Zambia: reviews from our travellers

"We chose the camps we went to based on past experience because we adore the bushcamp type of lodges rather than the all out 'luxury' lodges with Jacuzzis and so on. Such camps get harder to find nowadays. Good camps to us have relatively few guests so that game drives become leisurely and relaxing experiences.

Game can be hard to find - it is not unheard of to be out for an hour or two and see little so we have fostered our interest in African birds. They are always there even if the animals are being secretive. We always tell camps we are interested in birds as well as animals and the good camps (like these three) note this and give us knowledgeable guides and try to avoid putting us with the 'red meat' type of client s who only want to see lion and other predators. Result - we see the same amount of game but fill in the time between sightings with lots of the colourful and abundant African birds.

We go by past experience of safaris and often select our own itineraries however Expert Africa staff are actively send on fact finding missions to many of there camps and speak and advise from personal knowledge. If you do not have personal knowledge then use their staff - they are all helpful and will design trips for you having listened carefully to your preferences. We would not dream of using anyone else now.

Please note that our neutral recommendation for Megan reflects that we have admiration for all of Expert Africa staff and would trust them all to be excellent rather than pick one as better than another.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No, just keep doing what you do cos you do it well.

These travellers noted about their flights:

Emirates had a bad hair day on our flights out.

Our flight out of Heathrow was severely delayed although we were not warned until we were queuing in the check in. We managed to get on an earlier flight otherwise our Dubai connection would have been missed. Our Dubai to Lusaka flight was also several hours delayed so that we eventually missed our connection between Lusaka and Luangwa. Seems Dubai had had a severe sandstorm which severely affected all their flights. We were not kept informed about this and so became quite stressed at the prospect of missing flights.

What was very impressive about this episode is that we received texts from Chris McIntyre himself whilst this was evolving (boss of Expert Africa) telling us of the problems and what Expert Africa were doing for us. We were met in Lusaka by their agents who had booked us a hotel for the night, arranged transfer vehicles and arranged replacement flights for the next morning. Chris McIntyre continued to monitor the situation and ensured the camp we were going to were informed so we felt very well cared for by Expert Africa.

Things don't often go wrong in Africa nowadays and when they do a bit of patience and common sense usually get you through but this was seriously impressive service, sorting out the problem before we had even landed in Lusaka and keeping not only tabs on their clients in transit but being aware of the problems in the first place and having solutions to hand. Emirates had no problems on our return flights however their lack of information during this episode was disappointing." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"We say every trip to Africa will be our last, and then we find ourselves yearning to return. Thanks to Expert Africa for getting us there." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"Our trip was well planned and it all worked without a hitch.

It was an excellent combination of camps and Matilda loved every minute of it. She is a coeliac but we had no problems with food.

A very memorable trip.

This is the second time I have used Expert Africa and I could not fault either of my trips" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 15 on a Zambia safari

"We have been to Robin pope safaris many times now.

This has to be one of the best safaris we have had, the guides were excellent, the games viewing was good and the weather was not too hot for us!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zambia safari

"Everything went according to plan and all flights connected and were on time. Being met in Johannesburg on arrival was a huge help.

The trip was wonderful." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"This was a fantastic holiday, every bit as good as described in the brochure." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"This was a totally memorable trip for our whole family.

The itinerary and logistics worked really well making the travel in Africa part of the adventure.

We saw amazing game and some beautiful places." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 9 on a Botswana safari

"I had an amazing experience on our safari and part of that is because of our wonderful agent Claire.

She helped steer me to Zambia for our safari and it was an amazing country and perfect for our animal-focused trip to Africa. She also helped guide me towards the camps we stayed at, and they all exceeded our expectations (which were very high).

I had been looking forward to going on a safari my entire life, and working with Expert Africa helped make my dreams come true. I would do the exact same trip, with the exact same itinerary all over again.

Thank you Claire for your guidance, help, patience, and answers for my many questions." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zambia safari

"This trip had been planned 3 years previously and delayed due to covid, so we had been looking forward to it for a long time and had high expectations. If anything these expectations were exceeded.

The quality of the accommodation was amazing. The mix of properties worked well and we really appreciated the change of scene when we moved from the South Luangwa to the Lower Zambezi.

Our teenage daughter found the communal dining very tiring so we might reconsider that if we travel again, however the rest of us enjoyed it.

It was an incredible holiday and so glad we used a company with so much first hand knowledge of the area.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions - all excellent" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zambia safari

"Start to finish the help and support we received from Lucy Copson was excellent.

We made several changes to our original idea, but Lucy was quick to advise and respond on each occasion.

The quality of process, confirmation and despatch of documents was very good.

Fortunately we never needed on the ground support, but with all the information we received, I always felt that EA was there in the background if we needed them.

All round excellent service." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari