Travel reviews by Mr S & Ms B from UK

"Camp is simple but comfortable, tents are quite close together. Organisation and communication in the camp could have been better. Generally our dietary needs were catered for but there were some lapses.

Guiding was good.

The habitat around Selenkay is mostly scrub. Although the density of wildlife is not as great as the Mara, it is still interesting with a range of different species e.g. gerenuk and lesser kudu. Given this, in our opinion this camp is better visited at the start of a safari. Visiting the man-made waterhole added a lot to the stay.

The trip into Amboseli was enjoyable. In both Selenkay and Amboseli the birding was very good and we saw a number of large tuskers (elephants, not beers!)."

"Kicheche Mara has a beautiful setting along a small river. The tents are very well designed and well spread out. The camp is extremely well managed and run and Cerys is an excellent host. The whole staff team appeared to be very well trained and professional; they gave the impression that they genuinely wanted their guests to have a good experience.

Although the camp is very comfortable, the central focus remains on wildlife viewing; we really enjoyed having a bush breakfast each day, for example, rather than having to return to camp as with some other operators. The guiding was excellent and our guide (Saruni) was also very good at anticipating an animal's behaviour and so getting us in a position where the animal was walking towards us (rather than us chasing along behind, getting pictures of bottoms). He also understood the best angles for photography including the importance of light. The wildlife viewing was excellent.

The food was excellent and they were exceptional in how they coped with our complex dietary requirements. It became apparent that their team had discussed how they might do this in advance of our arrival. The chef at Kicheche Mara even phoned the chef at our next camp (Kicheche Valley) to advise him. All of this was very much appreciated.

We loved our stay at Kicheche Mara."

"Kicheche Valley has a good view over a valley with wildebeest, giraffe etc. walking through. The tents are very comfortable and well spaced. The camp was well-managed and run and the staff appeared to be well trained. In terms of front-of-house staff, Joyce and Maurice were very friendly and efficient and provided a very personal service.

The main focus of the camp remains on the wildlife viewing, with daily bush breakfasts, allowing us to stay out longer in the morning. Our guide, Bernard, was excellent and very knowledgeable about the wildlife and about positioning the vehicle for best views and best photographic opportunities. He seemed to know how close different species of mammal and bird would tolerate the vehicle. In addition, he paid attention to our interests. We like Kicheche vehicles as they are very open, it is possible to stand up in them and they are equipped with beanbags.

The food was excellent and we were very impressed with how they catered for our complex dietary needs.

We really enjoyed our stay at Kicheche Valley."

"Aero Club is in an excellent location. We arrived in Nairobi late in the evening and would leave next morning from Wilson Airport.
It is a very short taxi ride to Wilson so very convenient.

The rooms are fairly basic, but clean and fine. Breakfast was very good."

"We had a wonderful time at Offbeat Meru. It is a lovely camp and guiding was excellent. We really enjoyed long morning game drives with a bush breakfast. Food was very good, imaginative, and we were well catered for as non-meat eaters.

Meru is a beautiful park with very good wildlife viewing - it had surprisingly few visitors"

"An excellent camp, very comfortable, excellent food. We really appreciated the flexibility to focus on game viewing. We had a very good bush breakfast every day.

Guiding was superb. Ol Pejeta is a lovely area to visit (especially the quieter western side where the camp is located). We saw few other vehicles and wildlife viewing was excellent and varied. It was also very interesting to see how the conservancy model operated. Bean bags in the vehicle for photographers were much appreciated.

The camp make a big effort to make your stay special with personal attention."

"A very comfortable camp with excellent food.

Flexibility to focus on wildlife viewing was appreciated. Very good bush breakfast every day allowed long morning drives. Vehicles were excellent with good support and bean bags for photographers. Guiding was excellent. Wildlife viewing was very good. Very enjoyable."

"We were met at Mfuwe airport and the transfer to Nkwali was also a game drive.

The 5 chalets were well spaced, and we really liked that they were fully open at the front with good views overlooking the river. (There was a rule not to walk in front of the chalets to ensure privacy). They were large, spacious and airy. The front was closed at night with low railings and a curtain. Rooms had sockets for charging batteries.

The dining area was by a small lagoon – lunch was spent watching a large number of elephants coming to drink, bathe and wallow in the mud.

Food was excellent. We do not eat meat – staff knew this (although we always check when we arrive) and we were very well catered for.

Game drives were in open vehicles, giving a great view, and they were never “overfilled” – i.e. not more than 2 guests to a row.

Guiding and game viewing was excellent. Chilumba was knowledgeable and considerate. He knew about the behaviour of the animals and interpreted this well for us. He understood about the importance of the light for photography, and positioned the vehicle to account for this.

There was a rule that not more than three vehicles should be at a sighting, and this appeared to be obeyed (for example at a leopard viewing). However for a lot of the time, no other vehicles were seen (for example, we went back to the leopard in the afternoon and spent about 25 minutes with it without seeing another vehicle).

When we transferred from Nkwali, we went via the main gate area, where it was busier, but there was still excellent game viewing.

We really enjoyed our stay at Nkwali Camp – it was an excellent start to the trip."

"As at Nkwali, food was excellent, and we as non-meat eaters were catered for extremely well.

The rooms are rondavels – after Nkwali, they seemed small initially, but we soon got used to this, and Nseful was probably our favourite camp. The setting of Nsefu is exceptional, with spectacular views on the bend of the river. Puku come very close to the front of the rooms, and we regularly watched elephant cross the river.

The dining area has great view across the river. The bar area overlooks a waterhole, and there is also a newly built hide next to this – well worth a visit to see antelope, birds and elephant..

Breakfast is served around a fire on the river bank. On one day we saw lions cross the river, and three of them headed towards the camp and within a few yards of us. One walked up the path alongside the rondavals and into the dining area before leaving. (We felt safe in the company of the guides and other staff!).

Our guides in Nsefu were excellent. On the first night we had George who was brilliant at joining up the experiences and helping us to see how the ecosystem works. For the rest of the time we had Braston; he has great experience at Nsefu and excellent knowledge of the behaviour of the animals generally but also of some of the individual leopards, which led to exceptional viewing. Both guides understood about the importance of light for photography and took this into account where possible when positioning the vehicle. Again, vehicles are open which is great for viewing, and for feeling that you are in the environment.

When on the game drives, we seldom saw any other vehicles – very occasionally one other vehicle from Nsefu itself (for example when seeing lions on a kill). On one drive we visited the salt pans and hot spring to see the crested cranes and a different sort of environment, which we found interesting.

We were impressed that our guides knew that were going bush camping and to Tena Tena and so avoided the area that overlapped with these."

"We walked from Nsefu, heading along the river bank. You only carry your binoculars, camera and some water. We were accompanied by Kanga (our guide), Baron (our armed guard) and Sebastian (who carried the equipment to make tea and provide cake in the tea break, and also was good at spotting birds, and carried the identification book to show us what we had spotted).

Generally bush camping has a maximum of 4 clients; we were lucky as we were the only two. Typically you walk from 6.30 to 10 -10.30ish when it starts to get hot. (There is a break for tea and cake halfway). In the afternoon, you walk from around 4.30 -6.00 (when it begins to get dark). The walking is fairly easy going, fairly flat. If you go walking at home, we think you would have no problem – it is not a route march.

This was a wonderful experience. Kanga was an excellent guide, knowledgeable and interesting and very good company in talking about the wildlife and their environment, but at meals, also more generally about Zambia. Walking gives you a very different perspective on the wildlife when you are on their level. Elephants seem much bigger, and you identify much more with the prey species than you do in a vehicle. Having said that, we always felt very safe in the hands of the team, who were calm and communicated well.

The wildlife viewing was better and closer than we expected. We saw many elephant, buffalo, antelope, hippo, and many birds. We also saw a leopard jump down from a tree, and three leopards who visited our camp.

It was amazing to walk through the bush and arrive at the camp set up already. Food was excellent. The tent was quite spacious. We really like the mesh sides which meant you could see in all directions. (you can cover these if you don’t like that experience). There was a bucket shower and a loo. (It is not roughing it). The camp crew thoughtfully position their tents so you feel it is just you in the bush.

On the second day our guide suggested we walked in a particular direction where game was more active, but that we would then need to be picked up by a vehicle. We did this in the afternoon as well – we probably would have preferred not to in the afternoon as there is a magic about just walking.

On the final morning we walked to Tena Tena.

We would highly recommend the Bush Camping. We stayed for 2 nights – 2 and a half days walking. This was about right for us."

"We walked into Tena Tena after Bushcamping. The tents are very spacious, with mesh sides which gave a feeling of openness which we really like. There are only six tents and they are very well spread out. There is a view over the river. There are sockets in the rooms to charge batteries.

When going to lunch on the first day, we had to take a different route because of 2 elephants near the tent. On one evening we had to be driven to the tent because of more elephants. At night the hippo (and hyena) provided a tremendous chorus. We really liked it, but others might want earplugs.

The views from the dining area were not quite as good as from the other camps – at this time of year the river was fairly distant. However it was a nice place to sit, and wildlife was still visible. (One night a leopard walked along the sand in the light of the watchman’s torch)

Food again was very good, and our needs as non-meat eaters were well taken care of.

Again game drives were by open vehicle, giving excellent viewing. We saw very few other vehicles on the drives (only occasionally others from Tena Tena). There were a very large number of elephants in the area.

Our first guide’s style didn’t quite match ours. The company dealt with this well - we raised this with Jessica, the hostess and we were changed to Bertrame & also George, whom we knew from Nsefu. We then spent more time watching animals’ behaviour.

With hindsight, part of this is knowing what you want and communicating it. When you meet a guide for the first time, they ask “What would you like to see?” We are happy to see anything, so I guess our response is not very helpful. However, we want to spend time with animals, watch their behaviour and learn about them. We’ve learnt it is important to think about what you enjoy & communicate this to the guide.

Tena Tena is a realy good camp."

"We stayed one night to fit in with flights.

This was a very good transition from being on safari to town. The transfer from the airport worked well, as did the return journey next morning. The chalet and the site were very nice and met our needs well. They are not of the standard of the safari camps, but we wouldn’t expect that. They are very good at what they do.

We tried to check in for our flight online, but internet problems meant we couldn’t do this. However, Lusaka is a small airport with few flights, so it was no problem at all.

Food at the camp was fine, with a nice veggie pasta in the evening. Breakfast was prepared early so that we could get an early transfer to the airport."