Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Pretty sure I was very happy, but there does need to be a way to clear old trips without just clicking 'average' for everything, since this is rather unfair. (Trust me, people will remember and comment on the bad stuff!)." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"A perfect holiday and honeymoon from start to finish. Would highly struggle to find any concerns.

Great support and recommendations from Expert Africa; a perfect experience on safari at Beho Beho and paradise at Kilindi. Thanks to all who made this a once in a lifetime holiday for my wife and I." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 4 on a Tanzania safari

"other than the mediocre food we could not find fault with anything

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

no" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"This was our first Safari trip and it's hard top imagine how it could have been any better - we had a fabulous time and enjoyed every minute.

Thanks to Expert Africa for arranging a marvellous trip for us.

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An extremely minor point, which is that, contrary to the info in our pre-holiday briefing pack, Zambian Immigration does now accept payment for the Visa in GBP (£35) as well as USD. And they seem quite happy to accept $50 bills, so there is no need to go running round trying to get USD in small denominations for this.

One other thing, if visiting Victoria Falls at this time of year(late October) we would recommend visiting the Zimbabwe side for a better experience, as there was very little water going over the Zambian part, which reduces the spectacle a little." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"We all had a truly wonderful holiday in Tanzania. Not only was the wildlife outstanding but also the settings, the accommodation, the landscape, the birdsong, the sunsets - the list is endless.

We found all the Tanzanian staff in the camps very professional and absolutely charming. Our safari drives and boat trips were full of excitement and wonderful sights and we will have lasting memories of our holidays." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a magical time in Namibia! Our trip was so well-organized and perfectly suited to our needs, wishes and budget that we wouldn't have changed a thing about it. This was our first time in southern Africa, and Namibia has indeed spoiled us! The big empty dirt roads, stunning scenery, incredible wildlife, warm hospitality, and eco-conscious mindset all combined to make this an unforgettable vacation. We cannot wait to go back.

Expert Africa's website was perhaps the main reason we chose to work with them over other self-drive tour planners we considered. Working with Sabina - a native Namibian - was also important. She was able to answer all of our questions and address all of our concerns, particularly relating to driving. We are so glad we went with her advice to NOT get a 4WD. Being city people that went against our instincts somewhat, but the price difference was significant and we were 100% satisfied with our Nissan X-Trail.

We did not make our plans early enough to get exactly every lodge we wanted, but the alternatives that Sabina suggested were excellent - especially Onguma Bush Camp. She also did a great job at pointing out details regarding a couple of the lodges that had concerned clients of hers in the past and wanted to make sure we were still okay staying there. We didn't have any major surprises (of the bad kind!) on this trip, and we believe it's because we were well-prepped by Sabina, the very informative Bradt guide, and Expert Africa's website.

The only thing that was consistently different from what we had been told was the driving times. It always took us much longer to get from lodge to lodge than we expected. We definitely made many stops along the way which delayed us - especially during the first half of our trip - but even when we didn't stop much we were inevitably somewhere between an hour and a half to two hours behind the estimate. Thankfully we always left early enough that we were never in danger of driving at dusk or night.

Another issue worth pointing out is that while we essentially did the Caracal Self-Drive as described on Expert Africa's website, our final invoice was a lot higher than what was quoted on the site. We did make several upgrades, such as going with a K-class 2WD instead of a sedan, getting an extra spare tire, spending a night at a premiere waterhole chalet at Okaukuejo, and staying at Okonjima. In the end we paid quite a bit more than what we thought we were going to pay based on the website quotes. We have absolutely no regrets about this in the end, but it's important to know that what is on the website is really the bare bare minimum and that one should probably budget several hundred dollars more per person if more than one or two changes to the itinerary are going to be made.

We had the time of our lives on this trip and didn't want it to end! Namibia is a place unlike any other we've been to. Sabina did a great job at making it all go smoothly and we will definitely be giving her a call as soon as we can get back there!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"we loved Namibia and every single aspect of the trip went like clockwork. Its a very special country with amazing organisation coupled with a true sense of isolation" Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"Excellent and understanding service from your experts. Tracy did a wonderful job of planning our itinerary at such short notice and with a limited budget. We thoroughly enjoyed the holiday and thanks to your detailed and very thorough guidance we had no major problems, felt safe at all times and generally had no problems with finding our way around. Well informed and up to date information from Tracy and her colleagues made everything very easy on our first trip to Namibia. You seem to be able to find some of the best places to stay too.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Get rid of the credit card surcharge." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Overall we had a great trip, with lots of wonderful experiences. We saw pretty well everything we wanted. The accommodation and food was excellent. Guides were very good.

Although we knew it was going to be hot, it was still a shock at mid 40's rather than mid 30's. Really we have no complaints and would recommend it to others without reservation" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"Overall a fantastic trip and we plan to return.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service

Brilliant as it is. Martha took over from Angela and was really helpful. Got back to us quickly with minor changes.

Have recommended Expert Africa to a couple of friends" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip