South Africa: reviews from our travellers

"Fantastic holiday, we experienced so much during our two weeks. The whole organisation/package worked extremely well for us.

Thank you so much to Claire who helped us with the planning." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a South Africa trip

"Our itinerary was based on Expert Africa's innovative and well thought-out Black Wildebeeste holiday menu. The latter was modified to accommodate two nights in Hermanus, by cutting a night each at Cape Town and Clanwilliam. There was also a detour through Etosha West - achieved by switching one of the suggested three nights at Okaukuejo to Dolomite Camp. These adjustments proved to work very well for us.

The timing - late August to mid-September - was, we thought, perfect. There was spectacular whale-watching in Hermanus and we were able to visit the idyllic Postberg Nature Reserve (within the West Coast National Park), which is open only during the short spring-flower season. Temperatures generally were pleasant (though one needs to be prepared for cold spells - and rain interludes in the Cape) and the dry season in Etosha made for excellent game (but zero mosquito) viewing.

We suffered thefts on two occasions - one involving a hotel room safe in South Africa and the other a car break-in with damage, near Walvis Bay. These incidents (and their fall-out) dampened our spirits temporarily, but were outweighed by the pleasures experienced on each and every day. Overall, this trip ranks as one of our most enjoyable holidays in years of travelling." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"A superb experience." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Overall the trip was incredible!! We will definitely be back. T

he only thing we will change next time is to do private vehicles. It is more expensive, but it gives you much more freedom to stay and watch more animal behavior. The other thing I noticed, which could just be variation, is that there appeared to be more game in Oct than August. This may be because it was drier and hotter in Oct. However, we actually saw many more cats the August trip, than the previous trip in October.

Maruska with Expert Africa was excellent in communicating with us about a flight cancellation at the end of our trip. She was able to change our reservation and cover the cost until we arrived home." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"Overall, I am quite satisfied with my trip. I found that all details were perfectly organized. We had no problems at all with reservations of airlines and hotels. All previous information before the trip was very helpful, as well as the books that we received." Read full review: 25 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"Maruska has set the standard for all future travel agents. I cannot recommend her highly enough!

I talked to several travel agents in the US before deciding to work with Maruska. I had called Expert Africa to inquire about the small group trips on the Wild About Africa site. When I started questioning Maruska about the trips, it was immediately clear to me that she was the most knowledgeable agent I had talked to so far.

She efficiently helped me put together my dream trip to Africa, and also helped me to prepare for the trip. Many thanks to her for being unfailingly responsive to my many emails about the practical details of traveling in Africa (money, vaccinations, clothing, etc.).

I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Africa!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions, as I felt that the service was outstanding." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari

"This was a truly memorable trip.

It was our third trip to Africa, and the best in terms of wildlife viewing. The whole safari experience was wonderful from start to end." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"One of the most fantastic family adventures we've ever had.

Will definitely recommend Expert Africa to others, and would use them again for more travel to Africa. Thank you." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"My trip to Africa exceeded my dreams and expectations. Everything ran so smoothly, the hospitality and game viewing at the camps was fantastic, and the camps Maruska put us in were gorgeous and fit into our budget. There's only one problem--now I've been bitten by the safari bug and can't wait to go back!

Many thanks for all you did to make my dream trip to Africa a reality.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None--service was outstanding." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"It was all I expected (hoped) it would be!!

Excellent place to see doggies (my main reason for coming here), high standard of camps/lodges.
Surprisingly pretty landscape outside of the delta. this of course has for an important part to do with all the water returning to the area.

Excellent, really excellent guides without exception.

By the way, Bradt's Botswana guide was a great help in planning the trip.

Everything was taken care of in an excellent manner, so no worries - only pleasure and excitement- at all!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Botswana safari