Travel reviews by Mr A from Washington
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
3
Countries visited
6
Lodges stayed in
24
Excursions taken
0
Another Great Adventure through Expert Africa
Rwanda and 2 other countries between 8 Oct 2016 and 28 Oct 2016
A beautiful week in the Quirimbas Archipelago, including a visit to a hidden gem of southeast Africa, historic Ibo Island.
Just a wonderful experience all around.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Many thanks to Tracy Lederer for another round of assistance in arranging and assembling an African adventure (our third in three years through Expert Africa). An excellent initial recommendation for an itinerary and extremely helpful advise in refining our ideas. The arrangements came together quickly and worked almost flawlessly.
Thank you again Tracy and Expert Africa."
Arranged By Tracy Lederer

Kigali Serena Hotel
"Kigali Serena Hotel review"

Ruzizi Tented Lodge
"Ruzizi Tented Lodge review"
Game in the Park was somewhat lacking, other than hippos. The game we did see was congregated toward the northern part of the Park, which necessitated in a long day of driving to and from the Lodge. The views from the western ridge of the Park toward the chain of lakes below are really spectacular.
The Park is several hours by vehicle east of Kigali (the point from which travel to any other part of Rwanda commences), so that any trip which involves travel from the Lodge to a location other than Kigali will almost certainly require a full day's drive. The roads in Rwanda are quite good, but some might find a long day's drive in Rwanda very taxing."

Nyungwe House
"Nyungwe Forest Lodge review"
Extremely comfortable rooms with decks looking out on forest through which monkeys traveled routinely. Excellent food at all meals. Wonderful service by a staff continually committed to providing a top-class experience. In a distracting oddity, muzak plays at all hours of the day in the main lodge building.
The Park itself is very attractive and gives some idea of the flavor and beauty of Rwanda before deforestation. Excellent primate tracking and hiking in and around the Park. Tracking of the colobus monkeys occurred not more than 500 meters from the Lodge, and the monkeys were abundant and highly accessible. The canopy walk in the Park was beautiful and exhilarating (in a terrifying way)."

Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
"Gorilla Mountain View Lodge review"
Words cannot adequately describe primate tracking in the Park, whether gorillas or golden monkeys. It is simply an experience of a lifetime.
The lodge is excellently located amid the various jumping-off points for tracking. Two days of gorilla tracking provide the opportunity for many points of comparison in tracking experiences and is recommended. For those with time and/or who are seeking additional pre-tracking acclimatization to altitude, the nature walk is recommended for its beauty and its solitude (we were the only visitors on our particular walk)."

City Lodge OR Tambo
"City Lodge OR Tambo review"
Amazingly convenient. Clean and comfortable. Decent food generally, and a very good breakfast buffet.
A more-than-adequate way station amid wherever your travels in southern Africa may take you."

Ibo Island Lodge
"Distinctive Lodge in Most Unique Destination"
A variety of unique and really engaging activities provided by a committed staff with real flair. The half-day dhow safari to the Lodge's private sandbar (including a return under sail) was a real treat, and the guided tour of the town was by turns informative and fascinating.
Ibo Island itself is utterly charming and distinctive in its run-down way, with echos of many periods of history around every succeeding corner. Highly, highly recommended as a destination to anyone intrigued by the idea of a dip into the history of eastern Africa."

Azura at Quilalea
"Azura at Quilalea review"
Luxurious facilities. Private, comfortable, well appointed rooms looking out over the waters. (The west-facing Kusi villas are better-located and much more private and are highly recommended over the Kaskazi Vills.) Excellent food at all meals. Dinner is served at a different location each evening, including within a baobab grove in the middle of the island (a really extraordinary experience). Absolutely first-rate service, including a dedicated server for all meals and drinks. Excellent staff, helpful, engaged, and supportive.
Excellent activities in the waters of the Quirimbas. A very good house reef immediately offshore provides excellent snorkeling. Very good diving (if not quite the quality at Azura Benguerra off Vilankulos). Wonderful kayaking, including medium-distance trips to nearby Ilha Quirimba and around the island itself. Good wildlife, including tropical fish and turtles. Great short hikes on the island itself among a large number of very impressive baobab trees.
The pump failed near the end of our stay, and our room was without water for the last 24 hours of our stay."
My Oct 2015 trip
Namibia between 19 Oct 2015 and 6 Nov 2015
Namibia is very beautiful with varied landscapes and friendly people - when you actually saw people! The itinerary was very well chosen and gave us a wonderful introduction to the country. Our accommodations were all very comfortable and made our trip very luxurious.
While Erongo Wilderness camp is really amazing and beautiful, all the tented rooms are not equal. Those at the bottom are nice in and of themselves, but have no views. We were a bit disappointed to be in one of these rooms considering we had booked well in advance, particularly since the camp manager mentioned to us that the day we arrived they had several walk-ins. This did not detract from our overall camp experience, which was really good."
Arranged By Tracy Lederer

Bagatelle Kalahari Game Ranch
"Bagatelle"
Very attractive commons and outdoor dining areas, tame springbok included. An excellent gift shop!"

Fish River Lodge
"The Edge of Eternity at Fish River Lodge"
Extremely comfortable cabins of modern design perch atop the west rim of the Canyon. Incredible views in all directions. Very attractive common areas with fine, attentive service. The day-trip drive into the Canyon (with a swim in the Fish River) was well worth the time and effort, and our guide (Paul) was excellent. Extremely windy at times, especially in the late afternoon.
An excellent place!"

Nest Hotel
"Nest Hotel"
Attractive outdoor areas for enjoying fish-andf-chips in the brisk sea air. A disappointing restaurant with poor service (though the presence of an international windsurfing/kitesurfing festival probably contributed).
While Luderitz itself has relatively little in the way of tourist attractions, the drive between Luderitz and Aus is amazing, with the Namib-Nakluft Desert on full display in all its arid beauty,"

Desert Horse Inn
"Desert Horse Inn review"
You had several trails to pick from and all were well-blazed and with outstanding views. We didn't even think about running into animals until we hit the first troop of baboons. The main area had an attractive outdoor seating area for drinks and the dining room was just above with tables sprinkled around the balconies if you wanted to sit outside. While we didn't stay there, we walked through the camp grounds, which also looked quite nice. Just down the road in Aus is the Banholf guesthouse, worth the trip for a nice lunch. The food was excellent as was the service and the setting.
The guide book suggests there is a good gift shop at the DHI, but I'd have to disagree with that."

Kulala Desert Lodge
"Kulala - Sossusvlei!"
First rate, food and service - typical of Wilderness Safari camps. The guided trip to Sossusvlei - breathtaking - was well worth it. The guides know how to navigate the deeps sands and had interesting information to share. It is easy to see why Sossusvlei is one of the crown jewels of Nambian travel.
The only downside was the wind and ensuing sandstorm. But that's mother nature and part of the Nambian package."

Organic Square
"Organic Square - near the heart of Swapkopmun"
A largely continental breakfast in the A.M - pretty good. The manager was exceptionally friendly and helpful -- recommended places to go and and even made dining reservations for us. The hotel is pretty well located though not in the dead center of town. It was easy to walk everywhere - and wandering the streets is a pleasant way to spend the day in Swapkopmund.
The Pelican Point kayaking day trip to Walvis Bay was excellent. Many birds on the drive out and there, really stunning sand swept views, and huge colonies of seal that you can kayak right up to. Our guide was especially good - laid back, informative and loved his job. A winning combination all around."
Lodge not featured by Expert Africa

Doro Nawas
"Doro Nawas - hilltop respite in Damaraland"
Very large, comfortable tented cabin rooms, with decks looking out on the mountains beyond. Brilliant night-time skies with endless banks of stars. Extremely attractive common areas. Excellent food. Especially friendly and helpful service that even included tentative lessons at Khoisan. Very quiet and peaceful (when the wind isn't blowing), so you can hear your neighbors cough.
The morning drive by Doro Nawas to Twyfelfontein was very informative; the separate guided tour of the site itself was extremely interesting, as was a later visit to the Damaraland Living Museum."

Anderssons Camp, Namibia (this camp has since closed)
"Andersson's Camp"
Andersson's location just outside the southern gate (Andersson's/Okaukuejo) to Etosha makes it an ideal jumping off point for visits to the park and the water holes in the vicinity of Okaukuejo, including Okondeka,the water hole with the highest concentration and variety of game we saw on our four separate visits to the park.
Staff inform us that Andersson's is about to undergo an upgrade of facilities, to reduce the number of cabins and provide a more 'luxurious' experience, We hope that the camp doesn't lose its distinctive 'retro' charm in the process."
Lodge not featured by Expert Africa

Onguma Tented Camp
"Deluxe accommodations near Etosha at Onguma"
A guided walking safari along the edge of Fisher's Pan was extremely interesting, with a guide (David) who seemed especially engaged by his duties. Our drive into Etosha was less rewarding, partly due to windy conditions, partly to a paucity of game (other than a black rhino), and partly due to a guide who did not make much effort to do other than drive,
The Onguma complex is generally well-located near the East Gate of Etosha, but the access road from the Onguma entrance to the camps themselves is long and somewhat jarring."

Erongo Wilderness Lodge
"Erongo - hidden among the boulders"
This camp also has several well-blazed hiking trails among the boulders. You can go on a guided walk or on your own. We did both. Our guide, Manuel, was excellent -- nice and well informed about the various flora and fauna. Highly recommend taking advantage of both options.
The nearby town of Omaruru aspires toward the artistic and has engaging ambience - worth a trip and a beer."
Delightful
Botswana and 3 other countries between 16 Oct 2014 and 2 Nov 2014
Kudos to ExpertAfrica for the detailed arrangements that went smoothly and without a hitch!
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Your website is okay, but we actually used a different one to look up details and comments on the same places you offered. That site was more visually compelling and easier to navigate. Having said that we still used your service -- and our overall experience with you was very good."
Arranged By Tracy Lederer

Tongabezi
"Great location, attentive staff"
The food was excellent -- among the best on our trip-- and the staff was especially helpful and accommodating."

Muchenje Safari Lodge
"Muchenje Safari Lodge review"
There is a trade off by staying at Muchenje -- you are a bit removed from the Chobe central riverfront so nicely more quiet. That means you have to drive farther afield to get the riverfront. That tradeoff is an individual preference of course."

Footsteps across the Delta
"A fantastic retro introduction to the Delta!"
The food was five star -- all cooked over an open fire. The staff extremely attentive and friendly. The accommodations were extremely comfortable. And the animals wandered through the camp making for a truly special experience.
We would highly, highly recommend to anyone that wants a real experience with lots of comfort, but doesn't need all the "conveniences" of the developed world."

Vumbura Plains
"A deluxe experience in the heart of the Delta"
The quintessential high-end Delta experience."

City Lodge OR Tambo
"A little more than a mere transit hotel"

Casa Rex
"Surprising quality on the Mozambique coast"
Attractive rooms with wonderful views. Excellent food and wine in an intimate restaurant. A warm and welcoming staff. One of our favorite spots!"
Lodge not featured by Expert Africa

Azura Benguerra
"Luxurious beach resort"
Exceptionally attentive staff that catered to all of our needs with a genuine smile. Excellent food and variety. If you like to dive or snorkel -- exceptional reef opportunities with an abundance of sea life.
Take a drive around the island too -- it is charming with beautiful unspoiled vistas."
Well located in sprawling Kigali, within walking distance of at least one good restaurant and short driving distance of the Genocide Memorial.
Attractive and comfortable outdoor areas. A very good breakfast buffet. Very attentive service."