Travel reviews by Mr P & Ms T from Ottawa
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
7
Excursions taken
0
Tanzania safari
Tanzania between 18 Sep 2011 and 1 Oct 2011
The locations, itinerary and planning were excellent. While two of the game parks (Ngorongo and Lake Manyara) were not as interesting (not much game, limited size) they were suitably short in duration. The more interesting parks (Tarangire and Northern Serengeti) had been allocated much more time and delivered a much more exciting experience. The accomodation was all excellent - the complaints we had were to do with our mental comfort level (or lack thereof!) in the more luxurious &Beyond camp. It was excellent, just not what fit our personalities.
The experience was more than we had hoped for and exceeded our expectations. It was truly memorable and we would not hesitate to recommend Expert Africa.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Knowing which locations offered free drinking water and laundry and which ones charged extra would be helpful."
Arranged By Elizabeth Chapman

Rivertrees Country Inn
"Rivertrees Country Inn review"

Oliver's Camp
"Oliver's Camp review"
Food was tasty and plentiful, wonderful campfire and drinks every night before dinner, small number of guests and relaxing atmosphere was really nice. Short drive to excellent game viewing.
Common dining table was a nice way to chat with other guests and share the day's experiences. Staff seemed genuinely friendly and helpful and were very pleasant to deal with."

Oliver's Fly-Camp, Tanzania (this camp has since closed)
"Oliver's Fly-Camp review"
Small tent but very comfy bed, excellent food around the campfire, very intimate setting (a few staff and just us- they limit the fly camping participants to those that are on safari together). Simple bucket shower and drop toilet.
Wonderful experience, watching the sunrise with a hot coffee in hand sitting in the middle of the long grasses and seeing game wander by a short distance away.
Walking safari to the fly camp and back to the main camp the next morning was part of the thrill and enjoyment. Seeing the small details, plants, tracks, animals, really gave a feeling of being up close and personal with the area. Felt totally safe with the guide and ranger."
Not currently featured by Expert Africa

Oliver's Camp
"Oliver's Camp review"

Plantation Lodge
"Plantation Lodge review"
A short drive to the gates to Ngorongoro."

Lake Manyara Tree Lodge
"Lake Manyara Tree Lodge review"
Overall, a but too 'luxury with animal viewing' as opposed to 'animal viewing with luxury' for our taste. It was all very nice but felt like a place for wealthy/elite people to stay (which is not us!).
Used lodge guide for local game drives - lots of great knowledge and information, but sometimes felt like a time-share salesman telling us about the other &Beyond camps and opportunities (you can get a membership! with discounts!). Game was a bit disappointing compared to Tarangire (and northern Serengeti). Enjoyable, but animals were seen occasionally, and in ones and twos (compared to large and plentiful herds).
Camp staff were a bit over the top - a butler eager to cater to our every whim at the drop of a hat as long is it included maximum quantities. When we asked for a small lunch (like soup and a bit of toast) we were still pressured into eating the 3 course meal. A gin and tonic before dinner included about 5x the amount of gin that we were expecting. Having all the staff turn out to sing to us when we arrived made us feel a bit uncomfortable.
Dinner was at private tables so there was no need to talk to other guests.
None of it was bad, it just wasn't to our taste."

Olakira
"Olakira Camp review"
Accommodation was wonderful - plenty of water for the basics (sink and toilet) and bucket showers inside the tent were more than adequate. An intimate setting (only 10 guest tents) in the middle of great game viewing (including regular lions roaring, hyenas calling, elephants, giraffe, impala and zebras feeding all within sight and hearing of the tent and event sometimes right in the camp).
Food was plentiful and consistently delicious - excellent variety, fresh, tasty and great service. Common dining table for all guests meant that every evening was a chance to talk to fellow travellers and share the day's experiences. You'd be hard pressed to find higher quality meals in any restaurant anywhere in the world, and the fact that it was all prepared in a temporary camp in the middle of the bush was truly amazing.
Hot coffee, tea and biscuits delivered to the tent at wake-up call, hot water bottles in the bed at bed-time, highly experienced and skilled guides, lots of game (we saw many lions, cheetah, leopard, buffalo, zebra, giraffe, elephant, crocodile, hippo, and even rhino, plus tons of others too numerous to list). Saw a couple of wildebeest river crossings (one right down the road from the camp!).
An amazing experience, great friendly genuine staff, and something that we'll remember for the rest of our lives. Four nights felt very comfortable, we saw a little bit of everything in terms of game. Any less though and you'd probably miss out on something."
The only annoyance was having to pay extra for drinks (food was covered in the reservation, but we had to pay extra for bottles of coke and water). Seemed a bit silly."