Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"We left the UK for Zambia with high expectations, having visited South Luangwa on three previous occasions. We were not disappointed - every camp has the highest standards even if it may be one of the 'humbler' bush camps. All camps are very comfortable and provide the most delicious fresh food - suffice to say we were never hungry!

The staff, guides and scouts are highly trained and knowledgeable. They are also entertaining and, as far as the guides and scouts are concerned, fill one with confidence when, for example, out on a walking safari or when confronted by elephants as we were on several occasions.

The camps are small (maximum of six chalets) and we were often the only two people in a jeep with a guide and a scout, which is very spoiling.

All being well, we will be returning to South and North Luangwa in the next year or two and in the meantime will have to rely on our memories of this magical country." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"Mixing Kafue with North Luangwa creates a diversity , making the te trip very entertaining.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Give Kafue a chance …." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"We had a wonderful time in Africa and look forward to returning soon!" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"Our trip as a whole was wonderful. I kept joking that I was worried something would go wrong - but nothing did (much to my relief)! It can feel like you have a lot riding on a big trip like a honeymoon, and we were keen to travel somewhere that neither of us had been before.

Overall, everything was seamless, from flights to transfers to the lodges / hotels / resorts themselves. For the most part, everyone we interacted with on the trip was warm, friendly, and eager to help.

Olivia was great - from initial enquiry to the final booking, she was responsive and clearly very knowledgeable about travelling to Tanzania. She managed to accommodate and re-work our itinerary/quote a few times as our dates changed due to work obligations, but managed to find something that worked within our budget and timeframe. We booked our external flights ourselves, but only because we had air miles available to utilize.

The trip was a great mix of safari / wildlife, short city break with some history, and beach holiday." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday

".. - it was hectic - we had 3 weeks available and wanted to include the Caprivi Strip and Victoria Falls in our itinerary as well as Sossusvlei, Damaraland and Etosha, so we knew we would have to spend a lot of time driving. However it was absolutely worth it - all the arrangements put in place by Sabina and the Expert Africa team worked well and we found we had enough time to relax and enjoy the various places where we stayed - some of these places were very special but all of them had something different to offer.

Everywhere we went the people were really kind and helpful. We are particularly pleased that we made the time to visit the Caprivi Strip - it is so different to the rest of Namibia with people living a communal life in traditional African villages." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"A great overall introduction and experience in Namibia.

Hospitality was wonderful, many warm people, animals and landscapes amazing.

Roads may be tough to take for some people. We have travelled to over 50 countries and our glad we did not miss Namibia!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Incredibly accommodating in helping us schedule this last minute trip within our parameters. Would definitely recommend Maruska and the company in the future.

We have been traveling nearly full time the past four years and this process was one of our top experiences!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"This was a dream trip, to take my daughters to Africa for a safari. Every thing was great. The camps themselves, the facilities at the camps, the people running the camps, the meals, the drives, the information, the assistance, the wildlife, the sunsets ... all combined to make our dream come true. I wanted to return to Flatdogs and Kaingo because I appreciated their attention to detail and their ethics and work towards sustainable tourism in the South Luangwa. They do a great job and long may it continue.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

It would have been good for the feedback form to have been sent to my daughters as well as myself, as they may have had a different viewpoint." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zambia safari

"Fantastic trip put together on short notice and appreciate the guidance of Richard and others.

I contacted a few other big-name agencies who wanted to provide me with their agenda; Richard listened and put together an agenda for us.

I appreciated the detail in their website and that is what led me to call them (okay, it may be a bit old-fashioned in design, but it is encyclopedic and sometimes that's better than glitz)." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"This trip was wonderful. It came about because our eldest son was working in Dar Es Salaam. But we had already used Expert Africa in the past to take our three sons to Namibia. That had been the best family holiday for us. We felt we must use Expert Africa again. I can only say that I am indebted to the knowledge of Lyndsey Marris, and the fact that Expert Africa listens, wants to know what we are looking for, what kind of budget do we have, and then makes carefully thought out suggestions. Lyndsey was so good. Absolutely excellent.

The trip was in every way memorable. Each place we stayed at was great. Lyndsey had provided us with a spot on itinerary. I feel with Expert Africa we are privileged to have people who care about Africa, and who really know it. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the company. I wish we could return to Africa in the future, but not sure when!

As someone who has lived in Africa and whose work a long time ago(!) was dealing with books for Africa, I feel passionately about it, and two of our three sons have lived there. Chris's books are the best, without a shadow of a doubt. The Zanzibar book is full of rich detail and I left it with Jasper to keep as he is still out in Dar. It is a superb book.

Having time with Jasper in the Selous and on Zanzibar was incredibly special. We will not forget it. Jasper was blown away by the Selous in particular. Thank you, Expert Africa. Our youngest son lived in Botswana; one day I hope to get there, but for now, from the bottom of our hearts, thank-you." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"A good well organised trip to Malawi & Zimbabwe.
Two beautiful lodges with a good range of wildlife
Excellent food at Mkulumadzi
Thomas at Chilo Gorge & Mali at Mkulumadz were excellent knowledgeable guides with a sense of fun. Thomas was an expert on birds." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zimbabwe safari