Zimbabwe: reviews from our travellers

"We were overall very happy with the service from start to finish by Expert Africa and all the arranged accommodations and transfers. We would have had a terrible time planning the transfers ourselves and are thankful we used such a competent, knowledgeable booking agent. Maruska, our handling agent, was professional and prompt and very detailed. The only suggestion again would be for a heads-up on the activities & possible multiple visas at Victoria Falls.

We really enjoyed our trip, and while we planned out the basic areas we wanted to visit, ExpertAfrica was able to help us connect the dots and help make our trip that much better. The areas we visited were truly wonderful.

FYI, since we had a large party, all three children (two aged 7 and one aged 2.5) were able to attend the game drives at Sandibe because we had our own party and own vehicle. Our kids had a wonderful time and loved the safaris (as did we) and with all the smooth transfers, we were happy that everything went according to plan. (Also, children under 3 were free for activities that allowed children at Victoria Falls, which made our helicopter ride over the Falls slightly less $ painful!)

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

Tipping policies are still a bit of a mystery for us, as there is always a great variable involved as far as how the service was. I'm not sure if guidelines for each area of travel is feasible, but it would be helpful to find out what other visitors tipped." Read full review: 5 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"I look forward to another trip to Africa and would definitly recommend Expert Africa and Maruska Adye to my friends.

She is knowlegeable about the countries we visited, patinet with questions, and fast in her responses." Read full review: 22 nights in Africa; 6 on a Botswana safari

"This was an excellent trip. I was travellilng alone I would really recommend it for other solo travellers.

Everything worked like clockwork, I was well looked after by camp staff and guides and had some great experiences. Because the camps are small and organised so that you all eat together I met some really interesting people and had a great time.

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

You might add that it is worth taking a beanie hat for the cold - I had to buy one in the Kalahari. Also not being used to taiylor made trips I needed to ask if I had to get a taxi from Victoria Falls Airport to my hotel - it was not clear from the itinerary that there would be driver there for me. Otherwise it was all fine." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 11 on a Botswana safari

"This was a fairly last minute trip that I decided upon between leaving one job and starting the next and was designed to draw a line under the former and refresh me in preparation for the latter. It worked a treat.

The arrangements through Expert Africa were simple despite a change of schedule due to availability, communications were easy - mostly email with the occasional phone call, and everything went to plan whilst I was there, with all transfers working perfectly.

I normally plan and book my own holidays directly but as this was my first time in Africa, I wanted some local knowledge and expertise, and Expert Africa provided this to make it all painless. I don't hesitate to recommend them." Read full review: 8 nights in Africa; 3 on a Botswana safari

"As first-time safari travellers with 2 young kids, there were a few nerves as we stepped off the plane in Johannesburg, but all the detailed planning worked beautifully and the whole trip was executed incredibly well." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Another fantastic trip, our third one with Expert Africa, thanks Ellie!

This was a longer trip (2 weeks) visiting two Countries and several places. This involved a lot of organization and we are once again impressed by how well every little details is sorted in advance. We spent a lot of time asking Ellie a million questions and debating about options and she never ever gets tired of answering my emails...and usually in a matter of hours if not minutes! Every suggestion she gives us is great.

Having been to Tanzania previously in June, we wanted to see different places and the green season. The landscape is fantastic and as expected it is a bit harder to see animals, but we still saw a lot. Of course this is not the best season for walks, as it is a bit hot (at least for us) and some roads and area are not accessible or not safe for walking but we did enjoy morning walks. The bonus is there are very few people and you have the places for yourself.

The game behaviour is very different in South Luangwa and Hwange: in SL they are almost tame, for example impala are in the middle of the road and do not move away from you, while in Hwange they are more skittish. On the other hand Hwange feels a lot wilder (even if they created artificial waterholes). It is good to see different places and landscapes and their contrasts.

We got the biggest safari bug and we are already dreaming about another trip, with Expert Africa of course!

As a last comment I would like to add that everywhere we went everyone (including a couple of tour operator from Australia) spoke highly of the Expert Africa team, not surprisingly!

Thanks a million!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

No matter how hard I think I cannot find any suggestion- no need to improve!" Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zambia safari

"great" Read full review: 6 nights in Africa; 5 on a Botswana safari

"We booked this trip (unusually for us) at very short notice but EA was able to come up with an itinerary which totally matched our parameters and which worked out extremely well (including the potentially tricky issue of crossing the Zam/Zim border twi ce with different carriers on each side). We were very happy with the whole experience

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

As mentioned in feedback from previous trips we do think the website could be usefully updated more frequently. But we would congratulate you on the 2011 brochure which is a step up from the still very good 20010 version." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari

"Our trip was absolutely brilliant.

Everywhere we went there was someone waiting to collect us and carry our bags to our next destination. It was extremely well-organised with a good blend of different activities / game / environments.

Thank you Lucy for putting it all together for us, we can't thank you enough! We will be back I am sure!

Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:

N/A" Read full review: 10 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari

"Just one dissatisfaction - not all of our car transport turned up on time, and indeed the first one did not turn up at all.

One major recommendation - go in November! It is supposedly low season, but we saw a huge amount and had a fantastic time, with the greatly added benefit of having the vehicles and often camp to ourselves in the vast majority of places.

We have never been on an organised tour holiday, so I was apprehensive that we would be herded around like pack animals and miss out on the unique experience you get when you travel individually. This was not the case. I was very happy with Expert Africa and would certainly use you again if we booked another luxury trip." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 8 on a Botswana safari