Reviews of safaris to Victoria Falls
We have always listened to our travellers, and now you can learn from them also. Below are links to feedback from recent trips - these are their views, not ours! See what they think of us, and about our trips to Africa:
"We want to go again!"
I do hope the concessionaire's are careful not to over build. They are able to charge top dollar because of their high concentration of animals to a low density of visitors. But when vehicles are stacking up, waiting for a 10 to 15-minute turn to see the animals, the concentration is already too high for my tastes. There is something to be said for having more eyes in the field, because you then have more opportunity to make a good sighting. But there needs to be a balance, and we saw many new camps being added, and many camps are increasing the number of guests they can accommodate. As someone going to visit, note not only the number of tents in your camp, but of all the camps within the concession.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
With your booking, Expert Africa has a general interest, basic requests, etc box; it would be nice to be able to customize that for each activity and/or camp to accommodate interests and expectations for different locations.
You guys and gals at Expert Africa are great! Everyone I've dealt with, though primarily Maruska and her sister Saskia when she was still with you, has been most helpful, honest, and pretty-darn-accurate, which I appreciate more than I can express!
Filling out this review has been a nightmare for me. Next time I will type things out elsewhere, and then cut and paste them in, which should work. When I tried to go back to previous page, whatever I'd typed was swallowed. If I hit save, it kicked me out, and I had to start again at the very beginning. I hated having to scroll forward through every page from the beginning, so I tried cheating and leaving the form open, but it would time out, again swallowing whatever I'd typed. It would be nice to be able to open on any page, so I could complete as time and mood allowed. Oh, well.
Sorry it's taken me so long to complete. I know I really appreciated other people's reviews and used the reviews heavily in making my choices--I would also like to see a scale of 1 - 10, because I would've liked to differentiate between good and excellent with a very good. The overall quality of all these camps is at least good, but some were far more excellent than others." Read full review: 34 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip
"My Jul 2014 trip"
"Our Namibia trip Jul 2014 was fantastic"
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We didn't have a price breakdown of each accommodation. I'm still undecided if this would have would have been helpful or not......it may have been interesting to compare places, and may have affected feedback, as value for money is another factor." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip
"My Jul 2014 trip"
The people we met were friendly and polite and their lives fascinating, being so different from ours'.
The geography of the area was beautiful, in all it's different forms. Quite stunning.
We had a great deal of very useful advice from Expert Africa and a very smooth holiday." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip
"Mana Pools and Vic Falls"
"My Jun 2014 trip"
The only wrinkle was that we were doing Namibia and Botswana, so we worked with two different team members at EA who had experience in each country in the earlier phases of trip planning (good), but neither of them seemed to take responsibility for the overall trip (the wrinkle) until we asked them to figure it out and put one person in charge of pushing things forward." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip
"Trip to Zimbabwe June 2014"
One problem:
The telephone numbers we were given in Harare to contact the air charter to check flight time were either "no incoming calls answered" or unobtainable. Our cousin knew a private lodge operator in Mana, contacted his business partner in Harare who knew the air charter person whom we contacted. She took our details and in fact contacted the lodge to ask them to convey an earlier flight time to us which they did by sending a vehicle to find us and tell us." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zimbabwe safari
"Overall Great Trip"
Maruska was great to deal with as a planner." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
"fascinating wildlife,excellent organisation"
I liked having regular mail contact with nick hobbs who dealt with things well. the info about changed flight times was invaluable and meant we could re confirm and didnt miss the flight back to harare which would otherwise have happened so thanks for that!!" Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zimbabwe safari
"Our June 2014 trip to Botswana"
This was not a tour where we went on a specific route; we decided the area of Africa we wished to visit and what we hoped to see and they could advise us of the places we could stay. In our case we wanted to see elephants and the delta region and this area of Botswana was recommended.
We then checked their web site and decided on the camps. I called Maruska a few times and she was very helpful and answered all of my questions. The book on Botswana was written by Chris McIntyre for Brandt and there was much information on local customs and regions.
If we return to Africa, we will book through Expert Africa again." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari
Where to stay in Victoria Falls
Our suggestions for safari camps in Victoria Falls
Ilala Lodge
Exceptionally well located between the Victoria Falls and the town of the same name, Ilala Lodge has comfortable rooms, a friendly atmosphere & great food.
Victoria Falls Hotel
With its unique setting, authentic style and excellent service, the Victoria Falls is one of the world’s most iconic hotels.
Batonka Guest Lodge
Small, comfortable and in lovely gardens, Batonka Guest Lodge is a perfect base for exploring the Victoria Falls away from the bustle of the town.
Victoria Falls Lodge
High on a plateau a short distance outside Victoria Falls Town, the comfortable Victoria Falls Safari Lodge overlooks its own waterhole.
Sprayview Hotel
In close proximity to both the town and the Victoria Falls themselves, Sprayview is a value-for-money hotel in a convenient location.
The Elephant Camp
The Elephant Camp is a luxury tented camp in its own private concession within Victoria Falls National Park, just 15-minute's drive town.
Victoria Falls Club
Just outside of Victoria Falls Town, Victoria Falls Safari Club offers an exclusive, relaxing and luxurious base to explore the area.
Old Drift Lodge
A lovely addition to the options in Victoria Falls, the stylish Old Drift has a great location in Zimbabwe's Zambezi National Park, with a range of activities.
Gorges Lodge
Gorges Lodge has spectacular views from its perch on the edge of the Batoka Gorge. Although it is out of town it isn't too far from the main attractions.
Palm River
Palm River Hotel offers a high-quality stay in a picturesque location on the banks of the Zambezi, with excellent food and a shuttle to the Victoria Falls.
Little Gorges
Set high above the Zambezi River, Little Gorges Tented Lodge is a tranquil spot to watch black eagles and from which to visit the Victoria Falls.
Zambezi Sands
Zambezi Sands is a stylish new camp with a range of activities on a remote stretch of the Zambezi River.
Pioneers
Located a five-minute drive from the buzz of Victoria Falls town, the mid-size Pioneers offers a relaxing stay in one of Zimbabwe's most iconic destinations.
Matetsi River Lodge
Situated in the private Matetsi Reserve, Matetsi River Lodge offers luxury suites, game drives and river activities within reach of the Victoria Falls.
Victoria Falls Suites
Just out of the town, Victoria Falls Safari Suites offers an exclusive, relaxing and luxurious base from which to explore.
Mpala Jena
In Zambezi National Park, Mpala Jena offers a luxurious but eco-friendly experience, within easy access of the Victoria Falls.
528 Victoria Falls
528 Victoria Falls is a charming, owner-run, boutique B&B in a leafy suburb of Victoria Falls town, offering an oasis of calm in an often-busy location.
Matetsi River House
Situated in the Private Matetsi Reserve Matetsi River House offers families and small groups privacy, game drives and access to the falls.
