Africa: Reviews from our travellers

"Thank you for all your help and advice in advance of the holday and for booking us into such lovely places (apart from kulala lodge where i hope the level of service improves). I thought the the time we spent in Etosha was fabulous and i cant believe the amount of game we saw there, seeing cheetah and a leopard at okinjuima was fantastic too and we really enjoyed all the driving as it gave us a chance to see the changing landscape.

I was impressed with the state of the roads and would thoroughly recommend driving to anyone who asked about this. The main reason I wanted to go to Namibia was to see the dunes, which did not dissapoint, and we went on a light aircraft flight over them to see the extent, stunning.

It was a fantastic holiday and i plan to return - and will spend more time at Erongo and go back to wolwedans dune lodge for definite." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Namibia trip

"Excellent! In addition to the highlights mentioned under each camp, one of the highlights of the whole trip was the day we transferred from Sossusvlei to Damaraland. Firstly, an absolutely unforgettable flight at low altitude over the red sand dunes, and then along the coastline to Walvis Bay. Aquanaut Tours took us on the boat ride out to Pelican Point - over 20,000 Cape Fur Seals. On the way, Pelicans and other seabirds followed us; a pair of Dolphins leaped and played around the boat, and several times, a seal jumped right up onto the deck. The captain assured us they were not aggressive, though they do bark loudly asking for a attention. He threw a fish overboard each time, too encourage the seal to jump off.

An amazing sight was the wreck of an old Russian cargo vessell which is now colonized by hundreds of Cormorants. They sit lined up in rows all along the spars and masts and every other available surface.

After the boat trip we drove towards Swakopmund, with sand dunes on the right and the sea on the left. We saw flocks of Flamingoes in the lagoons, as well as people dune-boarding and ballooning. When we stopped, it was to enjoy a seafood picnic on the beach, under canvas - fresh-shucked oysters (very sweet tasting), calamari, hake, salads, wine.

Mid-afternoon, after a short visit in town, we took off for Damaraland, now flying over entirely different scenery - wild and mountainous, the airstrip looking like a thin white line in the middle of utter wilderness.

This was a truly memorable day.

I should also like to mention Etango Guest Ranch. We booked a day room here, with transfers, as it is just a few minutes from the airport. Units are very comfortable and well-equipped, and are air-conditioned, so we were well rested for the long trek home. Just before we left in the evening, Carmen thoughtfully sent over a complimentary snack of cold cuts and cheese. There was already a coffee/tea tray in the room.

This is a fine place to start or end a safari, and we would not hesitate to do so again. However, in terms of longer stays it should be noted that the majority of guests at this Ranch are Afrikaans-speaking, or German/Dutch tourists, and that it also serves as a base for Hunting Safaris.

Final comments: Our luggage, including hand luggage was well within the 12kg. restriction. This was no problem as laundry service at all 3 camps was excellent, being picked up during breakfast and delivered back during dinner the same day. We had, as you advised, sweaters and windproof jackets for the chilly mornings and nights. Unfortunately, we had a freak cold front with bitter winds while at Sossusvlei, and these garments were not nearly enough. I surely regretted not packing my warm longjohns and vest. It should be stressed that normal weather patterns can no longer be relied on, anywhere in the world, including Africa - leave out something else if you have to, but pack plenty of layers. I ended up buying a fleece vest at the Camp. I don't suppose I'll ever wear it again, but It makes a nice souvenir of the trip.

I think I've said it all! I feel the information you give, both in your brochure and on the webiste, is the most honest and most balanced of any of the Tour Operators we have dealt with. Wish we could plan another trip with you, but Namibia - alas- is our last safari. All best wishes for your continued success." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 5 on a Namibia trip

"Etosha was fantastic and I had some fantastic sightings. After Etosha and Cape Cross I spent the remaining time in the Caprivi (plus a couple of days in Windhoek).

Bum Hill campsite is highly reccommended - located on the banks of the Kwando river it is one of the very few places in that area that is accessible to a 2WD car - many others such as Nambwa need 4WD. It had a flush toilet, hot shower, sinks and a shelter plus raised viewing platform for each of the six camping pitches. Its owned and run by the local conservancy.

Ngepi on the banks of the Okavango river is another excellent campsite (but very different). its busy but has excellent facilities including electirc power at each of the camping pitches.

Shamvura tented camp is another nice place to stay - particularly with the tame Cape Clawless Otter that lives there !

Namibia is a beautiful country and I keep going back (this was my 6th trip) - I'm already planning my next trip !" Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"Thanks for a great holiday." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"An outstanding holiday with a lovely mix of different things. Very glad we went to Cape Town first. Stayed at Constantia Uitsig whoich was truly outstanding for food and comfort.

Victoria Falls was well worth seeing.

Botswana really was brilliant and I cannot recommend it more. Sandibe was the only disapointing part and not all their fault." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"Itinerary was really good & scenery in both Crater & Serengeti are stunning. Generally good levels of game. Mafia really is a great destination to relax at the end of the trip. As expected the guiding / service aren't up to the standard of the best Southern Africa camps.

Overall it was an enjoyable trip that felt like a long break as we kept doing different things.

Suggestions to help you improve: Nothing really - excellent as ever - Many Thanks to all the team" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari

"excellent holiday, journey well planned by you lovely varied accommodation.

thank you tracey" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 18 on a Namibia trip

"We were very pleased with the level of service we received from Expert Africa, especially when we had to change our itinerary late in the day on which Sabina worked extensively and imaginatively to come up with a solution where we might otherwise have had to cancel the entire trip. We cannot praise Sabina too highly.

We were glad we limited our travel. We met many people who were spending a night here and a night there trying to see the majority of the country in a couple of weeks - several of whom were attracted by our more limited programme. From our perspective, we'd reckon we got far better value out of the vacation by focusing on one particular corner of Namibia's vastness.

Bottom line: this was a great trip - not least as we saw 32 different mammal species including many we did not see in Tanzania last year - and we will be coming back to Expert Africa shortly to explore options for Botswana next year and hopefully (now Clare's seen rhinos) satisfy Alastair's 26 year quest to see wild dogs!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Namibia trip

"The trip as a whole was amazing. It was extremely well coordinated and other than not having the ticket back to Dar from Zanzibar, it really could not have gone any more smoothly. Our driver Ayub for the first half of the trip from Sokwe was fantastic. Please make sure he hears that.

The only other thing I would have done differently (though we really liked Gibbs) was stayed within the different parks more. It's really a different feeling when you are in the park, every moment of the day, sleeping and eating, and it's also a much easier day. You can start your game drives earlier (close to dawn) and stay out later (close to sunset). This really makes a difference as that's when the animals may be most active and there is less driving to and from the park each day. Also, you can sleep later in the morning, etc.

This was something we weren't aware of when planning our trip and would have been good to know." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We had excellent experiences with gorilla tracking in Rwanda, game viewing in the Serengeti and enjoying the sun on Zanzibar. We would recommend all of these experiences to friends.

While we would recommed going to the Selous, we can not recommend the Lake Manze Camp. This camp was not a good match for us. However, the Lake Manze Camp was the only camp in Selous that had availability on our preferred days. We knew that there were risks with going to this camp as it was so new (in that there may be some procedures that may need to be worked out). We did not expect the full Italian experience. We were expecting that there would be an African experience.

We already talking about our next trip to Africa. We know that we will go again.

When we do, we plan on contacting Expert Africa.

Feel free to include us on the mailing list for your 2008 brochure. Thank you!!!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari