Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"We just got back from our trip to Africa. I'm swamped with work right now but wanted to take just a few minutes to tell you that the two-week Safari you orchestrated for us in Tanzania came off flawlessly. That means that all of the multiple travel transfers went off without a hitch, the camps you put us in more than exceeded our expectations, the guides we had in the various camps were without exception excellent.

I know I speak for my wife Audrey, and Ann and Kevin when I send you a very warm and enthusiastic “thank you” for turning our many phone conversations back in December into such an extraordinary experience.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Clearer guidelines on how much cash one needs to bring to cover tips and drinks (such as Lake Manze, where drinks were not included and credit cards not accepted) would have been a great help. We had only one opportunity to use an ATM (which worked for us but not for our friends), which was quite lucky in terms of the timing when we'd run out of cash, and the location, being the one day we were driving through Karatu where there is an ATM. Not having enough cash, and not being sure of where or when we could get some, caused a fair amount of anxiety and stress that would have been eliminated if we'd simply brought enough to begin with.

We also didn't realize that everyone accepted U.S. dollars even for cash tips, so could have bypassed all the trouble trying to get Tanzanian shillings in the right amounts." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari

"Enjoied it a lot, all the family liked it" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Even though it was our fourth trip to Africa and on safari we really did have an excellent time. Everything was well organised and all went very smoothly.

We had a personal driver and guide for our week on safari which is to be highly recommended although pricey. The vehicle and facilities were very good, Alfred our guide is the best. His english is superb, driving very good, knowledge and experience extensive, ability to locate animals amazing and he has a great sense of humour.

In comparison to other African countries we've visited the facilities for tourists are well organised. We didn't need a bush toilet once in the whole trip! This does mean that in the popular destinations especially the Ngorongoro Crater there were far to many tourists for our liking but in hindsight we wouln't change anything as you really do need to see it to experience it!

My only plea to other travellers is to be sensitive to the local people and cultute. We were incredibly disappointed at some of the things we saw, cigarette butts being dropped in the parks, scimpy clothing in Stone Town and during Ramaden too and generally poor attitides!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Be more specific about flight details (Coastal airways) if possible" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"This was a holiday that pleased the whole family. Our teenagers were enthralled. They loved the adventure and learning all the information about the animals and plant-life. We saw many more animals and birds that we had thought possible in that short time and we were looked after perfectly. I don't think I've been on a holiday where the staff are so keen to see you enjoying their country.

Relaxing by Zanzibar's beautiful beaches was the perfect rest after the busyness of the safari.

Many thanks for organizing such a wonderful trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Perhaps describing the location of each camp a little more fully. But, that said, we were thoroughly satisfies with the service you gave." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We're very happy with the service overall.

Quotation and booking was simple and the menber of staff I dealt with was pleasant and appeared knowledgeable. Stepen our guide in Tanzania was very pleasant, knowledgeable and a good driver. We would happy use Expert Africa again.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

One thing we would have changed, with hindsight, is to spend two nights at a lodge somewhere between Ngorongoro Crater and Lobo Wildlife Lodge (reducing the time at Lobo). This would have let us explore other areas." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"We loved it. I can't imagine a better place to have spent our honeymoon.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

no, we had fantastic service." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"The whole trip was simply fantastic. Everything went to plan, there were no hold-ups or problems and all the complicated arrangements worked like clockwork. We were touched by the kindness and helpfulness of the Tanzanians and have swapped addresses with one of our waiters.

We experienced three very different camps but they were all superb for different reasons. Flying from the Selous to Ruaha was amazing and we loved the contrast in landscape between the two locations. We were very pleased that we did not do the usual finishing off on a beach in Zanzibar that most people seem to do but used our time to see more of the wild, stunning Tanzania with its lovely people and fabulous creatures.

Many thanks to Liz for all her help and advice. It was the trip of a lifetime and went way beyond all our wildest dreams. Thank you.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No!!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"Initially even we thought we were slightly bonkers with this ambitious itinerary but after extensive and detailed planning everything went smoothly (with the exception of Elegant Farmstead cancelling our booking at the very last minute in favour of a large group; if this is typical of their attitude maybe they're not suitable for EA's independent travellers).

We had a FANTASTIC time!!!! Whilst some drives were long they were perfectly manageable with two drivers, a flask of coffee and our trusty MP3 player to entertain us. The roadside picnic stations provided good places to stop and eat a bit of lunch – there are plenty of supermarkets in the towns to buy provisions, including a 5 litre bottle of water. Most lodges charge for water (about N$13 for a small bottle) so it makes sense to buy a big one in a supermarket (about N$20) and top up your little bottles from it. There seemed to be far fewer parking guards about than on our previous trips and, we were surprised to see, even petrol station attendants don't seem to expect tips any more.

Garden Lodge provided a gentle start to our marathon trip with good company, tasty food, an excellent boat trip and lots of cats and dogs to play with. Kasane is an interesting little frontier town, buzzing with activity though not the place to stock up for a long trip. Don't be surprised to see a warthog trotting across the road in the middle of town.

The brand new Ngoma lodge is excellent (see review) with loads of animals to see, excellent food and great staff. We highly recommend it. It is one of the few places that provides free water – we promised to take our Ngoma bottles all the way to Cape Town; after many refills they finally met their demise at security in Cape Town airport!

We returned to Garden Lodge to have our car delivered and set off for the border next morning. Crossing the border into Namibia is no problem at all and after stocking up at a supermarket in Katima Mulilo we set off across the Caprivi strip. Roads in the Caprivi are, as Chris's book says, long, straight and can be quite tedious though you need to keep an eye out for wandering cows, goats and dogs (and the occasional human).

Arriving at Ndhovu in the early afternoon, we spent a couple of hours on our deck on the river bird-spotting. Next day we took a trip across to Buffalo (suggest pre-booking if you want to do this) and then drove ourselves to Mahango in the afternoon.

It was a long drive to Ghaub the next day but switching from 'Caprivi time' meant we gained an hour; we had been debating whether the hour was going backwards or forwards and it was only when the guard at the vetinary gate greeted us with a cheery 'Good Morning' that we were certain! After two nights peaceful rest we set off to Okaukeujo. We arrived at Etosha in good time and managed to visit several good waterholes on the drive across the park.

We spent most of the next day in the park and then moved on to the big surprise of the trip; Taleni. We'd wanted to spend two nights at Okaukeujo but had been unable to get a room despite booking very early. Taleni is just outside Etosha and we loved it. It does attract some large groups but the staff use the different dining areas to give couples or family groups privacy and peace.

A comfortable morning's drive brought us to Gocheganas, just south of Windhoek, which proved an unexpected pleasure. We had been booked to stay at Elegant Farmstead but they had cancelled our booking at the very last minute (after we arrived in Namibia). As it turned out Gocheganas fitted in with our itinerary much better and we thought the place was excellent. Thanks to Sabina for organising the change for us; in the days before BlackBerrys and the internet this could have been a major problem but in this case was (almost) painless.

The drive to Bagatelle, for some reason, took longer than anticipated; the roads were good and we'd calculated the distance but it just took longer! However we arrived in comfortable time and enjoyed watching the waterhole, excellent food and company and, of course, the meerkats!

Next, off to Fish River Canyon. Until Keetmanshoop the B1 is a good tar road but you then have to venture onto gravel. The road is bumpy and undulates with the landscape, which is beautiful, and you may even meet a train! The canyon itself is fantastic and there are few people about; such a contrast to its rival in the USA!

We left Canon Lodge in the sunshine and headed for the border with South Africa. The crossing itself was painless though there was a notable diminishment in friendliness of immigration staff on the South African side. Heading down the N7 the weather turned and we found ourselves in rain and/or cloud. As we had plenty of time we went down to Skilpad to see the flowers with which we were disappointed. However, driving back over the mountains they were lovely.

It absolutely tipped it down overnight (not ideal in a room with an iron roof!) and we set off for the marathon drive to Cape Town with some trepidation. Driving over the mountain passes in heavy cloud was 'entertaining' to say the least (particularly when we were held up by major roadworks – waiting time at least 20 minutes). We stopped off in Clanwilliam which we thought a lovely town.

The sun came out as we arrived in Camps Bay. We'd arranged our own accommodation here; there are lots of good guest houses .
The place has clearly been spruced up since the World Cup and there are some excellent new restaurants. We ate at The Codfather – excellent but shellfish is very expensive, Ocean Blue – just as excellent but less pricey, and The Kove – best steak Martin had all trip and great staff. Tuscany Beach was also highly recommended by our guest house.

We did the tourist bit – open top bus tour (don't forget to use the vouchers printed on the back of the ticket!) boat trip and lunch at the V&A – recommend The Greek Fisherman and City Grill Steakhouse – then the bus back to Camps Bay. The following day we drove (yes we hadn't had quite enough!) down to Cape Point where there seemed to be bonteboks around every corner (even on the beach) and few other visitors about.

Finally off to Hermanus and the whales. You really can see them from the coastal path, though the boat trip out to sea is well worthwhile too. The town is lovely and there are some excellent wineries to visit nearby.
Overall, a wonderful trip which we'd wanted to do for years. What's next???????

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

If only travel to Africa was less expensiver!

The name says it all - you are the Africa Experts and although we do shop around we come back time and time again.

Perhaps a minor point is that you should consider regular travellers' previous trips before saying they can't do something" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"outstanding

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

nil" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari

"Fantastic. Brilliantly well organised by Angela. All went like clockwork, and we had a wonderful time.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No" Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip