Expert Africa Traveller Reviews

Amboseli is, of course, best known (and rightly so) for its iconic vistas and wonderful elephants. But it should also be highly rated for its birdlife, the primary aim of our trip. We opted for six nights (more than the norm based on what we saw of other guests while we were there) in part because of the frequency of Kenya Airways flights from Livingstone (where we live) and in part because we wanted to have a decent break and really explore Amboseli and the Selenkay Conservation Area where Porini is based. We are also very interested in camps which are owned and (largely) run by the local community. this being the fourth at which we have stayed in Kenya. Six nights was not too long. This is not a high end camp. But it is comfortable and offers good standards of service. Acting Manager Daniel did an excellent job while we were there, keeping everything running smoothly. In the mess tent, John ensured that drinks and meals were well provided in a timely manner. All the staff were friendly and helpful. The Conservation Area is a very worthy and well run project. From next to nothing two decades ago the community has created a hub for a whole range of animals - including four of the 'big five'. The game is plentiful and habituated, attracted by permanent water. It lives alongside the Masai cattle which are protected by the lion guardians whose job it is not only to protect the lions but also to keep distance between the two prides and the cattle herds, thereby avoiding clashes between the people and the cats. The area offers several micro-environments which means that there is a great range of birds there. Add to this Amboseli NP itself, less than an hour drive away, and it isn't surprising that we logged 214 species in our six-night stay, despite being out of peak (ie inward migration) season. All in all, strongly recommended both in its own right and as a base for exploring the NP. Principally on Expert Africa's recommendation we paid for private guiding by Wilson for the five full days of our six night stay. As it was we had the benefit of his expertise for seven days, ie from when we landed at Amboseli at 0830 on Day 1 until our flight back to Nairobi departed at 1530 after our final night. We also did some 'homework' before our departure and discovered. among other positives, in the process that Conde Nast named Wilson as one of the five best of the 'next generation' of guides in 2013; based on our experience on safari over the past 11 years this accolade was well deserved. Other than our two days in Amboseli itself, we spent a good deal of the time walking with him in the Selenkay conservation area where Porini Amboseli is situated. After a phenomenally successful first birding day (112 in total including 80-odd in Amboseli NP) we set ourselves a target of 200 species for the totality of our stay, a challenge which Wilson was more than happy to take on and which we hit on the morning of our final full day (we finished at 214 including 17 lifers). Wilson deserves much of the credit for this; indeed, I don't recall a single bird we set out to find which he didn't manage to track down except a Brown Snake Eagle (a species which is plentiful where we live in any case). He has a phenomenal ear as well as outstanding vision, skills which are enhanced by his familiarity with all corners of his 'back yard'. When we were on the truck, Wilson was aided by our excellent driver Malita. They are a well-established and formidable team and we greatly enjoyed our time with them both. In between birding, the two of them also put us in front of a good range of mammals - 30 species in all including close encounters with lions, hyenas and, of course, the wonderful elephants.

My wife, Clare, and I first traveled with Expert Africa in 2006 when we returned to live in London from New York. It was Clare's first visit to Africa and I really wanted it to make a good impression on her so spent some time researching agents before plumping for EA. We went to Ruaha and Selous in southern Tanzania and Clare fell in love with Africa. By late 2009 and our fourth trip with EA she had decided that she wanted to live here and we finally relocated to Livingstone Zambia in mid-2015. We have now made 20 trips with EA (with a 21st coming up in August) and have never had anything other than 24 carat service and great vacations We have also recommended EA to friends on many occasions and those who have followed up have not been disappointed.

We wanted to spend a few days in the Makgadikgadi area of Botswana before meeting up with some friends for another, longer trip. Rich from Expert Africa suggested a stay to meet our requirements and answered lots of questions. When we arrived in Botswana we were met and flown out to Camp Kalahari, where everything surpassed our expectations - perfectly organised, very comfortable, superb food, expert guides and friendly staff.

Rich from Expert Africa clearly knew the area and the options we were interested in. He was able to answer questions and arrange everything so the whole trip ran smoothly - we could have kept our eyes closed all the time and still arrived safely.

Our experience of three trips there tells us that holidays to the Kgalagadi Transnational Park in Southern Africa are difficult for us to put together independently. Hence I invariably consult the experts and I know that of UK firms nobody has better experience and expertise in this area than Expert Africa. They put together a package that gave us an 18 day holiday including 12 nights in the park and hence the opportunity to see the game and bird life of that extraordinary area. They do the necessary research on the places we are to visit and the routes we should take so I travel full of confidence - rather important for those of us of advancing years!

Expert Africa. I use nobody else for my regular trips to Southern Africa

Traveled with one other person May 17-June4 2017 to Botswana,Zambia and Malawi. All arrangements ran smoothly and lodging was more impressive than expected. The food was not as good as our other trips-seemed less fresh and not as much variety but the excellent staff made up for it

I used Expert Africa because I had used them previously for our trip to Botswana and Cape Town and was extremely please with their expertise and price. This trip ran as smoothly and efficiently as the previous one. I recommended friends who also used them in May and they were also very pleased.

A documentary feature on TV inspired us to embark on a walking safari in Zimbabwe. After much research we decided on Camp Hwange, Bush Camp and Victoria Falls. Expert Africa helped us immensely in this process. We have done mountaineering holidays, driving holidays and beach holidays around the globe and safari holidays in Asia; but this African Safari has been one of the better ones.

Right from the time we reached out to Expert Africa to plan our trip, till the time we confirmed our itinerary and made the bookings, Expert Africa helped us plan each step meticulously. They also helped us make better decisions. They were considerate in their pricing and were able to accommodate certain last minute changes. Our experience was as exactly as they had promised - great ! Extremely happy with the overall service provided by Expert Africa. We absolutely recommend Expert Africa as travel consultants if one is planning a holiday in Africa.

Once upon a time, like fifty years ago, I lived in Africa but hadn't returned until last month. Now with my husband, a reluctant traveler, and our two young adult children, both eager travelers, we planned a safari to Zambia. I selected Zambia based on its description as having the highest density of animals and the lowest number of tourists, for I wanted to introduce my family to as authentic an African experience as possible, and to me, this meant getting close to the soil. (However, the reluctant traveler in our family would never agree to camping, so "close to the soil" came to be interpreted as a remote and secluded location, even if we always had solid flooring under us at nighttime.) I approached Expert Africa with dreams accumulated over 50 years of waiting, and remarkably, each dream was met. In addition, everyone in the family fell under Africa's spell, even the reluctant traveler. Expert Africa put together an ideal travel package for our family--we started in Livingstone, spent several days memorized by Victoria Falls and exploring local markets, and then flew to South Luangwa National Park, where we did two different safaris. Both experiences were excellent, although quite different one from the other. Both safaris were pretty much exactly as I anticipated they would be, for our tour operator had described them accurately and provided us with detailed information so as to minimize any possible misunderstanding as to what the trip would hold. We saw beautiful sunsets, majestic skies, spectacular stars, wild animals close enough to touch, and unforgettable guides and camp operators. Our travel arrangements and accommodations were precisely communicated to us and unfolded flawlessly. With any luck, I won't have to wait another 50 years before taking my next safari, but this one was definitely worth the wait. And in case it's not obviously apparent, I would never consider using an operator other than Expert Africa.

We dealt with Maruska Adye at Expert Africa. The first time I spoke with her, I talked for 15 minutes telling her my hopes and dreams for our safari, or, as it was referenced in the family, Mom's Dream Trip to Africa. After I finished, she said she'd like to make sure she understood what I'd said, and in 3 minutes flat she not only summarized what I'd said but also captured thoughts that I hadn't yet verbalized. In each of my subsequent dealings with her, she showed herself to be patient, resourceful, efficient, knowledgeable, and unceasingly pleasant! My husband, the reluctant traveler, was an initial skeptic about the trip, so I suggested he talk with Maruska. Within minutes after the conversation began, Maruska had calmed all of his anxieties simply with her impressive knowledge and professionalism. Early in the trip, in Livingstone, our daughter became suddenly ill, and the medic recommended we delay our trip to Mfuwe by a day. Within an hour after I sent an SOS to her, Maruska telephoned me back and within a second hour, she had made all of the necessary changes to our schedule. Maruska gets total credit for the unqualified success of our trip, and if I could deal only with her on all of our future trips, I would be supremely happy. She has the full endorsement of our family.

Our Holiday consisted of Safari at Beho Beho, Tanzania - then a beach holiday in an eco-lodge in Zanzibar and then a few days in Stone Town enjoying both the atmosphere and its fascinating heritage. All totally different experiences but together giving us a very real understanding of Africa.

Expert Africa. Cannot praise this operator high them enough. Listened to what we wanted and delivered a holiday that was both high quality,spectacular and memorable.

Expert Africa designed a custom safari, based around the Patterson experience with the "Maneaters of Tsavo" and the railway bridge he built in 1898. Also, added hunting for spitting cobras, and maneless male lions. Everything was done in the best way, with the most success.

I have gone with Expert Africa three times now. I normally use a tour operator only once, but Expert Africa has gone out of it's way to design custom safari's for me. (Another tour operator called me a nightmare, and accidentally sent me the E-mail with that statement in it. The statement is true -- I am hard to work with.)

The agent organised a very detailed trip and we drove from Windhoek to the south and then along the coast up to the National Park.

Expert Africa were excellent and we would not hesitate to recommend them.

We recently undertook a self drive holiday touring Namibia, Botswana, and Victoria Falls. From our prospective we felt we were privileged to experience these three wonderful countries, and enjoy the sights and sounds as we travelled through them.

Expert Africa. This is the 2nd time I have used this company, I found them to be excellent at every level of the service they provide.