Malawi: reviews from our travellers

"This was one of our best ever holidays and we are so glad we were persuaded to go, having waited 2 deferred years and still had a few doubts about covid. In the event, everything was completely back to normal and we had a fantastic time.

The itinerary Claire put together could not be faulted, combining South Luangwa (which we previously visited in 2013) with Malawi, a new country for us. All the transfers between lodges worked like clockwork, and we would particularly single out Sidney for praise, who was our driver/guide in Malawi, and gave us lots of useful information about life in Malawi as we drove through villages and he also took us on a hike on the Zomba plateau).

Many of our game sightings were our best ever, with multiple close encounters with lion and leopard, several of them action packed." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"Despite travel to Zambia and Malawi being a little challenging (there are no direct flights, so lots of flights and transfers) we regarded all this as part of the adventure and worth it for the experiences we had.

Covid regulations weren't a problem, we were met and escorted at every stage of the journey and all the staff were very helpful and friendly. We love the tiny planes between places and the balance of safari and beach chill-out was fantastic, a very special trip.

Claire was always responsive, pro-active and gave us great advice when planning the trip and answering my questions throughout.

As it was our joint birthdays, the special surprises each location laid on were just lovely and so kind.

I honestly believe EA are the very best at Africa holidays, the knowledge and experience of the advisors are exceptional and their advice is accurate." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zambia safari

"What a fantastic way to celebrate our Ruby Wedding anniversary and our thanks as always to the Expert Africa Staff, ( Lucy Copson this time) in helping us plan our trip and making all the arrangements which went smoothly.
Thanks again. X" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"Everything great, but why on earth do you recommend the Latitude Hotels?" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"Claire's support and advice were brilliant from the moment I rang Expert Africa to first enquire about safari holidays in Malawi.

Claire ensured we had a family holiday to remember and the overall service and value from Expert Africa was fantastic.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Thanks for a very special holiday." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Malawi trip

"As usual with Expert Africa every thing went like clockwork. We recommend you every time!

Only place I was not that happy with was Latitude 13 but not sure what other options there were to get a PCR test done even though we did not need it in the end." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Malawi trip

"We had been saving for this trip for 5yrs and booked it almost a year ago so the anticipation was palpable. The trip to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary was truly wonderful. Everywhere you go, you feel looked after and even the blip in the service level at Mkulumadzi lodge was quickly sorted out.

We met lots of lovely people and saw loads of animals - 164 species recorded in my notebook! Our guides were all extremely eagle eyed and did their utmost to get you in the best position for taking photos. In 3 of the 4 camps, we were lucky enough to not have to share a jeep which really helps build up a good relationship with your guide.

We only put on 3lb in weight each which is astonishing when all the camps feed you every 2-3hrs with tempting food. Each park we stayed in offered different scenery and new animals and birds to see. Whilst some animals such as cheetahs and rhino remained elusive, we have some amazing memories and photos to remind of us this fabulous trip. Roll on the next safari!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really - Lucy was incredibly helpful and patient with my endless questions.

Occasionally there was a bit of a delay getting a response but it was never a major issue." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"We had a wonderful time in Malawi, with all accommodation of a good standard and all travel arrangements working more or less to plan.

We were glad that we had the night in Blantyre on arrival to recover from the journey out (exactly 24 hours door to door), prior to going to the game park.

The drive from Majete to Liwonde was arduous and took nearly 7 hours. This was partly due to misty conditions through the mountains, bridge repairs in Blantyre and the poor quality of the roads, particularly the access road into Liwonde National Park.

The drive from Liwonde to Nkhotakota was extremely arduous and took about 7.5hours. The driver did not seem too well to start with and had to stop for a short while. We fed him some of our packed lunches as the monkeys had apparently pinched his breakfast!. We had a stop in Salima for toilets and refuelling, but there was a delay due to an issue with the driver's office, in sending him through sufficient funds to buy enough petrol. We moved on and had the same issue in Nkhotakota town, where we stopped for nearly an hour while he tried to sort it out. The driver had not been to Tongole Lodge before and had to keep stopping to ask how to get to it. Once in the park, signposting disappeared and we ended up at the sister camp and had to be re-directed. We were concerned when the driver said that he was driving straight back to Blantyre without a break. It might be worth exploring air transfer - the pilot we spoke to said it was possible via Lilongwe. Obviously the cost would be higher but after undertaking the road journey, this could be worth it.

We are not sure why Expert Africa are offering South African Airways via Johannesburg as their preferred route. We found Ethiopian Airlines flights to be extremely good, with modern planes (Airbus A350 and Boeing 787) and excellent crew. The issue about flight changes that we were notified about prior to departure were due to the main runway at Blantyre being closed for several months for re-building. Only small planes can land at Blantyre on their small runway, and so all large planes have to go into Lilongwe and then a shuttle service is run down to Blantyre in small turboprop planes. Ethiopian could have explained this to us when they changed the flights. Our luggage was taken right through to Blantyre and immigration was also done at Blantyre, even though we arrived there on an internal flight.

The only other downside to Ethiopian is the airport at Addis Ababa. although a relatively new terminal, is not to the standard of Johannesburg airport, although is tolerable for a few hours.

Our Business Class flights (for 2 people) cost £4545.24 compared with your quote with SAA of £9841.98 and we were extremely happy with the service.

Thank you so much for organising this trip for us. we had a fantastic experience and really enjoyed our time in Malawi." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 16 on a Malawi trip

"Our whole trip from Livingston to South Luangwa National Park to Likoma island was fantastic and we want to thank Expert Africa and Amanda Bond for helping us plan our trip.

We especially appreciated Amanda‘s feedback and valued her recommendations. We’ve been to Africa many times, but it is extremely valuable to get the perspective of someone who is familiar with areas, such as South Luangwa and Lake Malawi, that we have never been to. We have used expert Africa services before and would not hesitate to use them again. Thanks, Amanda." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"The trip arranged by Expert Africa book-ended an eight day safari in the South Luangwa Valley, arranged separately.

Expert Africa knitted the two sets of arrangements together perfectly and pretty seamlessly. Overall, the trip had many highlights (just a few low-lights at the beginning) and we would happily use EA again." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 4 on a Zambia safari