Travel reviews by Ms M & Mr S from USA
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
2
Countries visited
3
Lodges stayed in
8
Excursions taken
0
Everything I Wanted and More
Tanzania and 1 other country between 19 Dec 2017 and 2 Jan 2018
"This trip was worth everything that my husband and I put into it. We hesitated on the cost but then realized that having the exact trip we wanted would be worth it.
I can't gush enough about how perfectly ExpertAfrica put together everything for us. It was also in the perfect order, and met every little thing we had asked for.
We wanted walking safaris, which we got. We wanted luxury, which we got. We wanted parks/reserves that were not as crowded but still had great game viewing. Nothing about the itinerary disappointed us.
I'm also impressed with the order of the itinerary. We thought it strange that we were going to Selous and then Ruaha when everyone we encountered in Selous mentioned that they had come from Ruaha. We wondered why we were doing it the other way, and also wondered, with Beho Beho's level of luxury, if maybe finishing on it would be better. But once we got to Ruaha and experience Kichaka Expeditions, we knew that the trip had been planned exactly right. Though both camps are absolutely great at what they do, if we had done it in reverse order, we might've been a little disappointed.
Also, I want to comment that I was very pleased with Primate Safaris, who worked with us in Rwanda. They were professional, and really great. Our luggage had gotten lost on the way into Kigali, and the company helped us get it to us. The guiding was knowledgeable, friendly, easy to talk to, and we had a really good time.
The only problem with this trip is that it made me realize how unhappy I am with my current day job and it was extremely hard to transition back to regular life. It was almost too good of a trip! All I want to do is return to Africa on another vacation, even though I know it will be a long time before I can...
But for certain, when I do, I will book through Expert Africa.
As a note, though Lyndsey helped with our final details of our trip,"
I can't gush enough about how perfectly ExpertAfrica put together everything for us. It was also in the perfect order, and met every little thing we had asked for.
We wanted walking safaris, which we got. We wanted luxury, which we got. We wanted parks/reserves that were not as crowded but still had great game viewing. Nothing about the itinerary disappointed us.
I'm also impressed with the order of the itinerary. We thought it strange that we were going to Selous and then Ruaha when everyone we encountered in Selous mentioned that they had come from Ruaha. We wondered why we were doing it the other way, and also wondered, with Beho Beho's level of luxury, if maybe finishing on it would be better. But once we got to Ruaha and experience Kichaka Expeditions, we knew that the trip had been planned exactly right. Though both camps are absolutely great at what they do, if we had done it in reverse order, we might've been a little disappointed.
Also, I want to comment that I was very pleased with Primate Safaris, who worked with us in Rwanda. They were professional, and really great. Our luggage had gotten lost on the way into Kigali, and the company helped us get it to us. The guiding was knowledgeable, friendly, easy to talk to, and we had a really good time.
The only problem with this trip is that it made me realize how unhappy I am with my current day job and it was extremely hard to transition back to regular life. It was almost too good of a trip! All I want to do is return to Africa on another vacation, even though I know it will be a long time before I can...
But for certain, when I do, I will book through Expert Africa.
As a note, though Lyndsey helped with our final details of our trip,"
Arranged By Lyndsey Marris
Kigali Serena Hotel
"Kigali Serena Hotel review"
1 night
Arrived
19 Dec 2017
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Mountain Gorilla View Lodge
"Mountain Gorilla View Lodge review"
3 nights
Arrived
20 Dec 2017
"The service was terrific. They anticipated our needs before we even knew we had them: they lit a fire in our fireplace every night, and provided us hot water bottles to keep us warm through the cool evenings. They washed our boots when we came back from Gorilla trekking completely soaked and covered in mud. They also got up very early on our last day -- 4:30am -- to cook us a hot breakfast before we left. I was quite impressed with the level of service.
The room itself was comfortable and large, with a nice view. It felt very private even though there were other bungalows nearby. It was a little bit of a long walk to the lodge, and when we wanted to ask for more firewood, we had to walk all the way back to the lodge since there is no way of calling the front desk.
We had a very pleasant time. The food was good -- buffet style."
The room itself was comfortable and large, with a nice view. It felt very private even though there were other bungalows nearby. It was a little bit of a long walk to the lodge, and when we wanted to ask for more firewood, we had to walk all the way back to the lodge since there is no way of calling the front desk.
We had a very pleasant time. The food was good -- buffet style."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Beho Beho
"Beho Beho review"
4 nights
Arrived
23 Dec 2017
"This place is pure luxury! It felt like "home" from the start. The staff was very friendly and extremely welcoming. I really liked their "family-style" of doing things: all the guests and guides ate all the meals together, and they rotated the guides so that we could get a chance with other guests and other guides.
We stayed over Christmas, and they gave us gifts on our pillows every night. Also, because my husband and I were celebrating our honeymoon, on our last evening, we were surprised with a candlit bubble bath with champagne. The little surprises and touches were neverending. It was so hard to leave because we wanted to stay and stay and stay forever.
The room was beautiful with an incredible view.
The kitchen was extremely accommodating to my vegetarian diet. I actually felt like I ate better than my fellow meat-eating guests. They made meals for me specially and they were so delicious.
I enjoyed the remoteness of Beho Beho, as well. It felt, at times, like the whole world was at our feet. I would love to return."
We stayed over Christmas, and they gave us gifts on our pillows every night. Also, because my husband and I were celebrating our honeymoon, on our last evening, we were surprised with a candlit bubble bath with champagne. The little surprises and touches were neverending. It was so hard to leave because we wanted to stay and stay and stay forever.
The room was beautiful with an incredible view.
The kitchen was extremely accommodating to my vegetarian diet. I actually felt like I ate better than my fellow meat-eating guests. They made meals for me specially and they were so delicious.
I enjoyed the remoteness of Beho Beho, as well. It felt, at times, like the whole world was at our feet. I would love to return."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Beho Beho Tree-house
"Beho Beho Tree-house review"
1 night
Arrived
27 Dec 2017
"What a fun experience! It was really marvelous how they even installed plumbing up in the treehouse, and I was able to just take a shower in the moonlight.
I had hoped to be able to stay awake to savor the noise of the wilderness but I was so tired and comfortable that I knocked right out.
The next morning we had breakfast in the treehouse, and we got treated to the view of the elephant Titus, who joined us for breakfast just across the river. He stayed the whole duration, leaving only once we finished our own meal.
It's pretty cool how the cook is able to make a full meal out there in the camp. But we found that we had gotten so used to the company of the staff and other guests at dinner it actually felt a little lonely!
Nevertheless, I do recommend trying it."
I had hoped to be able to stay awake to savor the noise of the wilderness but I was so tired and comfortable that I knocked right out.
The next morning we had breakfast in the treehouse, and we got treated to the view of the elephant Titus, who joined us for breakfast just across the river. He stayed the whole duration, leaving only once we finished our own meal.
It's pretty cool how the cook is able to make a full meal out there in the camp. But we found that we had gotten so used to the company of the staff and other guests at dinner it actually felt a little lonely!
Nevertheless, I do recommend trying it."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Kichaka Zumbua
"Kichaka Expeditions review"
5 nights
Arrived
28 Dec 2017
"This is the ideal standard for a camp. The location, the level of service, the level of luxury, absolutely everything is perfect to a T. Moli and Noelle have really put together something terrific. I will always use this camp as the standard for future safaris -- if I can even bring myself to go anywhere else!
Moli is a guide unmatched by anyone else. His passion, depth of knowledge, sense of humor, and story-telling abilities made every venture a remarkable experience. It broke my heart to have to leave, and I joke to my husband that if we ever win the lottery, we are going to book six months at Kichaka.
His staff are friendly and attentive. The food is divine. The rooms, though they are just tents, are supremely luxurious with an incomparable view. He has the perfect location. I thought that being in an area where animals are not so habituated to animals would affect our viewing experience, but it actually heightened the experience when we did see game. To experience a wilderness so untouched by man is moving. And yet, we had absolutely no wants, as it was still a luxurious place to be. It's pretty cool how far they have to go to get supplies, but somehow it all works out.
Even two weeks after getting back, I can't stop thinking about that place."
Moli is a guide unmatched by anyone else. His passion, depth of knowledge, sense of humor, and story-telling abilities made every venture a remarkable experience. It broke my heart to have to leave, and I joke to my husband that if we ever win the lottery, we are going to book six months at Kichaka.
His staff are friendly and attentive. The food is divine. The rooms, though they are just tents, are supremely luxurious with an incomparable view. He has the perfect location. I thought that being in an area where animals are not so habituated to animals would affect our viewing experience, but it actually heightened the experience when we did see game. To experience a wilderness so untouched by man is moving. And yet, we had absolutely no wants, as it was still a luxurious place to be. It's pretty cool how far they have to go to get supplies, but somehow it all works out.
Even two weeks after getting back, I can't stop thinking about that place."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
My Apr 2017 trip
Namibia between 14 Apr 2017 and 20 Apr 2017
"Namibia is a breathtaking unreal incredible place. Expert Africa helped us plan in a way we never would have thought of doing it. We're glad we did the fly-in safari because we were limited on time (only a week) and wanted to see what we could. Also we are glad not to have driven for hours on the dirt roads.
The colors of Namibia are of a vibrancy that I've never seen anywhere else in the world. You must go.
Our experience with Expert Africa blew my mind. I never thought to use a travel agency before but I was lead here because I read about it in the Brandt Namibia guidebook and realized that Namibia is not one of those places where you can self-plan very easily. This saved me so much time of trying to figure things out on my own and was well worth it. I don't even think it was unreasonable in price given what we got out of the itinerary.
Thus, we will happily use Expert Africa for our African adventures, and are in the midst of planning our next trip to East Africa. I will recommend this company to anyone I know thinking about going to Africa."
The colors of Namibia are of a vibrancy that I've never seen anywhere else in the world. You must go.
Our experience with Expert Africa blew my mind. I never thought to use a travel agency before but I was lead here because I read about it in the Brandt Namibia guidebook and realized that Namibia is not one of those places where you can self-plan very easily. This saved me so much time of trying to figure things out on my own and was well worth it. I don't even think it was unreasonable in price given what we got out of the itinerary.
Thus, we will happily use Expert Africa for our African adventures, and are in the midst of planning our next trip to East Africa. I will recommend this company to anyone I know thinking about going to Africa."
River Crossing
"River Crossing review"
1 night
Arrived
14 Apr 2017
"Far from the city, so when we wanted to go to Windhoek to walk around, we had to pay an expensive cab fare.
There were also no activities available for us to book to occupy our time. However, hospitality was very good.
The dinner was delicious. The sunset was very pretty. I'm glad we only stayed one night, though."
There were also no activities available for us to book to occupy our time. However, hospitality was very good.
The dinner was delicious. The sunset was very pretty. I'm glad we only stayed one night, though."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Poor
Service
Good
Activities
Terrible
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Namib Outpost
"Desert Homestead Outpost review"
2 nights
Arrived
15 Apr 2017
"We stayed in the fancy room which was INCREDIBLE. It was beautifully furnished and the private pool was something else.
The hospitality was above and beyond, and our guide Simon was a very funny, knowledgeable, charming character. We were able to book lovely activities, including a day trip out to Deadvlai and Sossusvlei.
The jogging trail disappeared and we almost got lost, but it is such beautiful scenery that we didn't really mind. It is so remote and so quiet that you feel like you own the world."
The hospitality was above and beyond, and our guide Simon was a very funny, knowledgeable, charming character. We were able to book lovely activities, including a day trip out to Deadvlai and Sossusvlei.
The jogging trail disappeared and we almost got lost, but it is such beautiful scenery that we didn't really mind. It is so remote and so quiet that you feel like you own the world."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Excellent
Anderssons Camp, Namibia (this camp has since closed)
"Anderssons Camp review"
3 nights
Arrived
17 Apr 2017
"What a great place. We never saw any animals at the water hole, but it was at the end of the wet season so it wasn't to be expected.
The staff also gave us a full briefing upon arrival that it was the wet season and we wouldn't have a high chance of seeing animals there. They gave us a private guide for our duration whom we got to know well and was very responsive to our questions and wishes. We went on so many game drives and it was very memorable. The food was repetitive but good. We were unusual because we stayed three nights instead of the usual two."
The staff also gave us a full briefing upon arrival that it was the wet season and we wouldn't have a high chance of seeing animals there. They gave us a private guide for our duration whom we got to know well and was very responsive to our questions and wishes. We went on so many game drives and it was very memorable. The food was repetitive but good. We were unusual because we stayed three nights instead of the usual two."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
It was a lovely place, and we got a suite. It was such a shame that we spent only about 9 hours there, because we got in so late and we were picked up so early in the morning.
I have nothing bad to say about the hotel at all."