Reviews of holidays to South-west Zanzibar

"This was our very first safari, and it was an incredible success...We loved every bit of it...

Everything extremely well organized, no surprises, great locations, fantastic game drives, smooth transportation between the camps..

Everything was exactly as James had explained us it would be. James helped us pick locations and activities that we loved, hard to come up with anything other than glowing compliments

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

no... we loved your service. Will definitely use it again for our next safari!" Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"We started our one month trip in Zanzibar which is an ideal base to leave your main luggage before flying off on safari. Selous was our first stop.

Selous is in our opinion a very pretty park and in the right season you can choose between river or land Safaris. Our return trip this time showed the park and game to be in desperate need of rain. We encountered many hippo carcasses where the hippos had come out to graze and just did not have the strength to return to the little water that was about, it was easier to just lie down and die. All the animals were extremely thin and we have never encountered so many hippos trying to graze during the day.

Sadly we left Selous with the memory of so many painfully thin animals and dying hippos! However Selous will be remembered not just for this but it's flaming red lilies, leadwood trees in full bloom smelling so fragrant in the morning and night and lastly the amount of Bee Eaters that swooped in and around the vehicle catching insects disturbed by the vehicle.

Next stop was Ruaha where in the past we have seen 57 lions in one day! Not to be this time, there is a definite shortage of lions. The few we saw were very thin, even the poor cubs looked under nourished. Both of us were not only shocked but definitely sad at the distinct lack of animals in Ruaha compared with our 2 previous trips.

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Completely satisfied with the service given and received." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"We have been fortunate to have travelled a lot and found Expert Africa by researching potential companies and reviews. They accommodated our requirements and produced an itinerary that worked perfectly.

The good quality A5 wallet that was supplied made finding supporting documentation easier and was of manageable size.

The resorts were excellent and the staff brilliant. We would thoroughly recommend Expert Africa.

The website gives plenty of detail about the resorts and areas which is very helpful." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Superb Holiday with three totally different experiences. Our Thanks to James Denny for listening to us and gauging us so well. Every part of the holiday worked from the locations to the transport in between. Many thanks" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"If the rest of the year is that good, it will be a good one!!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zanzibar holiday

"On the whole the trip was very good, apart from the problems with the flights out. Fisherman's Tours were reliable and efficient in transferring me from place to place. The people I met were charming, friendly and helpful.

The excursions seemed expensive, but I did enjoy them. I had a very good guide from Fisherman's Tours who took me on a tour of Stone Town and a boat trip to Prison Island.

I didn't do as much snorkelling as I would have liked as it was not feasible to snorkel at low tide. At high tide it would have meant swimming out quite a way to get to the reef. I did try near the shoreline, but could only see sea urchins and seaweed and the wind was churning up the sand making visibility poor." Read full review: 9 nights in Africa; 9 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.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

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

"By ignoring the Zanzibar 5 nights I can leave the trip at Very Satisfactory. While agreeing we needed a rest after all the early starts, 3 days here would have been more than enough, though in truth it was completely the wrong call." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 15 on a Tanzania safari