Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Every penny spent, every minute/hours spent in airports/plane was worth it to be able to experience the sights, sounds, people, animals, and geography of Rwanda and Tanzania. Maruska was so excellent in how she guided us through the details of our trip. Just by chance I chose Expert Africa online and am so glad I did.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari

"Can be summed up in one word. WOW. That said we have to give a mention to Megan who, from the start, offered advice from her personal experience. Megan took on board all of our requirements and put together a perfect package for us. It was beyond our expectations. We would be grateful if you could pass on our heartfelt thanks to all at Kwando Safari's." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Excellent trip. I was very pleased with Expert Africa and Maruska; she was very responsive, enthusiastic and accessible via phone & email. All the logistics went smoothly. I will strongly recommend Expert Africa to friends, as well as in internet travel forums." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"It was problem free from beginning to end and different from anything else we have done in Southern Africa before so achieved our aim.

It was good to be able to leave some bags in the Wilderness Safari office in Windhoek, where we received a great welcome and good service." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Overall, an excellent trip planned by Liz. She was very helpful and responsive throughout the whole planning process. I would definitely recommend her and the agency in the future to friends and family.

We loved all 3 main lodges that we stayed in, and it's difficult to comment which one was our favourite since they were all very different experiences. The highlights were our game drives, the incredibly friendly and helpful staff, and the wedding anniversary treats throughout our stays as detailed further throughout this survey.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

The only other feedback is that I don't believe we were informed that we had to pay airport exit fees of USD 34 per person at Kigali. We luckily had cash but this came out of the tips pot resulting in us having to use a credit card to pay a tip later on." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a wonderful holiday. It was well organised by Expert Africa. The wildlife was beyond our expectations and we appreciated the knowledge and expertise of the guides in finding the wildlife and imparting the information it all to us. All three camps were comfortable and Nsefu, particularly, was set in a superb location. Two lions wandering past the bar early one afternoon certainly added some excitement to our day!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Not really, the whole holiday was superb! Thank you." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"Good service from Eleanor at Expert Africa.

We saw and felt the South Luangwa Park and enjoyed our break." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"We had a most enjoyable safari, with high standards of accommodation and facilities, including some electricity, without losing the feeling that were were really in the wild.

2370 photos are a testament to what we have seen. Some guides seem to feel that humour is paramount - but we got a bit weary of the same jokes!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No, we have had fantastic service, as on our previous trips with Expert Africa. I have said it before, and will say again that other companies can learn a lot from you." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"We truly had a wonderful time on this trip.

The Expert Africa/Primate Safari part was only 8 days out of 22, but we have no regrets about the organisation, the pace and the activities. Rwanda is still developing its tourist industry, which means not everything runs perfectly, but also that people working in the tourist sector are not yet as jaded or cynical as in neighbouring countries. This was reflected in the friendliness of the staff, who were almost always willing to do that little bit extra to make things right.

Likewise, we were favourably impressed by our knowledgeable and highly professional driver-guide from Primate Safaris: we learned a lot about the country's history, politics and nature from our lengthy conversations with him and he drove extremely carefully. If there is one thing we would have liked to have seen more, it was Nyungwe Forest - it is a beautiful place. The two days we spent were too short: the activities are quite far apart and the general atmosphere merits a 3-4 day visit at least.

On the other hand, we were delighted to go gorilla tracking on two separate occasions. The permits are extremely expensive - even by the standards of rich Western tourists - but we saw something completely different on each day. The other primate-related activities (chimpanzee, colobus monkey and golden monkey tracking) were also rewarding. One piece of advice, though: don't leave without a pair of binoculars! They really do make the wildlife viewing experience much more intense.

In short, this was an extremely memorable and well thought-out trip - and we'd warmly recommend it to anyone who wants to explore this mountainous part of East Africa.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

You may already know this, but Turkish Airlines fly direct to Kigali and Entebbe from Istanbul several times a week. With excellent connections from Manchester, Edinburgh, London and possibly other regional airports too, this makes Turkish a good (and cheap!) option for flights to this part of Africa." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Rwanda safari

"My trip was a very pleasant acquaintance with Zambia. I visited Livingstone, town and Victoria Falls, first and then went on safari in South Luangwa, known as one of the most beautiful parks of Africa.
Zambia is a nice country between the east and south of Africa, the country itself is beautiful, people are very friendly and it is a good place to travel.

Expert Africa arranged the safari part of my trip; professionally and quickly - when needed in a weekend - and I am very glad I found them on my way." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari