Zambia: reviews from our travellers

"Our trip which combined visits to safari camps in Zambia and Zimbabwe was excellent!

This was our second trip to Africa using Expert Africa and we will not hesitate to use them again. Maruska was very helpful, and if she could not answer a specific question, she referred us to Chris. The Expert Africa team really tries to determine your interests and then suggests camps and experiences that will provide you with the best holiday possible!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I really can't think of anything. You guys know the countries and the camps. I especially appreciate that you are careful about trying to match a camp with a client, since we all bring slightly different expectations along with us." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari

"We had a wonderful time. Each of Livingstone/Victoria Falls, Tafika lodge and Lusaka had their own different charms.

Tafika lodge is a gem; somewhat expensive but worth it. Zambia is a great place to go and in our experience preferable to better known destinations such as Kenya.

Expert Africa put together a good trip to meet our requirements and in which everything worked out well and hassle-free.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Everything was fine with the service." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"The trip overall was quite good. There were a few bumps, but they were resolved without too much trouble. I think the camps in South Luangwa were uniformly excellent, and I got good value for the time of year that I went (June). Lower Zambezi was excellent - I think this is a truly beautiful area for safari. Unfortunately, my game viewing was as good as I would hope, but I can't fault the camp or the guides for that. The river activities provide an great change of pace.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

My only suggestion would be to perhaps provide an alternate way of contacting Expert Africa while traveling. Perhaps, a skype number? I mention this because I had to use my mobile phone to contact Expert Africa during my travel due to a misconnect at JNB, and the roaming charges and long distance charges can add up rather quickly. My mobile phone contract in the US charges me whether I send or receive unlike many European contracts, so I had to pay for every minute used. In retrospect, I probably should have asked to correspond via e-mail since I had free internet access in the South African Airways business class lounge.

Also, it was great that you provided me the contact information in your packet, but it would also be a good idea to provide instructions on who to call and when if anything should go wrong during the trip. It seems like you've got representatives covering all the time zones, but it would be good to identify particular numbers to call for problems." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 14 on a Zambia safari

"We normally never go twice to the same places.

So visiting South Luangwa in November 2010, and going back in June , was quite a risk.

Burt we are now looking for some friends to come with us for our third visit.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Develop for each group of travellers a dedicated webpage ( strictly private : login + password ) with all the essentials of the journey ( Copy of tickets, departure times, where and when booked, local contacts, emergency contacts, phone numbers, mail addresses, reliable clinics etc ) accessible for a period starting from two weeks before until one week after the journey.

Give the possibility for the travellers to add photocopy of passports, visas, driving license, vaccination cards, bankreferences etc .

If in need, It can function as a handy backup - wherever you are - as long as you can get on the internet.

( I dón't know of any travel organisation offering this facility, but for some years now I put my travel plans on the internet.
Only friends, family and myself can consult it if necessary )" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"We have been lucky enough to travel with expert Africa on four occasions and the service we have received has always been exceptional.

We enjoyed the trip to Malawi and Zambia even more than our previous trips and think the two countries combine very well. A great factor in the success of the holiday was the choice of lodges/camps. The thing that we particularly appreciate is the fact that you can typically deal with one person in the organisation to discuss and plan a trip. The personal knowledge of all the various camps and lodges that the Expert Africa staff have is essential. This was very much the case for this holiday where we were unsure where to stay in the Lower Zambezi and were given specific advice which led us to change the choice of camp to Old Mondoro and we were delighted we did that.

Likewise we were unsure about whether Pumulani was right for us but again specific knowledge of the Lodge within the Expert Africa team reassured us and again this was spot on. As a consequence we stayed in 4 different camps all of which were excellent and complemented each other perfectly.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

As before the connections, pick ups etc all worked perfectly and the only minor difficulty we had was connecting to the flight to Jeki in Lusaka airport as the flight was not on the Proflight list or display board as it was a charter and they did not seem to know exactly where we should go but this was resolved very quickly by another member of staff. I am afraid I cannot add anything more constructive as all went so well - thanks for another excellent trip.

Particular thanks to Maruska who was great." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"We would go back to Tena Rena and Nsefu.

We were delighted with the unexpected support during our flight transfers and were looked after very well." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"This was a trip of a lifetime, and it was even better than I imagined it would be. The arrangements worked perfectly and we can't wait to go back!!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The advice was very helpful and the trip was fabulous. It would have helped to be reminded that it gets cold throughout the evening and night, so we could have used more warm clothing not just in the AM but for the evening and sleeping!" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"A fantastic experience with excellent service and hospitality everywhere we went. We couldn't really hope to have had a better trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Very comprehensive feedback which was good.

An easy company to book with, everything was delivered as advertised or better than expected" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Botswana safari

"Our trip was exceptional! We have been to Africa three times before but never to the Okovango Delta or Capetown and never with Expert Africa. We wouldn't change one day of it! Every part of it was exceptional from the Falls to the safaris to the wine tasting in Capetown.

We agreed that one of the things that made it truely exceptional was the construction of the trip. What I mean by that, is that we got to do and see exactly what we wanted, so it was a highly individualized tour, but we had Expert Africa there every step of the way to make sure that every detail was taken care of and taken care of professionally.

When we climbed on our flight from the US to fly ten thousand miles to another continent and begin a unique adventure, we did not know if everything would go as smoothly as promised or not. It went better, every step of the way, then we could have imagined. Every flight was on time, every camp was expecting us and treated us like royalty, even our side trips to Gaborone and Capetown went without a hitch. And through it all we were able to travel on our own schedule without being hampered by being part of a larger tour group. We would recommend Expert Africa to anyone!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions really. While Maruska was away, her sister helped, Saskia, us. She was as professional and helpful as Maruska. They were both great!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 5 on a Botswana safari

"The trip was amazing and we are already discussing another one. From the organisation pre-trip to details during the trip, everything went perfectly.

I much appreciated Lucy, she was always quick to respond and answer questions.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Not really, I was extremely satisfied with everything and we wouldn't hesitate to work with you again.

Perhaps one small thing, it would have been more convenient if you offered travel insurance for residents of countries outside of the UK. Since we live in France and the US, it took us alot of time to look at the different providers in each country and eventually purchase the insurance." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari