Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Selous should not be marketed as having meaningful elephant populations
everyone in the country seems to know it but it was not indicated to me
Lake Manze is overpriced by at least double
should be sold as a budget camp for families going to cheap beach hotels in Zanzibar
because we are very experienced travelers we don't let any single issue spoil a trip but--
We usually do our own bookings but made an exception for this trip due to the number of domestic flights
and our preferred tight flying schedule .Iwas impressed by the service from both Richard and initially, Clare and
the details such as flights,transfers hotels,time usage were well done
I have never paid the pricing of Lake Manze/Selous and received as little
I rate the camp and game experience below modestly priced South African Private reserves near Kruger
eg: Nkorho or Gomo Gomo which are 50% lower
Kwihala was an excellent recommendation and Kicheche was as advertised
I do not think the location of the camp can compare to Karen Blixen tents on the River
where i have stayed previously but they have a different manager from my last visit there
and Kicheche was very satisfying." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"An outstanding travel experience.

As a rather independent traveler, I rely on travel literature to plan itineraries rather than merely "purchase" a pre established tour such as those offered by Abercrombie and Kent. With regards to Botswana, I read the Bradt Travel Guide authored by Chris McIntyre and found it to be most informative, especially in the descriptions of the various private concession areas and of the myriad of camps within the concessions. Being directly affiliated with Expert Africa led me to contacting your company and I was put in contact with Nick Hobbs.

Over many months, Nick and I had numerous interactions both by email and on occasion by telephone. In all instances, I found Nick to be very responsive and his personal knowledge of Botswana obviously helpful in narrowing down which camps I ultimately selected.

Having completed our holiday, I can report that every required travel reservation/connection---air from Joberg, ground to zambia hotel, scheduled excursions within zambia, ground/boat/air connection to botswana camps was effected without any problem. And the safari camp experiences was consistent with the written or verbal guidance provided by Expert Africa personnel. And, while this was a most expensive holiday, prices quoted by Expert Africa were competitive with other inquiries I made prior to selecting Expert Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Expert Africa literature was very informative and helpful.

A minor suggestion-- while gratuity guidance for guides and camp staff is covered. I would add some guidance re ground transportation personnel --- for example, is a gratuity expected for the people providing the ground transportation from Zambia airport to hotel; or, from Zambia hotel to Botswana border; or, the Mack air porter who takes your bags to the small aircraft at Kasane? ( The cost for the ground/private air is included in the aggregate amount paid to Expert Africa but it is vague whether or not an additional gratuity is ""expected"".)

As a traveler, my preference would be, to specifically state in you literature that a gratuity for these incidental services is not expected (and if necessary, add a few dollars/pounds to your fees to the traveler to cover these incidentals)." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Zambia feels like home. We are ready to be back." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"This was one of the best holidays I have ever had.

I loved it and the children did too it was magical and unforgettable. We have taken a bit of Africa back with us! Can't wait for an excuse to return...." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Expert Africa were very professional and managed to organise a magical trip to Kenya for 2 families.

One family had never been to Africa before - so seeing anything "wild" on safari was very exciting. The other family has spent numerous holidays in Africa - but that still does not take away the splendour of seeing it all again and having the chance to meet interesting like minded people from all around the world.

I would highly recommend using Expert Africa as they made the trip run very smoothly." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Kenya safari

"A very enjoyable trip, exceeding expectations.

We would happily re-visit Zambia and all of the camps we stayed at - the standard of accommodation, service and food was excellent throughout our trip. All the guides lived up to their high reputation. As expected, breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner plus snacks was too much for us!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We used Expert Africa to a large extent because of your enormously informative and easy to use web site. It was a pleasure to deal with Megan.

I would quite like to have seen a breakdown of costs as part of the quotation." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"This trip was all we had hoped for.

Although we understand most people visit Shiwa N'gandu last, we appreciated the relaxed atmosphere there first after our long trip out - no getting up at 5.30 here but a leisurely breakfast at 8.30. We also appreciated the luxury of Anabezi at the end. Three very different camps - all quite remote meaning not much other camp traffic about. we also had different experiences at each with excellent guiding throughout whether in vehicles, in a boat or on foot (an activity we had not experienced before which we really enjoyed}; the guides all worked hard to give us varied and illuminating experiences." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"Our holiday to Africa was a trip of a lifetime.

Seeing the animals up close was such a privilege and something we'll never forget. We were overwhelmed by the kindness of the people as well as their expertise. Relaxing on Zanzibar island was a perfect way to end the holiday.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

You could potentially make things in the brochure even clearer, such as what to do about tipping, what kind of luggage is acceptable." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Zambia is my favourite safari destination, and once again it didn't disappoint. I think I am addicted..." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"First, the team member who dealt most with my trip was Chloe Henderson. To be honest, she is the one who made me chose Expert Africa because I was about to go with either &Beyond or Ker & Downey. So, even if I know she left the company, special thanks to her, she was amazing and gave me incredible and valuable advice!

Having said that, our trip was excellent. Botswana/Vic Falls represented 1/3 of our trip (the two others being South Africa and Mozambique) and this was the highlight of our trip.

We will keep an unforgettable souvenir of this week, thank you!!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari