's going to be hard finding holidays to beat this one!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Everything was so professional and informative and exceeded expectations. Worth every penny spent.

Thank you to James for being so down to earth and helpful in his approach" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"The trip exceeded our expectations on all counts, we loved it!

However, you must enjoy driving off tarmac and be OK with being on unmade roads with very little traffic and longish drives. A 4x4 really is worth the extra in terms of comfort and is capable of withstanding the occasional miscalculation on dry riverbed crossings!

The countryside is stunning desert, big and empty - which may or may not be to everyone's taste, but Mad Max Fury Road had inspired us to go. The wildlife was amazing and unforgettable, all the people we met were friendly, knowledgeable and the service we had everywhere we stayed was as good as anywhere we have been in the UK.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We really don't. The whole booking experience was a joy." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip