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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Mr P M & family from UK

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

4

Countries visited

4

Lodges stayed in

21

Excursions taken

1

My Jun 2024 trip

Zambia between 16 Jun 2024 and 27 Jun 2024

Trip rating: Excellent
"This was our first experience of Zambia, having been to South Africa, Namibia and Botswana in the past, and we were very impressed. The Lower Zambezi is a wonderful national park and the Chiawa and Old Mondoro camps combined really well. Both camps were excellent and the wildlife viewing and bird life exceptional. Canoeing trips at both camps were a real highlight, as was the Starbed experience at Chiawa. We hope to return in the near future.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service: Can’t think of anything - you are doing an excellent job and we will continue to use Expert Africa going forward."

Arranged By Amanda Bond


Lilayi Lodge

Lilayi Lodge

"Lilayi Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 17 Jun 2024
"This is a great place to recover from a long flight before heading elsewhere on safari. Due to flight schedules we had 2 nights here and really enjoyed our stay. We were able to do several of the self guided walks and enjoyed the experience of walking near to several species of antelope, monkeys, warthogs and giraffes. The bird life was also excellent. Game drives are available and we did the sundowner drive which was very nice. The staff were very friendly and the food excellent. Would definitely stay here again if we return to Zambia."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Chiawa Camp

Chiawa Camp

"Chiawa Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 19 Jun 2024
"This is a wonderful camp with great management, staff and guiding. Several hosting surprises were also a highlight. The younger guides in particular were extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic. The landscape was very dry as a result of poor rainfall earlier this year but that didn’t detract from the game viewing, which was excellent.
Our highlight was the canoeing, which is a completely different experience from the game drives - it was very quiet and peaceful and provides an opportunity to see animals from a new perspective. It was also exhilarating being so close to large herds of elephants and the bird life was wonderful with lots of kingfishers and herons.
The Starbed experience (at an additional cost) was excellent with great attention to detail. The night sounds and incredible sunrise made it an unforgettable experience.
The accommodation and food were both excellent.
Overall a wonderful experience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Old Mondoro Bushcamp

Old Mondoro Bushcamp

"Old Mondoro Bushcamp review"

3 nights Arrived 22 Jun 2024
"This is a wonderful camp - whilst it is classed as a bushcamp it is extremely comfortable and has everything you need for an authentic safari experience. We are fortunate enough to have visited some great camps elsewhere in Africa and this camp is up there with the best.
This camp links very well with Chiawa - the seamless 90 minute boat transfer along the Zambezi was a great experience. As with Chiawa, the management team, staff and guides were all excellent. The younger guides were particularly knowledgeable and enthusiastic and went the extra mile to provide exceptional game viewing.
The accommodation was very good - the lodges overlook the Zambezi and had everything you need with the outside shower and bath providing great views.
Away from the river, the landscape around the camp is spectacular, particularly the winterthorn forests. Wildlife viewings were excellent, with elephants, leopards and warthogs being frequent visitors in the camp. Hippos were everywhere on the river banks and we saw wild dogs on several occasions. We were also particularly lucky to see aardvarks on the night drives.
Numerous activities were available and a highlight was the canoeing trip with fantastic bird life and exhilarating close up encounters with hippos and elephants.
We really enjoyed the communal dining and the opportunity to share experiences with other guests. It is easy to see why so many guests return and why it is necessary to book a year in advance for this camp."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Latitude 15

Latitude 15

"Latitude 15 review"

1 night Arrived 25 Jun 2024
"This is a great hotel for a short stay before or after a safari in Zambia. The accommodation is very good, the food excellent and the hotel is full of interesting African art. It’s also not far from the airport so transfers are very easy. Would definitely use again if visiting Zambia."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent

My Apr 2022 trip

Botswana between 26 Apr 2022 and 9 May 2022

Trip rating: Excellent
"This was our second trip to Botswana with Expert Africa.

Despite our initial nervousness about this trip post- COVID, everything went extremely well. The advice and support provided by Tracy Lederer was invaluable in setting up our excellent itinerary. Whilst we knew that April/May are not the best times to see wildlife in Botswana, we were nevertheless able to see a wide variety of wildlife and birds during our trip, largely thanks to excellent guiding.

King’s Pool was a fantastic place to start as one would expect from a Wilderness Safaris camp. Kwara Camp was an excellent choice with a real focus on wildlife - we were very impressed with Kwando Safaris. Camp Kalahari was a very different and interesting place to finish - we had a wonderful experience there and would highly recommend it.

Overall the trip was amazing - it may have cost a lot of money but we will always treasure the experience.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No - we are very happy with everything done by Expert Africa. Thank you."

Arranged By Tracy Lederer


Thamo Telele

Thamo Telele

"Royal Tree Lodge review"

1 night Arrived 27 Apr 2022
"We were underwhelmed during our short visit and felt that this was poor value for money. The lodge has only recently reopened and the communal areas are in serious need of refurbishment.

There were only two other guests at the same time as us and the lodge felt very tired and unloved. The food in particular was awful. Staff were welcoming and the room was ok. We enjoyed one of the walking trails although they weren’t particularly well marked - we enjoyed sitting at a lagoon and watching the giraffes.

The lodge is in a transitional period and we were told that refurbishment and rebranding are being undertaken by Natural Selection. The place definitely has potential - we were just there at the wrong time!"
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Good
Service
Poor
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Terrible
Facilities
Poor
Kings Pool

Kings Pool

"Kings Pool review"

3 nights Arrived 28 Apr 2022
"It’s hard to find any fault with this camp - it meets the usual high standards of a top Wilderness Safaris lodge.

April is not the best time to see wildlife because of the high vegetation but thanks to excellent guiding we were able to see a good variety of game, including lion and leopard. Overall we had a wonderful experience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sable Alley

Sable Alley

"Sable Alley review"

2 nights Arrived 1 May 2022
"Whilst the lodge was lovely, our overall experience was slightly disappointing because of the shortage of wildlife.

The vegetation was very high and overgrown with large areas of mopane woodland. It was only because an elephant had recently died that we were able to see lions and hyenas around the carcass. Without that we would have seen very little. Our guide was only average - he didn’t engage that well and he was nearing the end of his two month shift.

I think we could have omitted this camp from our itinerary without our overall experience suffering."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Kwara Camp

Kwara Camp

"Kwara Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 3 May 2022
"We really enjoyed our experience at this camp - in particular the guiding on the game drives was exceptional. Having a tracker on the front of the vehicle really makes a difference. In one half hour period we saw wild dogs hunting, lions on an impala kill and an angry herd of elephants chasing off the lions.

The staff at the lodge were excellent and looked after us really well. Whilst this camp isn’t as well appointed as a typical Wilderness Safaris camp, it hit the mark for us and the focus on wildlife was excellent.

The lack of wi-if was a good thing from our perspective although probably not for others.

The camp was quiet when we first arrived but got busier during our stay and we enjoyed the communal dining experiences and breakfast around the fire."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Camp Kalahari

Camp Kalahari

"Camp Kalahari review"

2 nights Arrived 6 May 2022
"This was the final stop on our trip and we are so pleased we visited this camp. We wanted a contrast from the delta areas and this was completely different. We expected the area to be very arid but were pleasantly surprised that there was a fair amount of grass and water around. There were also large herds of zebra and wildebeest. The landscapes and sunsets are spectacular.

The camp itself was comfortable, although more basic than the camps we had previously visited. Our only negative experiences were the amount of mosquitoes and the poor quality and lack of choice for the food.

We originally feared that the trip to see the meerkats and bushmen might be a little touristy but they were both excellent - do them if you get the chance. Our relatively young guide was very knowledgeable and passionate about this area and this contributed to our positive experience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Average
Food
Poor
Facilities
Average

My May 2018 trip

Botswana and 2 other countries between 13 May 2018 and 23 May 2018

Trip rating: Excellent
"This was a wonderful holiday and a great experience. Many thanks to Tracy Lederer for her excellent advice in creating our itinerary.

Victoria Falls was a great way to start the holiday. The Wilderness Safari camps at Little Vumbura and particularly Chitabe Lediba were fantastic, giving us a great combination of water and land based activities. We are big fans of Wilderness Safaris - their camps are obviously not cheap but are truly spectacular.

Chobe was also a good way to relax at the end of the holiday. We have done several safaris before but Botswana is without doubt the most spectacular destination - the wildlife, bird life, scenery and landscapes and the people are wonderful.

We hope to return one day and will definitely use Expert Africa."

Arranged By Tracy Lederer


Ilala Lodge

Ilala Lodge

"Ilala Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 13 May 2018
"A very comfortable and friendly hotel with knowledgeable and helpful staff. The hotel has a very good restaurant ( The Palm) and there is also an excellent restaurant virtually next door (The Three Monkeys).

The Lookout, another good restaurant with spectacular views over the Zambezi gorge, is nearby.

We enjoyed the Zambezi sunset cruise on the hotel's own small boat. The Falls themselves are only a short walk away. We had two nights here and saw everything we wanted to in that time.

The hotel is very good value - you don't need to stay in the more expensive hotels."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Little Vumbura

Little Vumbura

"Little Vumbura review"

3 nights Arrived 15 May 2018
"Most things about this camp were excellent - the spectacular location, the camp itself and the accomodation.

The food was acceptable but not of the same high standard as some of the other Wilderness camps we have visited. The staff were very friendly and helpful but unlike other camps it was not clear who was in charge. Being a water camp we were able to do boat trips and a mokoro ride as well as the usual excellent game drives. Our guide, G, was very knowledgeable and personable. There was plenty of game and the bird life was exceptional.

We had three nights here which was ideal - we had time to relax as well as seeing everything we wanted to."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Chitabe Lediba

Chitabe Lediba

"Chitabe Lediba review"

3 nights Arrived 18 May 2018
"This was the highlight of our holiday. The camp was exceptional - the location, diverse landscapes, accomodation, staff and the food.

The game drives were excellent - we saw lots of game and bird life and the scenery and landscapes were beautiful. Our guide, Duke, was very knowledgeable and personable and we really enjoyed his company. Three nights was ideal here, allowing us to relax, see a lot of wildlife and enjoy the experience.

We would strongly recommend this camp and would love to return one day."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Chobe Princesses

Chobe Princesses

"Chobe Princesses review"

2 nights Arrived 21 May 2018
"This was a very nice way to spend a couple of nights at the end of our holiday. The boat itself was comfortable and the staff very good. We felt the rooms, particularly the bathrooms and toilets, needed some refurbishment and the boat looked a little 'tired'. The only activity provided was boat trips by small tender along the Chobe River bank - this became a little predictable.

We weren't offered any other activities, such as fishing from a smaller boat. We suspect that because there was a larger group of seven AustralIans aboard the activity was centred on what they wanted and we were expected to tag along. We didn't see a lot of game on the riverbank but this was not an issue as we had already seen plenty in the Delta. The high water levels also restricted the movement of some of the wildlife - we were told that large herds of elephants regularly cross the river when the water level is lower.

Having said that, the bird life was exceptional and the scenery and sunsets spectacular.l"
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good

Our Namibia adventure - September 2015

Namibia between 6 Sep 2015 and 19 Sep 2015

Trip rating: Excellent
"We loved Namibia - the scenery, landscapes, game reserves and overall experience were all fantastic. The people were friendly everywhere we went and we felt safe at all times.

Driving was easy - long straight roads with no traffic, albeit some of the gravel roads in the more remote areas were a challenge. Our party of four are all well travelled and we agreed that Namibia was one of the best places we had visited. Highlights were the walking at Erongo Wilderness Lodge, the game at Etosha (particularly around the waterholes, where we saw large concentrations of animals), the solitude and wilderness at Damaraland Camp and the superb scenery around Sossusvlei.

Many thanks to Sabina and the rest of the team at Expert Africa for helping to organise this wonderful trip."

Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo


Olive Grove

Olive Grove

"A great place for a first night"

1 night Arrived 6 Sep 2015
"Olive Grove is a very convenient place to spend an initial night in Namibia.

The accommodation was very comfortable, the staff very friendly and helpful and the breakfast we had there was very good."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Erongo Wilderness Lodge

Erongo Wilderness Lodge

"Fantastic place - don't miss it"

1 night Arrived 7 Sep 2015
"We booked Erongo as a convenient breaking point for our journey from Windhoek to Etosha and only stayed one night. It was one of the highlights of our trip and we wished we had stayed two nights.

Rooms are excellent and the location superb. We enjoyed one of the marked walks (the Eagle Trail) and also did the Sundowner walk and the shorter 2 hour morning walk, both of which were excellent. Guides were very knowledgeable and interesting and staff very friendly.

Highly recommended."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Onguma Tented Camp

Onguma Tented Camp

"Beautiful camp but limited game"

2 nights Arrived 8 Sep 2015
"The accommodation and setting of Onguma are excellent and we enjoyed our stay there.

The only problem was the lack of game in the reserve - to be fair it had been incredibly dry and the landscape was desperately parched, but we saw little or no game in the reserve itself on our afternoon and night drives. The morning drive into Etosha was better and we saw plenty of game there. Our guide was ok but wasn't very informative - he just pointed out the animals.

The waterhole in front of the camp is in a great setting and it is very relaxing to sit and watch animals drink, albeit we didn't see much during our stay."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Ongava Tented Camp

Ongava Tented Camp

"Good location ant excellent for game"

2 nights Arrived 10 Sep 2015
"We enjoyed our stay at Ongava - the accomodation was good, the staff very friendly and the reserve itself had plenty of game. Our guide, Leon, was good and we saw plenty of lions as well as white and black rhino. The game drives in the reserve and into Etosha were very good.

The food was very good and the meal set up in the bush for our second night was fantastic. We enjoyed the communal dining experience as it gave us the opportunity to meet other travellers from different countries. We liked the flexibility we were given to organise our activities during our stay.

The waterhole in front of the camp attracted lots of game, including rhinos, giraffe and (very briefly) a brown hyena."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Damaraland Camp

Damaraland Camp

"This camp is fantastic"

2 nights Arrived 12 Sep 2015
"We travelled all around Namibia and this was the highlight of our trip.

Whilst very remote, it is definitely worth the extra effort to get there. The accommodation, setting and atmosphere are superb and the staff fantastic. We really liked the communal dining experience and we met some very interesting people, who we hope to catch up with in the future.

Our guide, Chris, was excellent - very informative and interesting. We really enjoyed the morning trip to see the desert adapted elephants along with the spectacular outdoor breakfast at sunrise - definitely one of the highlights of our trip. The food and setting was first class.

A special word of thanks to Adams, the chap who guarded our car at the pick-up point - he was a real character.

We enjoyed the impromptu stargazing provided by the guides. We were very sad to leave."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Image alt

Central Guest House, Namibia (this camp has since closed)

"Comfortable place to stay"

2 nights Arrived 14 Sep 2015
"We didn't really like Swakopmund - the weather was cold and grey and we'd driven down from Damaraland, which we'd really liked. The guesthouse is fine, comfortable and the staff were very helpful and friendly. To be honest, we couldn't really see anywhere that looked better, as most accommodation appeared to be in similar guest houses.

The activities we did in Swakopmund were good - our children (aged 20 and 23) enjoyed sand boarding and quad-biking whilst my wife and I did an excellent trip to Sandwicj Harbour with Turnstone Tours (highly recommended)."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Coast and Sandwich Harbour

Coast and Sandwich Harbour

"Interesting trip with Burger"

15 Sep 2015 • All-day excursion

We really enjoyed our trip to Sandwich Harbour - our guide, Burger, was very informative and interesting and we enjoyed his company. I would highly recommend this trip.
Excellent
Kulala Desert Lodge

Kulala Desert Lodge

"Great location for visiting the dunes"

2 nights Arrived 16 Sep 2015
"This is a lovely camp with excellent accomodation, great staff and a relaxed atmosphere.

Our guide, Joas, was excellent and we really enjoyed our Sundowner drive and our morning trip to the dunes. Kulala's private entrance to the park is a big advantage and saves a lot of time. The morning trip to the dunes was a highlight of our trip - we climbed Big Daddy and took spectacular pictures at Deadvlei.

We took the opportunity to sleep on the roof under the stars, which was a great experience. This lodge is slightly larger than some of the smaller camps we stayed at so the experience is less personal, but it is still highly recommended."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
River Crossing

River Crossing

"A convenient place for the airport"

1 night Arrived 18 Sep 2015
"This was our final stopping point in Namibia and a very convenient place to stay near the airport.

The rooms were good and the staff very friendly and helpful.

Although it calls itself a game reserve we didn't see much and the drives/walks were not heavily promoted."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good

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