Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs M from E Sussex

"Very much enjoyed the two camps in Zambia run by Remote Africa, but we were disappointed with Vundu camp and Mana Pools, which was somewhere that I had wanted to go for sometime.

Could not fault Expert Africa who we have travelled with many times and keep coming back to as they are excellent at all the logistics and we never have had a problem.
We never have to worry that we will be stranded on an air strip somewhere!"

"We had the most amazing time. We were a family of six adults who have all had a lot of experience in Africa.

We felt that Laikipia Wilderness Camp was truly special and suited us perfectly as we are all country people who adore the bush. We loved the amount of freedom and lack of routine which meant that every day was different. We could relax in a bush environment, seeing animals, birds, fishing etc. and feel that we were in 'proper' Africa.

This was balanced well with more luxury at Elsa's Kopje which we all enjoyed. Elsa's is in a fabulous location and there is always very good game and birding there. The managers, Philip and Charlie, run the camp extremely well and are very attentive to guests needs. We did a lot of driving on this trip, first to Laikipia and then between Laikipia and Elsa's. The drivers were good but each drive was a bit long and bumpy, although very interesting. This was not helped that on both occasions, the drivers were very late.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

None"

"Our trip was brilliant and we had a fantastic time. We found the wildebeest migration excellent, and saw a huge amount of game in the varying places. Some of it, very special. Our guide, Godwin, provided by Nomad, was great fun and very enjoyable to spend time with. He was also very good at finding the animals. Very much enjoyed the Nomad camp and met some great people. Although, Kirurumu was in a great location, we probably would have preferred to go somewhere not quite so bush, especially after the Nomad experience. We all were ready to have proper showers and toilets! The Crater itself was beautiful and well worth visiting. The good thing about our location was that we could get into the Crater early and avoid some of the crowds.

Zanzibar was great and we really loved Pongwe Beach Hotel. It's a beautiful place with a great bar, restaurant and sitting area. It was very relaxing and we enjoyed walking to a local restaurant for lunch one day. Only negative thing was being in the garden rooms, rather than the sea facing, as they were much better rooms with more breeze. We left one night early so that we could go to Stone town and had a great night there at Emerson Spice. We very much enjoyed Stone Town.

Beho Beho and the Selous were fantastic. Our room had a magnificent view and it was very luxurious. The whole lodge emphasises the luxury and it is very comfortable with great food. Unfortunately, we were the only ones there for the majority of our stay, so it felt a bit empty. However, the managers, guides and staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable and did their utmost to make us feel at home. We saw a lot of game and did some walking, although it was extremely hot while we were there so could not walk as much as I would have liked.

Once again, Expert Africa organised a brilliant trip for us and everything went extremely smoothly. Only one issue was with Echo Tours in Zanzibar who failed to pick us up on time on two occasions. In their defence, we had changed the times, but had given them plenty of notice."

"We had a tremendous trip which was very enjoyable.

Once again, Ellie and Expert Africa had organised everything very well which meant that we had no worries about the connections between the camps and everything went very smoothly.

In retrospect, everyone preferred Tafika to Mwamba and all thought they would go back. We were disappointed with the Camp Out and all felt that it was Patrick who made Mwamba. Perhaps Mwamba was a little too rustic.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We are very pleased with the high quality of service that you offer, and your personal knowledge of the camps."

"Overall we thoroughly enjoyed the holiday.

Desert Rhino was our favourite place, followed by Ongava, Serra Cafema and then last would be Doro Nawas. We wouldn't stay at the Heinitzburg again.

The driving around was easy. You provided us with excellent information and all your arrangements were very well organised so we always knew where we were meant to be. If we did a trip again to Namibia, I think we would self-drive more or sort out a tented safari.

A negative we found with Namibia is that because of limited accommodation and because there are well-known sights, there is a sort of circuit that everyone appears to be doing, which made it feel a bit touristy.

On the positive side, the people are lovely and very helpful, and the country felt very safe to move around in.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really, we felt that Expert Africa did a very good job and were very helpful. however, having spent many holidays and lived in Africa, we did feel that Namibia is a very expensive destination."