Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"I think when we started planning this trip some doubts were expressed about whether we could really fill two whole weeks visiting only Rwanda (and in addition refusing to "do" the genocide bit). But we never had a boring day.

Rwanda is such a populated country - on every drive the scenery competes with "people watching" opportunities. Everyone with their bundles on their heads, children with homemade toys (we bought banana-leaf footballs back as presents for everyone), markets to look at and explore. And then there is the bird-life. And it also a country with some amazingly forward looking environmental policies - plastic bags are banned.

So much to see and learn ......

Regarding the guide ... Fred was not just a guide, he became a friend. It makes a huge difference when you have a guide who really goes the extra mile to make sure you enjoy every hour of your trip. Fred arranged things really well: I'm sure we got good rooms, good service and definitely better guides for tracking because of his knowledge and connections.

He didn't fuss, but I felt he just quietly watched to see what sort of people we were, and what we liked doing, and then suggested or arranged things to suit us. So we, as very amateur bird watchers, got guides for our walks who were knowledgeable and interesting.

He also made sure we had plenty of information about what to expect when tracking (how far into the forest the primates were, how long it had taken groups the previous day, how much water to take etc.) and made sure we had a good porter, which was money well spent as it makes the walking much easier and provides much needed local employment.

Suggestions for improvement:

No complaints! This feedback form is great - though it took me ages to fill in. Glad you did not have these last year when we finished our ten week trip, I would have been at the computer for days. Funny thing is that although I never got around to sending in feed back after that trip your next brochure said exactly what I thought about most of the places we had visited - your carefully researched descriptions matched our experience.

I think that was also something we appreciated on this trip - Tracy took the time to make sure we knew what we were letting ourselves in for, so when we arrived somewhere pretty basic, that was what we were expecting. I don't think she prepared us properly for the Sabinyo Lodge - but the log fires, huge rooms and vast hot showers were a very pleasant shock!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Rwanda safari

"Having spoken to friends who had previously visited Namibia (with Sunvil), our expectations were high. They were exceeded!

Everything worked out perfectly and we enjoyed our trip immensely. All suggestions made by Tracy were excellent e.g staying at Eagle's Nest.

THANK YOU EXPERT AFRICA !" Read full review: 26 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"This was a very rewarding trip to see so much wild life and the amazing landscape of Namibia. My wife broke her wrist on day 4 at Zebra River but even this hardly detracted from the enjoyment of the holiday. Excellent treatment in Swakomund.

As an experienced owner driver of a 4 x 4 I feel that this is the the type of vehicle needed for most of the terrain encountered. There were occasions where the saloon car did not have the ground clearance or the traction required to negotiate the conditions safely." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"We have had a fantastic time and want to return in 2008." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"lived up to all our expectations. Sabina was brilliant and deserves a bunch of flowers !

keep up the very professional advice . Organisation was superb & selection of resorts/accomodation was impeccable." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip

"This was again a wonderful holiday which has given us so many wonderful experiences. The trip was taken at the right time of year to be able to see the wild flowers, the animals, the whales etc. Everything went according to plan. As amateur geologists we were able to get to places which have interesting rocks and rock formations - not everyone's idea of a good holiday I know. Some of these trips could not have been done without having had a "bakkie" and I would like to suggest that anyone thinking of doing this trip be recommended to hire one rather than a saloon.
The places we stayed had a good level of comfortable and friendly accomodation. Meals were generally good and we have now developed a taste for ostrich steaks as well as wines from the Orange River Region.

I found the literature supplied was very informative, especially the information concerning the border crossing formalities.

I very much appreciated the efficient way Mrs Scott dealt with the mix-up over the car hire when the credit card bill arrived.

The main problem with the holiday -- it wasn't long enough!!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 11 on a South Africa trip

"You need to add six paw prints for the clients who have had a safari that has excelled their expectations and believe me, we had high expectations.

From the moment we checked in at Heathrow to the moment we landed back at Heathrow we were looked after superbly.

If I have any niggles it would be the meal times at Mwamba / Kaingo. We preferred the meal times and self service (thereby avoiding 'American-sized' portions) at Tena Tena and found it was too late to eat at 21:30 if we were waiting for game drives to return. I also ended up missing lunch because it was too close to breakfast. We appreciate that if clients have seen a kill at 20:00, it would be difficult to return to the lodge straight away, but we felt that it was unfair that all the guests had to wait until everyone had returned rather than perhaps the guide explaining that if the clients wished to remain with the kill, that their dinner might be slightly colder. Meal times at RPS seemed to be much more efficient and time-friendly." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"We had an excellent holiday with excellent accommodation.

We were able to see the wild flowers and go walking and so we are very satisfied. Our friends, Pat and Ian Acton did all the liaison with you at Expert Africa and so we cannot comment on your overall service." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 11 on a South Africa trip

"It was a great trip with superb location and friendly people wherever we went. Visit Tanzania now before it's too late !" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari

"Owner-run camps are far superior to the Wilderness camps, for the most part (Lufupa excepted).

Expert Africa should work harder to promote the smaller camps which have invested so much in providing and further developing outstanding experiences for their guests. I would hate to see them pushed out by the larger international operations. The tsetse fly situation came close to ruining our visit in a couple of places.

You really should do more to warn visitors of their presence. People should not be subjected to long drives at tree line or in forests during peak fly times of day. Mosi Beer lived up to expectations, though! Would be happy to discuss our visit with Anna in more detail.

Finally, we would like to thank the people in Expert Africa for all of the help that has been provided for us. Anna has been a real source of good and reliable information and has come up with lots of suggestions which made our trip special. She has gone that extra bit to ensure that everything came out well and all of the bits were in place. I am sure that there were times when we were real pains, but we never knew it from Anna. With people like her, I'm sure that your organisation will continue its run of success." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari