Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"once again Claire has hit it out of the park. Her attention to detail is outstanding. The weakest camp for us was Tortillis as it was large and had not a lot of animal life. We loved Kifaru house and want to return. We also did the conservation tour at Lewa which included meeting the dog tracking team--would highly recommend this to any other travellers. There are only 3 days a week on which it is possible to do this but it is well worthwhile. We also liked elephant pepper camp --the sheer volume of animal life there was amazing.

Suggestions to help us improve our tripsor our service Not any I can think of." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 16 on a Kenya safari

"Really well constructed itinerary which built on previous experience throughout the 18 days.

We loved the country, people were extremely friendly and would definitely consider a return visit." Read full review: 29 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"It was our first trip to Kenya , but not our first safari experience.

When I talked with Richard about our past safaris , he immediately suggested we use the Kicheche camps . As expected, the wildlife in Kenya was spectacular but what made us enjoy the trip even more was the simplicity although very comfortable accommodation in the two Kicheche camps .

We don’t need fancy chandeliers or swimming pools on a safari . We go there for the wildlife , and Kicheche delivered with intense days ( early starts) , bush breakfasts , delicious food , friendly staff, and stellar guides. Exactly what we were looking for!

I also want to mention the help that Parita gave us when she took over from Richard . She is very efficient and organized, and took care of our request for the fly camp later when we inquired about it." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Kenya safari

"Overall very pleased with responsiveness and organizational details.

It was great getting the travel documents and Rough Guide Kenya book well in advance of my departure date.

Our safari went smoothly and there were no issues whatsoever.

This was our 1st safari and our expectations were exceeded.

Richard Trillo's advice was spot on and working with Parita was delightful. Thank you" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Kenya safari

"This was our fifth visit to the area spanning sixteen years and, sadly, the least satisfying - a mixed bag of excellence and disappointment.

Let's start with the positives.

For thirty years now we have been making almost annual trips to Africa to see and photograph wildlife visiting many different countries. Of all those visited there is no question in our opinion that the Tanzanians are the very best people when it comes to friendliness and the provision of hospitality and service.

The next major plus point is the service provided by Expert Africa's agents in Tanzania. You really felt looked after by their staff - staffing levels are excellent. As an example, we needed some medical advice which resulted in the need for some antibiotic medicine. No problem - they just flew it up from Arusha on the next flight.

Other ways they provided satisfaction was in the way little changes to the daily plan were taken on board and executed.

We choose to go to these areas in Tanzania to enable us to see cheetah. This is where our first disappointment happened. There seem to be fewer sightings compared with many years ago (we readily accept that no animal sighting can be guaranteed anywhere).

Years ago we would see two or even three separate cheetah sightings on any one day. On this trip we saw only six sightings over an eight day visit to the area.
In this same period over the years there has been a gradual increase in the number of lion sightings and total lion numbers. This puts greater pressure on the cheetah who are often killed by lions. Also this means that when a cheetah is found it is immediately surrounded by vehicles and this pressure may be driving them away.

We witnessed one outrageous situation where three cheetah on a kill were corralled by twenty vehicles in three concentric circles with a clear area of no more than 10 to 12 meters diameter. The stress levels shown on the poor animal's faces was clear to see. This behaviour by tourists has got to be controlled! But the commercial interests rule. Years ago there were some four or five operating companies, now it seems there are forty five - you see a new name on a vehicle numerous times a day." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"Our entire trip was spectacular! Everything was arranged perfectly and everything went smoothly without any problems. We would absolutely recommend Expert Africa to our friends and family and we will definitely use them again in the future!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions. Everything was perfect! Just a side note that your website with its very in-depth and honest reviews of lodges, locations and animals is superb! I am very detail oriented and I love that I can look up any lodge and your website will answer any questions I have." Read full review: 7 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"Yet another great safari organised by Expert Africa.

I thoroughly enjoyed all aspects of my trip and, to put the wildlife sightings into context, my visit was at the end of the season so the recent rains created very thick vegetation which made big cat sightings unlikely.

The sightings of Wild dogs (now Painted Wolves) are always special and I had fantastic bird sightings from both camps.

As always Expert Africa have excelled in organising a fantastic trip, tailored to my requirements and providing complete satisfaction. I am always happy to recommend Expert Africa and I hope they will continue making my safari arrangements for many years to come.

Full marks too, for Sean and Millie at Lake Manze and Malcolm at Mdonya and their respective teams for providing me with such enjoyable stays at their wonderful camps and such great company." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"very helpful indeed and extremely knowledgable." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"How could anyone fail to safari as we did without feeling completely content!

The trip was well organised. the camps and destinations were fabulous, everyone strove to satisfy our desires and the food was delicious." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall this was a disappointing trip, partly made up for by the excellent last camp.

I did not enjoy the two middle camps, and apart from the last camp the volume of plains and other game was sparse. We have been to many countries in the area through your company, and others. We have also been to Mara and other Kenya areas many years ago.

This was not our best trip with you." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari