Reviews of trips to Lusaka area

"My 14 day stay in the Luangwa valley was a wonderful safari. I loved the landscape, wildlife was abundant, especially seeing the wild dogs and so many leopards was impressive. The guiding is of a very high level, which I appreciate. All the staff are very friendly and helpful.
My trip was postponed twice, and I want to thank ExpertAfrica/Lucy Copson and the camps (Robin Pope Safaris and Shenton Safaris) for their flexibility." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 16 on a Zambia safari

"My trip to Zambia was stunning.

The itinerary was sympathetically worked out keeping my preferences and budget firmly in mind. Everything went like clockwork and I was able to relax and really enjoy the whole experience, despite the extra demands and requirements covid has brought to travel today.

Expert Africa was reassuring and encouraging and the trip exceeded all my expectations. The knowledge and information available through Expert Africa was invaluable in putting together a trip I shall never forget and right throughout the journey I knew Expert Africa had my back should something go wrong. This let me relax and thoroughly enjoy an unforgettable African holiday.

Zambia's wildlife and facilities at my destinations were amazing. The friendliness and professionalism of the people involved made the experience very enjoyable.

I hope this won't be my last trip with Expert Africa to the beautiful continent." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 14 on a Zambia safari

"I thought my first trip would be 'enough' and now I'm thinking, "Maybe a third time".

Zambia is an amazing destination for a safari (I tell everyone who will listen) - the range and volume of animals/birds, the expert knowledge and skills of the guides.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nope." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"My trip only involved one safari camp, and I loved my stay at Nkwali. I don't want to repeat what I have written in my individual review of the camp, but in general I think South Luangwa in green season is much under rated and at low season rates, great value for money. The big cats are more elusive than in dry season but the wild dog sightings were a match for those I've had anywhere else (eg Botswana), both on this trip and my 2018 trip at the same time of year. Of course, there are not so many options available, so a longer stay in one camp makes sense. No one would think twice about staying in one place for a week on another type of holiday, so why not on safari?

The mix of guests is always very interesting too, with more local residents or people visiting residents or adding on safari days to a business trip.

Although I have managed some trips during covid, Nkwali was quite busy during my stay, and this is the first time I've really felt like some sort of normality is returning to the safari world. With testing now dropped for most destinations, there was a sense of relief and optimism from staff and other guests alike.

Pioneer was the only low point of the trip, and I think perhaps it's time Expert Africa looked at some new options for overnights in Lusaka for guests who don't need a luxury boutique hotel." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"Luc and I had a wonderful trip to Kafue NP and South Luangwa NP in November 2021. The itinary created by Claire was excellent, first Kafue then South Luangwa.

Three weeks was an adequate time to appreciate the areas visited and to rest. We met dedicated people and visited beautiful landscapes.

We keep cherished memories of these three weeks.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Your services are excellent!" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 16 on a Zambia safari

"Zambia and all lodges were absolutely beautiful and we'd like to come back and recommend to everybody who is interested in.

We also were very lucky with the weather conditions.

Lusaka is not worth to see it. Typical big city with nice areas but nothing special.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

no you're just perfect !!!

we're very happy we found you in the internet under such a lot of different tour operators." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 17 on a Zambia safari

"Overall a great trip, which was postponed several times. Camps and Expert Africa were flexible to accommodate the rescheduling requirements which I appreciate a lot. I had no issues with CoVID, the in-camp test was easy. All logistics worked smoothly. No problems whatsoever.

Compared to previous Zambia trips, this one rates slightly lower as the October heat, especially in the South Luangwa, was tough, in particular during Game Drives in the later morning and earlier afternoon. The heat was probably also a main contributor to a game viewing experience slightly below expectation, in particular leopards and lions were far less visible than in previous trips (during August/September). On the other site, sightings of Wild Dogs on four different days (even though it was always the same group of 21) was unexpected.

Hospitability in all camps and hotels was impeccable. Health (Covid) and safety (animals) protocols are in place and rigorously followed. Zambia is slowly recovering with international guests coming back. So there were days were I benefited from half-full camps, other days where I was happy to see camps full as it's vital for the camps. Zambia is definitely ready to welcome guests back. And it's also practical again to go on a safari." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"As a solo traveler, the lesson from this trip was what a massive difference the hosting and management can make to my enjoyment of a camp. In this respect, it really highlighted the appeal of owner run camps like Tafika where, as a repeat guest, you know you can expect to see the same faces (more or less) and get the same welcome time after time. Whilst I did also really enjoy Rekero, I know that there would be no guarantee of the same experience in a couple of years time as managers move on.

It was wonderful to be back in Zambia, and I was determined not to go another year without a Zambia safari, so I departed for this trip before Zambia was removed from the red list. The 10 days in Kenya were to "launder" my red list trip, although this was rendered unnecessary during the trip by the removal of Zambia from the red list.

The two days walking in Chikoko were a highlight of the trip and I wish I could have done more walking, but my timings were constrained by needing to fit in the 10 day "quarantine" in Kenya.

One disturbing development I found in South Luangwa was the proliferation of film crews, both on the Kaingo side of the river and the Nsefu side. These do negatively impact game viewing for tourists as the crews monopolise access to certain high profile animals and either don't allow tourist vehicles to approach or at least only allow access when nothing interesting is happening. I understand that next year there will be SEVEN film crews operating in the north part of South Luangwa. I appreciate that some operators have had to find other sources of income in the absence of tourism due to covid, but when tourism returns to normal levels (hopefully next year) I can see this becoming a major issue." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"It took lots of planning and attention to details to pull this trip off in the later stages of the pandemic, assessing and managing potential risks, but I am so glad that I did so.

It was a fantastic trip originally planned for 2020, and ended up being a rare experience given the relatively small number of fellow travelers. This resulted in much more personal time and interaction with guides and camp staff, and with the small number of fellow travelers that one did encounter.

There were some offsets - fewer guests and vehicles about meant there were fewer "spotters" to share sightings, and so locating wildlife could be more challenging at times. With fewer guests, and guests dining in their own small bubbles; there was no communal dining and camaraderie with fellow travelers from around the world, which is a more common pleasure of the safari experience.

Expert Africa / Claire Scott did a great job throughout, with excellent information. attention to detail, and enormous patience. They have a great reputation in-country on the ground, based upon the feedback I got from both camps and operators, some of whom are competitors.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Keep up the good work!

Your web site has always been good, but you have made great improvements over the past couple of years and now it is excellent." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari

"This was our third trip with Expert Africa - I believe it's no coincidence that the Bradt Africa guides are simply the best ones on the market and that Expert Africa are extraordinary in the depth of their knowledge of the situation on the ground and in their capacity to coordinate and synchronise everything to make it an excellent trip for a family with young children.

The team doesn't shy away from having you face some challenging hikes and let you contrast more adventurous camping surroundings with (by then, you feel, properly earned) luxury.

I saw some of the most amazing sights and things in Africa, which I would not have found without the guidance of Expert Africa. And for the unforseeable and unavoidable occasional hick ups, the team is there to help where they can.

I hope Expert Africa stays a well kept secret." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday