Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Excellent in every respect.

The trip was superbly organised and a lot of care was taken by Sabina to ensure it matched up to our expectations.

The country is amazing and varied with excellent ecologically aware accommodation everywhere which is a pleasure to stay in.

Suggestions for improvements:

Cannot think of a single thing. We'll be back to you next year for another trip." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"It was a varied and interesting trip that we throughly enjoyed. The level of detailed planning from expert Africa was one of the keys to the success of this trip. They really did construct the holiday very much with our needs in mind. Also the quality of their ground arrangements meant that any small glitches never became a problem.

Suggestions for improvement:

We thought everything was well handled and the key was the level of local knowledge by the staff at Expert Africa. This I believe is very important." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Our second visit to Namibia and a wonderful prelude to the longer trip planned for 2009. It was great to revisit some areas (though in different accommodation) and try some new places. Okonjima was in easy reach of the airport, even though we flew BA via Jo'burg and didn't arrive at Windhoek until 2pm. We met many people who regretted spending their first night in Windhoek rather than venturing further, but also some who were exhausted on arrival and just wanted a sleep - it has to be a personal decision.

Damaraland had been beautiful in the dry season but after the rains it was stunning with river beds full of flowers - and even some water!

After much debate in the UK we decided when in Namibia to drive the Skeleton Coast road (after taking local advice) and had no problems at all - it was a fascinating, though long, drive and we're really glad we did it; however we probably wouldn't choose to do it again. Local advice is crucial if you want to do this drive.

We saw no rain at all - apparently it had all come early this year.

Thanks to Tracy, Sabina and Chris for their help in organising the trip at pretty short notice - think they surprised themselves in finding availabilities!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"We were very happy with our trip.

Suggestions for improvements:

It is always joyful and useful to talk to someone who knows so much about the country we were going to. The suggestions we got from you were excactly what we wanted, therefore we are very happy with our trip and are looking forward to doing it again, maybe Katawi nex time." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall we had a fantastic trip. It was everything I was hoping for and more. To see the animals living freely in their natural habitat was simply wonderful. Lake Manze was a great camp and perfect if you want to experience just a taste of a safari. We stayed for 4 days which was actually plenty of time to see all the animals and go on all the different drives.

We were glad we could recover at Mchanga Beach lodge though because being on safari can be quite tiring. It was nice to just sleep, eat and relax for a few days before heading home.

I only have one criticism of Lake Manze. When we arrived at 6.30am we had just flown overnight from London to Dar El Salaam. We didn't really sleep on the plane so were very tired when we finally reached Selous National park at 10 am. Instead of being taken directly to the camp we were told we had to wait until 12 noon to also collect another couple. They therefore took us (and another couple who were with us) on a short game drive before we drove back to the airstrip to wait for the other couple. In that time they could easily have taken us back to camp but obviously decided not to (probably to save petrol?)

By 12 noon we were all starving and then it was another hour to Lake Manze. By the time we arrived at Lake Manze I was far too hot and we were both really burnt. (We both had to stay totally covered up for the whole time we were at camp.) I also ended up feeling quite ill and had to lie down for the rest of the afternoon. I missed out on the late afternoon champagne reception at the Lake and also went to bed early that night which was New Year's Eve. Now I am not totally blaming this incident for the fact I felt so ill in the afternoon. However on top of the lack of sleep and the fact I had a cold, I do feel that waiting around so long before getting back to camp was the "last straw." In the future I really think they should get the guests back to the camp as soon as possible so they can rest and freshen up.

In terms of using Expert Africa - I found them to be excellent. It never occurred to me to arrange such a trip over the internet and the phone but it wasn't a problem at all. I think the website is superb and the independent reviews really give you a good idea of which trips to do and where to stay to suit your budget. I made a number of calls to the team and Ellie answered all my questions thoroughly. It was also really nice to chat through my trip with her when we got back. It was clear she is committed to making sure my feedback is relayed back so that future experiences can be even better.

I did a lot of research when looking into this trip and I can assure you that in my experience Expert Africa offered us the best trip at the best price compared to many other companies." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 4 on a Tanzania safari

"Probably my best ever holiday and must return to see the places in the dry season for a different experience." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Relaxation as desired!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Wonderful. Smooth and everything I had hoped for." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Namibia trip

"I've put Gwynneth down as my main contact, although Maruska did most of the up-front planning of the trip. They were both excellent, and the comments for Gwynneth should also apply to Maruska.

We had a great holiday overall and will treasure the memories from it for years to come. We had some of the best bird and mammal sightings we've ever had.

The mettle of a company is how they cope when things go wrong, and we did have 2 hiccups in our trip. The 1st being when the inbound SAA flight was delayed so we missed our connection in Jo'burg and the 1st night on safari, and then when my mother fell ill at the last camp. On both occasions, we were more than happy with the support we got.

In Jo'burg, we phoned Expert Africa in London and told them of our problems. They put us in contact with a local representative from Wilderness safaris called Dave - he was fantastic and ensured we made our connection the following day. If you could pass on our thanks to him, that would be appreciated. I've already said in our feedback on Vumbura Plains how supportive and professional the staff were there." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"Overall we enjoyed our time very much. All our transfers were excellent. All praise to Juma who was our principal driver. He was very reliable, helpfull and pleasant.

Suggestions for improvement:

We can't think of any." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zanzibar holiday