Reviews of Kuyenda Bushcamp
(100%) From 10 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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wonderful return trip
Phil & Babette were in fine form and it was wonderful to meet them and their ever-cheerful staff again. Excellent food as before as there are lots of choices and dishes are inventive. Zac is attentive, knowledgeable and fun. Walking was very good with Isiah in the lead.
We tested the quicksands this year, and watched the thunderstorm move around us with no rain on us. We followed the election of Sata to PM with the staff enthusiatic voters. We love them and this place and hope their trip "Phil's favorite places" goes well.
It is our priviledge to be with them for 3 days.
Kuyenda Bushcamp review
An excellent experience. If there was a rating of outstanding this camp would qualify. The food here was the best we had anywhere on the trip and the walks with Phil were wonderful and quite exciting as we kept meeting up with elephants.
This feels like a real bushcamp with an outdoor bathroom and our hut looking out over the plalin.This camp is very well run with Babette in charge. We especially enjoyed having seats set up for our sundowners in different locations and eating in different areas around camp at dinnertime.
The lions killing an impala in camp added some excitement also!
what a priviledge to visit
What a priviledge to come to this place and meet up with Phil Berry and Babette Alfieri. The stories written about them are not as striking as meeting them in person. They have turned a Bushcamp Company camp into a home with loads of personal touches.
The chalets are simple enough but the food is excellent with wide choices of special dishes. Babette also is highly imaginative in the way the camp is run e.g. with sundowners and dinner laid out in the bush with candles only. We enjoyed the traditional Nshima dinner, eaten with right hand only, under the instruction of local Zambian Zac.
Phil is of course a superb guide with such bush knowledge and we went out with him x2 a day walking through lovely and varied areas. We feel that 6 is the max number of people for walkiing and hope that they are not pressurised to take 8 as it limits what you can hear and where you can go. Lots of elephants to detour round and we saw many more animals and birds than at Kapamba. It is accesssible in 1 hour from Mfuwe Lodge, but with Phil gamedriving this stretched to 21/2 as we tracked a leopard closely.
This is a very special place with very, very special people and we loved every minute of our 3 day stay.
High standards and attention to detail
We cannot speak highly enough of the care and attention that Babette and Phil put into running this camp and its activities.It has a real family feel and Babette goes to considerable lengths to make the stay special even on the sundowner stops. Babette makes meal times are a real event with plenty of conversation and of course outstanding food. The intimate nature of the camp means that you do actually feel part of the place. If you love Africa then you are always welcome here.
We were full of admiration for Babette and Phil with the way they coped with everyone's wishes even though we thought some guests were being totally unreasonable. We were also impressed by the number of tourists making repeat visits which speaks volumes for the quality and draw of the camp.
Phil as guide and driver carries a huge responsibility and does it with aplomb. His many years of guiding experience and his love of the Luangwa shines through. The bush walks were welcome as a way of getting some exercise but particularly for learning about the bush. In order to meet guest's desire to get close to the wildlife Phil has developed combined walks and drives to meet every need. Wildlife may not be as plentiful as in some other areas but the relative exclusivity of this part of the park means you are not competing with other camps to see it.
We leaft as friends and very much hope to return.
Kuyenda - the very best camp
We had planned our itinerary in order to save the best until last and we were not disappointed.
The location of this camp is excellent, deep in the bush and very authentic. There was a buffalo herd right next to the camp whilst we were there and elephants very close. The camp is small, intimate & Babette hosted it as if we were guests in her home with lots of attention to the small details.
We were guided by both Phil Berry & Gilbert, both excellent. The morning walks were informative, scenic, enjoyable & just the right length. We saw some good game on the night drives including leopard & 3 lions with a kill. The food was excellent and the dinners memorable with time to enjoy the food and the conversation.
We would highly recommend this camp & would love to return to it one day.
What a magical place!
To finish our safari here was perfect. Phil & Babette were charming hosts, and their staff great.
The situation of the camp, its simplicity and the presence of elephant and buffalo within feet of our window at night was unforgettable. We were lucky enough to have Phil guide us on two walks and one drive and it was the highlight of our trip.
Babette's menus were extraordinarily good. The surrounding bush was the most beautiful we had seen and the game amazing - a true Garden of Eden.
Kuyenda Bushcamp
We loved Kuyenda and especially the walking. The wealth of experience of Phil and Babette and their very generous hospitality made for an extra special stay. Once again the location and comfort of the camp didn't disappoint.
The walks were full of interest and through very varied landscapes. One fairly close encounter was with a group of 10 giraffes, not to mention the young bull elephant who thought about charging. On one evening the sundowners were set out near the sand river in view of a gorgeous sunset on one side and moonrise on the other. Dinner was served under the stars and a nearly full moon, in the company of munching elephants. The tsetses were still annoying but didn't detract too much from a wonderful relaxing few days.
The only complaint here was that our departure from Kuyenda for the airport was dependent on a vehicle arriving from Mfuwe Lodge to transfer two other guests to another camp. That vehicle was late, meaning that we all had to pile into Phil's vehicle and meet up with the other transfer some way down the road. This meant that our transfer to Mfuwe Lodge was again at high speed. But Phil and Babette managed to deliver us with minutes to spare for our final tranfer to the airport. Again on arrival at Mfuwe Lodge everything was handled very efficiently and the same staff greeted us and sent us off to the airport.
Our time at Kuyenda will rate as one of our favourite bushcamp experiences.
Great start to our holiday
We had a great stay at Kuyenda and found it a great place to start our holiday. Phil and Babette were great hosts and the animal sightings were good. Highlight was the lion cubs and an eagle with a baby baboon.
We liked the style of the camp and the open air shower and sand floor. Really got us into the holiday mood.
perfect kuyenda
everything about this camp oozes class the hosts babette and phil ,the food the staff are all top drawer lions with tiny cubs giant eagle owls feet above your head leopard ,hyenyas to order a massave eagle with a baby baboon in its talons , 7 porcupines in one day i could go on but dont have to this camp sells its self if your coming to zambia stay here you wont be dissapointed
thank you babette and phil for the best safari weve ever had
Special and very welcoming;
Phil and Babette are a good team. The game did not display itself as much as we wished but we had some good sightings.
Food was excellent eg fresh salads and imaginative menus were much appreciated.
When the camp was full having one vehicle and one guide was a pressure.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
