Zimbabwe: reviews from our travellers

"Spike was our guide at Hwange Bush Camp. He was a wealth of knowledge and was constantly sharing information and experiences with us.

This was an "Eat, Sleep, Safari" adventure! We woke up at 5:15 for coffee or tea around the campfire. Off to an early morning safari and watch the sunrise. We came back to a full breakfast ready for us. Then we went on a 3 hour safari and returned to a beautiful lunch spread. Given an hour or two in the afternoon to rest, we ventured out for another 3 hour safari, returning to dinner. There were six in our group which made it very comfortable in the jeep so we could easily take lots of pictures.

Spike found so many animals that we would not have seen on our own. The walking safaris were phenomenal ! We were able to get up close to photograph and observe the behavior of many animals.

The staff washed our clothes and had them neatly folded and returned to us in the afternoon. They took care of our tents and prepared the hot water for our showers. The food was delicious! Kelvin is a fantastic chef working very hard behind the scenes! I want to thank Spike, Sean, Lucky, Kelvin, and there is one more member of the staff in which I can not remember his name.

It was the best safari ever!" Read full review: 3 nights in Africa; 3 on a Zimbabwe safari

"We got what we asked for: the 'Out of Africa' experience, with an interesting contrast between private and public reserves, Delta and Chobe River, without a strong emphasis on the big five. The time of year recommended by Expert Africa was exactly right for us.
We loved the whole experience of the camps. Pom Pom is beautifully situated on the edge of a loagoon and we had the campfire, the continuous nighttime sound of the crickets and frogs, baboons and jackals with an occasional lions roar. Then Chobe Under Canvas and the wide open vistas of the Chobe with river, grassland and a multitude of animals.
Botswana lived up to our expectations and the game viewing was excellent. We could not realistically have asked for more from Expert Africa and the local operators, the organisation was faultless and the whole trip was great." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Thank you for organising such a brilliant trip for us.
Every single thing that you arranged ran smoothly - many thanks

We know Africa well, but this was exceptional." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"What made this trip so special was its diverse nature.

Our itinerary was a balance between adventure (self-drive in Botswana and the Caprivi Strip); land- and water-based game and bird viewing; history and culture. All of this using accommodation ranging from the rustic to the luxurious. We always felt comfortable, even in Zimbabwe which was really the wild card.

We would have no hesitation in returning there (though not driving) or recommending it to others. It is a country with great tourism potential which one day will be allowed to flourish." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Wonderful trip!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"A safari is a unique holiday experience and Botswana an expensive one at that! Because of this expectations were high. Several camps and locations mean complex logisitics. Everything went perfectly to plan and those high expectations were met.

The only downside was one bag went missing on our journey out and was only located at Joburg airport on our final day.

We are grateful to Lucy from Expert Africa for all her efforts in trying to locate the bag as British Airways seemed completely disinterested in helping.

Overall it was a wonderful and memorable holiday." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"If you only do one trip even in a decade, do this.

The private camps in Botswana offer the best experiences to be had." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We had a 30 day trip encompassing Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Capetown A bit of an epic adventure with lots of fantastic memories.

All the organisation worked like clockwork and I was very pleased at the helpfulness that Justin demonstrated in trying to pull this trip together to suit our needs. With such a lengthy itinerary and so many stops on the route, it could have been no easy task to get all the pieces to fit together. The first law of sales is that people buy from people (no matter what Trump says).

Justin made it easy to do business with Expert Africa and though the trip was way over budget, we still went ahead as I has trust that he had pulled an appropriate trip together for us. We weren't disappointed." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 13 on a Namibia trip

"Our whole trip was magnificent. Cape Town was busy with so much to see and do; we visited District Six Museum, the Planetarium, Slave Lodge, Heart of Cape Town museum [home to Dr Christian Barnard's first heart transplant]; the Cape Peninsula -Cape Point, Boulders Beach, did the Chapmans Peak Drive, V and A Waterfront and of course Robben Island, Table Mountain, Signal Hill and the stunning Kirstenbosch Gardens. We also spent a day driving to the West Coast National Park to see the wild spring flowers- truly incredible scenery.

At our time in Franschoek we visited Paarl, the motor museum and the very pretty town of Stellenbosch visiting the village museum. En route to Hermanus, we stopped at the beautiful Vergelden Winery with lovely grounds and buildings and enjoyed an incredible lunch in the sunshine. We saw whales on our walking tour in Hermanus and visited three lovely wineries each with a different character.

We saw an incredible array of wildlife in Bostwana and our stay at Muchenje was truly a dream come true.

At Victoria Falls, we did a falls tour, had a helicopter flight over the area and did a bridge history tour. On our last afternoon we took 'high tea' at the Victoria Falls Hotel and admired the stunning view and interiors of the hotel. This was coupled with bonus wildlife sightings at our hotel the Victoria Fallls Safari Lodge.

Thank you to Tracy Lederer who worked so hard to tailor the holiday to our requirements - it was truly a trip of a lifetime and one we shall always remember - along with our month long trip to Namibia [also organised by Tracy] back in 2010!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
None; everything was wonderful - thank you." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 10 on a South Africa trip

"Returning to the country after 6 years, we hoped that it had changed and there was certainly evidence of more tourism. The camps have invested in staff and premises and the safari trade there (hopefully) looks to have a bright future

Excellent game and bird viewing. Hospitable and professional camps. Would return in a heartbeat...." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Zimbabwe safari