Travel reviews by Partridge family from Kent
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
2
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
9
Excursions taken
0
Amazing - a life-changing experience
Zambia between 28 May 2017 and 4 Jun 2017
Kaingo Camp
"All we could wish for"
Mwamba Bushcamp
"An experience of a lifetime"
A fantastic holiday
Zambia between 25 Jul 2008 and 9 Aug 2008
The one thing that did cause me some confusion were the various vouchers issued to us by Expert Africa, though ultimately it made no difference to our trip. One voucher stated that it was for a transfer from Lufupa Lodge to Lusaka, but in fact it was from Lunga River Lodge airstrip to Lusaka. The transfer vouchers for the second week while in North and South Luangwa were completely wrong. Though this caused me a lot of confusion, Remote Africa had worked it all out correctly, ignoring the vouchers, and everything was fine.
The issue of Tipping was a bit difficult for us, and definitely an area that I feel needs to be addressed in greater detail by Expert Africa. I had read somewhere that tipping is discretionary but that an amount of $5 - $8 per day per guest would be appropriate to pay to the guide. However, it is not only the guide that often deserves a tip, but also the staff at the various bush camps. I have no idea as to whether we were being mean or generous, but on average we were tipping our guides the equivalent of $40 - $50 for each day that we had with them, and a further $30 or so to the remainder of the staff at each camp per day (remembering that we are a family of five, and that we were usually the only guests at each camp).
Our guide for the whole of the first week was Brad from Wilderness Safaris. He was absolutely fantastic, extraordinarily knowledgeable about virtually anything that we wished to discuss, and seemed to possess a sixth sense when it came to spotting wildlife. He is such a nice person, and our 17,15 and 13 year old children all got on very well with him. He works tremendously hard and deserves a medal.
Would it have been possible for Expert Africa to give us advance notice of the identity of who we would be having as our guide? It would have been nice for us to have known his name in advance so that when we first met him we could have immediately realised what his role was.
Before we left the UK, I spoke with Anna and asked if it would be an idea for us to take out some spare clothing for the local villagers. She responded very enthusiastically and gave me a long list of suggestions as to what we could take, including any old clothes, shoes, toys, childrens books etc. When packing our bags we chose mostly old clothes that we did not wish to bring back to the UK at the end of our trip, and any spare room in our bags were then filled with other bits and pieces to give away.
At each camp that we stayed at we asked the camp manager whether it would be appropriate to give him some clothes and toys to distribute to his staff, and each time we received a very positive response. The staff may look well fed and clothed but their familes back in their home villages often own virtually nothing and we were assured that our meagre gifts would be gratefully received. Consequently we left quite a large volume of things behind in Zambia, and feel good that we have done our little bit to assist these people. Maybe Expert Africa could include some sort of guidance and suggestions in this area for any future like-minded travellers."
Lufupa Bushcamp, Zambia (this camp has since closed)
"A great start to a great holiday"
The two boat trips were fun to do, and we enjoyed the walks, though perhaps with hindsight it was a shame that part of the walk included going through an area that had been recently burnt. The tetse flies were only a minor irritation at times and generally we only encountered them when in daylight in wooded areas away from the camp."
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Musanza Bushcamp, Zambia (this camp has since closed)
"Fabulous Musanza"
The game drives were excellent, with plenty to see. The tetse flies were only a minor irritation at times and generally we only encountered them when in daylight in wooded areas away from the camp."
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Lunga River Lodge, Zambia (this camp has since closed)
"Lovely Lunga"
The river boat trip was a particular highlight, enabling us to watch an elephant standing deep in the water contentedly grazing on the foliage overhanging from the bank. We were also able to get remarkably close to a giant kingfisher which seemed completely unperturbed by our presence."
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Mwaleshi Camp
"Fabulous Mwaleshi"
When planning this holiday, Anna had insisted that we should include Mwaleshi in our intinerary, and we were not disappointed. The camp is just fantastic. We perhaps didn't see quite as much wildlife here in North Luangwa as we later did in South Luangwa, but that was just the way it happened to work out, and did not detract in any way from our enjoyment of the place. The animals don't work to a timetable, so nobody can ever be sure how much or what will be seen at any given time!
Though the Expert Africa website indicates that tbis camp is for walking safaris only, we did in fact also go for a game drive one evening."
Chikoko Tree Camp
"Another unique camp"
Cameron, our guide, was great company and extremely knowledgeable. The wildlife in the area was prolific, and the areas in which we walked were definitely the most picturesque and dramatic that we encountered over the whole 2 week holiday."
Tafika
"Another top place to visit"
The game viewing was fantastic, with a pride of 17 lion being seen by us one evening. Our guides Rory and Brian were excellent, and we enjoyed meeting with John and Carol Coppinger, and Heather the camp manager.
Our visit to the local village was a highlight of the entire trip and our donation of some clothes, shoes, childrens books and toys was well received. Hopefully we will be able to send more things out to the Coppingers for them to distribute over the coming months."
Taj Pamodzi Hotel
"One night in Lusaka"
In addition, to be honest, the Taj Pomodzi was far too luxurious for our needs. We had spent two weeks staying in extremely comfortable but quite basic bushcamps, but we were now propelled back in to the 21st century and staying in a top class hotel. Maybe this would suit people who have been on a more luxurious safari, but for people like ourselves I think that it would have been better to recommend a less flashy hotel - and probably a lot less expensive."