Reviews of trips to Lusaka area

"The trip was fantastic and probably exceeded our expectations. There were so many details that made it special and we have come home with warm feelings about Zambia, thanks to this and to the people we interacted with at the various places we stayed. I will certainly be recommending both the country and the individual places we stayed to others. The number of animal sightings was incredible!

We also felt our experience with Expert Africa was very positive as well.

One point I'd like to mention - when we arrived at Lilayi Lodge we were told that lunch was not included in what we had already paid, which I had not realized. We arrived at 3 pm on Dec 22, so we had not expected it to be included that day but we thought it would be on Dec 23, when we spent the whole day at the lodge. This is probably confusion on my part, as the documents we were sent stated "half board" and Lilayi staff explained that half board to them meant dinner/breakfast.

However we were not familiar with this term so I had assumed it meant all meals, just no activities. It is not a big deal as we simply paid for lunch that day, however I'd like to suggest that this be clearly stated on documents for other guests who stay there ie. that it is only dinner and breakfast - to avoid others experiencing the same confusion." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"The trip was beatiful with fine lodges and camps. Everywhere we had excellent guides and the transfers between the several lodges were excellent and punctual." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"We had a fabulous trip. it was all we had hoped for and went without a hitch.

It seems that it is standard practice in safari camps to eat 'family style', hosted by members of the camp staff. On talking with other guests at both camps we nearly all agreed that we would have preferred to eat separately. We realise that this is not something that Expert Africa can control but maybe worth passing on to the camps that you deal with.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

A little more clarity on visas would have helped. I was told that for Malawi we could get visa on arrival but your literature advises to get it in advance. In the event we went for 'on arrival' and it was no problem.

Also a little more clarity of what airport taxes we would need to pay would have saved a call or two to your office to find out." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"Expert Africa is truly expert and the organisation was exemplary. Everything ran like clockwork with no glitches and the attention to detail was astounding - at no time were we left unsupported throughout the entire booking process and the trip itself.

We were also very impressed with Robin Pope Safaris - each of their lodges was very different tin feel but shared the same ethos and attention to detail. The guiding was particularly good in all the camps." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari

"There was no-one to meet us at the airport when we arrived at Lusaka. We scoured the airport and found someone from Tours Africa but he said that they had not been asked to pick us up. After speaking to what seemed to be everyone in the Airport the Tours Africa rep came back and apologised and said it was entirely their fault and then took us to the hotel but we wasted over half an hour.

Tsetses were an issue, as we can both react badly to them. Much worse in South Luangwa than last time and we had one particularly bad Tsetse walk in North Luangwa. We were expecting them in Kafue - Musekese was better than expected, Busanga Plains much worse. All the camps were free of tsetses.

Disappointing that information on the Expert Africa website is inaccurate. Overall service from Expert Africa was very good, as usual. However......although the wallet is better than the old one, I still think it is daft to give people a wallet every time they travel - I won't use it again and it will join the other 2 wallets in my desk drawer. A shirt would give Expert Africa free advertising as well as being useful for the recipient (I've mentioned this before but it fell on deaf ears!).

I also think you should ask if people want a copy of Zambia before you sent it. When I got mine I thought it was a new edition but found it was identical, so it went straight to recycling." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 18 on a Zambia safari

"Our trip to South Luangwa, Zambia was our best holiday ever!

We had done our research and knew which camps we wanted to book, but Megan advised which order to do them in, and she got that spot on. She also fed back to the camps that we were celebrating my husband's significant birthday, and at the camps a fuss was made with sparking wine, unexpected and a nice touch. South Luangwa is so concentrated with game it is unbelievable. We saw everything that we wanted to - even wild dogs.

All arrangements made by Megan and Expert Africa went off without a hitch, top service." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"A fantastic trip to Botswana, Zambia and Tanzania (my fourth safari); the three weeks flew by. Everything ran smoothly, and was as expected. A few flights were inevitably delayed, but not significant enough to adversely effect the itinerary.

My preferences/interests had clearly been passed onto the camps, and acted upon, which was much appreciated.

An awful lot of work goes into organising a 3-week long trip, and Ellie was most knowledgeable. At times when I contacted her she was very busy and hence there were sometimes some delays in her responses. But everything came together perfectly, and I had a terrific time. I'll be back!" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"We absolutely loved our trip to the South Luangwa Park and I think that overall we picked very good lodges,
It's always difficult to choose despite the plethora of information.
I knew we wanted to choose lodges spread over the park fairly evenly and with a reputation for great game viewing.
We were unlucky with Puku Ridge as far as lions went , but otherwise it was a lovely lodge albeit without a strong managerial presence. However the guiding was absolutely excellent! . As was the cuisine.
The other lodges - Mchenja and Lion Camp were better as far as location and game viewing went.
They both benefited from a strong managerial presence and game viewing close to camp.
If I went back, and I'm sure we will - I would definitely return to both Mchenja and Lion Camp.
Lion Camp was not as far from the park entrance as I thought it was.
When we returned to the airport from Lion Camp it was a fast drive through the park, not a slow game drive as I expected.
We did stop for a comfort break for a member of staff and coincidentally saw 6 lions under a tree.
We left at 1 pm and were out of the park by 2:20
We stopped to visit Tribal Textiles for less than an hour and were at the airport by 3:40pm
Overall we loved the south Luangwa Park and definitely love to return soon." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zambia safari

"This was our ninth safari trip to Africa (all arranged by Expert Africa) , and we chose to return to the South Luangwa for the fifth time. The game viewing and guiding at all the Robin Pope safari camps was superb, and we had a wonderful time. Our two nights bush camping was a very special experience which exceeded our expectations.

All aspects of our trip worked perfectly, including the stopovers in Lusaka and the efficient transfers by Tours Africa.

Many thanks to Freddie for his help in making all the arrangements for us." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"This trip was truly awesome. We loved every minute of every part of it.

The opportunity to stand face-to-face with a family of gorillas in the middle of the jungle in Rwanda is other worldly – straight out of a movie (literally!) and I couldn't recommend more highly.

Same goes for the Sausage Tree camp in Zambia. Wow what a fabulous place! Having our own guide is key, and their facilities are top, top notch – from the rooms to the main lodge to the cars and boats they use, all of which makes a difference in making the experience truly extraordinary.

Expert Africa did a terrific job setting everything up for us – we had nothing to worry about at any point of the trip. Thanks!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari