Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs R from Glos

"An excellent place to stay overnight.

The staff were exceptionally pleasant and helpful. The surrounding area is quiet and it is pretty close to the airport. We ate on the terrace in the other place. The food was hot and tasty."

"We were in room 6 which is large, spacious and set away from the main hub. Good view of the river, plenty of birds and our own monitor lizard on the river bank outside. The food was excellent and the new chef-Chico- was a delight.

We were incredibly fortunate to have Braston as our guide. He was a great birder and also good at positioning the car for photography. We saw lions, with cubs, one of the wild dog packs, and loads of elephants, hippos, hyenas etc. The birding was terrific. We chose to visit at this time of year to enjoy the green season. The river was still high, although it had gone down from the peak of the floods. We enjoyed setting off on our twice daily safaris by boat and it was interesting to explore this different part of the park.

The only niggle was that the photography bean bag that we had requested before leaving the uk was not available and the camp host seemed unable (and rather unwilling) to get one. We felt the request was brushed off. In the end we asked Braston and he turned two up immediately, so it was not clear why the camp host had prevaricated."

"Catherine was an exceptional camp host. Incredibly helpful and well informed. The room was clean, light and airy. The rooms are quite close together but this is due to the historic nature of the camp. Daudi was our guide. Due to the floods we either boated or walked. It was not possible to get a vehicle up there and even walking was tricky because there were still large boggy areas that were impassable.

We had an excellent visit to the Yellow Billed Stork breeding colony. Daudi and our scout Justin really put themselves out to get the boat in. But there was no anchor so the boat was constantly in motion making photography tricky. We were disappointed with the walks. There was not a lot of game on the walks and Daudi seemed to struggle (leaning heavily on Justin for sightings). There was little emphasis on plants, insects and tracks, unlike other guides we have had.

Daudi was required to captain the boat as well as guide and this made it hard as he was often preoccupied the motor (which seemed on its last legs)."

"Off the boat from Nsefu and straight into viewing a female leopard who had walked past Braston as he waited on the river bank for us. The viewings, especially of leopards, were exceptional on this second visit to Nkwali. We also saw the other pack of wild dogs.

We had a shared car for these last days which was ok but curtailed the photography somewhat. Service in camp improved because the camp host was called away to look after luangwa house so Kiki stepped in. He was excellent in sorting out the changed arrangements for getting home and printed off the new flight details for us, which was a god send in the bedlam at Johannesburg.

The only problem was the room. We were in room 5 and the mattress was infested with bugs so we were bitten to death each night. If we had stayed we would have asked to move back to 6, but the holiday was, sadly, ended prematurely because of covid19."

"A colonial hotel from an earlier era but with all mod cons.

The gardens are lovely and we enjoyed the warthog who is probably the most photographed animal in Vic Falls.

Good dinner at Jungle Junction."

"A fabulous lodge. Great staff, food and facilities.

We chose it for the hides and were not disappointed- amazingly close to elephants and game at the waterhole. We were extremely fortunate to see wild dogs bring down a kudu in the vlei directly in front of camp during breakfast one day. An amazing experience, and the opportunity to see all the other animals and birds that came to clean up the carcass (vultures, spotted hyena etc).

We also hugely enjoyed the night drives, the only lodge on this trip that offered them.

Many thanks to Nicholas our terrific guide, Nick, Lindsay and Kim."

"A beautiful lodge on Lake Kariba. Super location, excellent food and accommodation. An experience of a lifetime - sitting in our outdoor tub, watching elephants graze along the lakeside, listening to the hippos.

The lake is quite beautiful and unlike anywhere else we have been. The dead trees are extraordinary, magical and atmospheric especially at sunset. Thanks to Campbell for the boat trips on the lake.

Bruce, our guide for most of the time, is extremely knowledgable and we had a great walk and boat trip to the gorge. We were looking forward to tracking the lions on foot, but bumped into them whilst still in the car. The coalition of four males is very impressive.

Sarah is a terrific host and could not do enough to ensure that we had everything we could possibly need. The personal touches she provided were much appreciated."

"We loved the fact that here you got out of the car and got up close and personal on foot with elephants and wild dogs. Terrific. Quite different to any other lodge we have visited in Africa. Great views of a honey badger foraging in the daylight. Good birding.

Simeon was a very knowledgable and experienced guide. He got us great views and wildlife experiences.

The camp was slightly more basic, but with all the essentials. The food was plentiful, but the choice was a bit limited especially between deliveries."

"The room was clean and tidy. Comfy bed.

The food in the restaurant was excellent- tasty and v reasonably priced. The staff were helpful and welcoming."

"Straight off the flight from Dar and off for 6 hour safari, not the game drive to the lodge that we expected from the itinerary. Fortunately we were fully prepared and we had a great start to our stay - we went straight off to find a leopard. Fabulous!

The accommodation was just as we expected and the tents are spacious. The food was well prepared and ample. We enjoyed the communal dining. It was a great opportunity to meet others from all around the world with similar interests to us.

Andrea and Rebecca were good hosts and camp was well organised.

We were woken at 0408 on the first morning by 2 lions roaring just behind our tent. That was pretty special. They were still hanging around, with a lioness, when we left for our game drive at 0630, and we had great views. Ruaha NP is v impressive. We were lucky to see Bat Eared Foxes, cheetahs and loads of elephants and game.

The only real drawback to Mdonya is that it is a long way from the main game viewing area, through Tsetse infested bush and the beginning of the rains brought the flies out in force."

"The accommodation was v like Mdonya although there was a fan in the tent to help combat the humidity and heat.

We were lucky to have an experienced private guide - Joseph and driver Abuu. We saw fantastic wildlife including a fabulous hour+ with a pack of 24 wild dogs which had not been seen in the area for 2 years.

The staff were good fun and friendly, led by Shaun and Millie who are great hosts. The food was good and plentiful with much variety.
The Selous GR is a great contrast to Ruaha - v green and lush. We enjoyed the boating as well as the game drives."

"We had a game drive to Impala from Manze and were dropped off at camp. Impala is much more luxurious and we enjoyed our stay hugely. It worked much better for us than going to the beach like nearly everyone else that we met.

The tent was a similar size to the other camps but much more private as we were in tent 6. The furnishings, including electric lights, fan and curtains made it a v comfortable experience. I preferred the enclosed bathroom but Mike missed being able to watch what was happening behind the tent. There were not many guests staying so we had an experienced guide and driver - Dennis - to ourselves.

Although we enjoyed the private dining we missed the chat over drinks and dinner that we enjoyed at the other camps. The food was incredible. Beautifully cooked, presented and served. We had a lovely waiter -David. He really went out of his way to make dinner fun, with bush babies and genet joining us depending on the location of our table.

Nick and Crystal, the managers were attentive and helpful.

We enjoyed the pool which was warm and clean."