Zimbabwe: reviews from our travellers

"We had a fantastic trip to Botswana and Namibia. We felt very safe traveling as all camp staff are vaccinated and tested. The guests as well since the airlines won't let you board without a Covid test.

The experience visiting the different parts of the Okavango delta is not to be missed. The amount of animals is amazing.

We also visited two camps in Namibia, our favorite country in Africa. The scenery is out of this world and so varied you never get tired of looking at it.

Expert Africa did a great job helping us plan this trip and Megan was incredibly helpful in working around airline flight cancellations and changes. She also helped us get all of our Covid tests scheduled for country transfers.

This was our second trip with Expert Africa and both went very smoothly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I can't think of anything you could do better." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"This has been our fourth trip to Southern Africa. The excitement of seeing animals in the wild hasn’t worn off. So, it won't be our last. We have become addicts, so to speak.

All three lodges are, in our minds, highly recommendable. But, as I said to my wife, it looks like we saved the best (Kwara Camp) for last. This is not in any way to diminish the experiences we had at Muchenje or Lebala.

It’s no secret that we had spent 12 days in Zimbabwe (organized by a different tour operator who granted us a voucher for a trip cancelled in 2020): 2 days in Harare, 2 in Kanga Camp, 3 in Nyamatusi, and 4 in Somalisa Camp. That was also very enjoyable, but I’m mentioning this here for one specific reason. In Zimbabwe, at mealtime we were always given the chance to have a table by ourselves, whereas in Botswana they followed the tradition of having the guests sit together at one big table. Well, we didn’t get sick, so everything went well, but just as an aside, we sometimes dreaded the kind of small talk we had to engage in when communicating with other guests. Maybe we were just unlucky this time.

This was the first time ever that we did an exclusive fly-in safari, which is very intense. It’s non-stop action, and thanks to the wonderful camps we did not fall victim to a sense of fatigue that we anticipated.

We chose to do it this way because we didn’t have the courage to do self-drive during the corona pandemic. But our worries were not necessary, because everywhere we went, the people dealt with the dangers of corona in impressive ways. Masks were worn by nearly everybody, shops and airports greeted you with a temperature check and hand sanitizer (!). Anyway, under normal circumstances we like to combine the fly-in with a self-drive, and that’s what we have planned on doing next year. In our experience, you get to see a bit more of the people and the land, and spending some time on the road is quite relaxing.



Not really. Everything worked quite smoothly from start to finish, which I can’t say about our daily life in the good old USA. Maybe that’s to be expected in this luxury travel segment, but still, I think it’s worth mentioning.

Since the Lebala airstrip was closed for repairs, Lucy in fact contacted us in Chobe to offer us the opportunity to switch to Kwando Lagoon Camp, since this meant that our ride from the airstrip to Lebala was going to be around 2.5 hours instead of the usual 15 minutes or so. After a short discussion among ourselves we decided to stick to Lebala." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"This was the trip of a life time for me - a dream I've had since I was a kid [ I'm 65 ] I'm so glad I finally went ! my only real regret is that I should have stayed a month or more , instead of 21 days.

I limited myself , and my agent , by saying I wanted to keep the cost down . Big mistake ! In hindsight I would have gladly spent a bit more money on this epic adventure !Especially with the long flight [ I live in Hawaii ] I want to give my heat felt thanks , to my excellent agent Sabina , and Expert Africa for the outstanding , highly detailed planning . When it came time to figure out the timing for my Covid test , and two back to back border crossings , to Botswana and Zimbabwe, my head started spinning . plus all the reservations , rental car, multiple transfers etc. I could not have done it without her . I know that with the 12 hour time change , when my arrival time drew near , Sabina had to work after hours , to make all the last minute arraignments - she did it all , and made it look easy ! I normally wouldn't have filled out a form like this , but I had to - just try my best to show my appreciation .

It was a pleasure doing business with Sabina and I can't thank her enough I highly recommend Expert Africa - I have zero complaints .

Aloha from Hawaii - R

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None at all" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Despite the challenges of postponing from August of 2020, traveling during a pandemic, and having to deal with last minute camp closures, I can't imagine having a better experience." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 18 on a Zimbabwe safari

"This was a very complicated trip and overall had very few hiccups. The complications arose because of crossing four borders during a pandemic and the multiple tests we had to have. These were unforeseen at the time we were planning the itinerary. However, it was either that or postpone which we were not willing to do. Maruska guided us through every step of the way and we are and will be eternally grateful for her expertise in planning this trip of a lifetime!

We had no Covid concerns while traveling throughout the entire region. Protocols were well established, everyone wore masks, disinfectant sprays were used liberally, and social distancing observed wherever possible. The staff at all our lodgings was totally committed to our safety and wellbeing. And, although being tested every time we crossed a border was an inconvenience, it added a huge level of confidence that we were healthy." Read full review: 26 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"This was my first trip to Africa. It won't be my last. I traveled with 2 friends who had been to southern Africa 3 times previously, one time using Expert Africa. I was extremely impressed with how smoothly the trip went, and how well chosen the itinerary was.

We wanted to see animals of course, but 2 of us are birders, and one is a fisherman. The fisherman had wonderful catches at Kwara and Setari, and the birding was wonderful throughout the trip. And the animal sightings far exceeded my expectations. I want to especially commend the trackers at Kwara and Lagoon, Mike and Ken. I did not expect to see nocturnal animals, but they were able to show us some wonderful creatures, lesser bushbaby, African wildcats, serval, scrub hares, bat-eared foxes (we saw those in the daytime too), small spotted genet. I was really thrilled.

The accomodations were far more luxurious than I had expected, and the food was overall superb. All the travel arrangements worked perfectly.

Maruska Adye-Rowe, who handled this trip for us, was great. The trip was delayed for a year due to covid, and really evolved. She dealt with our changing ideas very well. First it was a shorter trip to Botswana and Victoria Falls, then that got lengthened, then we added the time in Namibia.

Maruska stayed on top of the covid testing situation. On our way, during our layover in NY, Maruska called to tell us the entry requirements for Namibia had changed, and she'd arranged covid testing for us at our hotel at the Johannesburg airport the evening we arrived." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"We enjoyed our trip allot. Saw a few people that we had seen before.

Saw some animals that we had not seen before.

Some of our game drives could have been better, probably would have been with a different guide" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zimbabwe safari

"My biggest fear of going on safari was not acquiring COVID but having testing for one or all of our 5 party members significantly impacting the trip.

I put my faith in Expert Africa, and everything went seamlessly. From pick up and testing at JNB airport for our initial tests for Zimbabwe to all the planes and vehicles along the way, there were conscientious staff on time waiting to assist us.

While it was a leap of faith, we were rewarded with camps with few other travelers giving us undivided attention and spectacular game viewing.


Here a few things I felt were important in making my trip such a success so that you might consider duplicating them for future clients.

First, I feel the order of the camps is crucial. Somalisa Acacia in Hwange national park was a good place to start. The camp itself is luxurious and beautiful, and the game viewing is very good. If guests can request a guide, I highly recommend Calvit. He made the experience. This camp, however, is about 10° colder than the others. I think going from cold to warm is much easier to adapt to than the other way around.

Steve Edward’s camp at Lake Kariba is significantly different than the other two camps. It is largely water-based which offers a different experience from typical game drives. I think it was a nice way to break up the land based parks. While I felt the game viewing wasn’t as good as the other two locations, the ability to go to the fishing village and see how a large portion of Zimbabwe lives was the most interesting thing I experienced on the trip. An opportunity not to be missed by any of your clients. Also fishing was tremendously fun for my boys.

Finally, I cannot praise the final camp at Mana Pools enough. Its location along the Zambezi river with an expansive view and extraordinary game was by far the highlight of the trip. No camp will surpass it and by having it last, the vacation ends with a crescendo. Also, we found Mash to be an excellent guide again to be recommended if possible.

The Armadale Lodge was very pleasant with large private grounds if a day in Harare is required. My wish is that others may have our experience.

Once in a life time experience!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Our fourth trip to Africa with Expert Africa was another memorable adventure.

Expert Africa has always done an excellent job putting together workable itineraries that meet our (sometimes particular) travel goals. For this trip they had to deal with the vicissitudes of COVID testing requirements as well. The result was a wonderful sequence of adventures across beautiful Zimbabwe and Tanzania and was everything we hoped it would be.

Many thanks to our friends at Expert Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions" Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"We had the most amazing trip this summer for three key reasons:
1) Expert Africa,
2) Giving Back to Africa,
3) Enjoying the benefits of traveling during Covid.

First, Expert Africa, and in particular Maruska, helped us work through all the challenges that Covid 19 presented during planning. Our original trip was for 2020 so we had to deal with many flight changes and reworked our complicated itinerary several times. When planning for 2021 there were important details Maruska worked through for us regarding transitions between countries, all of which required covid testing and declaration documents etc. It was a little tricky because we were traveling to so many countries over just a couple of weeks, but with Expert Africa's help it all came together perfectly. Having Expert Africa people on the ground in each country understanding the situations and meeting us and smoothing the way at every step made it painless and very VIP. Everywhere we went in all countries the local people were very helpful and understanding.

Secondly, the locals who rely on tourism were so happy to see us that it made our trip that much more rewarding. We felt like we were giving back to them by supporting their important tourism industry all the while we got to experience a most amazing vacation.

And third, we were able to enjoy our sightseeing with limited other tourists which made it all absolutely exclusive and magical. Our transfers and flights were awesome because we had room to spread out. The number of guests at the hotels, lodges, safari camps was still low and again we were able to feel like we had the places nearly to ourselves which was very exclusive and lovely.

Everyone we came into contact with was vaccinated, as it is a regulation of the travel and tourism industry and so we were very safe from Covid and never worried.

This was an amazing trip two years in the planning and so we had very very high expectations that were not in any way dampened by covid details - in fact, we benefited by traveling now when we did. Our trip far exceeded our expectations." Read full review: 30 nights in Africa; 5 on a Seychelles holiday