Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"We were impressed with the organisation and genuinely friendly welcome from everyone we met in Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

Well done to the teams at Expert Africa, Kwando Safari & Wilderness Safaris. Everything went perfectly from the moment we left London to our return 10 days later. We jsut wish we could have stayed longer!

Suggestions for improvements:

Keep up the good work.

This was our first organised trip (we're normally spur of the moment backpackers) but we didn't feel constrained by having everything laid on. This holiday was a total VIP experience and fabulous from start to finish. Thank you." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"The places we stayed were all we hoped they would be and more.

The Z-Hotel and its location may not be everyone preference, especially for those seeking a more isolated, santatised type "Maldives" experience. For my Wife and I it was a perfect change to the "Maldives" type experience as we travelled to the Maldives last September.

The Safari was simply amazing on all levels !!

We would not have changed anything ... although at a push knowing what I know now I may have opted for an alternate hotel in Dar es Salaam for the last night." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"This was a great trip . We had been on safari 2 times before and I think this was the best trip. The 2 parks were both very good and Zanzibar was relaxing afterwards. All the arrangements worked like clockwork and all the people we dealt with were helpful , committed and friendly.

Suggestions for improvements:

We kept chopping and changing our plans , but Elly was very patient with us and came up with helpful suggestions to make sure our trop siuted us. We wanted good game viewing and comfortable accommodation - we are not interested in having spas and the ultimate luxuries ! Rather an experience , and that's what we had.

So I don't have any real suggestions for improvement !" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"After the trip, we think that we spend 1 or 2 days to much in Caprivi strip ( where it is not a lot to see) . These 1 or 2 days would be very useful in Etosha park, I mean in a lodge situated in the park (Halali for instance) in order to see game at dusk (we had to leave the park before 6 pm). Or in the waterberg region. Or in the Namib desert. Or in the south of Namibia (Lüderitz).

Despite of that point it was an extraordinary trip. The advices, the services and and the effectiveness of expert africa were excellent too.

I would like also to say that we appreciate the "Olive grove" in Windhoek : excellent on all points (location, food, room ...)." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"An excellent trip overall. Tafika was our favourite." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"Most enjoyable - I'd recommend it to anybody!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Zambia safari

"Anna did a wonderful job trying to maximize the safari experience. The lodging was all quite different, and so was the terrain. Each camp was very special in its own way. I might have switched a night at Kapani for one at Kakuli as I really enjoyed the imitmacy of the bush experience and lack of safari jeeps!

Everything more or less worked like clock work and I felt we got the most out of each camp we stayed at. It was just a wonderful experiencece and I would highly recommend Zambia for safari .

I loved Expert Africa's website and this is how I discovered the company. The pricing was also fair and I will use Expert Afirica for my next safari .It was truly a magical trip so thanks for your wonderful expertise!

Suggestions for improvements:

Umm..not really..had to ask a few questions prior to going about logistics of meet and greet. But, I truly felt that I was in great hands as Anna had been to these lodges and listened to what I wanted from this safari." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"I have been on safari many times but I rate this holiday as the best.

The internal flights meant that we lost very little precious time in the bush. We were on a game drive at 9.30 am on day 1 after a short flight from Arusha to Kuro and we saw a leopard in a tree before lunch.

Our morning flight to Kogatende gave us time to see a river crossing before lunch.

Suggestions for improvements:

Difficult to improve on the best." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"A great holiday - very difficult to find fault with anything, all aspects were of an excellent standard - except

There seemed to be a bit of a mix up when we arrived at Dar es Salaam and nobody came for ages to take us to the domestic flight area - did turn up eventually but it was a bit disconcerting to be virtually the last people off the plan still waiting for a lift, after that everything went well." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"We have had another wonderful holiday – our third trip to Namibia, and at least 9th with Expert Africa – but things could have been better.

Our feedback reflects what we have come to expect from Expert Africa – a minimum 4-paw grading for everything – therefore 5 paws are very hard to achieve and reflect something exceptional.

We were very annoyed by the cancellation of the direct Air Namibia flights; this caused us significant inconvenience. We met so many people who shared our views – from fellow travellers to lodge owners to guides – everybody was unhappy about it. Having been forced to fly via Frankfurt we thought Frankfurt airport was very poor – lack of signage, few shops, little seating and even a mouse in the Business Class lounge. Toilets were dirty. The process will make us think twice before going back to Namibia.

However........ arriving at Windhoek in the morning we found the drive up to Etosha no problem – there were 2 of us to share the driving and we stopped off for shopping and lunch on the way – we definitely prefer to get straight on the road rather than spending a night in Windhoek and effectively wasting a day. We'd recommend buying a Namibian SIM for your mobile at the airport (took 5 mins and cost around £10) – others tend not to work, even with Global Roaming enabled – and we did use it when we discovered we'd left Ghaub with the room key in a pocket!

We'd always thought the road signs on the B1 warning of warthogs rather amusing but we saw dozens on the side of the road this time! Our trip was mostly on tar roads this time, which is great in some ways but they can be very straight and boring – in particular the roads through the Caprivi. We were glad we had booked a 4X2 vehicle for driving some of the tracks in Etosha and Mahango – no need for 4x4 at this time of year.

We were so pleased we were doing a one-way trip; we met many people who had found the driving tiring and were not looking forward to the drive back to Windhoek from the Caprivi. We had tried to slow things down and space them out so that most of our drives were less than 4 hours and, where possible, we spent at least 2 nights in accommodation. This gave us the chance to take advantage of the activities on offer and relax (eg at Hakusembe).

Many lodges do not provide drinking water (or at cost) so we suggest buying a 5 litre bottle in a supermarket (about N$15) and taking it with you.

We would happily repeat our holiday and revisit any of our accommodation with the exception of Namutoni – no way!

Suggestions for improvements:

We have travelled with EA so many times it must be a recommendation in itself! We did do some market testing on this trip and found competitors more expensive. We're already organised for next summer's trip.

However, on rare occasions accuracy of quotations is somewhat sacrificed in the interests of getting them to clients quickly. This is obviously partly due to the complexity of trips but can be frustrating." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip