Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"As Africa/Namibia virgins we were perhaps not quite as prepared for the long distances involved as we thought and got very tired at times whilst we acclimatised to the gravel roads and heat. You need to be prepared to get going early in the day, something we were not terribly good at in the beginning especially with all the wonderful wildlife and stunning scenery to photograph.

With hindsight it would perhaps be better not to try and cover such a large area but on the whole it was fantastic to do what we did, we felt we had had a real adventure and met some wonderful, charming people. All Sabina's arrangements for us went perfectly and we would like to thank her very much for her care and attention." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Best holiday we have ever been on. From beginning to end we were treated to spectacular sights and experiences. The contrast of all the lodges added to the exotic feel of our honeymoon.

Suggestions for improvement:

I would suggest that the drive from Zebra River to Swokopmund was one of the most boring parts of the holiday. The main road could have been avoided if we had a permit to drive fhrough the national park. In reterospect we should have picked one of these up in Windhoek so we could do this.

An excellent geological fieldguide about Namibia is "The Roadside Geology of Namibia, 2nd Revised Edition" by Gabi Schneider (2008, ISBN 978-3-443-15084-6). It is far superior than "A fascination of geology" recommended by the Brant guide.

Detour to the Hobra meteroite was well worth it.

If going again we would spend less time in Swokopmund, and more time in the bush.

Purchased goods are entitled to a VAT refund at Windhoek airport if you have the invoice handy, although you have to give them your bank details.

Camera tripod was the best thing we took with us, for timer photos of us and night shots of the game," Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"The whole trip was a once in a lifetime experience.

Even the travel days were fun and the Zambian people were friendly and professional. Because there are so few camps the experience felt very select and it was rare to encounter any other vehicle when out and about.

The scenery was fantastic and very varied - I was not expecting to see such lovely stands of leadwood and ebony trees. Altogether the best safari experience we have had.

Suggestions for improvement:

I cannot really think of anything. I always dither a lot before finally selecting an itinerary and Claire was very patient as I kept coming back with questions or changes of date!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"RPS in South Luangwa was first class once again and their operation the reason we went back to Zambia.

Kafue with Wilderness' Rivers and Plains Exploration was more of a economic extension to enable us to see a different area and generally we very much enjoyed it." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"We had a family visit at the centre of this trip and the itinerary was built around it. Had it not been for the Stellenbosch hotel mistake this would have been a 99.5% success but the D'Ouwe dragged it down to a 98%er.

We love your holidays and the efficiency and expert kowledge you apply to getting it right for us. Long may it continue. We look forward to planning a Namibia/Botswana combo with you for 2009!

Oddly the only Okavango camp we have not wanted to return to was Sandibe also run by CCA who manage Kwandwe. We felt the Sandibe buildings similarly poorly suited to the environment. I would welcome the opportunity to talk about the Kwandwe management, the D'Ouwe Werf and Samara game." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a South Africa trip

"Excellent but too short because it was excellent!

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Free trips for everybody!!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"Fantastic trip

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We could not dream of a better travel agent.
Thank you Susannah" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"This was planned as the family`s special holiday of a lifetime. We are a family of 5 - our `children` are now 20, and twins of 18 yrs.

Without exception, everyday was enjoyable and exciting. We saw and experienced something new everyday and learned a lot from the trip. We would have stayed on if we could.

The highlights - elephants in the tented camp; sunsets over the lake; swimming with dolphins off Zanzibar. Fantastic.

Suggestions for improvement:

It would have been useful to know how much cash we would need for the trip - given that we were far from banks most of the time.. However, it was easier to use credit cards than we were led to believe. Would also advise clients to arrive in Tanzania with small denominations of cash for tipping porters etc. - whether dollars,pounds or euros, or shillings on arrival." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"As a complete trip it was brilliant with many wonderful highlights. Until we got to Kulala the arrangements worked flawlessly. Only then did things begin to go wrong and these all happened on Wilderness Safaris' "watch". From then on the trip had an element of stress it did not have before since we constantly had to keep on checking things like whether they had packed fruit on the game drives for my wife instead of cake (on 2 days they forgot!). I know you have already been in contact with them and I await the outcome.

Thank you Expert Africa!" Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"From start to finish, the whole trip went very smoothly, with all movements linking seamlessly, especially in the bush where the logistics of moving people and supplies around between camps must be a nightmare. Congratulations to the unseen logistics team.

As far as the safari experience went, the whole holiday was a marvellous experience. I consider it to be a privilege to be lucky enough to visit places as wild as Luangwa with such a high level of comfort, and with such friendly people, whose sole aim seemed to be my enjoyment. Poor Theresa was distraught when previous guests ran her out of Mosi, but we made do with red wine OK, until the truck arrived next morning with fresh supplies.

I know Anna was in the bushcamps at the same time as me, but unfortunately our paths never crossed. I hope her experience was on a par with mine. I returned home a happy bunny with lovely memories of a great part of Africa, apart from the Tetse bites which still itch a little!

Thankyou all.

Suggestions for improvement:

It is always helpful to have an up to date indication of tipping levels, and the fact that dollars are acceptable virtually everywhere.
Similarly with extra expenses eg airport/flight taxes. Then one can ensure one has the correct amounts available in the necesary denominations, with no nasty surprises at barriers.

There was a lot of uncertainty as to the obligation to tip or not, the armed scout ,as he is not employed by NCS. The requirement to tip the guide separately is covered in Chris's book, but perhaps all the above could be swept up into the 'Notes for travellers' booklet" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari