Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"I credit Claire Scott for having listened carefully to our wishes and replying with a spot on proposal that fully addressed the wishes of all family members. I had given her "any place in Africa with great wildlife, good service and some days to relax, while being able to pull out on short notice if Covid required it".

Planning was unpredictable but offered the opportunity to see places on short notice that were normally booked out, and we settled on Kenya, the classical safari location, in a country that is well organized and has good control over Covid.

We benefited from Claire's wealth of experience that saved us weeks of finding places ourselves (if we found them), and she stayed fully engaged at all times. It was key for us that Expert Africa offered a peace of mind guarantee relating to the pandemic." Read full review: 51 nights in Africa; 14 on a Kenya safari

"The most adventure filled experience of our lives.

In particular our driver Festo was a highlight.

Jessica did an amazing job working with us and we are so appreciative.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Everyone did a great job with communication." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 16 on a Tanzania safari

"The trip was amazing! Though it was initially an extension, this turned out to be the most magical portion of the trip. Everything from start to finish was executed perfectly, and Megan was so helpful when problems in our flight schedules would arise. We had so much anxiety about our trip not going as planned given the ongoing pandemic and the ever-changing rules, but our concerns were washed away with how carefully and thoroughly everything cared for on all levels at all times. On the ground, we were particularly impressed by Tours Africa's involvement in our ground transfers in Lusaka as well as our fly-in covid testing at LZNP." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"Our long awaited (and postponed and covid-adjusted) Namibia trip was a very special experience. We are so grateful to Maruska for her help and advice in making some difficult decisions.

We loved the country, the roads (after all the gravel roads we found the tar roads very boring:), the different landscapes and we were very grateful to drive nearly 3000 km without any car trouble, not even a puncture!

We enjoyed the famous dunes, the deserts, the Cape Cross seals, the beautiful town Swakopmund , the rock engravings, the flamingo's at Walvis Bay, the water holes at Etosha, the memorial museum in Windhoek.

What would be our highlight in all of these? Probably the dunes, as that is something so unique to this area. Next Etosha's animals stand out in their numbers, compared to what we are used to in South Africa.
To have over a hundred springbok, zebra, wildebeest together with smaller groups of ostrich, elephant, oryx and giraffe all at one water hole is absolutely amazing.

Thank you Maruska, for sorting out all the accommodation, planning the trip as a whole, making helpful suggestions, postponing all the accommodations and adjusting again to include covid test on the way back. It made all the difference!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No idea, to be honest. Just very happy we were able to travel with your guidance and suggestions.

Also the knowledge that if something went wrong we would be able to receive all the help we might need. That was very reassuring.

Thank you again." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Covid made this trip a real challenge to plan and coordinate. We had international flights that cancelled, countries that closed, then opened, then closed again. There were a few points where we weren't at all sure it would go off.

I believe that if it had not been for the knowledge and attention that Maruska and Expert Africa provided, we would not have made it.

Everything went like clockwork.

The covid testing added a few days to the trip but it was well worth it." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"Travelling to Africa at the time of Covid was a challenge. We were pretty sure about our target camps and were delighted with our choices. But none of this would have been possible without having been supported all way long by Megan.

Zambian entry rules changed literally 3 times in 3 months and especially twice in the 2 weeks prior departure. Megan kept daily contact with camps always leaving the option to cancel and get fully refunded till last possible moment. What was determining for our choice to fly in, was the direct contact I could have with Dave, their local handling agent who described honestly and openly how things were happening locally. The openness of the whole team how they would deal with forced quarantaine, border closing or airline flight suspension was the decisive factor.

Expert Africa and their local Zambian contacts have earned our outmost trust and respect. Special mention to Dave at Lusaka airport who had spontaneously printed all latest entry rules in our home country which facilitated with airline and immigration agents.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Can't wait to use your services for our next trip to Africa!

A special note as well to mention the opportunity to speak to EA staff Expert in Zambia who gave us his personal opinion on a series of camps so we could confront our wishes vs his own experience.

Also thank you to Chris himself [Ed: Expert's MD] who did not hesitate to answer email himself when Megan was out of office even for a couple of days only." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"Our trip was amazing. Finally glad to travel as Covid postponed our 2020 trip.

After having reviewed the camps prior to booking, I was pretty certain that the itinerary provided was going to live up to my expectations.

Megan took over my booking after Richard Ball retired. She was as attentive as he was in getting the information needed prior to travel. Would recommend anyone use her if traveling to Botswana." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana 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

"Such an enjoyable adventure. I find myself thinking of visiting Africa again. Thank you again during this time of Covid for a super trip!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Zambia safari

"I can’t imagine a better experience than the one we had. We are grateful to RPS, Shenton and Chiawa for giving us so many unforgettable moments, and to Megan for arranging and re-arranging everything so many times.

Deciding to travel so far during the pandemic was daunting, and we had so many questions and thought about postponing this trip again, especially as cases started to rise in Zambia. But now we are so happy that we went. It was truly the trip of a lifetime.

Testing and transiting were my biggest worries. But armed with a negative COVID test and vaccination card, everything was actually very easy. We had no problems transiting in Europe or Ethiopia, and going through the Zambia entry protocol took 15 minutes, and that included getting the visa on arrival. Getting the test in Lusaka was also extremely easy. The PCR test costs $95, and for a small fee ($30 per person), someone from the clinic will come to the hotel to do the swab, and then drop off the result and travel certificate the next day.

We couldn’t have felt safer while on safari, as every minute was spent essentially outdoors naturally socially distanced. All the guides had one shot of Astra Zeneca and most are getting their 2nd dose in July. The few other guests we did meet were all fully vaccinated, and all staff wore masks in camp. While in Lusaka we hunkered down at the gorgeous Latitude 15 hotel which had plenty of lovely outdoor spaces to relax, a nice restaurant, and strict COVID protocol.

So, for anyone reading this who is considering a trip to Zambia, I’d say go for it! The camps need our support, and you will have an amazing time." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari