Reviews of trips to Stone Town

"We did most of the planning for our trip to Tanzania ourselves. Lyndsey was our agent from Expert Africa. This is our second trip with Expert Africa and we are left disappointed by the service received.

Lyndsey's main role was to assist in stitching our itinerary together, liasing with both Nomad Tanzania on the ground, with accommodation providers and with safari charter companies. On a positive note, all our transfers, accommodation and transport were seamless. We appreciate the work Lyndsey did to make this happen as we are aware logistics in Tanzania can be complex.

However we dont feel Lyndsey or Expert Africa proactively discount or negotiate on behalf of clients. We were offered discounts with various accommodation providers for booking direct but we had to push for these to be made available for booking through Expert Africa. They were never proactively offered. In addition, we had to push to stay at Hatari Lodge. Lyndsey wrongly commented that Arusha National park is closed after 6pm and we would be unable to arrive into Hatari later. We had to contact the lodge ourselves directly and paste information on email from Hatari's website to challenge this as Hatari have an agreement with the park management to allow guests arrive post 6pm.

We were disappointed we never received a paper copy of our documentation from Expert Africa. We didnt purchase a travel guide as we were expecting to receive one from our agent. With only 2-3 days before our departure date, we were finally told no paper documents, luggage tags or guide book would be sent. It left us no time to purchase one online ourselves. Its a small thing but it left a poor impression. In addition, & despite agreeing accommodation choices, it took a long time to receive confirmation of reservations, some times up to 14 days.

Finally, we are currently disputing a fee we were told we must pay in order for a safari charter to operate. We paid 4 seats and were reassured by our agent that this would be refunded if other pax were subsequently onboard. When we sent an email from Tanzania that 4 pax were in fact on board and requesting a refund, we received an email from Lyndsey offering to refund only 1 seat and would we be happy with this? There was no offer to escalate this on our behalf. We werent happy.

We have responded with copies from two emails quoting Lyndsey reassuring us of a refund if we were not the sole pax on board. We have been told twice in the last week on email that the matter has been escalated and the agent is awaiting a response. We would have preferred if this had been done promptly and efficiently. Having paid almost £20000 for this trip, it leaves a poor impression of both the agent and Expert Africa. After almost two weeks, we still are none the wiser.

We have every intention of returning to both Tanzania and exploring other parts of Africa. Based on our latest experience, we're not so sure however we'll continue use Expert Africa to facilitate these trips in the future." Read full review: 21 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"Our whole trip went like clockwork.

We enjoyed all of the recommended accommodation and wouldn’t have made any changes to the itinerary.

Both Selous and Ruaha are remote and quiet parks to visit and point camps were small and exclusive. The short flights and transfers were all seamless.

We recommended Expert Africa to other guests that we met at Kichaka who had been unhappy with their own agent.

Good idea to give us business cards to hand out!" Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"It was the best. All the different things we saw and did, my absolute favourite type of holiday.

Thank you for making it so easy for us.

Just wish we could do it every year!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Just continue as you are, letting clients talk to you !" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zanzibar holiday

"I planned my trip two years ago, then COVID struck and I needed to defer.

I was returning to one camp, Namiri, now a lodge - all other destinations were new. The standard of guiding was excellent and I was thrilled by the number and quality of animal sightings. Spending time on Mnemba Island was a perfect and relaxing interlude before ending in Stone Town. Overall, the experience was remarkable, wonderful.

Some of the airstrip transfers were a tad chaotic, but my luggage and I arrived as planned on each occasion. The meet and greet at Kilimanjaro was great and made for a totally stress free experience.

Thank you Expert Africa, and Lyndsey, in particular." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Great trip.

But we should have just stayed in one Northern Serengeti camp as the two were so close. Ideally Sayara for 4-5 night, but with different staff. All guides were great." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 11 on a Tanzania safari

"We had the most amazing time, definitely the holiday of a lifetime. We feel incredibly lucky that we were able to go on this trip, and would love to plan another adventure in the future with Expert Africa.

We felt that we got the best of everything, from hotels, food and service to individual guides and practically private planes, we were treated like royalty and will have treasured memories for a long time to come. We haven’t been able to stop telling people about our experience.

We are so pleased that we went with the Red Colobus Monkey suggested itinerary as it was just the most wonderful holiday. Thank you.

We thought it was the most amazing holiday." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zanzibar holiday

"I think I made a mistake and gave my overall experience comment at the very beginning of the survey.

Bottom line: excellent guide, David, who made each game drive special.

Asilia lodges absolutely top notch, especially because of the staff and the overall atmosphere.

The trip was unforgettable, probably the best I have ever done." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 5 on a Tanzania safari

"Our trip was quite the odyssey. A long itinerary with lots of moving parts.

I was surprised and impressed by Expert Africa who took care of the hiccups and responded quite promptly to take care of the unforeseen circumstances that pop up on a trip like this.

I wish I could book EA for all of my trips, easily the best agency I have ever worked with.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No, you are top notch." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 21 on a Tanzania safari

"Brilliant.

The trip had been postponed once because of Covid so I'd waited a long time and was in danger of being disappointed but, really, it was much better than I'd hoped or even imagined.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 7 on a Kenya safari

"Our safari was truly a trip of a lifetime. My husband and I planned this trip as our honeymoon, and it was originally supposed to take place in Summer 2020. When Covid hit, the Expert Africa team made what seemed like a terrible stressful thing (changing our honeymoon plans) a breeze. I cannot speak enough to the professionalism of the Expert Africa team. They rescheduled our trip, and made doing so stress free.

This trip was planned to perfection, and the details all fell into place without a hitch. We are looking forward to planning future safari trips, and I know that I will be coming back to Expert Africa for the knowledge, skill, and genuine kindness we experienced while planning this one. You won't be disappointed if you plan your safari with Expert Africa!

Thank you Olivia for a perfectly planned trip and for giving us a honeymoon we will never forget. I blame you now for the fact that I'm already dreaming up the next opportunity for safari.

It was perfect. Thank you!

And sorry for doing this form over a year after our trip! It's been a crazy year." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari