Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs E from Hereford
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
4
Countries visited
5
Lodges stayed in
16
Excursions taken
2
My Sep 2022 trip
Botswana between 16 Sep 2022 and 28 Sep 2022
"For trips such as this I would not go with anyone else but Expert Africa.
The staff are knowledgeable and take care of all the arrangements. We know they can be relied upon to get it right. I have already recommended this company to several people who have asked about safari holidays."
The staff are knowledgeable and take care of all the arrangements. We know they can be relied upon to get it right. I have already recommended this company to several people who have asked about safari holidays."
Arranged By Lucy Copson
Little Vumbura
"Little Vumbura review"
3 nights
Arrived
17 Sep 2022
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Sightings report
Elephant
7 sightings
Giraffe
2 sightings
Hippo
3 sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Wildebeest
3 sightings
Zebra
3 sightings
Kings Pool
"Kings Pool review"
4 nights
Arrived
20 Sep 2022
"I would easily give this camp an 11 out of 10 rating.
They were superb - one of the best camps we have ever stayed in."
They were superb - one of the best camps we have ever stayed in."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
1 sighting
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
5 sightings
Hippo
4 sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
5 sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Zebra
3 sightings
Jack's Camp
"Jack's Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
24 Sep 2022
"The activities at this camp were excellent - things you wouldn't experience anywhere else. The decor of the main tents and rooms were a mix of Victoriana meets Moroccan Bazaar and this made the rooms seem very dark.
It would have been helpful if the staff had worn name badges (as they did at the 2 Wilderness camps). Some rooms were a distance from the main tents which meant a drive back to your tent at times.
Also there was no menu choice (unlike at Kings Pool) and we noticed they were still using plastic water bottles - not very environmentally friendly I would have thought."
It would have been helpful if the staff had worn name badges (as they did at the 2 Wilderness camps). Some rooms were a distance from the main tents which meant a drive back to your tent at times.
Also there was no menu choice (unlike at Kings Pool) and we noticed they were still using plastic water bottles - not very environmentally friendly I would have thought."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Poor
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Sightings report
Brown Hyena
1 sighting
Elephant
2 sightings
Meerkat
1 sighting
Wildebeest
10+ sightings
Zebra
10+ sightings
My Sep 2018 trip
Namibia between 18 Sep 2018 and 7 Oct 2018
"Namibia was an amazing place to visit - quite different from any other country we've been to in Africa - the landscapes were awesome.
Starting the trip at Galton House and ending it there was excellent - it gave us time to recover from the flights etc and at the end of the holiday we could relax, have a shower, a nice meal and get out of our safari clothes, put our normal clothes on ready for the return home and generally chill out!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Flying between camps was ideal as having spoken to people who were driving the distances involved were long and this meant they couldn't cover as much ground as we did. When the Brandt guide is next updated you may want to note that the restaurant 22 Degrees South is closed.
We recommended Expert Africa to several people who were thinking of future African adventures so hopefully more business will come your way in the future."
Starting the trip at Galton House and ending it there was excellent - it gave us time to recover from the flights etc and at the end of the holiday we could relax, have a shower, a nice meal and get out of our safari clothes, put our normal clothes on ready for the return home and generally chill out!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Flying between camps was ideal as having spoken to people who were driving the distances involved were long and this meant they couldn't cover as much ground as we did. When the Brandt guide is next updated you may want to note that the restaurant 22 Degrees South is closed.
We recommended Expert Africa to several people who were thinking of future African adventures so hopefully more business will come your way in the future."
Arranged By Claire Scott
Galton House
"Galton House review"
1 night
Arrived
19 Sep 2018
"Perfect place to overnight on the start and finish of the trip. Lovely staff.
After the trip David said it was like an oasis in the desert!"
After the trip David said it was like an oasis in the desert!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Kulala Desert Lodge
"Kulala Desert Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived
20 Sep 2018
"Good food, good guides and activities."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Sightings report
Oryx
3 sightings
Wildebeest
2 sightings
Strand Hotel
"Strand Hotel review"
2 nights
Arrived
22 Sep 2018
"The rooms were lovely and the staff very attentive.
Service in the Farmhouse Deli restaurant was haphazard and slow.
Breakfast was ok but nothing special."
Service in the Farmhouse Deli restaurant was haphazard and slow.
Breakfast was ok but nothing special."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Damaraland Camp
"Damaraland Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
24 Sep 2018
"Of all the camps this was probably the most ordinary.
The highlight as far as food was concerned was breakfast on the hill top to see the sunrise - that was really good and took a lot of effort on behalf of the camp staff.
Again the guide was good."
The highlight as far as food was concerned was breakfast on the hill top to see the sunrise - that was really good and took a lot of effort on behalf of the camp staff.
Again the guide was good."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Sightings report
Elephant
2 sightings
Oryx
2 sightings
Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp
"Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
27 Sep 2018
"Very luxurious.
Modern and well appointed.
Good food and varied activities."
Modern and well appointed.
Good food and varied activities."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Sightings report
Giraffe
3 sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Oryx
1 sighting
Ongava Tented Camp
"Ongava Tented Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
30 Sep 2018
"A good camp and one of the best guides of the trip.
The trip to Etosha wasn't as good as the drives we had around the reserve. Etosha we thought was rather overrated."
The trip to Etosha wasn't as good as the drives we had around the reserve. Etosha we thought was rather overrated."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Sightings report
Black Rhino
4 sightings
Elephant
5 sightings
Giraffe
5 sightings
Lion
4 sightings
Oryx
2 sightings
White Rhino
3 sightings
Wildebeest
3 sightings
Zebra
7 sightings
Okonjima Bush Camp
"Okonjima Bush Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
3 Oct 2018
"Another luxury camp but I was really annoyed to see that they water their lawns! There are notices in the bathrooms asking guests to conserve water and then they waste water watering the lawns. A very mixed message considering this is a very arid environment. I did make this comment to them on their feedback form.
Apart from that the guide was good and the food good also.
I haven't included the animals in the Afri cat compounds in the survey as they are basically captive."
Apart from that the guide was good and the food good also.
I haven't included the animals in the Afri cat compounds in the survey as they are basically captive."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Sightings report
Brown Hyena
2 sightings
Cheetah
2 sightings
Eland
1 sighting
Giraffe
5 sightings
Leopard
4 sightings
Oryx
6 sightings
White Rhino
1 sighting
Wildebeest
2 sightings
Zebra
4 sightings
Galton House
"Galton House review"
1 night
Arrived
5 Oct 2018
"as before [Ed: see below]"
Excellent
My Sep 2015 trip
Botswana and 1 other country between 5 Sep 2015 and 19 Sep 2015
"A magical experience as always in Africa and especially Botswana.
We would like to go back to Africa again in the future - it's a place that keeps drawing you back.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I would not book an African holiday with any other company other than Expert Africa. You are simply the best!"
We would like to go back to Africa again in the future - it's a place that keeps drawing you back.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I would not book an African holiday with any other company other than Expert Africa. You are simply the best!"
Baines' Camp
"Baines' Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived
6 Sep 2015
"Facilities were very good - they even supplied slippers, hair dryers and dressing robes.
The safety briefing was very thorough and our guide was excellent.
Mel, the locum manager was brilliant, especially as I had a bad reaction to my malaria tablets - she got me back on track straight away. She was very "on the ball" and made sure everything ran smoothly.
We arranged an Elephant Experience for them here - and they commented:
So worth doing. A magical experience I would recommend to anyone with a love of elephants.
At no time did we feel in any way threatened by these huge animals. To be able to actually get up close and touch them was a rare privilege"
The safety briefing was very thorough and our guide was excellent.
Mel, the locum manager was brilliant, especially as I had a bad reaction to my malaria tablets - she got me back on track straight away. She was very "on the ball" and made sure everything ran smoothly.
We arranged an Elephant Experience for them here - and they commented:
So worth doing. A magical experience I would recommend to anyone with a love of elephants.
At no time did we feel in any way threatened by these huge animals. To be able to actually get up close and touch them was a rare privilege"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Elephant Activity
"A Magical Experience"
7 Sep 2015 • Morning excursion
So worth doing. A magical experience I would recommend to anyone with a love of elephants.
At no time did we feel in any way threatened by these huge animals. To be able to actually get up close and touch them was a rare privalige
At no time did we feel in any way threatened by these huge animals. To be able to actually get up close and touch them was a rare privalige
Excellent
Lebala Camp
"Lebala Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
8 Sep 2015
"The camp was more basic than the other 2 we went to - no wooden walkways - just tracks to the cabins.
The facilities were not as good - no provision of robes or slippers.
We didn't get a safety briefing before our first game drive (perhaps they assumed all safety aspects had been covered at the previous camp - but they should have still gone over safety issues)
The floor in shower was wooden and polished. It was very slippery when wet."
The facilities were not as good - no provision of robes or slippers.
We didn't get a safety briefing before our first game drive (perhaps they assumed all safety aspects had been covered at the previous camp - but they should have still gone over safety issues)
The floor in shower was wooden and polished. It was very slippery when wet."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Average
Little Vumbura
"Little Vumbura review"
4 nights
Arrived
11 Sep 2015
"Lovely camp - our favourite of the 3. Plenty of variation in the activities due to its location in the Delta. Robes and slippers supplied.
Al the staff wore name labels - so very useful. I wish all camps would follow suit.
The Land Rovers were covered and the seats seemed extra padded - very comfy when bouncing about on the "roads" having an "African massage"!
Guides very good."
Al the staff wore name labels - so very useful. I wish all camps would follow suit.
The Land Rovers were covered and the seats seemed extra padded - very comfy when bouncing about on the "roads" having an "African massage"!
Guides very good."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Royal Livingstone Hotel
"Royal Livingstone Hotel review"
3 nights
Arrived
15 Sep 2015
"Pure luxury!
Staying at the hotel after the safari was definitely the best way to end the holiday - gave us time to relax and enjoy some free time. Would definitely stay there again."
Staying at the hotel after the safari was definitely the best way to end the holiday - gave us time to relax and enjoy some free time. Would definitely stay there again."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Royal Livingstone Express
"All aboard!"
16 Sep 2015 • Afternoon excursion
Another very relaxing and enjoyable excursion.
The meal was first class and the staff very attentive and courteous. Would recommend this to any one staying in Livingstone.
The meal was first class and the staff very attentive and courteous. Would recommend this to any one staying in Livingstone.
Our 26th anniversary trip
Tanzania and 1 other country between 24 Sep 2013 and 4 Oct 2013
"It was excellent - we have wonderful memories of a really fabulous part of Africa to make our anniversary a date to remember.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
You have a very good reputation in the camps as they like the fact that each person in the Expert Africa team is an expert on the country they deal with. We wouldn't book with any one else for an Africa trip."
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
You have a very good reputation in the camps as they like the fact that each person in the Expert Africa team is an expert on the country they deal with. We wouldn't book with any one else for an Africa trip."
Beho Beho
"Beho Beho review"
5 nights
Arrived
25 Sep 2013
"They thought of everything - even down to supplying washing powder. The food was first class - as good as any restaurant and the staff were all very friendly and helpful."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
We were able to do different activities such as game drives and a boat trip. The guide, Sam, was very knowledgeable and obviously passionate about the Delta and its wildlife."