Reviews of trips to Livingstone & Victoria Falls

"This was our first safari so it needed to be very special, which it was.

We loved the fact all the camps were different and we didnt know what we were going to experience next which was great. Also glad we went to Victoria Falls first rather than last, as it was good to end up at one of the best camps. 2 weeks was a great amount of time to have-would definitely still like a minimum of 10 days with a selection of 2-3 camps plus maybe a coast/beach trip after next time!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 12 on a Botswana safari

"We had a fabulous holiday, and the experience was definitely enhanced by your arrangements, particularly the excellent choices/recommendations that you made regarding accommodation - all our hotels were in superb locations that enabled us to see or access the main attractions with great ease." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 2 on a Zambia safari

"We have always wanted to go on a safari holiday and it has taken several years of planning and saving up to finally do it, but this has definitely been the most enjoyable holiday we have ever had and lived up to all our expectations in every way.

We really wanted to be pampered and spoiled, see all the animals in beautiful surroundings and to see as few other people and vehicles as possible and try and get a feel for Africa. South Luangwa delivered the locations and animals and Norman Carr Safaris was staffed by amazing people and run to a higher standard than we could possibly have hoped for. We would recommend it to anyone and plan to go back ourselves in the future.

Suggestions for improvements:

No, everything was perfect." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"From my first contact with Expert Africa via Lucy, I was impressed. Lucy went out of her way giving us advice. She listened to what our requirements were (flushing loos and hot showere!) and advised accordingly.

Our disappointment was, as I have said ,Tafika and maybe this is because they are suffering with the recession. Also the other places were so welcoming and accommodating it was made worse by the comparison." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"Thank you Sabina and Expert Africa! You certainly have the right company name.

Thanks to your faultless arrangements we had an excellent holiday. From all the communication prior to our trip, to the pack we received with all our vouchers and information regarding our travel, there was nothing else we could have asked for or needed.

I would have no hesitation in using your company again or recommending you to anyone else.

Thank you.

Suggestions for improvements:

How can you improve on the excellent job you do already?" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 11 on a Namibia trip

"If only I could forget the missing luggage!

However this does not distract from the experience as a whole, which was outstanding. We are not weathy people, we have worked hard and spent the money on a unique experience that will give us many happy memories for the rest of our lives.

I would repeat the trip without hesitation. Thanks to all staff at Expert Africa and at Kwando.

Suggestions for improvements:

No. A great company to deal with. First class service.

(Make it cheaper next time please - but I'm bound to say that)." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"we think the publicity for zambia raises the expectation of seeing leopards too high. the four of us have been on quite a number of safaris but even so we expected to see leopard when of course it is very much in the lap of the gods and we were unlucky." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"Rating would have been very satisfactory if Chris hadn't been ill for 4 days. However the 2 camps concerned were very attentive." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"We were impressed with the organisation and genuinely friendly welcome from everyone we met in Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe.

Well done to the teams at Expert Africa, Kwando Safari & Wilderness Safaris. Everything went perfectly from the moment we left London to our return 10 days later. We jsut wish we could have stayed longer!

Suggestions for improvements:

Keep up the good work.

This was our first organised trip (we're normally spur of the moment backpackers) but we didn't feel constrained by having everything laid on. This holiday was a total VIP experience and fabulous from start to finish. Thank you." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"We have had another wonderful holiday – our third trip to Namibia, and at least 9th with Expert Africa – but things could have been better.

Our feedback reflects what we have come to expect from Expert Africa – a minimum 4-paw grading for everything – therefore 5 paws are very hard to achieve and reflect something exceptional.

We were very annoyed by the cancellation of the direct Air Namibia flights; this caused us significant inconvenience. We met so many people who shared our views – from fellow travellers to lodge owners to guides – everybody was unhappy about it. Having been forced to fly via Frankfurt we thought Frankfurt airport was very poor – lack of signage, few shops, little seating and even a mouse in the Business Class lounge. Toilets were dirty. The process will make us think twice before going back to Namibia.

However........ arriving at Windhoek in the morning we found the drive up to Etosha no problem – there were 2 of us to share the driving and we stopped off for shopping and lunch on the way – we definitely prefer to get straight on the road rather than spending a night in Windhoek and effectively wasting a day. We'd recommend buying a Namibian SIM for your mobile at the airport (took 5 mins and cost around £10) – others tend not to work, even with Global Roaming enabled – and we did use it when we discovered we'd left Ghaub with the room key in a pocket!

We'd always thought the road signs on the B1 warning of warthogs rather amusing but we saw dozens on the side of the road this time! Our trip was mostly on tar roads this time, which is great in some ways but they can be very straight and boring – in particular the roads through the Caprivi. We were glad we had booked a 4X2 vehicle for driving some of the tracks in Etosha and Mahango – no need for 4x4 at this time of year.

We were so pleased we were doing a one-way trip; we met many people who had found the driving tiring and were not looking forward to the drive back to Windhoek from the Caprivi. We had tried to slow things down and space them out so that most of our drives were less than 4 hours and, where possible, we spent at least 2 nights in accommodation. This gave us the chance to take advantage of the activities on offer and relax (eg at Hakusembe).

Many lodges do not provide drinking water (or at cost) so we suggest buying a 5 litre bottle in a supermarket (about N$15) and taking it with you.

We would happily repeat our holiday and revisit any of our accommodation with the exception of Namutoni – no way!

Suggestions for improvements:

We have travelled with EA so many times it must be a recommendation in itself! We did do some market testing on this trip and found competitors more expensive. We're already organised for next summer's trip.

However, on rare occasions accuracy of quotations is somewhat sacrificed in the interests of getting them to clients quickly. This is obviously partly due to the complexity of trips but can be frustrating." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip