Reviews of holidays to South-west Zanzibar

"We have been fortunate to have travelled a lot and found Expert Africa by researching potential companies and reviews. They accommodated our requirements and produced an itinerary that worked perfectly.

The good quality A5 wallet that was supplied made finding supporting documentation easier and was of manageable size.

The resorts were excellent and the staff brilliant. We would thoroughly recommend Expert Africa.

The website gives plenty of detail about the resorts and areas which is very helpful." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Superb Holiday with three totally different experiences. Our Thanks to James Denny for listening to us and gauging us so well. Every part of the holiday worked from the locations to the transport in between. Many thanks" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"If the rest of the year is that good, it will be a good one!!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday

"On the whole the trip was very good, apart from the problems with the flights out. Fisherman's Tours were reliable and efficient in transferring me from place to place. The people I met were charming, friendly and helpful.

The excursions seemed expensive, but I did enjoy them. I had a very good guide from Fisherman's Tours who took me on a tour of Stone Town and a boat trip to Prison Island.

I didn't do as much snorkelling as I would have liked as it was not feasible to snorkel at low tide. At high tide it would have meant swimming out quite a way to get to the reef. I did try near the shoreline, but could only see sea urchins and seaweed and the wind was churning up the sand making visibility poor." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We had a wonderful holiday, with lots of variety. Both camps we stayed in were excellent and offered different game viewing experiences.

Stone Town provided a completely different 'town' experience, while Chumbe was the perfect place for relaxation. Staff everywhere we stayed were first-class.

All our connections worked perfectly. Many thanks to Liz for organising everything so competently." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Decided on this trip because I wanted to see a solar eclipse for my 60th birthday . I was utterly pleased with all the resorts, safari camps and flights arranged by Expert Africa.

The only thing I would have changed would have been to spend less time at the beach in the beginning and more time snorkeling in Zanzibar at the end. Having said that I don't think that could have been arranged as no one could have changed the timing of the eclipse or my international flights.

This was my first time using Expert Africa and won't be my last. I have been to the African Continent 7 times using other agents at another agency but my new favorite is Ellie with Expert Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

nope I was completely satisfied" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"cool and relaxing" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"By ignoring the Zanzibar 5 nights I can leave the trip at Very Satisfactory. While agreeing we needed a rest after all the early starts, 3 days here would have been more than enough, though in truth it was completely the wrong call." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 15 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a great trip. Everything went smoothly. The driver/guide, Sam, from Primate Safaris was excellent. He was a really nice person with a good sense of humour and was able to tell us lots about Rwanda and answer any questions we had. He was a big help in buying books in Kigali for donating to two schools in Musanze. A visit to the Deaf School and to the pre-school at the Faith Foundation were highlights of our visit in that area (as well as the gorillas of course) He was also able to work with the Park Rangers to have us assigned to a gorilla family that didn't require too much trekking, due to my husband's bad knee.

I would like to suggest that Expert Africa promote the School for the Deaf and also the pre-school run by the Faith Foundation, both in Musanze, if any guests want to take school supplies, children's clothing or sports & games equipment for the local village. A visit to one or both of these places is very rewarding.

Pack for a Purpose is a website that also provides information on what type of things to bring. I find it much more useful than Stuff your Rucksack." Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 15 on a Rwanda safari

"Wonderful and unforgettable trip. We did so much but also had a chance to relax.

The only slight hitch was the elections which took place on 25 October, causing some disruption in Zanzibar. We had to alter our days for visiting Stonetown and doing our boat cruise. While that wasn't a big deal, I think had there been more violence following the results being announced, we could have had problems getting home. As it was we heard reports of tear gas and demonstrations on 27 October but they did not affect us.

Expert Africa should have let us know in advance that the elections were taking place - date, possible repercussions etc - we may have then decided to do Zanzibar first followed by Selous." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday