Reviews of holidays to Mafia Island

"Kono Kono let the whole trip down

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None I can think of" Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"A memorable trip indeed !

We have wonderful memories, in spite of the disappointment in Mafia because of the weather.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Your organization was perfect. We don't know how you could possibly improve it." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"We knew this was going to be the trip of a lifetime, but nothing could have prepared us for the experience we had. By the 3rd day we had run out of superlatives and by day 8 we were tongue tied when trying to describe how remarkable the wildlife was, how fabulous the food, how gorgeous the accommodations and how well we were treated. Even now, two months later we have difficulty.

We would not hesitate to use the services of Expert Africa again, in fact we would insist on it for trip planning in that part of the world. We would also insist on having Lyndsey Marris as our personal representative. Lyndsey was outstanding from day one, asking all the right questions about our travel experiences, our wishes, making suggestions before I had a chance to even think to ask, and somehow despite her being in London and our being in the United States we never waited more than 24 hours for an email or telephone response. We don’t know how she managed to work around the time difference, but she did. Her recommendations were spot on and she was flexible with changes; nothing seemed beyond her. We met and formed a friendship with a family from greater London while in Ruaha who had also used Expert Africa and had Lyndsey as their agent and they had the same experience and praise for her as we did.

We were provided with daily itineraries including private drivers, reservations at restaurants, all flight arrangements, hotel and safari camp reservations and accurate information about all of them. In over three weeks of travel there was only one hiccup and that was minor and no doubt precipitated by a flight delay causing us to arrive in Nairobi 2 ½ hours late. The driver who was to have met our flight was not there and we were unsure on how to proceed. As it turned out, a very attentive gentleman had been observing our situation and eventually came over and asked what had happened and it turned out he worked for the same company, Southern Cross Safaris, who was to drive us that day and the next. He took over and got us transported to the hotel and put us back onto our activity schedule to see the Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage and the Giraffe Center. The driver from Southern Cross Safaris was delightful and informative and we met him again the last evening of our trip when we came back to Nairobi to fly home. The only adjustment we would make to our stay in Nairobi would be to give up the convenience of an airport hotel for the apparently unique, lovely experience of staying at Giraffe Manor. We didn’t know Giraffe Manor existed so it wasn’t something we asked Lyndsey about, but we really wish it had somehow come up.

I would suggest to anyone going on Safari to stay in multiple camps in diverse geographic areas. Lyndsey gave us a perfect itinerary in the perfect order: Nairobi, Selous, Ruaha, Mara River, Grumeti and finally Mafia Island and a flight home from Nairobi. Each of the areas had its own flora and fauna and special emphasis. Selous is private, no traffic or competition to view the animals, you can go off road, but the animals are very spread out due to its size. You have the opportunity to see the rare wild dog, but fewer cats. Ruaha, on the other hand, is a national park; you cannot go off road, there are many more vehicles, but it is definitely the place for cats. Mara River is all about the wildebeest crossing. It is also a national park. Grumeti is a private paradise in the Serengeti that gives you the absolute best of the best. Mafia Island is an exquisite respite from the “always on alert” feeling of safari.

If you looked on a map you might wonder why we worked from south to north just to fly much further south at the end, but Lyndsey explained her thinking, we took her advice - she was exactly correct. The wildlife built up as did the camps as we went along. Not once did we feel we were taking a back step in the quality of anything. And going on safari is quite tiring despite the fact you are being driven everywhere, so a restful beach idyll at the end is perfect.

We will definitely return to Africa. We would repeat this trip in a heartbeat. In fact this trip was so fantastic it will be difficult to resist literally going back to the same camps, but Africa is huge with so much variety, we will most likely expand our horizons. Where ever it is, Expert Africa will help plan our trip." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 18 on a Tanzania safari

"Glorious trip to Kenya and Tanzania, our first visit to those countries. Having travelled in Africa extensively before, the punctuality and efficiency of collections etc was impressive. We thoroughly enjoyed the insight into local culture and the safari opportunities were stunning. All guides very kind and friendly, always keen to please.

Our limited constructive feedback as follows: All camps provided toiletries and washing powder, so no need to bring. Camps advertising laundry services still did not wash underwear (male or female), nor handkerchiefs. Drive to Il Ngwesi from Wilson airport was interesting, but ended up as quite an odyssey as driver did not know the way through Lewa Conservancy to the camp. As no signs available, this ended up as an additional 2 hours of desperately trying to find the camp before dark. All good in the end, but maybe check drivers know their destination before setting off." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 13 on a Kenya safari

"It was excellent. Our thanks go to Claire Scott who really listened to what we wanted and selected excellent locations for us." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a wonderful time with spectacular scenery, fantastic wildlife sightings and great places to stay.

Our guide Baraza, was brilliant, extremely knowledgeable, professional and hard-working throughout our 10 days on safari." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari

"this holiday had the perfect combination of a variety of very different contrasting destinations, time to chill out in exquisite lodges, the bustle of a culturally and historically fascinating city, the thrill of travelling to a tiny island group at Mafia - the fun of snorkelling and diving - monkeys, butterflies, coral reef and fish - perfect

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

no I think you were absolutely excellent and you made our holiday very enjoyable and relaxing" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"I went to three bases in 13 days and it felt like I’d been away a month
It was brilliant from start to finish
Expert Africa organised everything and it worked like clockwork

It was early season just after the rains and lodges were quiet
The wildlife sightings were great as was the scuba diving in the Indian Ocean" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Tanzania safari

"I have had the most wonderful holiday.

Everything was seamless with the arrangements and accommodation. The staff at the hotels and lodges were friendly and made me feel welcome and as if nothing was too much trouble.

The trip itinerary was informative and everything worked to plan.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No....I have been impressed with the way the holiday was planned and with the seamless way it all fitted together while away. The connections were all on time. I always felt that everything was taken care of...and each step of the holiday fitted into place without any stress......just what a holiday should be.

Thank you Expert Africa." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"The trip was just as fantastic as we had hoped. Clearly one cannot control animal sightings or the weather and that is the charm, but at times the curse, of such holidays - seeing dolphins or a whale would have been the icing on an already sumptuous cake but other sightings and events more than compensated - not least of which was the magic of Fanjove." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 14 on a Tanzania safari