Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Our booking process was marred slightly by the fact that Anna was the person with whom we deal initially but subsequently it seemed to alternate between her and Lucy which meant that communication wasn't as seamless as it might have been.

There was also a problem when we asked over the phone for a quote, but you were under the impression that we were still considering which camps we were interested in and were waiting for us to make the next move." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 4 on a Botswana safari

"With hindsight, we should have allowed more time for our trip to Caprivi as it was a lot of driving.

We stayed in some very good lodges - for one or two nights - we should have stayed two instead of one. However, this was our choice, taking into account our budget and the time available.

Overall our trip was very good and we enjoyed a bit of luxury after our two weeks in the bush at Okonjima.
I think we were spoiled on the first two weeks for the amount of game we saw and exciting activities as our final weeks journey to Caprivi did not match that. It was however an interesting contrast to see a different part of the country and game sightings are largely a matter of luck!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We have travelled with Expert Africa before and were happy to do so again.
Tracy was always very helpful and did her best to fit in with our wishes." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 6 on a Namibia trip

"Very good" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 3 on a Zambia safari

"Great experience, will certainly return to the Selous!!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa;

"Excellent" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall, our trip was fantastic. I'd definitely recommend a traveller do the following:
1. Go out into the sea - either on an organised snorkel or dive trip. We had a great time diving out there! It was our first time, and we saw beautiful things - like turtles!
2. Go on a spice tour - even if you're not interested in food or spices.
3. Walk around Stonetown, get lost & try haggling!
4. Have sunset drinks at either Africa House Hotel or the Serena Inn - although get there in time to get a good seat!
5. Go to the night market at Fordhani Gardens - even if you don't want to eat, just breathe in the atmosphere.

Things we'd wished we had known:
1. Taken smaller $ notes with us - everybody expected a tip! We don't mind tipping, but when you've only got £20 notes with you, it can become quite annoying/expensive!
2. One night in Stonetown is sufficient, just get there early and you'll be surprised how much you can pack in. We did two nights there, but we did our spice tour from Stonetown rather than from the NE coast, so in the end it was OK.
3. Going for drinks/dinner at 235 Hurumzi was a waste of time/money - there are much better places for food/drink/atmosphere!
4. Make sure you have enough space in your luggage for all the lovely stuff you will want to buy in Stonetown!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa;

"We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday and both feel that it is one of the best holidays that we have taken in years.

The trip was very well organised and Sabina and Gwynneth were both helpful in providing information and responding to my questions.

The written information that we received prior to departure seemed a little over the top. However, we read through it diligently and followed Expert Africa's advice on most things. We felt well prepared and our trip was trouble free.

We'd been planning to go to Namibia for many years, after a previous trip was cancelled at the last minute. We thought that this trip would cross Namibia off our "list". The trip was so fantastic that Namibia remains firmly on the "list" and we are keen to return to explore other parts of the country.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I feel that it would be useful if Expert Africa could give some more guidance as to the petrol costs (or number of litres) associated with each trip. We knew that we would have to pay for petrol in cash and may not have access to ATMs for much of the trip. I made my own estimate that our petrol costs should be somewhere betwen NAD 1,100-1,400. We came in at just under NAD 1,000, so I wasn't too far off.

I realise that this may difficult as it will depend upon the type of car hired and to what extend people extend their mileage by deviating from the primary route." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"We had no previous experience of Botswana and Expert Africa spent considerable time advising us on a suitable selection and variety of camps. We were delighted with the variation of experience in the dry area around Chitabe, the delta at Kwetsani and the Linyanti swamps at Dumatau.

Before our trip we poorly understood that rains in Botswana were out of sync with the floods coming from Angola several months later.

The dry season was a great time to see the game, concentrated around the remaining floods in the delta and in Linyanti swamps.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Everything was superb and we will recommend Botswana and Expert Africa to all or friends. We plan to return next year." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Overall, our expectations were exceeded on most fronts. There are 2 minor issues, which bothered us:

1. Tipping. It seemed odd to us to pay between 400-700 dollars pp and day and then be expected to pay another 5-15$ pp and day for the guide and something for the staff.

Of course, everybody emphasizes one does not HAVE to tip, but that does not really make all that much sense. Either tipping is common and therefore expected, i.e. part of a guide's salary - in which case those 5-15$ should simply be added to the bill as a matter of course, and from the outset - or it is not, in which case the practice should be rather discouraged.

2. The song & dance routine upon arrival at the Ker & Downey camps. This is obviously not a serious issue, but rather by the by.

We cringed a little each time we were welcomed by the camp's staff with a welcoming sond and dance routine . Not because the singing and dancing was bad (it wasn't bad at all), but it was a bit too much for us. And we were far from the only one guests who felt that way.
Something for the camps to think about maybe." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"As usual, the whole process, from deliberating on which trip to take, to arriving home, was stress free. Ellie Dunkels was extremely helpful in organizing the trip, contacting Tafifka etc. Personally, one of the reasons I am a repeat customer is due to the extremely professional, knowledgeable, yet very approachable staff, would love to come to staff Xmas party!

Tafika, as before was great. Many thanks to Heather, Bryan, John, Carol. Rhona, Stephen, Alex, Clever, Special, Laurence's, Godfrey, and all the other staff, who work so hard, and make it all seem so effortless.

Fantastic trip, cheers!!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari