South Africa: reviews from our travellers

"Our trip was amazing.

Other than getting soaked through on one game drive at Shinde, it is hard to imagine how it could have gone better.

Everything happened on time and as it should. I can't think of a single person who wasn't helpful or better.

We traveled with our children and each place we stayed was great for them as well as us. We wanted a variety of experiences, but with a certain level of comfort and we were not left wanting. Really, an outstanding experience!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Our first trip to South Africa, and it was a wonderful experience, the whole itinerary worked perfectly.

We made other sightseeing plans independently in Capetown, with no difficulty.

We took far too many clothes!!! Travel lighter next time !" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a South Africa trip

"All went very smoothly and was a great experience.

Standard of 2 of the camps much higher than expected . 1 slightly less so but compensated for great guiding and wildlife viewing .

One bonus of the Duba Explorers Camp is they ( Great Plains Group ) have introduced a really good lounge at Maun airport which was really helpful as we had 2 and a half hours to wait ." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"Trip of a lifetime!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Very "diverse" trip from wine tastings, excellent food to hiking in the Namibian deserts and beachwalks in Paternoster.

Rather easy and comfortable to be done in three weeks." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 14 on a South Africa trip

"We really enjoyed our tour of the Cape. The weather was great except for a few days near the end of November. The roads, with driving on the left as in the UK, were perfectly manageable. However, it appears the norm for cars not to have satnavs, which means that you need google maps and a mobile signal to navigate

We enjoyed the contrasts between the coastal Garden Route on our way to Port Elisabeth and the inland desert and mountains on our way back to Franschhoek and Cape Town.

We felt that our decision to stay 3 or 4 days at most places gave us the opportunity to match weather and activities plus we were not perpetually unpacking and repacking.

Our biggest disappointment was that we were too late to see whales at either Hermanus or Plettenberg Bay. From advice on the ground we needed to be early October at the very latest to see the whales offshore, whereas we had read that early November would still be OK.

On the whole, we felt safe whilst travelling around South Africa but until we got to Franschhoek, we were totally discouraged from walking to restaurants and bars in the evenings as it was unsafe in the dark, which was by 7 30pm. This was inconvenient and undesirable but we needed to stay safe. Unfortunately, the contrast between those residents that have and those that have not financial stability is enormous and this will be evident to you in every urban area you visit." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 9 on a South Africa trip

"Excellent trip. Good blend of exploring / sightseeing / safari.

Was specifically designed to sync with our son's cricket tour and that worked well." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a South Africa trip

"This was our first trip to Botswana and we hope it won't be our last. The quantity and variety of animals and birds was simply amazing.

The camps we visited and their staff were all first class. Having both a guide and a tracker (a feature of Kwando safaris) worked very well - and they were more than happy to educate us when tracking the big cats. They were able to spot and identify animals and birds from a long way away (how do they do that!).

Our thanks to Amanda for recommending the camps we stayed in. They were excellent choices - all a little different from each other but all at the consistently high standard of guiding, accommodation, and food and drink.

We would be very happy to return to Lagoon, Splash and Rra Dinare and would recommend all three most highly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

This is only the second time we've used Expert Africa, and on both occasions have found the company to be excellent.

We identified only one area for improvement - more for the safari company than Expert Africa - and that is to try to allocate people to safari jeeps based on their interests rather than just their arrival date. We realise this might prove difficult, but it is an area we feel merits a review." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"We were expecting great things and I had built the vision of “holiday of a lifetime”. We were not disappointed! We both agreed that this was the best holiday either of us had ever had and almost every day exceeded expectations. The itinerary was spot-on, the accommodation excellent, and occasionally mind-blowing, the scenery spectacular and ever-changing and our few excursions thoroughly enjoyable. To then add the value for money when eating and drinking and fuel prices a third lower than here in UK, our additional spend was well under budget! I hope we remain healthy enough to experience another trip such as this." Read full review: 30 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"This was an amazing holiday, we enjoyed every minute of it. Thanks to Sabina for all her expertise, organisation and suggestions.

Disappointing not to see apex predators, should have gone on more guided drives." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 19 on a Namibia trip