Tanzania: reviews from our travellers

"Our trip with Expert Africa was a honeymoon, and our aim when deciding what to do was to try to find a holiday which would be extra special. From start to finish Expert Africa were a pleasure to deal with, and thanks to their insight and advice we ended up with exactly what we wanted.

The clue is in the name - both Liz and Lyndsey were able to tell us exactly what we could expect from each different camp in Tanzania, and each resort in Zanzibar. Their expertise made it very easy to make decisions, when otherwise you mind spend days pouring over reviews, second guessing yourself at every turn.

What we appreciated the most was at no point did we ever felt like we were being 'sold to'. They were extremely honest about every single detail, allowing us to piece together a trip which would suit the kind of people we are.

For example, Ruaha in Tanzania is a staggeringly beautiful place, perfectly combining our desire to see a good degree of game, but without being surrounded by dozens of other vehicles viewing the same things as us at the same time. Yet once there we appreciated it wouldn't suit everyone, as some people may want a higher density of game at their fingertips every moment of every day. That's exactly how Liz described it to us in our very first conversation, even if the place itself exceeded our already lofty expectations.

I'd also add Lyndsey was extremely helpful answering each and every question we had in advance, no matter how small a detail it was. If, like us, you've never done a safari before, it's surprisingly easy to make assumptions about what you'll need, which will probably be completely wrong in reality. Therefore that level of assistance, expertise and detail was really appreciated.

Thanks guys, it was a brilliant trip." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"This was our first safari, initially there are so many options it's difficult to know where to go, for how many days and which camps to go for. Lyndsey was our travel coordinator and guided us through a twin location of Selous and Ruaha. It's hard not to have high expectations for a holiday like this but we were both blown away with the whole trip. The first camp was super friendly, we had really personal service a fabulous guide and great food, we had such a good time we were worried that the second camp wouldn't be able to match our experience. But there was no need, Ruaha was just as special. Having the two locations, one camp on a river and the other on top of hill made for a winning combination with a diverse range of terrains and animals.

We loved every aspect of our trip and have so many memories that will live with us forever I don't know if we will ever be able to top this." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall a fantastic trip, lots to see and take in. Missed the great migration but will go back some other time. Almost sensory overload and after 6 days of continuous safari driving we took a half day off just chilling and taking in the view from the veranda.

Tarangire, Ngorongoro and Serengeti was an excellent combo with diverse landscapes and different scenery. Zanzibar is a very nice resort location and Stonetown was an interesting surprise with the slave museum well worth at least an hour.

Tarangire was originally our "backup option" but turned out to be our favorite of the trips as we love elephants and the local staff and walking guides offered a fantastic experience, not only in the jeeps but also on foot walking which is well worth promoting as not all parks do guided walks." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Our trip as a whole was: very well prepared and perfectly organized, the mere fact that we had not one serious problem on such a long journey, is amazing !

Thanks to the way Expert Africa helped us to choose among the various possible destinations, we could benefit from an itinerary that led us to variable parts of Tansania and we enjoyed entirely different landscapes and surroundings. Each of the camps and lodges we stayed at had their own charm and asset. Obviously James Denny was able to empathize our wishes and preferences so well that we really got what we wanted.

There is only one small critical item we would like to mention:

What we did not know beforehand (and what we could have been told when planning) was the distance from Ngorongoro Crater to Arusha, which is a car drive of about three hours, not really very much longer than the flight together with the time for waiting and transfer to and from the airport. In addition to this we flew to Kilimanjaro Airport instead of Arusha AIrport, which would have been much nearer to the hotel, although the plane did actually got to Arusha Airport." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 21 on a Tanzania safari

"The difference in climate and ecology and activities between our three camps made for a very satisfactory holiday.

Your advice when discussing the trip was sound.

All arrangements were as we expected. We had a wonderful time and can`t wait to return.


Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

In our opinion you provide a first class specialist travel service.

We have always been delighted with the holidays you have arranged for us and no doubt we will be back for more !!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari

"As previously stated" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"We usually book everything on our trips ourselves but as it was our honeymoon, we decided to get some back-up from a travel agent should things go awry.

We chose Expert Africa from two other companies for our safari and beach trip to Tanzania. All the other agents we approached were very knowledgable about Africa, but we felt that Lyndsey at EA was more down-to-earth, friendlier and open to our ideas of what we wanted.

The process of booking the holiday was actually good fun and most importantly we really did have a honeymoon that was memorable for all the right reasons.

Plus, the fact I've spent a good chunk of my day writing up all the feedback on this website must tell you that we thought it was worth telling someone about it! Just don't ask to see the photos, or you'll be here all month ;)" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"This was the experience of a lifetime. Far exceeded our expectations.

The game drives, including the vehicle, were wonderful.

Stanford was a great guide--knowledgeable and well-suited for our family.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I was amazed by how easy and efficient everything was, especially since we were traveling through multiple time zones while planning the trip and often did not have access to the internet." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a tremendous time!

It was a truly memorable trip that hopefully is the first of many trips to Africa." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Our Agent, Richard Trillio did a great job helping us put together a Safari in three different environments, first at the Mara Plains Camp where we got a feeling of the wildlife at the plains then see the massive number of animals that are in the migration at Alex Walker`s Serian South Serengeti Camp and at last see the uniqueness of the environment at the Ngorongoro Crater Lodge and having a great introduction to wild animals at our arrival at Africa in Nairobi while staying at Giraffe Manor and then the more relaxed ending of our trip while enjoying the quietness and the beach at The Palms Zanzibar. Thank you!!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari