Reviews of trips to Stone Town

"We had a fabulous holiday and absolutley adored Rwanda. Chimpanzee trecking was very hard work but we did it. Saw lots of Golden Monkeys in the gorgeous Bamboo forest and about 14 Gorillas in the Virungas - one chased us - wanted to play apparently - but I certainly led the advance of the retreat! Of course Virunga Lodge was our heaven.

Excellent guide in Rwanda

Patrick was helpful, courteous and knowledgeable. Everything one could ask for.

The cancelled flights and lost luggage were most annoying but we got over that and the agents got our luggage to us after 2 days so not too bad in the end. Shooting Star found us bits to get by on including a size 12 bikini for my size 16 body ! not pretty sight but did allow me to swim.

All your agenbts were completely efficient

Thought Stone Town was the dirtiest place we had ever visited and one night was definately enough. It does not in anyway compare with Marrakesh. There was more litter and dirt in one square foot of Stone town than in the whole of Rwanda. And where was hell - being inside the old underground slave cell - totally atmospheric and hauntingly awful.

Suggestions for improvement:

No you seem to have it spot on - maybe a secreatary to help fill in this form!!

Thank you for a wonderful holiday" Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zanzibar holiday

"On the whole this was an awesome and eyeopening trip. It was an experience not to be missed.

like all holidays there were elements that we might have done differently had we known then what we know now.. . we did try to read up as much as possible beforehand and read between the lines as well. and of course everybody's expectations are so different. I would have loved to have stayed in lots more places on the safari and experience all the different styles and types of lodges, and scenery.

overall it was a great holiday." Read full review: 17 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We had a great trip. Everything worked very smoothly.

Four days at each Safari lodge was probably about right (although we were sorry to leave on both occasions) Fundu was lovely, and a day in Stone Town was a great way to bring the trip to a close.

What pulled it all together so well were the people who looked after us. The European managers seemed to be doing a great job and the Tanzanian staff - chefs, waiters, guides, escorts - were without exception attentive, charming and ever willing to do anything to make our holiday more enjoyable.

Suggestions for improvement:

None. We think you guys do a pretty good job" Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 16 on a Tanzania safari

"It was a varied and interesting trip that we throughly enjoyed. The level of detailed planning from expert Africa was one of the keys to the success of this trip. They really did construct the holiday very much with our needs in mind. Also the quality of their ground arrangements meant that any small glitches never became a problem.

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We thought everything was well handled and the key was the level of local knowledge by the staff at Expert Africa. This I believe is very important." Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zanzibar holiday

"Overall we had a fantastic trip. It was everything I was hoping for and more. To see the animals living freely in their natural habitat was simply wonderful. Lake Manze was a great camp and perfect if you want to experience just a taste of a safari. We stayed for 4 days which was actually plenty of time to see all the animals and go on all the different drives.

We were glad we could recover at Mchanga Beach lodge though because being on safari can be quite tiring. It was nice to just sleep, eat and relax for a few days before heading home.

I only have one criticism of Lake Manze. When we arrived at 6.30am we had just flown overnight from London to Dar El Salaam. We didn't really sleep on the plane so were very tired when we finally reached Selous National park at 10 am. Instead of being taken directly to the camp we were told we had to wait until 12 noon to also collect another couple. They therefore took us (and another couple who were with us) on a short game drive before we drove back to the airstrip to wait for the other couple. In that time they could easily have taken us back to camp but obviously decided not to (probably to save petrol?)

By 12 noon we were all starving and then it was another hour to Lake Manze. By the time we arrived at Lake Manze I was far too hot and we were both really burnt. (We both had to stay totally covered up for the whole time we were at camp.) I also ended up feeling quite ill and had to lie down for the rest of the afternoon. I missed out on the late afternoon champagne reception at the Lake and also went to bed early that night which was New Year's Eve. Now I am not totally blaming this incident for the fact I felt so ill in the afternoon. However on top of the lack of sleep and the fact I had a cold, I do feel that waiting around so long before getting back to camp was the "last straw." In the future I really think they should get the guests back to the camp as soon as possible so they can rest and freshen up.

In terms of using Expert Africa - I found them to be excellent. It never occurred to me to arrange such a trip over the internet and the phone but it wasn't a problem at all. I think the website is superb and the independent reviews really give you a good idea of which trips to do and where to stay to suit your budget. I made a number of calls to the team and Ellie answered all my questions thoroughly. It was also really nice to chat through my trip with her when we got back. It was clear she is committed to making sure my feedback is relayed back so that future experiences can be even better.

I did a lot of research when looking into this trip and I can assure you that in my experience Expert Africa offered us the best trip at the best price compared to many other companies." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 4 on a Tanzania safari

"Overall we enjoyed our time very much. All our transfers were excellent. All praise to Juma who was our principal driver. He was very reliable, helpfull and pleasant.

Suggestions for improvement:

We can't think of any." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zanzibar holiday

"We have had a marvellous holiday which went according to plan. Whenever we arrived at a new destination there was always someone to meet us and the whole experience was completely hassle free.

We were both very pleased we had been advised to go to the Selous and both the camps we visited were absolutely perfect for us. The only mistake we made was in deciding to stay at a beach resort for 4 nights. We are much happier where there are interesting places to potter around and we are keen to try and learn about the places we are visiting.

I think Ellie understood our requirements very well: she did not mind how many times we asked her opinion and never failed to answer our queries.

We used Sunvil last year to go to Chile and Argentina and are pleased that we had the same high standard of service again this year." Read full review: 23 nights in Africa; 8 on a Tanzania safari

"Good relaxing diving holiday. Sailing home on a Dhow after diving was magical.

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Good organisation and recommendations have turned out to be accurate. Thanks" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 7 on a Tanzania safari

"A perfect combination of activity and relaxation - we couldn't have asked for more.

Expert Africa were really helpful when our BA flight was delayed - much appreciated." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 9 on a Tanzania safari

"Firstly, thank you all very much for organising such a wonderful holiday. The pre-holiday information removed all the usual anxiety of the unknown and, with a few minor exceptions, was very very helpful.

You didnlt ask about Primate Safaris so I have to ass that they were fantastic – our guide was William. What a great guy, he looked after us very well.

Seeing the Gorillas was just amazing – what an experience! The trek wasn't particularly difficult (thankfully), it only took about an hour and 10 minutes in total, and not too hard either. With hindsight we should have done 2 gorilla treks. The Golden Monkeys were interesting but nothing like seeing the gorillas – we were the only people who did the monkey trek, so we had a guide, a trainee guide, two trackers, a porter and two armed guards – and us!!!

A couple of things that are different from your info:

There is an exit charge from Zanzibar Airport of $30 each. We were told that there was no facility to get money from the airport and anyway they would only accept it in US$. What happens if we don't have $60 cash we asked – you get a taxi to Stone Town and get the money, was the reply. Fortunately we had $62 – but I just don't know what would have happened if it had been a Sunday and the banks were shut.

The Spice Tour was $60 EACH – for about 2 & a half hours and 1 hour 20 minutes of that was travelling to and fro. Interesting but not worth £85.

All in all we had a truly wonderful holiday and would not hesitate in recommending Expert Africa. We will certainly be back.

Many thanks" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zanzibar holiday