South Africa: reviews from our travellers

"We had the most amazing family holiday - so many unforgettable moments. Maruska was efficient and helpful from the planning stages through to the completion of our journey. She stepped up to help immensely when our bags had been lost between Kilimanjaro and Joburg Airports. She stepped in and got the Wilderness Safari folks to help follow up with the airport and airlines which was a huge relief for us as we were "off grid" for several days following their loss and felt very stressed about what to do next. Overall - we were thrilled with our time in Africa and thank Expert Africa team for helping to plan such a great trip.

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Converting NZD to USD to pay for the trip was daunting - felt hugely expensive. Yes, we requested and planned a high end experience and were aware of the costs, but we definitely felt a big hit to the wallet. When you factor in that we were also giving healthy tips (as suggested, and we felt like with the great service we should do at least the "minimum") on top of the high room rate at each camp ... we felt it even more. Next time we might consider a mix of high vs medium range camps to save some money. Again, not to take away from an incredible trip planned together with Maruska ... thanks" Read full review: 33 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Our safari in Botswana was incredible from start to finish. Maruska really listened to my initial inquiries, helped us figure out if Botswana was the right destination for us, and then worked to find three different camps that would give us a variety of experiences and locales. I felt like Maruska understood what we were looking for in the trip & personalized her recommendations. That made all the difference!

From the moment we landed at the Maun airport until the moment we returned there, someone was always watching out for us. When one member of our party became ill, the camp contacted Maruska. With Expert Africa on our side, we knew we were in good hands. Fortunately, he recovered quickly, but it was worth every penny to know Expert Africa would have taken care of us if things had gone differently.

Meanwhile, the Botswana safari was everything we hoped for and more. Despite everything going on in the wilderness, because there are not many people, there is a serenity to the experience -- a pace of taking what comes next, of being immersed in the balance of nature's day-to-day existence. We awoke to lions roaring, watched a mother leopard supervise her cub, followed wild dogs on a hunt, shared a watering hole with herd after herd of elephants, and so much more. But it's the overall experience that has stayed with me the most -- just the being there, a visitor is another world.

Thank you to Expert Africa and Maruska for an incredible trip!

I've already recommended Expert Africa and Maruska to two friends! Thank you so much for everything." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"Our overall experience was exceptional. Every single part of it!

Maruska took the time to understand what we were looking for and did an unbelievable job putting it all together. From the lodges, to the itinerary, to the little things it was all amazing.

On the flight home our whole family declared they wouldn't have changed a thing. I don't think there is any higher praise." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Sabina was an excellent agent. Everything she recommended was excellent and just as described." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"We had a wonderful 24-day road trip to Namibia in May / June 2024, followed by 5 days in Cape Town.

We really felt that we were listened too very carefully in the planning process.

I even got to see a pangolin which was top of my wish list.

We would highly recommend Expert Africa. Thank you Maruska!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
In the wildlife list leave a space to add wildlife which is not on the list." Read full review: 32 nights in Africa; 25 on a Namibia trip

"Claire Scott helped us with this trip to Zimbabwe/South Africa. (She had previously organized a trip to Zambia/Malawi in 2015.)

Everyone in our group of 8 commented on how flawlessly and seamlessly this trip went, thanks to Claire!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zimbabwe safari

"We had a very enjoyable trip, focused mainly on seeing parts of Namibia that were new to us.

The diverse landscapes, varied accommodations, intermittent sightings of wildlife, even the experience of two punctures and the help we received….it was all wonderful.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service

I just wanted to mention how helpful the staff were at the Wilderness lounge, at the airport." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"This was the BEST trip of our lives.

It was everything we had hoped for and more. So many memories and new experiences.

Maruska met and exceeded our brief, and we can't thank her enough for her time, suggestions and recommendations." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"We had a magical trip to Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe side), Okavango delta in Botswana and self-drive in Namibia.

We usually self-organise our trips around the globe, but having Expert Africa extensive, efficient and reliable support was a massive plus for our multi-country trip. It was extremely pleasant to feel really on holiday, with almost everything taken care of.

Locations and all accomodations but one were magical: beautifully set, very kind and helpful staff very often going an extra mile, extremely comfortable, quiet and relaxing, with amazing landscapes and/or wildlife to discover and admire.

A massive thank you to ExpertAfrica team and all partners involved!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 5 on a Namibia trip

"It felt like hard work this time, a combination of an uncomfortable vehicle and almost extreme temperatures probably caused this. Everyone said the park was quiet. As we only had a week there is no slack to catch up on missed sightings. This is the second time we have seen a leopard, but no cheetah at all this time. Lion sightings were very good. We saw nine lions in total, of which three were repeat sightings on another day or trip. We met someone who only saw 7 in two weeks. There is a lot of luck involved. Nossob was the least productive area no cat sightings and very sparse in general.

We enjoyed the trip and especially spending 1.75 hours with a pair of lions at Craig Lockhart, who then disappeared after that sighting.

Bird sightings were down, one owl, couple of bateleur eagles, but plenty of tawny and some vultures for the first time.

I mentioned queuing to get out into the park this seemed more time consuming. The roads were not well maintained on the Nossob side, which makes driving tiring.

I wonder whether the park is too full? They are supposed to be building more picnic sights which will break up journeys. This year Auchterlonie toilets was having a refurb so out of commission. The ones at Lijersdraai urgently need an overhaul, I forgot they had no sink, as not visited since 2022." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a South Africa trip