Travel reviews by The Sand Martins from Oxon

"I stayed at the Radisson Blu for one night before flying into Mfuwe the next morning.

It is conveniently close to Lusaka airport, and I have stayed there several times previously.

The rooms are spacious and the restaurant has an excellent menu ."

"It was wonderful to finally return to the South Luangwa after 4 years. My trip was originally planned for 2020, but postponed twice because of COVID.

Tena Tena has a a fine location with a small number of excellent tents well spaced apart from the central area. I spent 4 nights there and the wildlife experiences were superb - a pack of about 30 wild dogs were denning close by, and we saw them on a daily basis.

Hyena pups were also seen regularly. I saw leopards every day. My guide Nyambe was excellent.

Kate was very friendly and efficient in running the camp.

The food, wine and general ambience combined to make my stay so memorable."

"Nsefu is my favourite camp in the South Luangwa, and this was my seventh visit: I spent four nights there this time.

The location on the bend of the Luangwa River is idyllic, and the six unique rondavels have a special appeal. All meals were taken al fresco, quite close to the river, and were most enjoyable. Sebastian was my guide: I have known him for more than a decade, and his guiding skills are of the highest quality.

We ranged far and and wide - up to the salt pans to see the crowned cranes, for example. It was also fascinating to see the stork colony area in the dry season, having previously seen it in the wet season, with the trees surrounded by water. The Nsefu sector of the park was full of lions, leopards, hyenas and many antelopes, including bushbucks. The bird life is fantastic with many eagles, owls plus water birds such as spoonbills and skimmers. And elephants...it was wonderful to see so many young ones.

Emma ran the camp in a most friendly and efficient way. I am most grateful to her for organising a special dinner on my last night for me and two very close friends."

"I had a marvellous welcome from Kiki on arrival at Nkwali for five nights. This was my seventh visit, and it was as good as ever - after four long years of waiting to return.

The new bar area and the camp fire area are splendid. I enjoy taking an aperitif in front of the fire, and had wide-ranging discussions with other guests with a digestif after dinner. Our lunches and dinners were taken mostly in the special covered dining area, but sometimes al fresco or in front of the bar. The food and wine was consistently excellent.

My guide was Perry, who was absolutely superb with an encyclopaedic knowledge of animals, birds and trees. On one occasion, he persevered in tracking down a big pack of wild dogs who had ventured a long distance from the camp.

Another highlight was the sighting of a female leopard who had just killed an impala, and taken it up a tree for one of her cubs to feed on. Almost immediately, she then killed a puku for herself and her second cub to feed on. Two kills a few minutes apart was astonishing to witness.

There were many other memorable wildlife experiences in may five days there. As well as the wildlife experiences, I will remember the splendid bush brunch on one morning, and sundowners on Chichele Hill on my penultimate evening."

"See my earlier comments - I spent one night there at the end of my trip before flying out of Lusaka."

"Access to the Lodge is by a rope bridge over the Mkulumadzi river, somewhat challenging at first (we arrived after sunset), but one gets used to it. The Lodge operates more like a hotel, in comparison to the other safari camps we have visited. Guests have the freedom to choose when to take lunch and dinner, but this restricts the opportunities to socialise with other guests.

The food (lunch and dinner) at Mkulumadzi was exceptionally good. Breakfast was ok, but we missed the porridge and toast around the campfire.

The chalets are spacious and functional, but the concrete construction has little character. Each chalet has a decking overlooking the Shire river, and we enjoyed watching the birds and animals from there.

The miombo woodland of the Majete National Park is very dense. Although we saw a large number of antelopes, including sable, hartebeest and nyala, it is not ideal for keen wildlife photographers. Majete National Park advertises "come and see the Big Five", but this is unrealistic. The few lions and leopards are extremely difficult to spot in the extensive thicket, and the few black rhinos are totally protected away from guests,

When we were there for 5 nights, there were only 2 safari vehicles and 2 guides for potentially 20 guests. Fortunately, the Lodge was far from full (except on our last afternoon), and the camp manager (Dave) made a big effort to accommodate the wishes of the guests with the resources available to him. Dave and Tammy made us very welcome, and we enjoyed wide-ranging discussions with them around the camp fire after dinner."

"Kuthengo is a new RPS bush camp that had opened only 2 months before our visit. The four tents and the camp enjoy a splendid location with wide-ranging views of the Shire river. We liked the style of the tents - elegant bush camping with modern touches. Each tent has a decking area with excellent views, ideal for bird watching.

We enjoyed dining under the stars with the other guests and the camp managers Jason and Steegan, followed by sessions around the camp fire. The food was ok, although breakfast was very limited. Lunch and dinner were ok, but (especially at dinner) portions were on the small side.

Whilst we were there for 4 nights, the camp had only 1 safari vehicle and 1 guide, for potentially up to 10 guests. Fortunately, there were never more than 2 other guests during our stay, so this did not become a problem for us. The boat for river safaris was also out of action. However, Jason arranged for a boat from another Lodge to enable us to have a morning river safari. The birdlife along the river was spectacular.

The mopane woodland of the Liwonde National Park has more open areas than the Majete NP, so that it was better for wildlife photography than Majete. However, animal density was often rather low, but we had some marvellous sightings of large herds of both sable and roan antelopes, and a 50-strong herd of elephants. It is unrealistic to expect to see big cats or rhinos in Liwonde.

The travel time between Kuthengo and Blantyre airport is 4 hours, even with a very fast driver."

"At both the beginning and the end of our time in Zambia, we stayed for one night in this hotel, as we have done on previous trips. We find the Radisson Blu works well as an overnight stop, and is very conveniently close to the airport.

The rooms are spacious, comfortable and quiet: the service is friendly and efficient.

We enjoy relaxing by the poolside with a Mosi beer as the sun goes down, and then moving to the restaurant for dinner."

"Arriving at Nkwali for our sixth visit, we had a wonderful welcome from Kiki and his team. The chalets at Nkwali are spacious and very comfortable, with a fine view directly to the Luangwa river.

It was a delight to see the river so full following the recent rains, and we boated across to meet the vehicles left on the other side.

Seeing so many elephants with their youngsters was a treat, especially when we saw one baby that Kiki estimated was only one week old. The lions Ginger, Garlic and their pride we saw several times. Compared to the dry season, the air is so clear at this time of year that the photos we took show a full spectrum of colours."

"It is a difficult decision, but Nsefu is our favourite RPS camp. The location, on the wide bend of the Luangwa river, provides a sweeping vista from the camp at any time of the year. With the roads around the camp impassable, one reaches Nsefu in an exhilarating ninety minute journey by boat upriver. This was our sixth visit to Nsefu: it was particularly special for us as, this time, we were the only guests. We were delighted that Braston was there to guide us, along with Chris (the scout): both Braston and Chris have looked after us on previous visits, and we appreciate very much their skills.

In this Emerald Season, activities involved exploring the river and its myriad tributaries and side channels (fun to boat along channels that we have crossed by vehicle in the dry season). Chris selected a safe place for the boat to be moored, then we got out and started tracking lions, wildebeest, buffaloes, zebras, giraffes etc. Watching the animals from a safe distance on foot is a unique experience. The river level was so high that on one day Braston and Chris were able to take us by boat all the way to the famous stork colony, where we gazed up at the multitude of yellow-billed storks and herons nesting in the ebony trees completely surrounded by water.

Sundowners by the river are always special. Returning in the boat just before sundown on our last evening, Chris skilfully tied to the boat to a dead tree emerging from a sandbank in the river. A pod of hippos was just in front of us, displaying their dentistry at frequent intervals. With the low light from the 'golden hour' behind us illuminating the hippos, it was a photographer's dream setting. And we had a glass of chilled sauvignon blanc beside us as well!

Our dinners at Nsefu were memorable. We dined at a table in the bar area, with Braston and Sebastian. We also know Sebastian well, and so it was almost a family affair. The quality of the food was a exceptional, and we note that it had to be carried some distance from the kitchen area to where we were seated.

On our previous visit to Nsefu in September 2016, we were concerned at the high level of lighting in the camp at night time. We were very pleased to note that the African night had returned."

"After our three nights at Nsefu, we returned downstream by boat to LRC for the last two nights of our trip in the South Luangwa. The main area of LRC has a splendid river front location. The five chalets are a little further away, but our chalet also enjoyed a river view. The chalets are spacious and comfortable. The camp is very well organised by Daudi and his team - we have known Daudi for many years when he ran Nsfeu. Dining is a pleasure, with excellent food.

Activities involved boating across the river to pick up a vehicle stationed at the other side. Daudi guided us with his skill and experience. One of the highlights was to see, at a very close distance, a pack of about twenty wild dogs. We found then firstly in the morning, relaxing in the shade of trees by the roadside. Returning after lunch, they became more active, moving out of the shade. After some time, they decided to move on slowly. This was the best sighting of wild dogs that we have seen at any time during our six visits to the South Luangwa."

"Please see our report on our stay at the beginning of our trip."

"The Radisson Blu is ideal for an overnight stop in Lusaka, being close to the airport, with spacious, quiet and well-equipped rooms.

We have stayed here on previous occasions, and as before, we relaxed by the pool with a Mosi beer whilst we watched the sun go down.

It was a Sunday night and we had an excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant."

"We had a wonderful welcome from Kiki and the team at Nkwali on this, our fifth visit. The camp has a superb location on the east bank of the Luangwa river.

The view across the river from the open-fronted chalets is splendid. Quick and easy access to the more remote parts of the National Park is assured by boat, pontoon, or simply driving across the river when the level is low enough, as it is at this time of year.

We enjoyed excellent game viewing, with five leopard sitings on one of the days."

"Nsefu's splendid location on a bend in the Luangwa river allows superb views from the rooms, which have a unique rondavel style. We watched herds of elephants regularly coming down to the river to drink. The game density is very high, and we appreciated the excellent guiding skills of Chilumba. As well as many lions, Chilumba took us very close to a pack of wild dogs. Wild dogs have eluded us on previous visits, so this was a very special sighting.

One afternoon, the elephants passed through the camp, just behind the rondavels. And then, on our last morning, we had lions in camp at breakfast time. Not content with occupying the bar area, two youngsters pulled off the rope from the outside loo, and proceeded to use it to entertain us with a 'tug-of-war".

The food at Nsefu was again very good. Ruth is much more than a hostess: she manages the camp very well indeed and we enjoyed insightful discussions with her around the bush TV.

Nsefu has a great atmosphere, but the river bank is slowly being eroded, and the camp may have to be moved sometime in the future. Go to the existing Nsefu whilst you can!"

"This was a very memorable experience - on this occasion we were the only guests, so it was particularly special. We walked between the two excellently located camps with our guide Braston, whose guiding skills are exceptional, whilst Chris the scout kept us safe.

We learnt to distinguish between the droppings (both white) of hyenas and crocodiles, as well as that of many other animals. Seeing elephant shrews in daylight at close quarters was a first. We will remember for a long time how we saw a pride of lions 150 metres away, and then slowly approached them to a distance of about 25 metres.

The food was amazingly good; coq au vin one evening, and barbecued steaks, sausages, vegetable kebabs and jacket potatoes on the second night, together with a full bar service including ice! The lunches were also good, and we had Zambian cheeses on one occasion - the goat cheese was particularly good.

The whole bush camp experience was wonderful and faultless. We appreciate very much the efforts of the whole team involved in the operation of looking after us, and moving the camp from one location to the next."

"We spent two more days at idyllic Nsefu after our bush camp days.

Please see our report and comments for our 1st - 3rd September stay at Nsefu. [Ed: see below]"

"This was our first stay at the Luangwa River Camp. The bar and central area of the camp has a splendid view over the river, whilst the individual rooms are more enclosed and ours lacked a view of the river. The rooms are very spacious, with an enormous bathroom, but without much natural light.

The Camp was exceedingly well run by Daudi, whose guiding skills are very good, and Yvonne. Access to the National Park is very quick as the river was low enough for vehicles to drive through. We saw much game, and lions and leopards each day.

We congratulate the chef and his team for the excellent dinners and lunches we enjoyed."

"Latitude 15 is a smallish (18 rooms) boutique hotel that makes an interesting alternative to the Radisson Blu. The journey from the airport took rather longer (about 40 minutes) through contrasting parts of Lusaka. The public areas of the hotel were very busy, perhaps because it was a Friday evening, with the pool, bar, and restaurant being extremely noisy. There was also a lot of noise from nearby construction sites.

Clearly many non-residents had come for dinner, with the consequence that the service in the restaurant was very slow, although the food was good. In contrast, we saw only a handful of other guests at breakfast the next morning."

"This hotel is located a short drive from Lusaka airport, and was ideal for an overnight stay.

Our room was spacious, quiet and comfortable. We relaxed by the pool with a Mosi, watching the sun set before moving to the restaurant, where we had a good dinner."

"This was our fourth visit to Nsefu, and it was as enjoyable and rewarding as ever. The camp has an idyllic location on a bend in the Luangwa river, with superb game viewing close by.
We were delighted by the warm welcome from Daudi, who manages Nsefu so well, and Braston, whose guiding skills are exceptional. He is an expert at "reading the bush".

The Nsefu cooks produced memorable meals on every occasion. We will be back!"

"This was our visit to Tena Tena - like Nsefu it has a splendid location on the bank of the Luangwa. The new tents are very private and spacious.

We enjoyed excellent game drives and a memorable walk with Bertram, where we came close to many giraffes towering above us."

"After 3 nights at Nsefu, followed by 3 nights at Tena Tena, we moved along to the wonderful Nkwali. It was our fourth visit here, and the contrast in river level between this time and our last visit in March 2012 was dramatic.

This time, one could simply drive across the river. We enjoyed excellent game viewing with Kiki who guided us superbly."

"We first stayed at Chiawa five years ago, and were keen to return to the Lower Zambezi. Chiawa is a very luxurious camp, with the highest standards. It offers a wide range of activities on land and on the river, including canoeing and sunset cruises. We had two memorable walks with Paul Grobler: he is an outstanding walking guide, a true naturalist whose breadth of knowledge of the natural world is awe-inspiring.

The camp was excellently run by Peter and Anita, who produced some wonderful "Chiawa surprises"."

"This is a wonderful, intimate, bush camp with just four tents. We stayed in the same tent that we stayed in five years ago.

The pods of the acacia tree overhanging the tent are an irresistible attraction for elephants, so we experienced some splendid close encounters. Old Mondoro has excellent guides and, like Chiawa, offers a wide range of land and water-based activities. Drifting down the Zambezi at sunset is idyllic.

Compared to Chiawa, there are more open plains which make spotting easier in some respects."

"This was a very conveniently located hotel for a brief overnight stay between arriving late evening at Nairobi airport, and our departure early the following morning.

The staff were very obliging in arranging for the breakfast buffet to open at 05:30 for us, 30 minutes earlier than normal."

"This is a lovely camp in a remote area of Tarangire National Park, far enough away from the main entrance. We spent 4 very enjoyable days and nights at Oliver's.

Tent 2 had superb views over the river valley, and was excellent for sunset viewing. The camp managers, Justin and Jacky, are excellent, creating a welcoming and friendly atmosphere. Enthusiastic about the wildlife, they had rigged up two motion-sensitive night cameras in the camp, and it was fun to watch at breakfast the parade of animals passing through the camp at night. Our guide Emanuel was enthusiastic and knowledgable. Whilst the camp itself was free of tsetse flies, the last couple of kilometres back to camp were heavily infested.

All meals taken in the camp were excellent. However, the breakfast and lunch boxes for meals taken on drives were not up to the same standard."

"The Lemala camp enjoys a superb location on the Crater rim, inside the Park. We spent two nights there. Like everyone else at the camp, we had travelled there with our own personal guide.

The tents were very comfortable, with bucket showers on demand, and generally well equipped, although lacking a torch. It was quite cold at night, but we were comfortably warm in the tent with a gas heater and hot water bottles. The camp staff were friendly and helpful, although on occasions needed prompting, for example restocking the camp fire after dinner.

The camp's location enabled us to be one of the first people in the Crater, before the crowds arrived. The setting of the Crater floor is spectacular, and it was certainly worthwhile to spend one day there, but we have had better game viewing elsewhere. The vehicle density at sightings was uncomfortably large."

"Ubuntu is a lovely bush camp with wide views across the northern Serengeti. We were surrounded by huge herds of wildebeest which "mooed" us to sleep each of the 4 nights we stayed there. The tent was very comfortable and there were bucket showers on demand. The camp is very well run by David, and the atmosphere was excellent. The food in the camp at Ubuntu was also excellent.

Our guide Goodluck was the best we had on this trip, and one of the very best guides we have experienced on our many safari trips in Africa: he could really "read the bush". We were fortunate to witness three spectacular crossings of the Mara river by wildebeest and zebras, virtually without any waiting around, and on one day we spotted a total of 33 lions in different prides."

"After flying from the Serengeti to Arusha, we spent a very welcome short afternoon at Onsea House before our evening flight out of Kilimanjaro. The staff were all friendly, and we had an enjoyable lunch on the terrace with a view of Mt Meru."

"This was our third visit to Nkwali: the first time in the Emerald season. It was a very special experience to see the bush in green, and particularly good for photography with clear, dust-free, air.

Braston was a superb guide with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the birds and wildlife. Highlights included seeing a juvenile bataleur in full display, a daytime sighting of the usually nocturnal Sharpe's grysbok, a young male lion calling for the pride and a spectacular sighting of a leopard up a tree eating her freshly-killed impala.

Kiki is an excellent host: he and all his team at Nkwali looked after us so well and gave us a welcome "like coming back home"."

"We had visited Nsefu twice before in the dry season, but visiting the camp in the Emerald Season was a very special experience, and quite intimate with a maximum of 6 guests. The river safaris provide unique opportunities to complement dry season game drives. The bird life was very diverse, with a highlight being the walk to the stork colony. We had a spectacular thunderstorm one night, but the days were dry.

Daudi reigns supreme as the heart and soul of Nsefu: a superb guide, and an excellent manager of the camp who made our stay so enjoyable and so memorable."

"We returned to Nkwali for another 3 nights after our time at Nsefu.

Please see our comments for our stay from 15-17 March. [Ed: see below!]"

"We stayed one night here prior to catching the early morning BA flight back to London. The hotel is a good choice, and is only about 20-25 minutes from Lusaka airport by taxi."

"We visited Nsefu 2 years ago and wanted very much to come back to this lovely camp. We were not disappointed - on the contrary. Fantastic wildlife sitings every day and superb guiding by Braston and Sebastian.

The camp location by the river is idyllic, with also a mud pool that attracts big elephant herds on a daily basis close to the bar area. A new experience was the very early morning excursion to the hot springs with a bush breakfast - worth getting up at 4am for this!

All the camp staff were superb and the food was probably the best we have had in all the four camps that we visited. The accommodation in the original rondavels is very good, but they are a little on the small side compared to rooms at other camps."

"Unfortunately, our schedule meant that we only spent 2 nights at Nkwali, and hence only one full day here. That is not enough time to explore the area.

We arrived at Nkwali after an exciting transfer from Nsefu (crocodile and lion kills, plus crossing the river by boat). The rooms have extended since we were here in 2008, and are even more spacious. We appreciated the traditional "Sunday surprise".

Future guests should not miss the opportunity on the way back to Mfuwe airport to stop by at Tribal Textiles, which is interesting, informative and a chance to buy unique souvenirs."

"Chiawa is a very luxurious camp in a spectacular location. The Lower Zambezi with its ephemeral sandbanks and well established islands provides many additional activities - sunset cruises, thrilling canoe excursions etc.

The guiding was superb and highly professional, and we had excellent sightings of lions. The camp managers Steve and Lynn took great pride in making our stay in Chiawa a very special experience and together with the whole camp team they delivered a truly unique experience. We were bowled over by a very special dinner on a sandbank in the middle of the Zambezi - a very memorable evening.

The camp is relatively large with 9 tents and up to 18 guests, but game drives, bush walks, boat excursions etc were never crowded."

"We loved Old Mondoro!

The camp has a lovely, intimate atmosphere and is very well run by Etienne and Leana and their team. Our guide Levy must be one of the top guides in the country - superbly knowledgeable and very personable. We had frequent and excellent sightings of lions and leopards, but also of rarer animals e.g. porcupines, Scharpes Grysbok and grey mongoose. We enjoyed particularly the walks - the open woodland and the adjacent open plain are ideal for this.

The camp should really be called 'old Elephant' as they were a constant presence, 'joining' the guests for tea, for a shower etc."

"Overall an excellent experience! Idyllic location with 'private' views across the river; Huts very comfortable; open air bath fantastic; lunch was taken on a pontoon terrace deck on the river - excellent; We visited the hippo and carmine bee eater hide several times - outstanding and absolutely wonderful for photography; Other highlights include a walking safari where we came very close to a pack of hyenas gorging themselves on a buffalo, with vultures flying in from all corners; the sky was as busy as Heathrow on a Friday afternoon.

We were also fortunate to have Derek Shenton as our guide for the last couple of drives, a true master !

The camp staff were excellent - special thanks to Gail who looked extremely well after us and everybody."

"Wonderful location with wide sweeping vistas across a bend of the Luangwa; huts very cosy and lovely style; Simon was an outstanding guide and companion. We were impressed with his knowledge, ability of 'reading the bush' and his enthusiasm. We also appreciated our night spotter (David) whose party trick - spotting the impossible e.g. tiny camouflaged chameleons and a Pels fish owl - was just amazing.

Highlights include a leopard feasting on an impala, watching a never ending buffalo herd coming down to the river to drink and the daily lunchtime appearance of an extended elephant family and their 'interactions' with the resident hippo in the camp waterhole ,

The scenery of the Nsefu sector was quite different from other parts of the Luangwa NP - with sidearms of the river, forests etc.
The camp staff were excellent and so was the food; we enjoyed particularly the evening dinners al fresco with candle light."

"The location on the river was again excellent. It was not really a problem that Nkwali is outside of the NP. The transfer across the river either by boat or across the pontoon added on occasions a certain 'frisson' to the journey and we had plenty of siting of wild animals even outside of the park. Highlights include many spectacular sightings of lions, leopards and even the rare view of a civet. We appreciated very much having Prince as our guide for the whole period. We also enjoyed our walking safari with Musambo and Jackson and Lazaro - very informative, close to nature and - as highlight - the close encounter with two warthogs.

The camp staff, in particular Rails and Kiki - were superb and couldn't do enough to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. We appreciated very much their flexibility to start the afternoon drive earlier so that we could benefit longer from the lovely afternoon light. We still think fondly of the surprise sundowner on our last evening!

The hut was lovely, very spacious and with a wonderful semi-open bathroom. The food was excellent throughout our stay."

"Only spent barely 12 hours there; location was very convenient for the early morning return flight to the UK.

The transfer with Voyages Ndola worked well."