Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Excellent, very glad we didnt camp! so every room was a luxury in comparison. The food was cheaper than expected.
This was one of the best holidays I have had and would definately reccomend it to others and certainly with Expert Africa

I would like to have known that when in towns it is usual to pay a guard $10 to look after the car.

There was a little confusion as Brandberg white lady were expecting us for 2 nights, which is what we wanted, so there was some mis communication here. we had to pack up and leave for Omoruru." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Namibia trip

"Loved Namibia and we will definitely return. It was great to be able to do it ourselves rather than be on a tour and mixing camping with staying in lodges worked very well for us. We were pleased that we went to Kaokoland and to see the Bushmen at Nhoma, it made the trip that much more special. The country was so interesting with such varied landscapes and things to do.

Expert Africa (Maruska) had done a great job in doing the bookings and in giving us information about where we were going. It was excellent having the map with the route shown and the accomodation wriitten in. Chris McIntyre's book was invaluable. I have recommended Expert Africa to many people and haven't been able to praise them highly enough.

Many thanks Maruska." Read full review: 27 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"The economic climate made this trip more expensive than it might have been 12 months earlier. But once you leave Lusaka you can forget the rest of the world, forget money, forget politics, the weather or anything else that disturbs your equilibrium: simply immerse yourself in the sights and sounds of the bush. The people involved in putting this bush experience together restore your faith in human nature.

This was a great trip, but then again I have never had a bad trip in Africa. The dilema, as ever, is whether to return again or move on and extend your experiences. Would we go back - no question!

Suggestions for improvement:

This was a trip difficult to criticise - and certainly in terms of planning and booking there were no questions left unanswered and no issues that caused a problem. You know when the ref has had a good game, you don't hear the whistle. Expert seem to handle things much the same way. Thank you." Read full review: 27 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"These comments actually cover the time when we were 'on our own' in Zambia. First, we rented a 4x4 from Limohire that we drove to my daughter's village (she is a Peace Corps volunteer) in a village called Chisebwa about 15km from the Great North Road at an intersection about 50km southwest of Serenje. We also used it to visit some farmers my daughter is working with and to visit Kundalila Falls. Those experiences were off paved roads but were on fairly good single lane trails/roads.

Based on the Guide book I must admit I was fairly concerned about driving in Zambia, and seriously considered the use of a driver. However, I found the roads to be in excellent condition, except for the Great North Road north of the turnoff to Mansa, at which point one had to carefully watch for potholes. I realize the Guide book does need to be cautious (and certainly I never considered any serious off-track adventures) but it ended up being quite a bit easier to get around than I originally expected.

Second, I emailed three car rental agencies in Zambia (Limohire (who responded immediately), Livingstone 4x4 Hire (who also responded immediately but had no vehicles), and Voyagers (who never responded). So I went with Limohire. The cost for a Nissan Safari was $140/day (500km) plus fuel. We handled everything by email and, when in Zambia, by phone, and I was completely satisfied (in other words we never met in person). He did not accept credit cards so I had to wire transfer half the rental fee as deposit before the trip, and then pay the remainder plus a $1000 deposit when I received the car at the airport upon arrival. Hans, the owner, is an honest individual. Because of logistical problems I had to leave the vehicle for him to pick it up at Pioneer Camp (without getting back my deposit) so he arranged for one of his employees to meet us at the airport upon our return from Livingstone, and he was there with our deposit. Were I to visit Zambia again (and I may since my daughter may extend for another year) I would definitely do business with Hans.

Finally, just a couple comments regarding the Guide. The Sweetwater Guesthouse near Mkushi is 'no more'. The owner, Vernon Cantlay (not sure about spelling) is the father of friends of my daughter and we happened to meet him at a barbecue when we were there. He continues to own and farm the property but does not run a guesthouse any more. Also, you might want to consider checking out the Shaolom Takeaway as a funky, friendly little cafe in Mkushi. I understand the Peace Corps volunteers like it because it serves more chicken with its nshima than other cafes/restaurants in town. By the way, we enjoyed our meal there!" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"I was hesitant to use a touring company for our holiday - we'd always done the booking ourselves and I wasn't sure how much value they'd really be able to add. As soon as we started working with EA we knew we'd made the right decision - and one we were in Tanzania we were REALLY happy we'd used them - our transfers were seamless and the places they recommended were all superb. We'd definitely use EA to book our next African holiday." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"Just as rewarding and enjoyable as the previous two visits.

Suggestions for improvements:

Your service is excellent. We always recommend you when asked about our trips to Africa." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"I think the individual feedback says it all - we were enchanted with our accommodation, captivated by the people, intoxicated by the countryside, the flora and the fauna, not to mention the sea life.

The planning was perfect - we had been closely advised by Expert Africa and found the timings to be spot on - no stay in one place was too short, no stay too long. We were priviledged to have 40 days and the luxury of being able to enjoy two countries, we felt, at our leisure." Read full review: 39 nights in Africa; 24 on a Namibia trip

"everything went absolutely to plan - we didn't have any 'hitches' at all - and all the staff at Linyanti Camp, Kwhai Camp and on Mboma island were absolutely first class.

It certainly was an experience that we will never forget - not just as a resut of the amazing range of game that we saw, but also the great people from African Bush camps that we got to know (if only for a short time)." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Very very good. Each lodge had some advantages and some disadvantages, but on the whole they were really good. We had no real problems on the trip and some very good experiences (and animal sightings). It was one long safari, but that was really what we had wanted.

The one contact we had with Wilderness Safaris was good too - through the delay at the airport with the car hire, and the fact that we took one wrong turning on the motorway, we were on course to arrive too late in Waterberg. Wilderness had an emergency phone no and she arranged for the Waterberg gate to stay open, so that problem was solved.

We were also very satisfied with the whole procedure between our first enquiry and the actual trip. Maruska was extremely helpful and efficient, patiently giving us detailed answers to any question we had." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Officials generally were not very helpful or pleasant eg at border, NWR park receptions (Hobas, Sossusvlei, Anderson gate - exception Ai-Ais).

Betesda - one night here before Sossusvlei would have been enough, then straight on to Rostock Ritz for 2 nights from Sossusvlei
Sossusvlei - 4 wheel drive ticket is now NA$110pp
Solitaire - a must to stop off for petrol and atmsophere at Moose's for apple crumble and coffee - general buzz of overlanders

Etosha
Is it right that the park fees are not included in the Park Lodge accommodation costs?
Saw 11 lions watched game herds approaching Springbokfontein waterhole.
Etosha Pan look out is a must
Lunch stop at Namutoni, really liked the atmosphere and cleanliness of this site, nicely laid out.

Cape Interliner bus service to Livingstone was 1.5 hours late leaving Tsumeb and 3 hours late at Livingstone.

Exceptional help and planning from Sabina in organising our trip, thank you!

Suggestions for improvements:

Definitely we would recommend Expert Africa." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip