Reviews of holidays to South-west Zanzibar

"Really enjoyed our honeymoon." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"Rwanda was brilliant - fascinating, scrupulously clean, would recommend the country to anyone who is bitten by the Africa bug. Communication was in a mixture of English, Swahili and French. It was good to start our trip with a visit to the Kigali genocide memorial. Our driver/guide Jackson was fantastic - and added hugely to our experience of Rwanda, even though he was an Arsenal supporter!

However were we to go again, we would adjust some of the timings. The routine seems to be to go and see primates early in the morning, which leaves the rest of the to explore, and so in many ways we would have been better doing 2 (rather than 3) nights in Nungwe, only one night in Moriah Hill, and possibly add one night (or more) in Gisenyi. (It would have been great to go over the border into Goma.) Volcanoes NP was good, though again one night less would have been fine and we would still have time for three primate expeditions. (We were rather extravagant and saw two diffierent goriila groups, which was great but very expensive!) We were also quite sad a not staying in Kigali again.

We had one medical emergency - our daughter got huge boils on her back, luckily on the night before we were due to return to Kigali, so the following morning we drove to a private hospital in Kigali for treatment. This was relatively efficient - after we had paid some money - but did mean that she missed out on swimming in Zanzibar.

Dar was a lovely surprise for one night - we wished we had stayed an additional night here. Zanzibar was as expected, though Stone Town was more chaotic and smellier than I remember (from 35 and 7 years ago).

The whole trip was very expensive - which of course we knew about beforehand! - but tips etc menat that we spent another 500 US dollars per person duing the three weeks, without being extravagant. For example, tipping of guides was $10 per person per excursion, and sometimes we chose to give trackers etc. tips. This is not a complaint, just for information." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 6 on a Rwanda safari

"We had an amazing honeymoon. Can't fault the whole experience from start to finish. Expert Africa gave us loads of advice and made sure that the sort of accommodation recommended, exactly suited what had been requested.

We have already recommended you to friends and family.

Suggestions for improvements:

None" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 4 on a Tanzania safari

"We will both remember this holiday as our best so far (don't want to rule out topping it with another in the future!)

Thank you so much to Ellie and the rest of Expert Africa for putting together such a fantastic itinerary. I will (and have already) recommended you to friends. You listened to what we wanted and made thoughtful suggestions. I really appreciated the personal knowledge of the team with regards to places and activities." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"Wonderful and glad we booked at short notice on the basis of the short S Times note.

Tanzania comes across with great credit - a very friendly country with helpful people.A water/land safari was a real plus and exceeded expectations.

Suggestions for improvements:

You compare well with other companies that we have used elsewhere in the world and we will use you as the reference base for any future trips to Africa. Mateo (manager at Selous) spoke highly of EA and mentioned that you visited the region to check on the details rather than took stuff off web sites." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 4 on a Tanzania safari

"We saved money for several years to catch our dream to go to Africa. Then, more than one year in advance we started to plan the trip in detail, together with the most professional staff from Expert Africa.

Of course there was a risk that we created too big expectations. But during the trip and now afterwards when we talk about our adventures, we can easily say that this was above all expectations - the tanzanian people, the wildlife and the excellent food has given us a memory for life." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We had a fabulous time. The camps were both excellent and the safaris were the best part of the trip, but chilling out at Unguja Lodge was also great.

Zanzibar Coffee House was perfectly acceptable, but a bit of a step down in terms of quality/comfort after Unguja Lodge and Selous Impala Camp.

All the internal flights and connections worked out perfectly, making the travelling stress-free.

Suggestions for improvemwents:

Perhaps you should mention in the pre-trip letter that return BA flights can be confirmed , seats booked and boarding passes printed 24 hours in advance at internet cafes in Stone Town, (and presumably at camps with computer access and a printer if they're willing).
Also include water shoes in your list of what to pack, especially for Zanzibar." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"I was drawn to Expert Africa by the quality of the website and this was supported by Eleanor understanding our brief straight away and sorting the itinerary. However we felt really let down when we had paid (I was given a 24 hour deadline to pay) and then told we couldn't do it because availability had not been checked fully and neither the suggested internal flights or suggested hotel rooms were available! It was then a scramble to try to find something that worked, which was more stressful than it should have been, involving compromise and additional cost on our part.

The trip itself was a wonderful experience and our expectations managed well. Expert Africa clearly know the accomodation in Tanzania and despite the early hiccup did deliver a great family holiday" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 3 on a Tanzania safari

"Thank you for your arrangements" Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"An enjoyable and interesting holiday.

A special mention for the efficiency of our driver in Zanzibar with Eco Tourism

Suggestions for improvements:

Very happy with your services. Unfortunately Matamwe let you down." Read full review: 24 nights in Africa; 17 on a Zanzibar holiday