South Africa: reviews from our travellers

"EA and Maruska provided great guidance and support. Very flexible in allowing us to modify the trip to meet our expanded intentions. Great vehicle, excellent itinerary.

We were surprised at the km of unpaved road. 3000km of 4000km. All serviceable, but occasionally very rough. Fuel readily available. 4305km/12.62km/liter/N$6905/$387 We consider this a good value.

We were very fortunate in that we had no tire or vehicle issues. We thought we were well prepared for communications. To our surprise neither of our iphones with T-mobile worked. We did not want to be out on the road without a phone to call for assistance, so we bought a che ap phone and 100 minutes of time. In the end we didn't need it but would not undertake the drive without a phone. Suggest you offer a phone as part of the package.

2nd- offer a basic sat based GPS system. Map is very good and easy to use, but a GPS allows better definition as to location, time and distance. We brought a basic Garmin GPS with southern Africa maps and it was indispensable.

In summation this was an adventure of a lifetime and EA made it possible." Read full review: 26 nights in Africa; 22 on a Namibia trip

"Start to finish, this was an amazing trip. The guidance, planning and details worked into the trip by Maruska helped to make it so.

I am an independent traveler with considerable experience in Africa (45 countries on the continent) and usually make my own arrangements--or make things up as I go--but on the recommendation of a friend--and on a short fuse for putting it all together--I reached out to Maruska for help and am glad that I did.

Lodging, safaris, meals, and movements along the way were all excellent because of her expert guidance. This is one of the best experiences I have had on the continent.

This was the first experience for my wife in southern Africa and her first safari trips. It was a perfect introduction for her and memorable for both of us.

No problems. No worries. No issues or complaints." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 9 on a Namibia trip

"A few thoughts I had: I think it would be better to have a minimum of 3 nights at each camp or lodge as I found 2 nights was not enough especially as I lost a day due to a flight cancellation/postponement. If I'd had 3 nights at Plantation Lodge I could have still done the Ngorongoro crater safari. I know there are cost implications but in hindsight it is worth it for a better experience. And Plantation Lodge was my favourite accommodation and I only got one night there!

I would also prefer to stay in camps that are not too long a drive from the airstrips. I found more than one hour quite difficult as you just want to get there and it can also be a long drive back to camp after a safari. I would consider this if I was doing another trip.

Needless to say I preferred the luxury camps in Botswana which had a pool and included drinks and laundry, although I realise they cost more, and I did enjoy the other camps which felt closer to the wildlife etc. as a contrast. Paying for drinks and laundry was not expensive so that did not put me off.

The support and help from my Expert Africa agents with the few challenges I encountered was wonderful and
I can't speak highly enough of the quality of your company. Of course I don't know how you compare with others but having met agents from other companies and having feedback from other guests at the camps I felt very glad that I had chosen EA.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Perhaps to warn travellers about the potential for things to go wrong such as flight cancellations and injuries and talk through what to do in these situations. i know this in included in your written material but it is a lot to take in especially when having to get visas and vaccinations in preparation for the trip. I had read the information but still felt stressed when things happened. However your responses were so helpful and reassuring which helped me to calm down. Big thank you to Chris in this regard - I could only nominate one agent above but it is the sign of a good manager/owner to be prepared to step in out of hours to help a client." Read full review: 36 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"The Expert Africa staff were excellent. From beginning to end, we always had staff directing us to where we had to go including getting us across the Botswana Zimbabwe border. Everyone was on time and professional. We felt completely cared for. I would highly recommend using Expert Africa and when I decide to take my next safari, I will be using them again!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"We love Botswana and a good part of that is Expert Africa.

The service and attention to detail is outstanding and really lends to the enjoyment of the trip . We will always use them for our trips to Southern Africa ( this was our fourth trip with them). They truly are expert in the area. Also Tracy Lederer is a great friend and guide for us, making it easy and super fun." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"Big thanks to Tracy for planning this trip for us. My wife, my mother and my boy, they all had a great time.

This was our third trip with Expert Africa and we are always happy with their knowledge, communication and overall services. Twice over the course of this trip, we needed to contact Tracy and thankfully we could just rang her and things were resolved.

We look forward to our next trip with Expert Africa." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a South Africa trip

"This trip was just to the one camp, so please read the detailed review above." Read full review: 44 nights in Africa; 5 on a South Africa trip

"Excellent.

I would try to combine trip to Okavango into one day if possible. I understand concerns with border crossing (as I had them) but very fast even though we lost power and were held up. I also would have spent another day at Okonjiwa although it would have broken my budget.

As Welwitschia Drive took so long and the map was so bad we ended up climbing Dune 7 at 6:30 pm which was a blessing. The sand was cool and climb was easy. In general I highly recommend the trip.

I will say we were rather unique travelers in that we were not looking for the massive herds and numerous predators. We had seen that before. Our interest was in the smaller things, nocturnal animals, unique environments and sustainable responses to those environments. So this might not be for everyone but worked perfectly for us." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Namibia trip

"Cape Town is an absolutely delightful place for a city break." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 7 on a South Africa trip

"All excellent with little exception

A great holiday" Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 13 on a South Africa trip