Nick has been superb from start to finish. He listened very carefully to what we were looking for and came up with the perfect itinerary - Mdonye Old River Camp and Lake Manze and organised everything... See more
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Despite having traveled a good bit, African trip planning can be confusing and complicated. We looked at many companies, but none compared to Nick's personal touch. We spoke at length with him and he... See more
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We're a family of 4 and had a reasonable budget for our safari / beach holiday. I originally reached out to a larger travel group, who priced the holiday that we wanted but the cost exceeded our budge... See more
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The Africa Specialists provided detailed information online about all the options for our safari in southern Tamzania: places to go, when, why, where to stay etc. So we were able to research all the o... See more
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Company details
About The Africa Specialists
Written by the company
The Africa Specialists
Having created luxury, tailormade safari trips to East and Southern Africa since 2010, The Africa Specialists offers a bespoke and best in class safari planning service for those looking for their trip of a lifetime! (and we hope that our Trustpilot reviews reflect this!)
We all travel regularly to each of the countries that we sell and so know the camps, guides and areas like the back of our hands. This knowledge (and over 20 years of industry experience) allows us to offer a truly personalised service from start to finish.
When combined with our full ATOL bonding, 24/7 helpline and outstanding in-country contacts, we feel that our service is second to none in the market.
Why book with the Africa Specialists?
Please feel free to give us a call or get in touch through our website. We look forward to helping you plan your next adventure to Africa!
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
CONTACT US >>Contact info
Houghton Farm, MK45 2EZ, Ampthill, United Kingdom
- 01525840149
- info@theafricaspecialists.com
- www.theafricaspecialists.com
4.9
Excellent
133 reviews
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Basics done at an excellent level
Nick is extremely knowledgeable about Africa, the bush, the culture and most importantly the lodges and the logistics of getting us around safely.
We have used Nick's services since 2017, on every occasion, Nick has supplied an excellent service, reserving the suites in the lodge, arranging private transfers, but most importantly, providing us with the history and background of the places we decide to visit.
Some folks, may want to try and plan their own trips to Africa, I can understand the adventure, but putting the distance from the UK and the expense into perspective and without risking the potential for disappointment, we firmly believe our visits have been safe and very memorable, because we trust Nick.
22 June 2026
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Andrew,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us and thank you so much for trusting us to put together your trips to Africa over the last almost 10 years!
It has been a real pleasure, as always, to help you get everything in place each time including this most recent trip back to Simbavati. It sounded like the wildlife and overall service levels were up to their very high standards once again! I will be sure to pass on your feedback.
We look forward to your next trip with us in September and to helping you again in the future.
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Nick has been superb from start to…
Nick has been superb from start to finish. He listened very carefully to what we were looking for and came up with the perfect itinerary - Mdonye Old River Camp and Lake Manze and organised everything from flights to transfers to help with the information for visas to every question we had (and there were many). We look forward to him working with us for more trips and would recommend him to anyone thinking of going to Africa whether for safari or a combination trip. Thank you!
28 February 2026
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Helen (not sure where your signature name of "not good" came from!:)),
Thank you very much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us to Tanzania it was great to hear that you had a good time and that it lived up to the expectations!
As we discussed, it has been a strange and wet start to the year this year but I am very glad to hear that the rains didn't affect the trip too much and I was particularly pleased to hear that you managed to see wild dog at Manze (and also managed to meet Malcolm).
It was a pleasure to have been able to help with everything and I hope you all have a great 2026 and look forward to hearing back should you need a hand with another trip to Africa (or South America).
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Kenya short notice travel plans
I contacted Nick at Africa Specialists at very short notice with specific dates in mind for a trip to Kenya. I was going to be travelling solo. He was able to pull me an itinerary together that covered every detail of my needs for the trip including internal flights. It was very well-coordinated and I felt very comfortable and secure throughout. The choice of safari camp was excellent and well-considered.
14 February 2026
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Teresa,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us!
It was a real pleasure to have been able to help and i am really glad that you enjoyed your time in Ol Seki and that they made you feel welcome. I have passed on your feedback to the camp and they are also really happy that you chose to stay with them.
We look forward to hearing from you again in the future should you ever want to head back to Kenya or Africa.
Have a great 2026,
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
From start to finish first class
From start to finish Nick listens to what your holidays needs are, improves on what your expectations are and delivers the lift time experiences that you never forget. He guided us into a perfect honeymoon holiday 10 years ago and was the only person we trusted to look after our 10 year wedding anniversary return trip.
14 September 2025
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi James,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us back to Tanzania! It was great to have been able to help you all this time later...it was a pleasure, again, to have been able to put it all together for you.
As always, the praise should mainly go to the properties and staff on the ground who work so hard to make these trips so memorable but I was so glad to hear that you had such a good time...particularly in Ikuka!
I look forward to hearing from you again in the future for the next big milestone! :)
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Nick devised the perfect 3+ week safari…
Nick, of The Africa Specialists, devised the perfect 3+ week safari vacation: four different camps, each with distinct geography, plants, animals and birds (some overlap, of course) for four very different experiences. Superb guiding at each camp. We beganin the Ruaha with innumerable sightings of easily approached animals. We spent eight days at the first cam in the south where we saw almost everything imaginable, (including five different leopards, a trio of which were seen from the camp’s reading room at dusk one evening) and four wonderful days in the north of the park at a small, luxurious compound where walking safaris can be done, and bush skills developed. Then four days in Katavi National Park, with hippos, crocs and innumerable water birds, before heading back east to Nyerere (Selous) N.P. where it’s possible to stay within easy striking distance of many different eco zones - plains, River, lake, woods and tropical forest. Blue and Colobus monkeys!
With the exception of cheetahs, wild dogs and rhino, we saw (almost) everything to be seen in these parks along with almost half the birds resident in Tanzania.
Nick handled all arrangements but our international air travel, beginning and ending with transportation from the airport in Dar. Everything went off seemlessly. Hotel in Dar, internal flights, special diets arranged in camps (and special events as well!) with private guides, attention to the birdwatching we desired, and a perfect selection of camps … all accomplished with patience, good humour, and somehow, better pricing than any other tour operator we talked to.
We couldn’t be more delighted
2 September 2025
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Victor,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a detailed and comprehensive review of your trip...I am so glad to hear that it went as well as it did...yours was an exceptional itinerary and had you visiting some of my very favourite locations and camps in Africa...I was very jealous! :)
I have passed on all of your feedback to the properties who are, of course, the main reason that these trips often work as well as they do. It was a real pleasure to have helped you putting it all together and we look forward to hearing back from you again in the future should you ever want to look at another trip to Africa (or South America).
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Dream Honeymoon Safari
We booked our dream honeymoon safari through Nick and were blown away by his immense experience and expertise. The whole process was seamless from start to finish. Nick was hugely tolerant of our endless questions and super responsive throughout. He recommended the Ubuntu Migration Camp (Asilia Africa), which was pure heaven and suited us and our requirements so well. Everything ran like clockwork from the minute we landed in Tanzania. All the internal flights were also handled by Nick, and I was especially grateful that Nick went above and beyond to ensure that our return flight on the bush plane had as few stops as possible, on account of my airsickness. It was "hakuna matata" all the way, as we knew we were in a very safe pair of hands and travelled without a care in the world! A million thank yous to Nick & team! 100% recommend!
9 October 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Dawn,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your special trip and it was a real pleasure to have been able to help you put everything together! :)
It was really pleasing to hear that you had had such a memorably time and, air travel not-withstanding, a huge amount of praise goes to the staff anf guides in Ubuntu...and the wildlife of course!
We wish you the very best with your new adventure and look forward to hearing from you again in the future should you ever want to consider another trip to Africa (or South America).
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Great East africa experience
Nick brilliantly arranged a bolt on trip to a family wedding in Kenya and he organised all really well and it went without a hitch!
29 September 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi!
Thank you very much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent triup with us to Lamu, it was a pleasure to ahve been able to help you put it together.
It was very good to hear that you had a good time at the wedding and afterwards on the coast. I have passed on your feedback to the property.
I hope you have a great rest of 2025 and into 2026 and look forward to hearing from you again in the future if you need a hand with any return trips to Africa or, indeed, South America.
Best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Genuine expertise with extraordinary customer care
After many years we finally made it to the Northern Serengeti to successfully witness the great migration, river crossings and more. This was never going to be a budget trip and what we hoped to see was never going to be guaranteed. In other words there was risk. However it soon became clear that Nick (who quite obviously loves Africa) has a wealth of experience of the area, the camps and more. In fact far more experience than most. We felt 100% confident in Nicks guidance and recommendations on where to go, when to go and where to stay. He has as they say walked the walk. Nothing was ever too much trouble and every detail was expertly handled. Thank you so much.
10 September 2025
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi David,
Thank you very much for taking the time to write a few words about your long awaited trip to the Serengeti...we got there in the end! :)
It was really pleasing to hear that you had had a good trip and that it lived up to expectations. As you say, there are plenty of moving parts with these things but I was really glad that the herds and the camp performed as hoped.
It was a real pleasure to have helped you put this together and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future with a potential trip to Zambia! :)
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Best holiday we have ever had.
Had an absolutely awesome, fabulous holiday organised by Nick. The safari itself was just so wonderful -beyond both of our hopes.Our guide was simply the nicest and most knowledgeable man - hugely tolerant of my endless questions.Our stay in Zanzibar was equally flawless on every front -we returned home having been so spoilt and cared for.Would highly recommend the knowledge and flawless organisational skill of this company.
11 September 2025
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Dear Nicola,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us to Tanzania! It is great to hear that you had a good time and we have made sure to pass on your feedback to everyone on the ground who make these trips so special. :)
It was a real pleasure to have helped you put everything together and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future should you need a hand with another trip to Africa (or a new one to South America!).
All the best,
Nick and the team @TheAfricaSpecialists
Best service, best price....
We're a family of 4 and had a reasonable budget for our safari / beach holiday. I originally reached out to a larger travel group, who priced the holiday that we wanted but the cost exceeded our budget. I decided to write to the safari lodge and ask for recommended UK travel agents and that's how I came across Nick, The Africa Specialists. I am so glad I contacted him. He helped with the logictics and planning flights etc. and managed to save us around £4,000 for the exact same holiday. We had an unforgettable holiday and I have already spoken to Nick to help plan another safari adventure next year!
11 September 2025
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Jane,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us to Beho Beho!
When you are staying in properties like Beho Beho in the south of Tanzania, it makes our job very easy indeed! It is such a wonderful camp and it was a pleasure to have been able to help you with putting the trip together.
It was really pleasing that you came back to us the other day to help with your special trip for next year, i have just sent you an email with some suggestions and really look forward to helping you with another trip.
Thanks again for the kind words,
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Working with Nick was excellent
Working with Nick was excellent. He listened to what type of travelers we are and made sure we made choices that suited our level of risk and adventure. We ended up changing our entire plans and selected very remote and less visited sites.
16 July 2025
BEST EXPERIENCE AND TRAVEL EXPERT
We had the absolute best experience booking our Africa trip to Tanzania with Nick! My partner had already travelled to Africa a few times and was familiar with the region, but when we turned to Nick for help, he truly went above and beyond.
Nick carefully put together an incredible itinerary for us, managing all the logistics seamlessly – from internal flights to two stunning safari lodges, and ending the trip with pure bliss on a private island. Everything ran like clockwork from the moment we arrived, and each place we stayed exceeded our expectations.
Thanks to Nick, we had the most unforgettable trip. His knowledge, attention to detail, and genuine care made all the difference. We would 100% recommend him to anyone planning an African adventure, and we’ll definitely be using him again for our next trip!
1 May 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us and it was great to hear that everything exceeded expectations! Of course, a huge amount of praise needs to go to the properties and staff on the ground and we will be passing on your feedback to them...but it is also really pleasing to hear that we are managing to keep standards as high as possible! :)
It was a real pleasure to have helped you with your special trip and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future with any further travel to Africa (or South America).
Have a great rest of 2025 and onward,
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
We had the most amazing experience with…
We had the most amazing experience with The Africa Specialists. We really appreciated the personalized advice and recommendations that resulted in the perfect trip for us. Communications were smooth, prompt, and always helpful. We look forward to working with The Africa Specialists again.
1 July 2025
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi D'Ann,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few thoughts about your recent (and second) trip with us...this time to a different continent! :)
It was great to hear that you had a good time, in particular with the gorillas...what a special experience that is. I have passed on your feedback to our partners and staff on the ground, they will be very happy that you had such a good time.
As always, it was a real pleasure to have been able to help you again and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future for any other travel plans to Africa or South America.
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Creating the perfect match
Nick gave us very considered advice and recommendations for our trip to Tanzania, we couldn't have been happier with Lake Manze Camp - it was the perfect pick for us in terms of duration and activities - truly the stuff of dreams!!! Great communication and organisation of the necessary flights and transfers, we cannot recommend Nick's service and Lake Manze Camp highly enough!!!
13 June 2025
Unprompted review
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Rachel,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip to Tanzania with us...you beat me to it as I was due to send you an email today to check on how it all went! :)
It is great to hear that you had a good time and that Lake Manze lived up to expectations...it is such a great little camp and perfect for getting some close and personal game viewing and immersion in African nature! I will pass on your feedback to them as they are, of course, the ones that make these trips to special.
It was a real pleasure to have helped you all with the trip and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future if you need any help with travel to Africa (or South America).
Have a great rest of 2025!
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Perfect Honeymoon
We booked our honeymoon through Nick at the Africa Specialist - brilliant service throughout and he gave us great advice on safari options in Southern Tanzania as well as the right hotel to finish our trip in luxury in Zanzibar. Would highly recommend the AS for your next trip to Africa.
25 December 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Kris,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us, it was a pleasure to help you start the new phase in your life! :)
As always, praise goes to all of those staff out in Africa that made your trip as memorable as it was and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future should you ever need any help with another trip back to Africa or, indeed, South America.
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Everything we wanted
A friendly and professional service throughout. The company provided a tailor-made itinerary to Sand Rivers Camp Tanzania and to Stone Town and a beach retreat in Zanzibar.
Communication and logistics were top notch.
Thank you so much NIck for all your attention to detail and hard work. Perfection.
JB Revill
31 October 2024
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi JB,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your experiences and your call the other day to talk through the trip, it is hugely appreciated.
I have already passed on your feedback to the properties and, as we discussed, so much of the praise goes to the staff and people of Tanzania and Zanzibar who make these trips possible! It was a real pleasure to have been able to help you with your trip and we look forward to hearing from you again in the future with any other trips to Africa or South America.
Have a great festive period,
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Fantastic bespoke African holidays
My wife and I received fantastic service from The Africa Specialists and it was in part thanks to previous Trust Pilot reviews that I decided to work with them when looking to book a safari and beach holiday in Tanzania.
We weren’t sure we could afford it but the company listened to our hopes and dreams before discussing budget and making clear recommendations to suit. The whole trip was out of this world and everything was tailored to our needs.
We had four mind blowing days at Lake Manze Camp, seeing African wildlife up close and personal, before moving to Zanzibar to enjoy the relaxation and natural beauty of a 5 star beach resort.
Highly recommended if you’re thinking of doing something similar as you’ll receive advice from people who know the destination very well.
1 November 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi John,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a review of your experiences using us for your trip to Africa!
It is really heartening to hear that you had a good time and, as you say, with prices in Africa only increasing year on year, it can be tricky to get both value for money along with an experience that you are hoping for. I am really glad that we managed to get the balance right for you this time and I will pass on your feedback to the properties and staff involved in making it so memorable for you.
We look forward to hearing from you again in the future should you ever need a hand with another trip to Africa (or with our sister company, to South America).
Have a great end to the year,
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Great itinerary, very responsive help
Nick and The Africa Specialists planned a wonderful itinerary for us, tuned to our specific interests (in our case, a preference for bird photography) but also including the best parts of Tanzania.
In addition to their helpful and timely communication, they also assisted mid-trip when our local Tanzanian local airline lost our bags and sent them to another city! Nick got our bags on the next flight back to their intended destination _on another airline_, and we had them back in 4 hours, after having completely written them off.
We will surely be sending folks to Nick and The Africa Specialists in future.
27 August 2024
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi John and Micah,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us to Tanzania! It was great to hear that, in the main, the trip went as well as you had hoped...as you say, wandering luggage is always a bit stressful but i am glad we managed to recitify the problem as quickly as possible.
It was a real pleasure to have helped you with your trip and look forward to hearing back in the future if you ever need a hand with travel to Africa or South America again.
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
The best African travel specialist
Despite having traveled a good bit, African trip planning can be confusing and complicated. We looked at many companies, but none compared to Nick's personal touch. We spoke at length with him and he helped fit our budget and desires into what was best for us. It was a super trip, which went flawlessly, despite being a bit complicated 4 country visit. He was instantly available for any questions or advice. I suggest you look no further if you want the best in travel services !
13 September 2024
Unprompted review
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Steve,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us and i was very happy to hear that it all went smoothly! As you say, it was a bit of a complex itinerary in the end and I will pass your feedback to everyone on the ground who will also be pleased that you had a good trip! :)
We look forward to helping you plan any future travels to Africa, it was a pleasure to have helped you both.
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
Great recommendation
We were recommended to use Nick at the Africa specialists by a friend and it was a great decision. Nick was always available with ideas for what safari camp would work for us and our beach vacation. We encountered a big problem with an internal flight when we were meant to be leaving Beho Beho which left us in a bit of a panic but Nick was able to get us on another flight the same day and get us to the next part of our holiday. We would thoroughly recommend Nick and the company for anyone looking for a safari experience.
7 September 2024
Reply from The Africa Specialists
Hi Anthony,
Thank you so much for taking the time to write a few words about your recent trip with us to Nyerere and Pemba Island! As you say, a bit of a hiccup in the middle of the itinerary led to a bit of last minute planning but i am glad that we managed to get it all sorted out quickly and that you could continue to enjoy your trip!
It was a pleasure to have helped you with getting it all together and we look forward to helping you again in the future with any other plans to Africa or South America.
All the best,
Nick and the team @The Africa Specialists
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