Zimbabwe: reviews from our travellers

"magical experience, thanks to Saskia for all of her sound advice and help with planning our trip.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

keep doing what you are doing, great trip. next time we are Africa bound we will definitely be in touch. Thanks a million" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 15 on a Namibia trip

"We are fortunate to have travelled to a number of countries in Africa, including several safari destinations, and can honestly say that our recent trip to the Okavango Delta tops them all! Varied and scenic environments, fabulous wildlife sightings (often only possible because off-road driving is permitted), enthusiastic and knowledgable guiding, and the fact there are so few visitors that it sometimes feels like you have the place to yourself - all combine to make this a really wonderful destination.

We wouldn't have changed anything about our trip, so thank you Expert Africa - we're already planning when we might return!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

We honestly can't think of any improvements!

The service and information provided was excellent throughout. Nick was not only really knowledgeable and personable, he made our trip possible by making lots of great recommendations based on our interests and preferences and, despite how late we were in organising our trip (c.3 months before we travelled), managed to find dates and secure bookings at two of the most popular camps in the Delta.

We thought the arrangements were really well organised and the trip was good value for money. We wouldn't hesitate to use Expert Africa again or to recommend you to others." Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"Fantastic.

Malawi and Zimbabwe proved to be two great countries to combine on this trip. There were many similarities. We found the staff in the camps and the people we met along the way to be very friendly, helpful and interested in us. The high standards of our guides impressed us, from Chris the manager at Mkulumadzi who personally took us on a walk and on a boat up the Shire River, to Richard Chamwala at Mvuu who delighted in sharing all things big and small with us. In our book you can always tell the best guides when they like finding the little birds and bugs to point out, not just the hippos fighting 30 feet away from the boat, both of which Richard did.

Our guide Nduduzi Ndlovu at Camp Amalinda in Matobo Hills was great at listening to us and discovering our interests, as evidenced by the wonderful day we spent with him driving through the park and the local communal lands, visiting a school, and hiking up to a cave with ancient paintings. He not only knows 7 languages but also knows where to find a zonkey!

Even our drivers that took us from one camp to another (or to an airport) were excellent, like Mike from Wilderness Safaris who stopped the car several times so we could see and talk to people and who also helped me buy a tchenge (those colorful traditional fabrics that woman wear as a wrap) in a roadside market.

We went to both countries in the hope that our visit would encourage and support the conservation of wildlife and wild areas. We also came to really appreciate the people of these two countries, where life has not been easy but there is a great determination to carry on and do better.

Claire at Expert Africa, with assistance from Chris, shared many insightful comments from personal experience so that we came up with this list of places to visit that really suited us. As usual, all details were handled and executed perfectly on the ground. This is really saying something because we gave quite short notice of our desire to travel.

And next time I will really believe you when you say that it gets cold in July at night!" Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 11 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Maruska has set the standard for all future travel agents. I cannot recommend her highly enough!

I talked to several travel agents in the US before deciding to work with Maruska. I had called Expert Africa to inquire about the small group trips on the Wild About Africa site. When I started questioning Maruska about the trips, it was immediately clear to me that she was the most knowledgeable agent I had talked to so far.

She efficiently helped me put together my dream trip to Africa, and also helped me to prepare for the trip. Many thanks to her for being unfailingly responsive to my many emails about the practical details of traveling in Africa (money, vaccinations, clothing, etc.).

I'm already looking forward to my next trip to Africa!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No suggestions, as I felt that the service was outstanding." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari

"Sabina Hekandjo has been absolutely great (perfect). We have had the best holiday." Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 17 on a Namibia trip

"We really enjoyed every day of our trip and appreciated the professionalism of Expert Africa and its team. We've been travelling a lot throughout the world and we have always organized our trips ourselves. This was our first attempt to use a travel agency, due to lack of time. We had sought many offers before we decided for Expert Africa and we do not regret.

We had a special vision of what we wanted the trip and accommodations to be and we must say that Sabina managed to find the right components. The highlight being Turnstone Tour to Sandwich Harbour. The most stressful part being the drop off of the car in Kasane.

All in all a wonderful, memorable trip." Read full review: 19 nights in Africa; 12 on a Namibia trip

"Claire Scott helped me plan this safari and she did a fantastic job.

I was very pleased with everything to do with the logistics, the flights, the camps, etc. The transfers went off without a hitch and it was a lot of fun.

When planning another safari, I would definitely use Expert Africa and Claire again." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zimbabwe safari

"The biggest glitch were the transfers. These were sub-contracted so many times that who was coming when was almost always uncertain. Those who were to come did not always know that they were supposed to.

There's no getting around the fact that Vic Falls airport is a pain in the bum. Long delays and a completely unhelpful immigration staff." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 5 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Maruska listened to our preferences and designed our perfect trip. Every camp offered something unique. We honestly would not have changed anything -- okay, other than a desire to "magically" transport from the U.S. to Maun and back. ;-)

The camps were a perfect succession from semi-rustic to start and finishing with pure pure luxury." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Botswana safari

"It was one of the most memorable holidays we have had. Everything was in line with or better than expectations. I think the key to Expert Africa's success is knowing about all the country's facilities firsthand, and then taking care to understand what the client really wants from the holiday. Because this happened, we had no unpleasant surprises, and may pleasant ones.

The balance of time we spent in each place was perfect, and therefore gave us a wide range of experiences in the time available.

The car hire was a success. I think for the gravel roads, the Nissan X-trail is a must, rather than a saloon, and people should be encouraged to take one. The Budget car we had was not provided with a second spare wheel, as had been booked. The manager was apologetic, but said the wheel he intended to supply was damaged. He then rightly said (as it turned out) that with it being the dry season, with no potholes, and with sensible driving, we should have no problem. In fact we had no tyre problems at all. I think in the dry season a second wheel is perhaps overcautious. Very comfortable car, with plenty of space for both people and luggage.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Hard to think of anything. Just keep visiting places, listen to feedback and ensure you understand what is important for the client (even if he doesn't know himself!)" Read full review: 20 nights in Africa; 16 on a Namibia trip