Reviews of trips to Stone Town

"We are hard core independent travellers but booking this trip with Expert Africa has made us re-evaluate the possibility of using this sort of service again. Right from the very beginning, our contact Ellie was superb. Knowledgeable, friendly and patient (I asked and she answered a lot of questions!), she made us feel comfortable and reassured about leaving the responsibility of our holiday in someone else's hands.

It was clear from the start that Expert Africa had spent a lot of time researching the quality and service levels of the guides and hotels they recommended. When Ellie recommended a hotel, she was able to talk about it with confidence and in depth knowledge, which saved me hours researching on various websites. She was also scrupulously honest, making sure I understood the pros and cons of each itinerary or proposition.

I liked the fact that she had done the Rwanda trip herself last year as it gave more credence to what she was saying and cost permitting, I think it is a brilliant idea to have your consultants do as many of the trips as possible so they can speak with authority.

We also felt supported throughout the whole experience (and not just dumped after having paid the cash). When we had a small concern about our transfers in Tanzania, we emailed the info@expertafrica.com email address as we could not remember Ellie's address. This was relayed to her immediately and she responded incredibly quickly, allaying our concerns. This really impressed us and will go a long way to ensuring repeat business for Expert Africa as well as recommendations to our friends.

We are well travelled enough to know that no trip is ever without a hassle or two but one of the reasons we stopped travelling with tour operators is that we felt they relinquished responsibility once we had given them a credit card number. It is the complete opposite with Expert Africa and I loved the fact that you care enough about your customers to give out the mobile details of your staff in case of a real emergency or problem. That speaks volumes about the quality of your operation and your values. Well done Expert Africa, you rock.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

I understand why you levy a credit card surcharge in this economic climate - but it is a pain in the posterior to be honest. We had cash in the bank and were able to fund the trip from a standing start so to speak, but if we hadn't been able to do so, paying the surcharge might have been enough to make us consider an alternative travel company. I appreciate that their service might not have been as good but that might have been the trade off......" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 5 on a Rwanda safari

"Generally speaking a fantastic holiday with Selous being the high spot.

Advice from your agent was helpful and informative.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Don't go to Stone Town!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Our trip to Africa far exceeded my expectations. I am not an intrepid but felt very confident before we embarked that all aspects of the trip had been covered so that there were no questions as to where we would be or how we might get to the next stage. This alleviated all anxiety.

It was most encouraging from the start of my planning with Eleanor, that she had been to Tanzania and understood that this was a once in a lifetime trip for us. Now having been there I realize it is not so far out of the ordinary, just in my world.

From our very first discussions I was unsure if our budget would allow us to fully enjoy this trip in the comfort level we would like and Eleanor worked within that budget and custom fit our needs to create what I'm sure will be our best holiday ever.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Honestly, very difficult.

I suppose I would have liked a breakdown of the costs of each leg of our trip so as to be able to compare to other places I have been. For example, 4 nights at Mdonya, 4 nights at Selous, 6 nights Matemwe and then one night Kholle. Coastal did give some information but I wasn't sure if the the dollars quoted were for one or two passengers.

Many thanks, it's been a wonderful experience." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Our overall experience was excellent.

The whole holiday was quite fiddly to plan and Liz did a very good job at interpreting our needs and putting it all together. THe safari part of the holiday in the Selous is to be recommended as we barely saw another truck but saw plenty of wildlife. Then Zanzibar was a lovely relaxing contrast." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 6 on a Tanzania safari

"Maybe we were just very lucky and fortunate enough to have a guide to ourselves for most of the drives in Selous and Ruaha.

The animals were very co-operative often at very close quarters especially in presenting their young and often in rare situations e.g. a pride of lions with three very young cubs, a cheetah chasing impala and in turn being chased by baboons, a week old elephants being carried across a lake and giraffes fighting.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Although it turned out that we did have sufficient, we would have appreciated a little bit more guidance on how much money to take with us." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall good trip.

Expert Africa provided excellent seemless and timely pickup and drop-off services from the moment we landed in Africa. With this service, my daughter and I felt very safe; and it also made the trip that much more fun. Eleanor Dunkels did a great job from the time of preparation, advising us what to bring with us and where to go, catering to our requirements.

Please see my photos by clicking here" Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Very good safari and nice break afterwards." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 15 on a Tanzania safari

"On a whole, the trip was an excellent experience and we enjoyed Tanzania . Hopefully we will return one day!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

It is really difficult to come up with anything substantial.
Information on the camps is comprehensive but maybe a little more about the types of animals which can be encountered and the environment and terrain as well as camp facilities,but this is a small point." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 10 on a Tanzania safari

"It was our first safari and was an amazing experience. We particulary enjoyed the wildlife but also the accommodation and the food as well as the people we met. It was also great to be able to combine a safari with being by the sea and visiting Zanzibar.

Many thanks for a great trip!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Nothing apart from improving the service at the Swahili House." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"Wonderful trip, nice combination of wild life, beach and culture. The trip organization was perfect and everything worked out very smoothly.

I will not hesitate to book another trip with Expert Africa and I will highly recommend them to my friends.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We would love to see Madagascar added to your portfolio!" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari