Zimbabwe: reviews from our travellers

"Maruska has set the standard for all future travel agents. I cannot recommend her highly enough!

I talked to several travel agents in the US before deciding to work with Maruska. I had called Expert Africa to inquire about the small group trips on the Wild About Africa site. When I started questioning Maruska about the trips, it was immediately clear to me that she was the most knowledgeable agent I had talked to so far.

She efficiently helped me put together my dream trip to Africa, and also helped me to prepare for the trip. Many thanks to her for being unfailingly responsive to my many emails about the practical details of traveling in Africa (money, vaccinations, clothing, etc.).

I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Africa!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions, as I felt that the service was outstanding." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari

"Sabina Hekandjo has been absolutely great (perfect). We have had the best holiday." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"We really enjoyed every day of our trip and appreciated the professionalism of Expert Africa and its team. We've been travelling a lot throughout the world and we have always organized our trips ourselves. This was our first attempt to use a travel agency, due to lack of time. We had sought many offers before we decided for Expert Africa and we do not regret.

We had a special vision of what we wanted the trip and accommodations to be and we must say that Sabina managed to find the right components. The highlight being Turnstone Tour to Sandwich Harbour. The most stressful part being the drop off of the car in Kasane.

All in all a wonderful, memorable trip." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Claire Scott helped me plan this safari and she did a fantastic job.

I was very pleased with everything to do with the logistics, the flights, the camps, etc. The transfers went off without a hitch and it was a lot of fun.

When planning another safari, I would definitely use Expert Africa and Claire again." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zimbabwe safari

"The biggest glitch were the transfers. These were sub-contracted so many times that who was coming when was almost always uncertain. Those who were to come did not always know that they were supposed to.

There's no getting around the fact that Vic Falls airport is a pain in the bum. Long delays and a completely unhelpful immigration staff." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Maruska listened to our preferences and designed our perfect trip. Every camp offered something unique. We honestly would not have changed anything -- okay, other than a desire to "magically" transport from the U.S. to Maun and back. ;-)

The camps were a perfect succession from semi-rustic to start and finishing with pure pure luxury." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"It was one of the most memorable holidays we have had. Everything was in line with or better than expectations. I think the key to Expert Africa's success is knowing about all the country's facilities firsthand, and then taking care to understand what the client really wants from the holiday. Because this happened, we had no unpleasant surprises, and may pleasant ones.

The balance of time we spent in each place was perfect, and therefore gave us a wide range of experiences in the time available.

The car hire was a success. I think for the gravel roads, the Nissan X-trail is a must, rather than a saloon, and people should be encouraged to take one. The Budget car we had was not provided with a second spare wheel, as had been booked. The manager was apologetic, but said the wheel he intended to supply was damaged. He then rightly said (as it turned out) that with it being the dry season, with no potholes, and with sensible driving, we should have no problem. In fact we had no tyre problems at all. I think in the dry season a second wheel is perhaps overcautious. Very comfortable car, with plenty of space for both people and luggage.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Hard to think of anything. Just keep visiting places, listen to feedback and ensure you understand what is important for the client (even if he doesn't know himself!)" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Loved the trip. Reminded me how much I like Hwange which was looking great and almost empty of other people (which was lovely for us but not so good for the Zimbabwe economy). Loved the flexibility and guiding at Camp Hwange and plan to return and perhaps do some more walking too.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep on doing what you're doing." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Our trip to Botswana and the Victoria Falls has been fantastic. We have looked to travel to Botswana for a long time - and we were not disappointed. The standard of the camps was very good; the wildlife was fabulous; and the Falls are stunning in full flood.

We (like everyone) have our favourite camps, and the places that we would love to go back to one day - and the help and advice that we received from Megan and Nick at Expert Africa has been excellent.

To anyone who is thinking about whether or not to go to Botswana, we would highly recommend it. This was our 11th Wildlife Watching holiday (our 7th trip into Africa), and we have had wildlife encounters here that we have not experienced anywhere else, and at very close quarters.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

It might be worth adding in a suggested tip allowance for the Trackers in Botswana. We had a tracker on every Game Drive in addition to our Driver/Guide - and they are not included in the general staff tips.

It would perhaps be helpful to include a suggestion within the notes that travellers make sure they pack their bags prior to going out for the morning game drive on the day they are departing the camp, as flight times change - often without much warning!

In Zimbabwe, the additional taxes are currently all included in the International Ticket Price, so we did not need to pay anything extra when we departed." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"The whole trip was fabulous. Despite hating cold weather I had no trouble layering up to get out every morning and afternoon to explore the bush some more. The people we met were also interesting because of this common interest to explore. I have always wanted to do this but never fully realized how magical it would be.

Maruska was a great help in setting everything up perfectly and advising that our orlginal idea to track for three weeks would be just too exhausting. We met another couple from Colorado at Little Kwara who had also been delighted with Maruska's service." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari