Zanzibar: reviews from our travellers

"On the whole, our visit to Zanzibar was delightful and the holiday arrangements made for us by Expert Africa were very satisfactory. We applaud James Denny for his assistance and responsiveness throughout our planning process and trip. We cannot say enough good things about Matemwe Lodge -- it is a fabulous retreat. Our initial disappointment with our room at the Zanzibar Palace Hotel was quickly addressed with a move to a better room. Our thanks to James and the Expert Africa staff for their assistance." Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We had an excellent holiday, we are lucky enough to have had some lovely holidays and this was one of the best." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"A very well thought out trip for which we received excellent advice from Expert Africa (James Denny). In particular, the order of visiting the camps was perfect in that, had we visited Mwagusi first the sheer volume of game in Ruaha may have led us to be a little disappointed in Selous. That said, our guide at Impala Camp was truly outstanding in that we saw more than others staying at the same time due to his patience and desire that we understood the animal behaviour. By spending time observing the animals with him, we saw the full story of a lion kill from them first being alerted to a wounded wildebeest to the kill itself and the subsequent family hierarchy in action for the "feast". Often we were the only observers of significant wildlife events which made it very special.

In addition the choice of camps suited us much better than, for example, the Serengeti. We wanted quiet and remote and that is exactly what we got, combined with plenty of wildlife action. A nice bonus is that both camps were better than we had expected, from facilities to food to service.

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Our whole experience with Expert Africa has been excellent.

Nothing springs to mind as needing improvement which tells you a lot about the service you have provided to us." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"The trip exceeded our expectations, not often you can say that..

All the places we stayed we would recommend. A great combination of safari and relaxing by the beach." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Thanks for organizing this for us. My only concern was double booking of the Stonetown Tour guides." Read full review: 4 nights in Africa; 4 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We had a wonderful holiday, with lots of variety. Both camps we stayed in were excellent and offered different game viewing experiences.

Stone Town provided a completely different 'town' experience, while Chumbe was the perfect place for relaxation. Staff everywhere we stayed were first-class.

All our connections worked perfectly. Many thanks to Liz for organising everything so competently." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Decided on this trip because I wanted to see a solar eclipse for my 60th birthday . I was utterly pleased with all the resorts, safari camps and flights arranged by Expert Africa.

The only thing I would have changed would have been to spend less time at the beach in the beginning and more time snorkeling in Zanzibar at the end. Having said that I don't think that could have been arranged as no one could have changed the timing of the eclipse or my international flights.

This was my first time using Expert Africa and won't be my last. I have been to the African Continent 7 times using other agents at another agency but my new favorite is Ellie with Expert Africa.

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nope I was completely satisfied" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"cool and relaxing" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Had the best time ever... thank you Clare Scott @ expert Africa!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"As honeymoons go, this was the ultimate. We had the seculsion in Selous, the game in Ruaha and the relaxation in Zanzibar. Everything went like clockwork and each part complimented the trip wonderfully well - thank you Ellie & Expert Africa!

First of all Beho Beho and the Selous. Beho Beho is as good as its reputation. Brilliant guiding, brilliant hospitality and in a part of the Selous where you will feel like you have Africa to yourselves. The seclusion is an invaluable feeling and it really hit home just how amazing Africa is. The Selous itself was very different to Ruaha as it was much more vegetated and incredibly beautiful, with rivers, dry gorges, forests and plains. There is plenty of game but it is not the case that you can sit at the top of a hill and scan for your next pride of lion. If you are going to be able to tick game off the list then Selous is not the right choice. You generally have to work for your sightings, which for us, made it all the more special. As Selous is a reserve and not a national park, you can go off-road and track the animals which we found exciting. As a result sightings were so worthwhile and we gained far more insight from BB's excellent guides.

Ruaha was the next stop and was the perfect complement. It seemed much more like a traditional safari area, with game spread across the horizon. The area was much busier than Selous but it was still possible to lose the crowds and go big game hunting. Although we didn't see any leopard, we were incredibly lucky to spot Wild Dog twice and the second time we followed them as they were hunting, which was an unforgettable experience. Mwagusi Camp was brilliant with an amazing location.

We must mention the time of year...perfect! August was start of dry season so there was enough vegetation to keep the dust down, but virtually no mosquitos and the game was starting to congregate around the water holes. Couldn't have been better for both the Selous and Ruaha.

The follow-up in Zanzibar was just what was needed. Relaxation. The Palms was fantastic with great service and food and a very picturesque beach. We would probably not go to Zanzibar in isolation as there isn't too much to do but it definitely complements an East Africa safari!

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We really like the website as it is very simple to navigate with clear links and lots of detail when required.

Based on our experience, we would 100% recommend Expert Africa.

P.s. Thank you for facilitating such a fabulous honeymoon :-)" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari