Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Brilliant experience - need to invent some new adjectives
Holiday of a lifetime

Very well organised, with camp sites and hotels taking real care to ensure you were getting the most out of the experience
The guides in Kwihala were world class going way beyond the call of duty - not that they saw it as a duty
It shows how important it is to do your research because the camps were very different and complimentary." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Very happy with a trip that ran very smoothly and without any drama.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Just keep on doing what you do best. I'm a very happy customer and couldn't ask for more from Expert Africa." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"Fantastic.

Malawi and Zimbabwe proved to be two great countries to combine on this trip. There were many similarities. We found the staff in the camps and the people we met along the way to be very friendly, helpful and interested in us. The high standards of our guides impressed us, from Chris the manager at Mkulumadzi who personally took us on a walk and on a boat up the Shire River, to Richard Chamwala at Mvuu who delighted in sharing all things big and small with us. In our book you can always tell the best guides when they like finding the little birds and bugs to point out, not just the hippos fighting 30 feet away from the boat, both of which Richard did.

Our guide Nduduzi Ndlovu at Camp Amalinda in Matobo Hills was great at listening to us and discovering our interests, as evidenced by the wonderful day we spent with him driving through the park and the local communal lands, visiting a school, and hiking up to a cave with ancient paintings. He not only knows 7 languages but also knows where to find a zonkey!

Even our drivers that took us from one camp to another (or to an airport) were excellent, like Mike from Wilderness Safaris who stopped the car several times so we could see and talk to people and who also helped me buy a tchenge (those colorful traditional fabrics that woman wear as a wrap) in a roadside market.

We went to both countries in the hope that our visit would encourage and support the conservation of wildlife and wild areas. We also came to really appreciate the people of these two countries, where life has not been easy but there is a great determination to carry on and do better.

Claire at Expert Africa, with assistance from Chris, shared many insightful comments from personal experience so that we came up with this list of places to visit that really suited us. As usual, all details were handled and executed perfectly on the ground. This is really saying something because we gave quite short notice of our desire to travel.

And next time I will really believe you when you say that it gets cold in July at night!" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zimbabwe safari

"This was a truly memorable trip.

It was our third trip to Africa, and the best in terms of wildlife viewing. The whole safari experience was wonderful from start to end." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Maruska has set the standard for all future travel agents. I cannot recommend her highly enough!

I talked to several travel agents in the US before deciding to work with Maruska. I had called Expert Africa to inquire about the small group trips on the Wild About Africa site. When I started questioning Maruska about the trips, it was immediately clear to me that she was the most knowledgeable agent I had talked to so far.

She efficiently helped me put together my dream trip to Africa, and also helped me to prepare for the trip. Many thanks to her for being unfailingly responsive to my many emails about the practical details of traveling in Africa (money, vaccinations, clothing, etc.).

I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Africa!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions, as I felt that the service was outstanding." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari

"Our trip was a fantastic experience which all of the family really enjoyed. We did have some long driving days but these were to be expected.

All the accomodation that Expert Africa chose for us was extremely good and I would definately book with Expert Africa again. Maybe I would have liked to include a trek on my next trip but on the whole there was something for all the family to do. Namibia was definately a very diverse country to visit with lots to see and do and of course Etosha Game Park to visit.

Feedback on Pelican Point kayaking:

We were taken out with Craig and Bill, his father -in-law, to kayak with the seals off Pelican Point. It was quite a long drive from Walvis Bay but very interesting to see all the salt works and some flamingoes en route.

Kayaking was quite easy to pick up though very tiring and we paddled out past Pelican Point first to try and see some whales. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful but we did catch glimpses of dolphins. We then paddled back along the shore line to see the seals in their hundreds. They were leaping and diving all around us and we ended up soaking wet from their splashing!

This was a great experience finished off with tea/soup/sandwiches to warm us up which was very welcome." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"We were/are very pleased at your succesful efforts to change our dates etc.

Nairobi airport was not a good experience, both changing to fly to Tanzania and coming back from Rwanda. Talking to others, flying to Amsterdam and then with KLM to Kilimanjaro sounded much easier." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Sabina Hekandjo has been absolutely great (perfect). We have had the best holiday." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"The safari at the Selous Safari Camp was by far the best part of my trip as it just completely exceeded all my expectations! To be able to see these beautiful animals in their natural habitat was just an absolute privilege.

I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a special, once in a life time safari experience." Read full review: 4 nights in Africa; 4 on a Tanzania safari

"We really enjoyed every day of our trip and appreciated the professionalism of Expert Africa and its team. We've been travelling a lot throughout the world and we have always organized our trips ourselves. This was our first attempt to use a travel agency, due to lack of time. We had sought many offers before we decided for Expert Africa and we do not regret.

We had a special vision of what we wanted the trip and accommodations to be and we must say that Sabina managed to find the right components. The highlight being Turnstone Tour to Sandwich Harbour. The most stressful part being the drop off of the car in Kasane.

All in all a wonderful, memorable trip." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip