Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"My trip to Namibia was, overall, amazing! Life changing even.

I drove through bush fires and was chased by a bull elephant! Man, it was exiting! And I was followed by a baboon for an hour during one of my walks. Probably thought I looked a bit lonely. :-D The only niggly thing was not getting vegetarian food on the flights as that had not been specified. Apart from that, I am definitely going back as soon as I can.

For a woman driving on her own, I had few problems except with the usual, i.e. men with far too much testosterone. I know how to handle that though so it wasn't a problem. I loved driving around on my own for three weeks. Best thing I ever did.

Next time, I won't bother with Swakopmund though. The only place I disliked despite the kind and friendly people. Just too weird for me (i.e. German town in Namibia) and in any case, I was in Namibia for the flora and fauna, not towns and buildings. I'm glad I went though as I wouldn't have known that had I not been.

Overall, a great holiday! Me = Happy! :-D" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Everything was just what we hoped for.

Not a single problerm, and in every place they have had special details for us, which makes our holiday even more special." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zanzibar holiday

"The trip was everything we had hoped it would be, with the itinerary being well thought out and manageable in terms of travel time.

Our only regret is that we didn't have more time - next time, we'll have to head south as well.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None - Gwynneth was extremely helpful and really knowledgeable, making sensible suggestions about proposed changes to our itinerary and speaking from personal experience." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Very worthwhile break from work." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zanzibar holiday

"It was one of the most memorable holidays we have had. Everything was in line with or better than expectations. I think the key to Expert Africa's success is knowing about all the country's facilities firsthand, and then taking care to understand what the client really wants from the holiday. Because this happened, we had no unpleasant surprises, and may pleasant ones.

The balance of time we spent in each place was perfect, and therefore gave us a wide range of experiences in the time available.

The car hire was a success. I think for the gravel roads, the Nissan X-trail is a must, rather than a saloon, and people should be encouraged to take one. The Budget car we had was not provided with a second spare wheel, as had been booked. The manager was apologetic, but said the wheel he intended to supply was damaged. He then rightly said (as it turned out) that with it being the dry season, with no potholes, and with sensible driving, we should have no problem. In fact we had no tyre problems at all. I think in the dry season a second wheel is perhaps overcautious. Very comfortable car, with plenty of space for both people and luggage.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Hard to think of anything. Just keep visiting places, listen to feedback and ensure you understand what is important for the client (even if he doesn't know himself!)" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip

"The trip overall was amazing, we saw a lot of Tanzania in just 6 days and really loved the country, the people, the landscapes and places we visited, the wildlife - so much so that we want to go back.

Claire was very helpful in putting this trip together, and it was super well organised all the way through - absolutely everything went to plan, and we felt throughout that we were in very good hands.

We had already been to Namibia with Expert Africa in 2007 and given this Tanzania trip was another very positive experience, we would definitely contact Expert Africa again to organise our next trip to Africa." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall an excellent trip

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I would like to see the website/brochure with a bit more information on pricing- at least guideline prices. Also information on special offers eg "stay 4-pay 3". As a solo traveller, information on single supplements and ideas for trips with low or no single supplements would be much appreciated." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Namibia exceeded our expectations. Wonderful scenery and wildlife.

Wilderness safaris were efficient in notifiying me of the change of itinerary after the fire at Camp Kipwe" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"My experience with Expert Africa was completely positive. Everything on the trip happened on-time and as-promised. The camps and hotels that I used were likewise accurately represented in every way, so there were again no surprises. The communication in planning the trip was really excellent and extremely helpful. I would recommend Expert Africa to any traveller to Tanzania.

I chose to make my trip early in the season (arriving around June1). I knew that the game viewing would potentially be better later in the season when more of the water sources had dried up, but wanted to travel before the dry season became too advanced and everything really dried out. My assessment proved correct, but I have no real regrets about the timing of my trip.

However, most of the camps were just opening, with various "start-up" issues (changing staff, finding where the animals were hanging out, etc.) and animals would likely have been better acclimated to the vehicles in another week or so. A week later might thus have been better timing for the trip, but hardly a major issue." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari