Expert Africa Traveller Reviews

I arrived in Ndutu the day before Valentine's day and was picked up by my guide at the air strip. I was a little concerned that I wasn't going to the right camp as all the guides approached people saying just the name of the camp they were from. I thought I had got it right, but I wasn't sure. I would have felt more relaxed if the guide had addressed me by name. We set off straight away for a game drive which was brilliant after being cooped up inside small aircraft for about 4 hours. I was asked what animals I would like to see and my request to see a cheater was met. A nice surprise on the way to the camp was that we stopped in the middle of nowhere to celebrate a 60th birthday with champagne and cake and other camp guests. This was a great way to break the ice and meet fellow campers. The staff were very attentive, topping my glass and plate up as soon as it was empty and bringing me a blanket when they saw I was shivering a little. I enjoyed a pre dinner drink around the camp fire and then dinner under the stars. I was little anxious on retiring to my tent that I would be cold as the temperature had dropped and the wind was getting up and I had not brought pyjamas or any thing warm. So I was delighted when slipping in to bed to find a hot bottle which kept me as warm as toast. The next morning I was awoken with coffee and heart shaped biscuits and a greeting of 'Happy Valentine's day'. It was 5am and the sky was star studded, it was mesmerising. We set off to the hot air balloon site, but as the sun began to rise so the fog descended. I was devastated when our pilot told us we would not be able to take off and he would have to cancel the flight. Then after 10 minutes or so hanging around despondently he shouted out 'all aboard' and we were off gliding higher and higher in to the sky, the fog of just minutes before a distant memory. The visibility was amazing. We saw some wild life, but just the feeling of floating in the sky over vast expanses of nothingness was incredible.We were in the air for an hour and a half and then landed to be offered cold champagne before moving on to our breakfast spot. A temporary kitchen had been set up in the middle of nowhere and our table laid under the shade of a tree. We were offered tea or coffee, fresh fruit juice, a selection of fruits, freshly baked bread and a full English breakfast plus more champagne nicely chilled. Once breakfast was over I was transported to join the rest of my group and although a little disappointed that I had missed seeing the birthing of many baby wildebeast, was consoled when we stumbled upon the migration, thousands of wildebeest as far as the eye could see. think this was my best Valentine's day ever. I would say to those travelling alone that although many people think of safaris as being for honeymooners they are perfect for single travellers. You never feel alone, you are treated like royalty and in the intimacy of the jeep all barriers are broken down. The next morning I had one last short game drive before catching my flight, I had no particular expectations, it was just nice to be out in the wild a few hours longer. Then an amazing thing happened, we came upon a lone baby wildebeest, only hours old with low life expectancy as easy prey for lions and cheaters. It attached itself to our jeep for protection and together with two other jeeps we tried to lead it to the safety of a herd of adult wildebeest. It followed behind us skipping and jumping, running fast until exhaustion took over and it all but gave up. We stopped to allow it to rest and got out of the jeep for a couple of minutes to stretch our legs. The little calf come up to me and began nuzzling my leg and butting me. At that point I knew if we didn't save it I would be heart-broken. We set off again, and then, in the distance, like coming upon an oasis we saw a small herd of male adults with one female. What happened next I will remember for ever. The herd saw the calf and lifted their heads standing stock still and alert, then in unison they began to canter towards the baby, surrounding it with the protection of their bodies. It played with the male adults butting them and being pushed over and then suckled on the female. We had done it- the baby was safe. I can without doubt say this has been the experience of a lifetime. If I were to give any advice at all to any one venturing on their first safari, it would be to have no expectations, don't go looking for anything in particular, just slowly meander through the bush, enjoy the wide open spaces and any animals you come upon and wait for the 'wild' to surprise you. I didn't see a 'birthing' but what I did see and experience was unique and unforgettable.

James was excellent from beginning to start. He even got the camp to agree to waive the single supplement for which I was very grateful. I would definitely use Expert Africa again and would ask for James.

A Trip to South Africa by Expert Africa , more than exceeded our expectations . we shall continue to use this quality company.

Our 10th trip with Expert Africa , Total Quality

Our trip was to 3 different camps in Kenya. (Offbeat Meru in Meru, Kicheche Laikipia in Ol Pejeta and Kicheche Bush in Olare Motorogi. We were very happy with each of the camps, food was excellent (as non-meat eaters we were very well catered for), guiding and wildlife viewing was excellent. All arrangements worked very smoohly. We had a wonderful trip.

The tour operator was very careful to listen to our requirementsand was very keen to find out what we wanted from the trip. They were very knowledgeable, having visited the camps themselves. Advice was very good. It is the second time we have used Expert Africa, and we will use them again.

We were extremely pleased with the prompt response, efficiently organized tour and great properties that were booked for us by Expert Africa. All facets of our trip were well coordinated, with the transfers between camps and airports waiting for us with a name placard and a friendly person. This has been our sixth safari and one of the best we have experienced. We would go with Expert Africa again and recommend them to our friends. We had not been to Kenya since 2001, but would definitely return.

Eleanor was very prompt with answering our questions and designed our safari just the way we had suggested to her. All the information that we needed for our trip was provided.

Knowledgeable about the places we planned to visit so that we were able to stay in a variety of locations, spending enough time in each to enjoy the area/activities.

A fantastic place to relax, regroup and reflect upon two weeks of had graft safari'ing. We were desperately in need of peace and quiet and looking after following 15 days of intense travelling and early morning starts and trekking up volcanoes and the like.

Expert Africa NEVER disappoint - they are knowledgable, experienced individuals who can be relied upon to deliver a professional, insightful and highly considered set of options for the client to decide on what type of experience they want at a price which fits their budget

Good quality throughout Namibia. Magnificent scenery. Good advice from Expert Africa.

Expert Africa were very helpful and put together a good programme. Good back up service on the ground throughout Namibia. Their representative was most helpful with minor car hire problems.

Gorillas in Rwanda followed by a safari in Selous, Tanzania - absolutely everything went according to plan - fantastic

Couldn't have been more helpful, efficient and knowledgeable - so happy to give them top rating.

Our trip to Rwanda to see the Golden Monkeys and Mountain Gorillas was perhaps, the most wonderful trip we have ever made. We enjoyed every second and came home wanting to return.

We cannot thank Expert Africa enough for their superb service. Everything was very well organised and communicated to us. We would strongly recommend them and will certainly use them again.

With ten days to spend on holiday in Kenya during the rainy season at short notice, we turned to Expert Africa to roganise something. They gave us a few recommendations of things we didn't know about or hadn't done before on previous visits to Kenya. The Emakoko was a real fibnd, a loverly safari lodge, with a real safari vibe in Nairobi national park. Food was good, ambience was lovely and this is a fantastic place to spend time near the main airport. From there, we felw to Laikipia to stay at Laikipia Wilderness. The camp is lovely but perhaps visually not the most lovely in the area. However, the exprience was world class if you want to be immersed into the wilderness experience. Guiding was great, the wildife was varied and the chance to view wild dogs really up close was wonderful. Honestly, if you want a relaxed experience, good guiding and to forget about the real world, this place is it. From there we went on to Saruni Samburu, a complete contrast. Seeing this place at the start fo the rainy season was interesting, like being in a BBC wildlife documentary, as colours changed and the wildlife woke up. The lodge itself is truly spectacular: the photos on their website do not lie.

Richard Trillo at Expert Africa write the Rough guide to Kenya, so is truly an expert. He was spot on in his recommendations, efficient and helpful. Pricing was exactly what we expected for the lodges we had chosen. We have used Expert Africa before for Zambia and elsewhere and have always been impressed.