Reviews of holidays to South-west Zanzibar

"I'm a terrible winge. Thea thought it was all fantastic & is now depressed. I got a couple of bluebottles off Echo which was educational. So did Andy which cheered me up, except mine wouldn't go down. Off Unguja it was like swimming through clouds of used condoms which were also a bit pricky, so I got spots on my spots. Elies gave me some anti histomine which calmed them down a bit. Also my guts gave out. Luckily everybody else was on honeymoon so mozzies were no problem. Up in Selous we copped some bad patches of tetse which came up very nicely & set off my jelly stings to perfection. Luckily these have all lasted quite well & Ive been able to show the girls in the office. By chance I read the blurb on Rufigi so we shot round Stone town pillaging the cash machines. A suitcase of Tshillings just about covered our bill at Rufigi but we were not prepared for Madze to be back in the 50s too & we just scraped by with a mottly mix of currencies. Richard was not happy. & neither was I. I hate paying real money. Not that Tshillings is real money. When I was a lad you could get a tusker for 3 bob, at Madze its 8124." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"This was a pretty special trip for us - taking our three grown up sons and their other halves on safari and then onto Zanzibar. The excitement and joy everyone experienced was worth every penny we spent.

The trip was talior made to our requirements thanks to Expert Africa. Every aspect of the holiday was discussed - recommendations made - our likes and dislikes taken into account - suggestions adjusted to fit the budget set . I cannot praise them highly enough.

They could not have picked a better camp for us to stay in . We will never forget the thrill of finding a leopard and the priveldge of being able to sit quietly for over an hour observing her - following her every now and then. And then there were the lion pride with their youngsters - playing with each other and their parents - watching a male lion gently licking and nuzzling his son. All this from about five feet away.

Wild life wandered in and out of camp during the night and the sounds were magical as we lay in our huge beds in luxurious tents.
'There was nothing about the holiday that wasnt good - even being chased by an elephant we put down to experience - because we trusted our guides and rangers to help us out of danger.

we have almost 2,000 photos between us to recapture every moment and relive the experience all over again.
Zanzibar - total chill out - total removal from the reality of day to day life at home. And the snorkelling - wow!!

So thank you Expert Africa - I will definetley be recommending you to anyone who is thinking of a trip to africa.

Suggestions for improvement:

I cant think of anything that needs to be adjusted - apart from the credit card companies charging a surcharge if you want to pay by credit card!!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Expert Africa got it right every time.

We did everything in the right order and their advice really made a big difference. It was worthwhile using Expert Africa, Other independent travellers did not always seem to get the same quality of experience that we got.

The entire trip was the best we've ever had and we are quite used to travelling in the developing world." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"What I've come to expect from Expert Africa - unbiased and extremely expert knowledge.

Very attentive, and good listeners - based on our interests we got exactyl what we needed. a couple of times they persuaded us to change our ealry thoughts on some places to stay - they proved to be spot on." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday

"An excelent trip.

Suggestions for improvement:

I found Expert Africa's assistance really useful in planning the trip." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"I was very impressed with Expert Africa and would use the company again like a shot. We had an idea of what we wanted and they understood completely and tailor-made our holiday.

We had to change some arrangements and, far from it being an inconvenience to Expert Africa, they were cheerful about it and even enthusiastic, which I thought was very good indeed.

All the transfers, documentation and arrangements went like clockwork. And the website is great.

Suggestions for improvement:

No, just keep up the good work." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Well done Expert Africa! Ellie was really well informed and helped us throughout.

Everything was organised perfectly and both Ellie and Claire were well informed about the Impala Camp, Fumba and Zanzibar Coffee House. I think it really helped that they had actually been there (saw Claire in the Impala visitors' book!!)

A great service. You were recommended to us by friends and we wouldn't hesittate to do the same should any of our friends be thinking about travelling to Africa.

The guide book was a good read too....

Suggestions for improvement:

Not really! A very presonal, well informed and very efficient service. Not much to improve on here...

Perhaps could have mentioned that buying a visa on arrival in Tanzania for $50 was an option? Wouldn't have really affected us but might be worht mentioning if anybody forgets before going." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"The trip was unforgettable. We felt our itinerary was perfect with just the right amount of time in each place. We were overwhelmed by the warmth and friendliness of the people wherever we went which added enormously to the enjoyment of our time in Tanzania. It is certainly a country I would like yo go back to.

We felt Claire/Expert Africa did a fantastic job sorting our holiday and preparing us for the trip. We were really impressed with how smoothly it went considering how much we moved about." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"One of our most memorable overall Africa experiences. Partly because of the variety of camps, scenery and activities, partly because of the fact we visited in the early part of the wet season, implying green landscapes with fat and happy animals. This can make for very photogenic stuff, with animals pictured amongst fields of flowers and greenery, rather than dust, and I took some of my best ever pictures on this trip. Bird variety and sightings are also fabulous at this time of year.

The downside of the wet season is that things can become a bit more chaotic, with roads becoming impassable and airstrips being temporarily unusable. As such, not quite as "stress-free" as safaris can be at other times of the year, but very much recommended as an experience if all you've done before is the dry season (which was the case for us). Oh, there's one other downside too - more insects!

The balance of the trip was excellent in terms of safari/beach/city, with the Zanzibar accommodation being perfectly chosen to suit our particular preferences - thank you Ellie. Logistics were flawless throughout. Overall, very pleased indeed, and starting to think about our next trip already." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"We had a great time. Some of our preceding comments are critical but these are finer details; the overall holiday was marvellous.

We do want to point out that February in Dar, Selous, Ruaha and Mahale is wet season. It did rain a lot and made roads in the Selous very difficult. Overall we got to see lots of game and other wildlife but it was not always easy. We would love to do this again in the dry season to see the difference.

Our itinerary involved several domestic flight connections and transfers but all worked perfectly. Curiously the only place where we had to hand over a voucher was the Holiday Inn in Dar.

It would be good if camps could provide more information and maps on their situation and ecology. It seems odd to come all this way to places specialising in the natural environment and find so little background material." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Tanzania safari