Travel reviews by The B family from Swindon

"Lilayi Lodge is an excellent place to start a safari. Being able to walk around the grounds and see wildlife by yourself is an added attraction.

As is the elephant orphanage at the end of the road which the lodge are happy to drive you to.

The lodge is relaxing, quiet and friendly. The chalets are very well appointed.

We would definitely return."

"This part of the trip worked well."

"The remote location and small number of chalets at Mchenja Bushcamp is excellent and gives a luxurious air to the camp.
The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. John, the Camp Manager was an excellent guide and Nation was a super scout to spend time with. They had a super sense of humour.Alice was a great deputy camp manager/host.
The food was amazing and plentiful.
The chalets are well designed, loved the outdoor bathroom and super views of the river. You feel secluded form other guests which is lovely.
The wildlife experience was excellent with plenty of great sightings of most species and birds.The camp species tick let booklet was an excellent idea.
They provided a special anniversary dining experience which was very special and thoughtful.
It would be lovely to have spot light in the chalet to shine across the river at night."

"Flatdogs Camp is situated outside the National Park but adjacent to the entrance. Therefore it is only a short drive to enter the park however, there tends to be a lot of vehicles entering at the same time and this causes a lot of dust. It is noticeable that this part is busier than else where in South Luangwa and there are a lot more vehicle per wildlife sightings.

The guides are still very good and the hosting team are excellent. They were very attentive to all our needs.
The menu had a good variety and was excellent.

The tree house has an amazing location which is quiet. It has its own waterhole which gets plenty of visitors and is an absolute highlight to this camp. However, the monkey population can prevent you from relaxing during the afternoons and being under a tree can leave a mess on the furniture. The tree house has everything that you require and no one minded coming to collect you or bring your food. Japhit is employed to look after the treehouse and does a great job keeping the moneys away while you are out."

"It was lovely to have a contrasting environment for this part of the trip. The team were absolutely first class and you were treated like one of the family. All aspects of the camp were superb.
The guides were a very high standard and made sure that you had a variety of activities.
It was wonderful to spend time in a canoe and on a boat in the Zambezi. The opportunity to see wildlife from a different perspective was exciting.
They helped us celebrate our anniversary with a special meal on a pontoon which was incredible!
What else can we say - it was amazing!!"

"There are great views across Lake Manyara if you get the right tent. otherwise the tents are set back in the garden. The food and restaurant staff were lovely. The tent was spacious and well equipped. It is very close to the park entrance. They provided a Maasi guide for a free walking tour of the area."

"The camp is very well organised and although it can be really cold (take gloves and wooly hat for trip into the crater) they provide hot water bottles and a gas heater in your tent. The tent is spacious and well equipped. It is nice to have the same staff member looking after you and your tent during the whole of your stay. It is a brilliant location at the top of a quiet road into the crater - great for getting in before most others, campfire is excellent too. We had a totally fantastic time there."

"Wow, what can you say - didn't want to leave!!! Everything is just perfect, location, staff, tents, views, Migration game viewing is brilliant."

"This is a very nice hotel, the staff are really friendly and the food is great. It is well organised with beach front service to your sun lounger. There are also activities during the day and evening to join in. Perfect sun, sand and sea. It can live up to it's name as it its breezy there at times"

"Very tranquil location, where you felt that you had arrived in the middle of nowhere. A great start for the holiday.

Amazing beds, bedrooms and camp. The food is really wonderful.

Sleeping under the stars is like you are in a planetarium... we had a fantastic night up on the roof."

"Great experience ... you need good walking shoes and brown/khaki clothing as they are very strict on their interaction with the rhinos.

Seeing black rhino in this environment was the highlight of the trip."

"Lovely camp (My favourite) best of both worlds – Ongava private reserve and Etosha national park, teaming with game, double the opportunity to view the animals.

Great to have a night camera on the camp's water hole... with both black and white rhino whilst eating dinner."

"My favourite camp, with first class accommodation.

Leopard tracking, leopard feeding and a cheetah release were a thrill to watch.

The rooms are half 'open' and you can feed the birds from your room.

You get to see lots of cheetahs as the plane lands."

"This was a disappointment, after the first class experience in Namibia. We were left 25 minutes before our hotel pick up arrived, no apology from the driver or hotel, despite us having to call the hotel from the airport. The car to the hotel was shabby.

When we arrived at the hotel our room was around the back in the car park – it was little more than a motel. If we had arrived any later we would also have not been any to order dinner which due to it's location would have been a problem.

On the positive side, it was a friendly boutique hotel and a room overlooking the gardens would create a different feeling."

"A luxurious location. Did everything the website promised, even flowers on the bed and stories in scrolls.

A relaxing, paradise beach location, everything we were looking for. I really loved our own private deck chairs, shade and beach.

They will do anything to help you out and the staff are really friendly. A great chill out place"