Travel reviews by Mrs M & Mr D from Germany
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
3
Countries visited
3
Lodges stayed in
15
Excursions taken
3
My Apr 2021 trip
Tanzania between 30 Apr 2021 and 14 May 2021
"Travelling during Covid is challenging. It therefore felt good to have a knowledgeable and up to date partner like Expert Africa aside to plan and make this trip happen.
Glad we did the Serengeti during Covid as the destination would have certainly felt too busy in a regular year. May is further a lovely time to visit. Nature is lush and green, flowers in bloom, and there are many little ones amongst the herds. Rain was no problem at all as rainfalls did either occur at night or did hardly last for more than half an hour before the sun came through again.
The morning mist and the cloudy skies added a special atmosphere, while the bush babies kept us warm at night.
The itinerary was well balanced and met all our expectations ! Thank you Jessica :)
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No, just perfect. Thank you so much again !!!"
Glad we did the Serengeti during Covid as the destination would have certainly felt too busy in a regular year. May is further a lovely time to visit. Nature is lush and green, flowers in bloom, and there are many little ones amongst the herds. Rain was no problem at all as rainfalls did either occur at night or did hardly last for more than half an hour before the sun came through again.
The morning mist and the cloudy skies added a special atmosphere, while the bush babies kept us warm at night.
The itinerary was well balanced and met all our expectations ! Thank you Jessica :)
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
No, just perfect. Thank you so much again !!!"
Arranged By Jessica Plumb
Katambuga House
"Katambuga House review"
1 night
Arrived 1 May 2021
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Oliver's Camp
"Oliver's Camp review"
2 nights
Arrived 2 May 2021
"A tented camp as it couldn‘t be any better: unbelievable welcoming, attentive and friendly staff that made every day of our stay feel very special.
The camp itself offers lovely views from various open decks. The tents are very comfortable and offer all luxury needed.
We loved the place for its outdorsiness (unfenced, located in a rather remote area of Tarangire) as well as its authenticity. Special thanks to Chef Burka who surprised us with a wonderful candle light dinner full of local delights.
Thank you very much to the whole team for this experience !"
The camp itself offers lovely views from various open decks. The tents are very comfortable and offer all luxury needed.
We loved the place for its outdorsiness (unfenced, located in a rather remote area of Tarangire) as well as its authenticity. Special thanks to Chef Burka who surprised us with a wonderful candle light dinner full of local delights.
Thank you very much to the whole team for this experience !"
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Lion
Many sightings
Wildebeest
1 sighting
Zebra
1 sighting
Lemala Ngorongoro
"Lemala Ngorongoro review"
1 night
Arrived 4 May 2021
"We choose this camp primarily for its location, right on top of the crater rim with one of the closest access to the Ngorongoro crater.
In this respect the camp did clearly meet all our expectations. Welcome by a local Massai was further very warm and friendly, and our tent felt spacious and comfortable.
Management yet definitely needs improvement. We were in particular very unhappy with the cleanliness of the facilities (dirty tablecloth on each and every table for breakfast and dinner despite being the only guests since a couple of days) as well as the poor quality of food."
In this respect the camp did clearly meet all our expectations. Welcome by a local Massai was further very warm and friendly, and our tent felt spacious and comfortable.
Management yet definitely needs improvement. We were in particular very unhappy with the cleanliness of the facilities (dirty tablecloth on each and every table for breakfast and dinner despite being the only guests since a couple of days) as well as the poor quality of food."
Average
Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Poor
Facilities
Poor
Feedback response
We were pleased to hear that these travellers liked the location of the camp and the size of the tents, but we were really disappointed to read that their stay at Lemala Ngorongoro did not meet the high standards that we would expect. We contacted the camp about this straight away. They took these comments very seriously and looked into this with the management team. We hope that this was an unlucky one-off for these guests, but shall be monitoring the situation closely.
Africa Specialist
Lake Manyara Safari
"Lake Manyara Safari review"
4 May 2021 • All-day excursion
May is probably not the best time to visit Lake Manyara NP.
The lake shores are all flooded, and as expected the flamingos were gone.
The park is yet still very pretty to visit during that time of the year due to its forest, as well as its birds and monkeys.
The lake shores are all flooded, and as expected the flamingos were gone.
The park is yet still very pretty to visit during that time of the year due to its forest, as well as its birds and monkeys.
The Highlands
"The Highlands review"
2 nights
Arrived 5 May 2021
"Definitely a unique place to stay in the Ngorongoro NP at 2700m above sea level. The architecture and views are just amazing.
The camp is nicely located away from the crowds, and therefore ideal for those looking for more than just the normal Ngorongoro safari. The camp offers various cultural activities (suspended during Covid), as well as highly recommended guided hikes to the Empakaai and Olomoti crater.
The staff was very friendly and food was very good too.
Compared to other Asilia properties visited, the Covid 19 protocol was probably handled a little less strictly."
The camp is nicely located away from the crowds, and therefore ideal for those looking for more than just the normal Ngorongoro safari. The camp offers various cultural activities (suspended during Covid), as well as highly recommended guided hikes to the Empakaai and Olomoti crater.
The staff was very friendly and food was very good too.
Compared to other Asilia properties visited, the Covid 19 protocol was probably handled a little less strictly."
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Zebra
Many sightings
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater
"Safari in Ngorongoro Crater review"
5 May 2021 • All-day excursion
A truly amazing experience. This place felt like garden eden.
Once more a solid proof that travelling during Covid becomes a plus in areas which in normal times tend to attract too many visitors. In the early morning hours, we were basically the only car down in the crater and spotted a lovely pride of lions with cups.
The scenery during May was very special with mist rolling over the crater rim and the crater floor being covered by an endless field of golden Bidens flowers.
We were further lucky to get to see the Rhinos grassing between a herd of zebras with some elephants passing in a distance.
Once more a solid proof that travelling during Covid becomes a plus in areas which in normal times tend to attract too many visitors. In the early morning hours, we were basically the only car down in the crater and spotted a lovely pride of lions with cups.
The scenery during May was very special with mist rolling over the crater rim and the crater floor being covered by an endless field of golden Bidens flowers.
We were further lucky to get to see the Rhinos grassing between a herd of zebras with some elephants passing in a distance.
Olmoti Crater walk
"Empakaai Crater walk review"
6 May 2021 • All-day excursion
Excellent opportunity to stretch legs after some long days on safari.
The drive to Empakaai is further very scenic and allows on clear days views till Lake Natron.
Both ranger and the Maasai guide were very well organized upfront by The Highlands.
The drive to Empakaai is further very scenic and allows on clear days views till Lake Natron.
Both ranger and the Maasai guide were very well organized upfront by The Highlands.
Dunia Camp
"Dunia Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived 7 May 2021
"A charming little camp that is entirely run by women (staff, guide, guard and management) which adds a special touch and feel. The camp is in every respect run very professionally with each team member contributing lots of care and love to the warm atmosphere of the camp.
We felt at home from the very first minute and were looked after so well during our entire stay. A great benefit of the camp is its location near the Moru Kopjes which also means away from the crowds of the busier park sections. During our stay in May, the difficult road conditions did unfortunately not allow driving to the Kopjes, but our guide and driver Neema did a terrific job showing us herds of zebras, buffalos and wildebeest, lions in trees, bat ear foxes, leopard and many other in other scenic areas of the park.
The camp itself is very well maintained and the spacious tents offer all luxury needed for a classic safari experience.
We also like to highlight that Dunia was further best in class with respect to the Company‘s Covid protocol. Thank you Ladies!"
We felt at home from the very first minute and were looked after so well during our entire stay. A great benefit of the camp is its location near the Moru Kopjes which also means away from the crowds of the busier park sections. During our stay in May, the difficult road conditions did unfortunately not allow driving to the Kopjes, but our guide and driver Neema did a terrific job showing us herds of zebras, buffalos and wildebeest, lions in trees, bat ear foxes, leopard and many other in other scenic areas of the park.
The camp itself is very well maintained and the spacious tents offer all luxury needed for a classic safari experience.
We also like to highlight that Dunia was further best in class with respect to the Company‘s Covid protocol. Thank you Ladies!"
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Hippo
1 sighting
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
Many sightings
Spotted Hyena
Many sightings
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
Namiri Plains Camp
"Namiri Plains Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived 10 May 2021
"An amazing camp that scores with its interior design. Clearly very distinctish from a classic camp.
The suites are huge dome tents established over a permanent structure equipped with an outdoor bath tube, a spacious indoor bath room, minibar, yoga mats (???) and an outside deck. The stylish dining room opens to an outside deck overlooking the boma and the nearby water hole. Library, spa and pool are adjacent.
The camp might feel slightly over the top for those looking for a more outdoorsy and classic safari experience. But we still loved the camp for its rather remote location, the excellent guiding and the frequent cat sightings including servals, cheetahs, lions (with little cubs) and a rather shy leopard.
Our guide Khalid had an incredible eye sight and did a terrific job navigating through a difficult terrain. Special thanks as well to Yussef and his rescue team who spared no efforts to pull us out of the mud whenever needed :) thank you to the whole Namiri Team as well for pampering us so well during our stay!"
The suites are huge dome tents established over a permanent structure equipped with an outdoor bath tube, a spacious indoor bath room, minibar, yoga mats (???) and an outside deck. The stylish dining room opens to an outside deck overlooking the boma and the nearby water hole. Library, spa and pool are adjacent.
The camp might feel slightly over the top for those looking for a more outdoorsy and classic safari experience. But we still loved the camp for its rather remote location, the excellent guiding and the frequent cat sightings including servals, cheetahs, lions (with little cubs) and a rather shy leopard.
Our guide Khalid had an incredible eye sight and did a terrific job navigating through a difficult terrain. Special thanks as well to Yussef and his rescue team who spared no efforts to pull us out of the mud whenever needed :) thank you to the whole Namiri Team as well for pampering us so well during our stay!"
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Cheetah
Many sightings
Eland
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
Many sightings
Spotted Hyena
Many sightings
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
My Nov 2020 trip
Namibia between 28 Nov 2020 and 7 Dec 2020
"Thank you Expert Africa for yet another fabulous trip to Africa during Covid-19 times!"
Arranged By Sabina Hekandjo
Am Weinberg Boutique Hotel
"Am Weinberg Boutique Hotel - Review"
1 night
Arrived 28 Nov 2020
"Stylish boutique hotel perfectly located in Klein Windhoek with restaurants in walking distance"
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Hoanib Valley Camp
"Hoanib Valley Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived 29 Nov 2020
"Just amazing!
The Hoanib valley is clearly one of the best kept secrets in Namibia. Worth spending three nights !
Also possible to drive to the Camp with your own 4x4 vehicle and being escorted over to their sister camp Shipwreck Lodge at the Skeleton Coast."
The Hoanib valley is clearly one of the best kept secrets in Namibia. Worth spending three nights !
Also possible to drive to the Camp with your own 4x4 vehicle and being escorted over to their sister camp Shipwreck Lodge at the Skeleton Coast."
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
10+ sightings
Lion
1 sighting
Oryx
6 sightings
Zebra
1 sighting
Palmwag Lodge
"Palmwag Lodge review"
1 night
Arrived 2 Dec 2020
"Newly refurbished, friendly staff, and very well maintained.
Overall a very good value option for a one night stay in the Palmwag area.
Own fuel station is an extra plus."
Overall a very good value option for a one night stay in the Palmwag area.
Own fuel station is an extra plus."
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Sightings report
Elephant
1 sighting
Oryx
1 sighting
Skeleton Coast Shipwreck Lodge
"Skeleton Coast Shipwreck Lodge review"
2 nights
Arrived 3 Dec 2020
"Just amazing both with respect to design & landscape.
Very friendly and highly committed staff.
Recommend to stay 2 nights at minimum to benefit from all activities offered."
Very friendly and highly committed staff.
Recommend to stay 2 nights at minimum to benefit from all activities offered."
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Oryx
1 sighting
Mowani Mountain Camp
"Mowani Mountain Camp review"
1 night
Arrived 5 Dec 2020
"Always worth a stay. It was our 2nd visit there and we did not regret it.
The camp is built within impressive rock formations - which offer a great view during a sundowner.
Some of Namibia’s best rock art gravings can be visited nearby at Twyfelfontein."
The camp is built within impressive rock formations - which offer a great view during a sundowner.
Some of Namibia’s best rock art gravings can be visited nearby at Twyfelfontein."
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Facilities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Average
Spitzkoppen Lodge
"Spitzkoppen Lodge review"
1 night
Arrived 6 Dec 2020
"Highly recommend this lodge.
The lodge is located directly ar the foot of the Spitzkoppe mountain which for its shape is also called the Matterhorn of Namibia. Rock formations are as impressive as those of Mowani Mountain Camp and the staff is highly committed to make your stay special.
The area is not as busy as the one around Mowani which might be considered as a plus.The camp is located a bit off the main tourist route, but still in a good reach when travelling from Windhoek to Swakopmund or vice versa or when travelling from Damaraland down to Namib Naukluft NP.
One just need to be aware that this lodge is more about landscape rather than game viewing."
The lodge is located directly ar the foot of the Spitzkoppe mountain which for its shape is also called the Matterhorn of Namibia. Rock formations are as impressive as those of Mowani Mountain Camp and the staff is highly committed to make your stay special.
The area is not as busy as the one around Mowani which might be considered as a plus.The camp is located a bit off the main tourist route, but still in a good reach when travelling from Windhoek to Swakopmund or vice versa or when travelling from Damaraland down to Namib Naukluft NP.
One just need to be aware that this lodge is more about landscape rather than game viewing."
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Zebra
1 sighting
Zambia during Covid 19 times
Zambia between 25 Sep 2020 and 10 Oct 2020
"We are extremely pleased to confirm that travelling under COVID is not only possible, but in fact 200% worth-while with Expert Africa one's side ! Travelling during Covid might require a bit flexibility, but it definitely pays-off in many ways:
- Supporting conservation, lodges & locals
- Experiencing parks/camps in a very exclusive & distinguished manner
- Being pampered & appreciated
- Getting a bit of distance from the news at home
We also like to emphasize that all camps did make a tremendous effort to make our stay as convenient and as safe as possible. This included wearing face masks, using sanitizers, respecting social distancing, 24h room vacancy prior to new guests arriving, 10 day staff quarantine prior service. So all together not any different of what you would expect at home in order to feel safe !."
- Supporting conservation, lodges & locals
- Experiencing parks/camps in a very exclusive & distinguished manner
- Being pampered & appreciated
- Getting a bit of distance from the news at home
We also like to emphasize that all camps did make a tremendous effort to make our stay as convenient and as safe as possible. This included wearing face masks, using sanitizers, respecting social distancing, 24h room vacancy prior to new guests arriving, 10 day staff quarantine prior service. So all together not any different of what you would expect at home in order to feel safe !."
Arranged By Lucy Copson
Musekese Camp
"Musekese Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived 28 Sep 2020
"Musekese was absolutely stunning ! Both with respect to people, accommodation, location and sightings. So glad, we decided to combine it with South Luangwa. The tented chalets are brand new and combine well luxury with the traditional Out-of Africa fealing.
Phil is a great host and our guide Gilbert was one of the best guides we ever had: 6 leopards in only 3 days what could you ask more ! We spotted further a large pride of lions, puku, impala, bush pigs, Lichtenstein hartebeest, sable, kudu, duiker, Defassa waterbuck, scrub hare, mongoose, warthogs, zebra, baboons, hippo, crocs, velvet monkeys, monitor lizard, and came across a huge herd of elephants for sundowner.as well as bush babies, serval and genets at night, and birds of course 😊"
Phil is a great host and our guide Gilbert was one of the best guides we ever had: 6 leopards in only 3 days what could you ask more ! We spotted further a large pride of lions, puku, impala, bush pigs, Lichtenstein hartebeest, sable, kudu, duiker, Defassa waterbuck, scrub hare, mongoose, warthogs, zebra, baboons, hippo, crocs, velvet monkeys, monitor lizard, and came across a huge herd of elephants for sundowner.as well as bush babies, serval and genets at night, and birds of course 😊"
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Elephant
Many sightings
Hippo
Many sightings
Leopard
6 sightings
Lion
5 sightings
Sable antelope
1 sighting
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Wildebeest
1 sighting
Zebra
Many sightings
Tafika
"Tafika review"
4 nights
Arrived 1 Oct 2020
"Tafika was a real highlight. From the moment we arrived, it really felt like visiting friends & family. The hospitality of the Coppinger family was amazing. The camp has been completely refurbished recently and looked top-notch. We loved the fact that it integrated so well into the natural habitat using all local materials. The hides for the carmine bee-eaters and the elephants were much fun too – great for photographers. Our guide Makupa was reading the bush like the bible ! We spotted 8 leopards of which some up in trees 😊. In addition to other game seen on other safaris, we spotted for the first time the Thornicroft giraffe, the bushy tail & white tail mongoose, civets and many many genets ! The area is absolutely stunning – we loved it for its remoteness. Basically there was only one vehicle besides ours out in the area. What a luxury !"
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Hippo
Many sightings
Leopard
8 sightings
Lion
4 sightings
Spotted Hyena
Many sightings
Wildebeest
Many sightings
Zebra
Many sightings
Nkwali
"Nkwali review"
4 nights
Arrived 5 Oct 2020
"What a treat to stay at Robin’s House ! We were looked after so well and the kitchen & house-keeping crew pampered us from early morning till dawn. They even prepared a brunch in the bush just for the two of us - what a lovely surprise and for sure our earliest G&T ever 😊 Thank you so much Michael, Chico, Daniel and Perry !
The wildlife in the Mfuwe area was during our stay slightly less active than at Nsefu, but maybe it only felt like it after being on safari for already quite a while. We also felt that compared to Nsfeu the area might attract a little bit more traffic due to the higher number of lodges and self-drivers. But of course now due to Covid, it was not busy at all. Amongst the usual *stuff”, we spotted 4 leopards, a very photogenic porcupine and as the highlight of our stay even an aardvark – still can’t believe it ! Now only an aardwolf and a pangolin is left on our list of rare sightings."
The wildlife in the Mfuwe area was during our stay slightly less active than at Nsefu, but maybe it only felt like it after being on safari for already quite a while. We also felt that compared to Nsfeu the area might attract a little bit more traffic due to the higher number of lodges and self-drivers. But of course now due to Covid, it was not busy at all. Amongst the usual *stuff”, we spotted 4 leopards, a very photogenic porcupine and as the highlight of our stay even an aardvark – still can’t believe it ! Now only an aardwolf and a pangolin is left on our list of rare sightings."
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Aardvark
1 sighting
Buffalo
Many sightings
Elephant
Many sightings
Giraffe
Many sightings
Hippo
Many sightings
Leopard
4 sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Wildebeest
1 sighting
Zebra
Many sightings
Conveniently located between Arusha and JRO.
We also loved the place for its tranquil garden setting and the great hospitality of the staff."