Zanzibar: reviews from our travellers

"We have had a marvellous holiday which went according to plan. Whenever we arrived at a new destination there was always someone to meet us and the whole experience was completely hassle free.

We were both very pleased we had been advised to go to the Selous and both the camps we visited were absolutely perfect for us. The only mistake we made was in deciding to stay at a beach resort for 4 nights. We are much happier where there are interesting places to potter around and we are keen to try and learn about the places we are visiting.

I think Ellie understood our requirements very well: she did not mind how many times we asked her opinion and never failed to answer our queries.

We used Sunvil last year to go to Chile and Argentina and are pleased that we had the same high standard of service again this year." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Good relaxing diving holiday. Sailing home on a Dhow after diving was magical.

Suggestions for improvements:

Good organisation and recommendations have turned out to be accurate. Thanks" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"A perfect combination of activity and relaxation - we couldn't have asked for more.

Expert Africa were really helpful when our BA flight was delayed - much appreciated." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Firstly, thank you all very much for organising such a wonderful holiday. The pre-holiday information removed all the usual anxiety of the unknown and, with a few minor exceptions, was very very helpful.

You didnlt ask about Primate Safaris so I have to ass that they were fantastic – our guide was William. What a great guy, he looked after us very well.

Seeing the Gorillas was just amazing – what an experience! The trek wasn't particularly difficult (thankfully), it only took about an hour and 10 minutes in total, and not too hard either. With hindsight we should have done 2 gorilla treks. The Golden Monkeys were interesting but nothing like seeing the gorillas – we were the only people who did the monkey trek, so we had a guide, a trainee guide, two trackers, a porter and two armed guards – and us!!!

A couple of things that are different from your info:

There is an exit charge from Zanzibar Airport of $30 each. We were told that there was no facility to get money from the airport and anyway they would only accept it in US$. What happens if we don't have $60 cash we asked – you get a taxi to Stone Town and get the money, was the reply. Fortunately we had $62 – but I just don't know what would have happened if it had been a Sunday and the banks were shut.

The Spice Tour was $60 EACH – for about 2 & a half hours and 1 hour 20 minutes of that was travelling to and fro. Interesting but not worth £85.

All in all we had a truly wonderful holiday and would not hesitate in recommending Expert Africa. We will certainly be back.

Many thanks" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Excellent. We enjoyed all aspects of our trip and were impressed with the accuracy of EA's descriptions of the various parts of our holiday and what we might expect. The lists of what to pack etc were also extremely helpful, as was the Brandt guidebook.

I should also mention Claire Scott, who dealt very efficiently with our holiday arrangements whilst Eleanor was away." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"The Expert Africa website is a great starting point - it is rare to get so much information including honest assessments from EA about the lodges. The in depth practical information is very useful.

Ellie could not have been more helpful and friendly. The lodges that she suggested for us were perfect - she really listed to what we said about the type of holiday and accommodation we were after. We spent a lot of time talking through the pros and cons of different venues and it was refreshing to speak to a tour operator who would give you their own views.

We had a fantastic time and can't thank Expert Africa enough for all your help and careful planning!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"This was really the experience of a lifetime. I thoroughly enjoyed the whole trip from start to finish. Lake Manze was just what I was looking for from a safari experience and Shooting Star Lodge was the ideal place to go to relax and enjoy the sun afterwards.

There are two VERY minor points to do with travelling. The driver from Kearsley who picked me up from the airport did not know what time I was to be collected the following morning to be returned to the airport. The driver was waiting when I got to reception in the morning, but it would have been good to know the time in advance. Also, Coastal Aviation tranferred me from the domestic to international terminal on my return, which was very easy, but it would have been good to know that this would happen in advance.

Suggestions for improvements:

The website is excellent with a great deal of helpful information to help in planning the trip. When trying to select a hotel in Zanzibar, however, the lack of clear pricing made it quite difficult to establish which hotels would be within my price range. Claire was very helpful when I phoned to ask her advice, but I had initially discounted being able to book at Shooting Star Lodge because the website pictures suggested that it would be well outside my price range.

The information booklet was great with lots of very helpful information for trip preparation.

I would definitely used Expert Africa for booking a future trip. Thank you for all your help." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a truly wonderful time. We found nothing but courtesy and friendliness in Zanzibar, and everyone was incredibly welcoming.

We were taught a few Swahili phrases each day by staff at Fumba Beach Lodge - and it really is worthwhile using it with local residents. The organisation of the trip by Expert Africa was superb: they really know what they are talking about, and they took the trouble over even the smallest details.

We came back much refreshed - and, once in the UK in gloomy November, immediately wished we were back there!

Suggestions for improvement:

No suggestions - you clearly understand your clientele and how you can tailor a holiday to suit their requirements." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 4 on a Zanzibar holiday

"A wonderful holiday. At times it exceeded expectations, and never really disappointed. The safaris were a tremendous experience, and will be remembered for a long time.

The organisation was excellent, and everything went without a hitch. All the transfers were smooth, and the Tanzanians were very helpful and friendly. The yellow fever cert. was not even looked at or requested.

Following our first conversation you came up with excellent suggestions, and provided the kind of holiday I had in mind. As I commented in previous feedback, I think we could have probably been quite happy with one day less in both camps, and two days less at Fumba, but I know that we had to work around BA flights, so this might not have been possible.

We were glad that we went to southern Tanzania rather than the north, as I think it would have been more crowded in the north, and not nearly such an experience of bush life. The vehicles that we travelled in were better than landrovers, and more open, and from what we heard from others at Fumba we had better weather too!

All in all, an excellent trip. Many thanks for arranging it." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"delighted with what was our first safari - and our first experience of a "travel agent" booking.

Thank you for your recommendations - they all turned out to exceed our expectations. Would book with you again," Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday