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Nsefu
Nsefu
Nsefu

Reviews of Nsefu

Wildlife sightings and reviews

191 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Nsefu and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Mar-2018, 58 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Nsefu.
Lion

89% success

Leopard

88% success

Wild dog

69% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Zebra

95% success

Spotted Hyena

91% success

Buffalo

89% success

Wildebeest

37% success

Eland

17% success

Sable antelope

8% success

Roan antelope

8% success

Aardvark

2% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 31-40 of 191
Duration
Arrival date
Mr & Mrs S
Oxon

"Nsefu Review"

5 nights Arrived 26 Sep 2019
"Nsefu is without a doubt our favourite camp. It setting on the bend in the river is idyllic. We spotted so much wildlife there - either crossing the river, on the sandbanks or at the waterhole.

We found Willie, the manager, to be an excellent and very experienced guide - ably supported by his staff. Special mention should go to Fanton our super-spotter and Katherine our very efficient hostess.

The game drives were great in this sector of the park because we encountered so few other vehicles. Thank you everyone at Nsefu!" See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs E
Devon

"Nsefu Camp Review"

3 nights Arrived 11 Sep 2019
"Our first stop and it could not have been a more beautiful location. Staff, especially guides, exceptional. Particularly impressed by the manager and our guide, Wilson. Great animal sightings and the daily programme good. Food fine especially the bush brunch but overall the evening meals a bit 'meaty'.
We realise that this is a historic camp that does want to upgrade too much but the rooms are quite small and need some imaginative improvement in storage space. Nsefu is not immune from the worldwide shortage of coat hangers.
This camp's location was actually our favourite.

Re. Wildlife survey:

Buffalo - Includes herds of 200+ and 400 +
Lion - Total of 24. Sightings consisted of a pride of 10, a different pride of 11 seen after dark, and one of the highlights of the trip: circumnavigating safely around three males on foot at a distance of 80 to 100m.
Elephants - Everywhere.
Wild dog - 3 individual animals very close to a leopard." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

4 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

3 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Wild dog

1 sighting

Mr & Mrs L
Cumbria

"An idyllic camp to end our holiday"

5 nights Arrived 6 Sep 2019
"WOW, after Tena Tena we then stayed at the wonderful Nsefu camp in the best accommodation of the whole holiday and in a truly wonderful location on the bend of the river. Here our accommodation surpassed all expectations, it was just amazing, spacious, super clean and so comfortable, we never tired of the view.

Again the house keeping was superb, the staff were friendly and courteous and the food continued to be delicious and served with so much attention to detail. The bar area was beautiful and a perfect place to relax watching the wildlife on the river or lagoon. We did find the dining area rather too dark as we had difficulties seeing our fellow guests and guides during evening meal times but that is the only negative comment and it certainly did not affect the enjoyment of our meals or our holiday experience.

The activities at Nsefu were fantastic and this was thanks to our wonderful guide Willie who not only helped to increase our bird list to >140 but who had so much knowledge to share about the environment...the trees, birds, animals, and history, he made our game drives so interesting. The team at Nsefu, our host Katherine and all the staff made our stay so perfect and again our guide Willie made this holiday so memorable.

Thank you all so much, we will never forget our first trip to Zambia." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

9 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

7 sightings

Spotted Hyena

8 sightings

Wild dog

6 sightings

Zebra

2 sightings

Mr D
California

"Nsefu review"

2 nights Arrived 2 Sep 2019
"This is a historic camp, at an excellent location. It has the best view among the 3 RPS camps we stayed in South Luangwa. We watched elephant crossing river over a lunch.

The game drive is conducted in the remote Nsefu section of the park. The highlight is the seasonal carmine bee-eater colony on the river bank. RPS constructed a hide, allowing us to get close to the colony. We have good sightings of leopard in tree on night drive. But for some reason, lions make themselves scarce in Nesfu sector, although their footprints are found near the camp. During a short 2-day stay, we only saw lion from afar, on the opposite bank of the river.

Our guide Chilumba is excellent. He took us to find the rare and endemic Cookson’s wildebeest. On a trip to the remote salt pan area, he noticed a herd of skittish elephants that are not used to vehicles. He wisely positioned the vehicle at a safe distance. As a result, we experienced the adrenaline rush of elephant charging without a scratch, only a good story to tell.

Not specific to Nsefu camp: In my 7-night, 3-camp stay with RPS, I was guided by a total of 5 different guides. In general, I found RPS guides are uniformly well trained, knowledgeable and professional. Obviously every guide has a different style. It does take a while to get used to, both for the guide and for the guest. I felt the experience can be enhanced if each guest stays with the same guide throughout her stay in one camp, unless the guest opts for a different activity such as walk." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant

3 sightings

Giraffe

3 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

Wildebeest

1 sighting

Ms L & Mr A
London

"Nsefu review"

2 nights Arrived 31 Aug 2019
"It was lovely to end up here and see some of the wild life more 'up close' although made us realise how much we love the walking safari which is such an experience." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

1 sighting

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr G
St. Neots

"Nsefu review"

4 nights Arrived 30 Aug 2019
"EXCELLENT FACILITIES, NICE FREE BAR, EXCELLENT GUIDING EVERY NEED WE REQUIRED WAS GRANTED.SHELIA'S HOP UP SUPPLIED, EVEN A SMALL LADDER.

COULD NOT THINK OF ANYTHING THAT WOULD IMPROVE THE CAMP." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

MrD & MsK
Gold Coast

"Nsefu review"

4 nights Arrived 26 Aug 2019
"Bushcamp room small, with amenities open to the outdoors.

Very good bush "aircon" - evening breeze cooling system - over the bed.

Being a small camp one's experience is partially dependent upon the guest mix." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia; 2n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

10 sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

10 sightings

Spotted Hyena

4 sightings

Wild dog

3 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr & Mrs C
Cambridge

"Nsefu"

2 nights Arrived 18 Aug 2019
"An intimate camp in a great location directly overlooking the river. The hippos were a constant delight.

The walk from here to Tena Tena is a great introduction to a walking safari and Sebastian was a great guide - very experienced and knowledgeable, setting just the right pace.

The wild dog sightings were an added bonus." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

5 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

5 sightings

Wild dog

2 sightings

Zebra

3 sightings

Steve H
Cumbria

"Classic safari at Nsefu "

4 nights Arrived 19 Jun 2019
"Another brilliant Robin Pope Safari camp in a great location. The historic rondavels are very comfortable whilst preserving the traditional character of the camp. Fantastic hospitality with wonderful cuisine and great guiding.

Wonderful wildlife in pristine environment. The stork colony is amazing - not just for the yellow bill and other storks - it is an environmental hotspot for avian and land based predators with never a dull moment (Martial and other eagles by day and leopards by night).

The salt pan with hot springs is also a fantastic place to visit. Willie is an amiable and expert guide with a fantastic knowledge of the prolific Zambian birdlife. The camp hide is also a great facility." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

10 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

5 sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Miss A
Haywards Heath

"A taste of the past"

2 nights Arrived 28 May 2019
"Was apprehensive because of the open bathroom but the experience outweighed the fear as did a great welcome from Catherine. Thank you to Freddie for persuading me to go.

Absolutely idyllic setting. Lunch and dinner tables beautifully laid in prime spot. Food excellent, wine flowed, service couldn't have been better. Nor could the lively conversations. Just loved it.

I find it hard to appreciate safari-style breakfast but it seems to be set in tablets of stone. This comment doesn't reflect on Nsefu or any other camp but it's such a hassle.. We labour to some distant spot, try to fumble around for food in the dark and the cold and then perch in a line in chairs trying to balance the food and mug of tea on a small table placed to one side. Everything I love for breakfast but unable to enjoy it. Why not eat outside if one must but use the big table nearer the main area with the food table wherever one can see what's on it? The setting is still the same but the degree of comfort and enjoyment is greatly increased. Surely it would be far more convenient for the staff too.The toasting/egg fires can still be in the vicinity for atmosphere. As it is, the style neither plays into the hands of a genuine safari buff nor the 'pretend' ones like us. Whatever the setting, there's no time to enjoy it so may as well make it a more practical experience. (Sorry - a minority view I'm sure but has anyone ever asked for opinions?)

My hot water bottle request had been received loud and clear but as Amanda had said, it's unlikely it would be as cold as Hwange. Still, it always provides a degree of amusement with everyone else.

Everyone would have been aware the rooms were small but I was glad there was just one of me, especially when the bed space is shrouded in mosquito nets, The steps to the bathroom became the sorting area for my goods and chattels .. As for the steps themselves, they were no problem for me, though i was very careful, but I'm not sure they were mentioned on the Expert Africa description of the room. I wonder how the man with a stick coped next door to me. However, I did find the shower floor quite slippery, especially negotiating the raised curved edge which presumably helps to keep the water in check.

I stand in awe at the organisational skills of all the staff and guides, Whatever is going on behind the scenes, it's a seamless operation for the ever-changing guest intake. Nothing too much trouble and yet we were still treated to 'extras'. A lovely surprise on my last sundowner evening. We turned up at the chosen spot only to find Catherine with a large table bearing ice buckets for bottles of sparkling wine and a tray of canapes', Then the other 2 vehicles turned up as well. A surprise for all of us and much appreciated.

An experience I wouldn't have missed for the world. Thank you for the excellent guiding and great hospitality." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

4 sightings

Giraffe

4 sightings

Hippo

4 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

Zebra

4 sightings

Showing 31-40 of 191
98%
191 reviews of Nsefu by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
173
17
1
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0
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