Zimbabwe: reviews from our travellers

"This was not my first Safari but it was my first experience of Expert Africa, which I shall be delighted to repeat. The service was attentive from first to last, taking into account the various tastes and preferences of our group, and capably incorporating their travel schedules from various points of origin.

Expert Africa takes its business seriously, paying equal attention to insurance and inoculations as to my more rudimentary questions. They provided a clear, and comprehensible, itinerary as well as a comprehensive checklist, giving me confidence at every stage of my journey. Although this safari entailed a number of locations, travelling between each was smooth and painless - unlike others I have encountered, Expert Africa has its logistics down to a tee. It also enjoys an exceptional range of venues which, as became clear during the trip, are known personally to the Expert Africa team rather than being tied up with some anonymous agency.

Each of the lodges and hotels recommended not only lived up to but exceeded expectations. Not only will I be pleased to book a further excursion but, on the basis of a short conversation after my trip, a colleague has asked for details of who I travelled with. I have had no hesitation in passing the details on." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"This was set to be a memorable occasion being a special Birthday for our dearest friend and also my own, as well as an opportunity to catch up with old friends we haven't seen for a while and meet some new friends.

The trip exceeded all expectations and will be an abiding memory for us for the rest of our days. There are so many highlights from the places we stayed, animals we saw, people we met, great times we had with friends and just being back in Africa.

Cannot stress how much everyone needs to visit there and to organise going through Expert Africa!!" Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 8 on a Zambia safari

"It was a long holiday, covering huge distances and including 3 countries.

We first contacted you with a rough itinerary, which was much improved by Tracy's many suggestions and her acceptance that I was trying to keep costs down for the bulk of the trip. You booked us into 15 different places to stay and all were very acceptable, with most good/excellent." Read full review: 36 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"Overall we had a great time in Zimbabwe. Hwange National Park and Mana Pools were especially good safari destinations. Somalisa and Zambezi Life Styles were both fantastic and their staff are to be commended.

We were a little disappointed with Matusadona simply from the point of view of the wildlife that we saw. The wildlife here seems to have suffered quite badly from the falling water levels in Lake Kariba. This, combined with trophy hunting, has seen the Lion population in the Park crash. The Black Rhino have also suffered at the hands of poachers (as they have everywhere). Having said this, I must say that Rhino Camp and it`s staff were very good and we did see Elephant, Impala, Hippos & Crocs, and the Bird life is good.

All the Guides at all the camps were excellent. Lovemore at ZLS is a great guide and a real character, and Calvet at Somalisa is superb.

Thanks for a great trip." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Nearly all the arrangements for our holiday were perfect. In particular we were very pleased that we decided to go for the private guide option, rather than self drive in Namibia, as we would definitely have missed out on a lot, particularly on bird recognition and other aspects of the Namibian culture.

One point of ambiguity arose in that our package stated "local beverages at each establishment(water, beers, ciders, juice, soft drinks, house wines and local spirits)" were included. However, it was not until our arrival at Andersson's Camp that this was clarified and agreed with Ultimate Safaris after we had been purchasing our own drinks for four nights." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"On returning to the UK many people when they asked me about my trip to Zimbabwe wanted to know if it was safe. Yes it is, and the local people are very keen to encourage more tourists to visit. Most of your money goes to ordinary Zimbabweans, and only a small amount to the government.

You will be welcomed wherever you go, especially should you visit any junior schools. More and more lodges are forming partnerships with local people to develop conservancies and concession areas that help to protect wild animals and to provide benefits for local communities." Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari

"We had much looked forward to our North Botswana and Vic Falls trip, and we found it one of our best and most memorable holidays ever ! Botswana is a truly great safari destination, if you are passionate, as we are, about viewing and photographing wildlife.

The Okavango delta is among the most stunning wild places we have visited on this planet, both from the air and on the ground. The length of our stay (10 nights on safari in total, in 4 different camps) might seem a bit long at first, but we were very pleased with it, as it allowed us to take a more relaxed pace and we didn't mind the odd "non eventful" game drive too much. Indeed, the big five do not hide behind every tree or bush in these huge concessions, and we soon learned that good sightings require skillful guides and trackers, but also a good deal of patience !

We found the way in which our trip was planned, ideal for what we wanted to see during this trip and for our length of stay: i.e. first the Kwando area in north Botswana, followed by the Okavango Delta, and the magnificent Vic Falls at the end.

We were also absolutely delighted with the very smooth organization of our trip: every single aircraft (big or small) or road transfer we took left on time; we were always welcomed by friendly staff upon arrival; rooms/tents were always ready for us upon our arrival... Top marks ! We would like to add a special comment for Mack Air here as well: flights over the Delta were a great experience !

Finally, although in our reviews per camp, we have mentioned some smaller points for improvement where and when we found it as needed, but we honestly can't think of anything that we would have wanted to add to our trip, that would have made it even better than it already was. This trip has made our love for Africa even greater, and we can not wait to return to explore more of this marvelous continent!!

Special thanks to Megan, who was extremely helpful in organizing our trip, and really went out of her way to answer our many questions before departure ! Truly top service !" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"This was a wonderful introduction to the safari experience - great camps, superb guiding in a park that is not overcrowded." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 7 on a Zimbabwe safari

"I've dreamed of visiting Africa for 45 years. As such, the expectations were great and I wondered if reality could ever live up to the imaginings.

Well, it did. What a gift, to live my dream. Thank you Freddie and colleagues (you were fantastic!) for your recommendations, attention to every detail and making this the trip of a lifetime. Not only for me but for my travelling companions. We all agree - trip of a lifetime!" Read full review: 13 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zambia safari

"My husband and I had an absolutely amazing time on this trip.

Everything went smoothly - thank you to Lucy for all the planning! The safari experience was incredible and we met some lovely people and had some amazing meals along the way. We couldn't have asked for anything more!" Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 6 on a Namibia trip