Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"This was an excellent holiday, and we really enjoyed exploring the diversity of places, activities and landscapes that Namibia has to offer. We really appreciated the informed advice from Tracy at Expert Africa when we were planning this trip - it made planning a lot simpler and easier.

However - and this is a big however - we object to the advice that a normal 2WD car is sufficient for the route that we took. We were assured that this would be fine, so we hired a Toyata Corolla. This was of course fine on tarmac, and meant we had good fuel efficiency. However, the gravel roads and access routes to lodges were very difficult and stressful to travel on in this car. We are not inexperienced, and we drove very carefully - and slowly - which meant that we took significantly longer than most to travel a route. Despite our care, we could not avoid damage to our car undercarriage on the access road to one lodge. We managed to avoid other damage that we needed to repair (though we incurred several dents and knocks from stones thrown up from the road) - had our car had a higher ground clearance and a more robust undercarriage we could have avoided this.

The car was extremelyuncomfortable to sit in on the gravel roads if they were not freshly regraded, including in the centre of Etosha near Halali - neither we nor the car were built for all the vibrations that ensued. Given that this is was an expensive holiday, paying a little extra for a more robust and comfortable car would have been money well-spent. This doesn't necessarily have to be a 4WD but it would be the easiest way to ensure the car is up to the job, When the roads are long and empty and you have no mobile reception, you want confidence that the car is built for the job." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"I would return to Botswana, its brilliant for animal and bird viewing. Its not a cheap destination but you are rewarded with some extraordinary sightings of both the more common and the rarer African wild animals.

I'm particularly keen on Wild Dogs and was not disappointed in the sightings of them around Lebala and Little Kwara.

The staff in all of the camps and indeed all of the people I met in Botswana were helpful and welcoming.

However, I was not impressed by Little Kwara and would not return there. If it had not been for the experience there, I would have considered my trip to be 'very satisfactory'" Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Wonderfull 2nd Trip to Zambia! Great Combination within the Lower Zambezi NP (Chiawa and Old Mondoro) and the Kafue NP (Musakese Camp / Jeffery & McKeith Safaris). This trip was even far better than the South Luangwa NP last year.

The Camps and the Guiding was Top Notch! Very good Combo between the Lower Zambezi and the Kafue. The Experiance was very luxurius in the Lower Zambezi and very relaxed. The Kafue was great fund and a wonderful bush Camp with outstanding Guides and in an outstanding Area...The sightings in general were extremely good and lot of newer stuff....(Pangolin, Liechtensteins Hartebeast, Porcupine, Bushpigs, Serval, etc.) During the whole trip I encountered 8x Leopard Sightings which were unbelievable! Great!

And everything worked out as fine as usual! Thanks for your help and best Regards!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"A great safari experience - but one camp too many....

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Make it clearer that we would be essentially totally out of communication before we left (mobile and internet)" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"Wonderful and timely feedback by James.

A perfect experience in ALL aspects!" Read full review: 3 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari

"I have found a new favorite destination in Zambia.

From the wildlife, to the camps, to the very friendly people, South Luangwa National Park was outstanding.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

My experience with Expert Africa was very positive. I especially appreciated Claire taking the time to really listen to what I wanted and she made her suggestions based on my wishes rather than what she may have preferred." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"Kicheche camp was extremely well run with great service and management. Rekero was quiet, and a wonderful unique experience, but clearly management is going through a transition. This is understandable. Walks at Naboisho camp were fantastic, as was the wildlife there. Service was decent but not up to standards of the other camps. Transfer on the final day in Nairobi with Southern Cross was a disappointment and uncomfortable since the two guys took us to the mechanic to switch vehicles, stopped at an unsolicited tourist shop, got lost, and were nowhere to be found after dinner, requiring us to search the hotel to find them and tell them we were ready to go to the airport." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari

"As always excellent with back up if you need it" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"Excellent, I am likely to do another safari." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We had a wonderful holiday and as usual Zamibia didn't disappoint when it came to game and hospitality. We have learnt that guiding is the key to a successful trip and in 3 of the 4 camps we stayed the guiding was excellent. We got very close to some big game and all the guides clearly demostrated their knowledge of the animals and how to track them. We prefer it when the guides don't radio each other the location of animals as it sometimes feels that you are at a spectator sport rather than on a remote game drive.

Some of the camps operate a very formal way of serving lunch which is a good for meeting the other guests and sharing experiences but does mean that there is often limited time to relax on your own in the afternoon.

We loved the walking safari and while you don't tend to see as much big game the experience of standing 10 metres away from male lion or having a giraffe walking 15 metres from you is truly amazing!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Zambia safari