Reviews of Musekese Camp

"The camp is fantastic.

Great tent. Great location. Intimate. Passionate owners. Great guiding.

Not much to add that we would return without hesitation." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia

"Musekese was absolutely stunning ! Both with respect to people, accommodation, location and sightings. So glad, we decided to combine it with South Luangwa. The tented chalets are brand new and combine well luxury with the traditional Out-of Africa fealing.
Phil is a great host and our guide Gilbert was one of the best guides we ever had: 6 leopards in only 3 days what could you ask more ! We spotted further a large pride of lions, puku, impala, bush pigs, Lichtenstein hartebeest, sable, kudu, duiker, Defassa waterbuck, scrub hare, mongoose, warthogs, zebra, baboons, hippo, crocs, velvet monkeys, monitor lizard, and came across a huge herd of elephants for sundowner.as well as bush babies, serval and genets at night, and birds of course 😊" See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia

"If you want Wi-Fi this is not the place for you. Its remote and all the better for it.
Tightly run small set up with excellent guiding.
No frills but extremely functional and comfortable
The rains had started so the game was slightly thin and dispersed but every effort was made to find what was there. Some fantastic sightings including leopard kill.
Not sure I will forget the roar of Tripod the 3 3/4 legged lion outside our tent at night." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia

"Musekese Camp has been described as Eden and it is impossible to disagree. The location on the edge of a dambo close to the Kafue river is nothing short of stunning and it probably offers a higher density of animals than the other lodges that I encountered in the Kafue.

I was fortunate to be guided by Gareth for all of my activities bar one and he continued to guide me when I moved on to my next location Ntemwa Busanga Camp which is also operated by Jeffery & McKeith Safaris. Gareth was an exceptional guide, whose knowledge and enthusiasm was limitless. I was also guided by one of the owners, Phil Jeffery, for a great drive.

The flexibility offered by Musekese Camp is fantastic, simply there is no compromise, you can go out on a game drive, a bush walk, or on to the river. The vehicles and boats are superb as are the tents which have bucket showers but power is limited to lighting. Cameras are charged at a central location, so take a spare battery or two and it's not an issue. The food and hosting are of an extremely high standard.

The wildlife in the dambo is spectacular with a resident pride of lion and a high likelihood of leopard sightings. In one incredible drive we found ourselves watching a leopard climb a tree with a pride of lions about 100 metres away. The animals were generally relaxed and there were some fantastic photographic opportunities with the leopard in the tree gangling as on a leopard can. The lions were very photogenic and it was interesting to spend time with 'tripod' seeing how he has adapted to his injury.

The availability of water in the dambo ensures that there are plenty of birds, antelope and elephants present which in turn attracts the predators. Lions calling in the dambo at night close to the camp is an overriding memory.

The opportunity to explore the banks of the Kafue river should not be missed. I was fortunate to many wonderful bird species including fin-foots, kingfishers, daters, etc and crocodiles, hippos and elephants. Sunset over the river is very special.

Musekese Camp is very special and very popular. The conservation work that they undertake is really important and I encourage an guest to engage any of the team about the topic when they stay there. The passion is boundless. I would not hesitate to recommend Musekese Camp to anyone wishing to experience Kafue." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia

"Offers game drives, walking and river safaris. However, because of our age and fitness we resrtricted our involvement to game drives. The game drives were restricted to a loop in the river because of fires to the south which depopulated areas beyond this. Game drives were therefore a little repetitive, although on the positive side the camp had a monopoly within this area which meant no other vehicles intruded. On the whole we saw some large herds of elephant but a limited variety of game. Some new birds to see.The staff were friendly and efficient." See all these reviews: 6n in Zambia; 4n in Zimbabwe; 1n in South Africa

"Musekese is a place where conservation is paramount. Phil and Thyrone being the owners and safari guides are highly motivated.

We had the opportunity to enjoy walks, boat trips and drives with Thyrone." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia

"It was quite a long drive from Lusaka to Musekese - a lovely camp with a genuinely remote feel. Nearing the camp, in the dark, a lioness with a couple of half-grown cubs strolled along the road in front of us. We didn't see her again but heard lions at night, and leopards left regular overnight tracks in the camp. A young leopard had just starred on a guest's camera trap lying on the lounge area sofa chewing cushions.

Location:
The camp sits under large trees beside a long permanent lagoon, so there are always various antelopes and vervet monkeys to watch. A hippo plodded past our room in the night. Kafue National Park is very large and mostly very attractive with a combination of plains and a variety of trees, There are some inevitable burnt patches, some firebreaks and some from poachers or other sources. The accommodation is in large comfortable chalets with decks overlooking the lagoon.

Activities:
Our first morning we had a boat trip with Phil Jeffery, one of Musekese's founders, on the beautiful (large, clear and tree-lined) Kafue river. Numerous birds, hippos, monkeys and then a group of elephants snorkelling their way across. Then the wind got up so we returned to the vehicle and found a kill - a male puku covered in vultures - dramatic watching their speedy targeted descents. An evening drive with guide Ephie found scrub hares and black-backed jackals.

On the following morning's game drive Ephie used various alarm calls to discover a pair of young leopards high up adjacent trees, presumably hunting the vervets in them, and then found their mother on a nearby termite mound, calling to them. Great to see the interactions involved. We saw a single roan antelope on the way back to camp. On our afternoon game drive with Tyrone McKeith (the other founder) we had our sundowners across the swamp from 2 leopards and a large grazing elephant.

Our final morning consisted of a very enjoyable walk with Tyrone and 2 other guests - more interesting information on environmental details and sightings of impala, puku, kudu, elephants. In the afternoon we drove to Ntemwa Busanga camp.

Overall a great experience." See all these reviews: 19n in Zambia

"Our main disappointment with this camp was that we specifically chose it based on the reputations of Phil and Tyrone as guides, however, apart from at a meal on the our first night when Phil was present, both were away from camp the whole time and so we did not benefit from their expertise. Ephy, our guide, was pleasant enough but not of the high standard that we have experienced elsewhere.

It was only his 2nd season in Kafue and he had come from the South Luangwa and so was not native to the park and it wildlife. We did 2 walks and both were undertaken in the same area of burnt scrub which seemed to be completely bereft of any wildlife such that we trudged fruitlessly for several hours without the regular stops to look at small plants, tracks etc, which is what normally makes this activity so interesting. Even on our game drives we saw little big game (although antelopes in quantity) and although we knew in advance to expect less than in the Luangwa this was still a little disappointing. We did enjoy the boat cruise as an alternative activity on one afternoon.

The setting of the camp was beautiful and peaceful with great views of antelope and birds at all times. We liked the smallness of the camp and indeed on one night we were the only guests in camp, and all staff were friendly and helpful. The other downside was the tsetse flies! Within the camp itself these were not a problem, however, mid morning and early afternoon game drives were affected by these insects, especially whenever the vehicle stopped. The measures put in place by the camp were reportedly reducing the level of tsetse in the area compared to elsewhere but not completely successfully yet." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia

"In spite of delays at Lusaka airport acquiring visas, we were met by a chap from Tours Africa who was extremely helpful, and looked after our surgical equipment and got us through customs effortlessly (not always easy) and introduced us our very patient and friendly pilot-75 mins later we landed at Lufupa Airstrip , and were warmly welcomed by staff from Musekese-

Again, after an interesting trip in the dark up the river(with the poor pilot due to us being late) we reached Musekese and were greeted by the whole team around the camp fire, who could not have been more friendly and informative-drinks and supper were soon served and what a place! Remote, exciting, and truly wild, but reassuringly in the hands of a very competent, tolerant and approachable team.

We had a terrific guide ,knowledgeable and delightful-faultless day, 4 leopards, 2 lions etc lots of good banter with staff who could not have been more helpful, and the setting is amazing-we all loved it-v bumpy flight back due to high winds" See all these reviews: 1n in Zambia

"Musekese Camp lies pretty much off the beaten path and requires a pretty high dose of patience and perseverance to reach. it's certainly a long road trip away from Lusaka, and flying there from Livingstone can be a budget-breaker. However, I'm so very glad I made the effort, as I met some extraordinary people at Musekese and learned an immense amount about anti-poaching efforts in Kafue National Park.

Perhaps because Kafue is not yet as heavily trafficked as the South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi regions of Zambia, most guests there tend to be extremely well-travelled and serious, experienced safari-goers. Often they are "repeat" visitors who already know the ropes and one or both of Musekese Camp's owners, Phil Jeffery and Tyrone McKeith. I met Phil, an exceptionally warm and welcoming guy with a ready smile and unbounded enthusiasm for the new anti-poaching project with which he and Tyrone are involved. In fact, one of the high points of my stay at Musekese was a tour of the construction site of a new camp that will host a specially trained anti-poaching team.

My guide at Musekese was Ephy, who is the epitome of enthusiasm and a very hard worker. We spent a lot of time on the Kafue River looking for (and locating) particular birds including the African Finfoot. On land I was treated to two lengthy visits with members of the Musekese Lion pride, among them two 11-month-old cubs. No Leopards or Wild Dogs, but I did encounter my first ever Defassa Waterbuck, some Lichtenstein Hartebeests and an incredible number of Pukus.

It was fun inhabiting my rustic little tent (Acacia/No. 2) with its traditional bucket shower and solar lamps, and the only drawbacks were a shortage of storage space and, early in the morning, of light. On the other hand, my bed was very comfortable and I loved being situated at the edge of a vast gathering/drinking/feeding place for wildlife of all kinds. My favorite guest outside my tent each day at lunchtime was an inquisitive and truly engaging female Bushbuck.

Two final notes: Hats off to Musekese Camp’s effervescent manager Kolo, who does her best to make every guest – no matter how “needy” or demanding he or she may be – feel at home. And lastly, Tsetse flies do exist." See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe; 10n in Zambia; 7n in Malawi