Travel reviews by Stefano from New York

"Latitude 15 was perfect for our one night stay after the long flights to get to Zambia. The food was good, the room huge and the hotel offered different places to relax."

"Authentic safari under canvas. The tents might not be the most luxurious in Zambia , but they have everything you need . The bathrooms are under the stars and we loved the bucket showers. The food is varied and very tasty. The location on a private island is beautiful, with hippos , elephants, leopards , hyenas visiting the camp . But what really is special about Chula ( and Kutali) is the enthusiasm of all the staff, the extreme competent guiding and the activities available. The most special one is the canoeing in the Discovery channel. It was thrilling ( trying to avoid the hippos) and peaceful at the same time and the guides made us feel very safe."

"Charming camp in a wonderful location!
On the bank of the Zambezi river, under the winter thorn forest Kutali camp is in a spectacular location. The canvas tents and the open air bathrooms give you the feel of the authentic bush camp but with all the comforts you need. Elephants, hippos, impalas and even a python walked through the camp.
The staff is always available, smiling and enthusiastic. We did game drives and a boat river cruise both with Leon who is not only competent ( expected) but also a delightful person to spend the day with. The highlight of our stay was witnessing the small river crossing ( crocs in it) of a pride of lions with many young cubs safely ."

"Tafika is probably the best camp we have stayed in Africa. Starting with the gorgeous location on the banks of the Luangwa river , then staying in the charming rooms with the pleasing outdoor bathrooms, eating the exquisite food ( different every day) , and finally dealing with the engaging and competent staff, everything is perfect at Tafika.
We were told that South Luangwa is the place to see leopards, but not even in our wildest dreams would we expect to have three different sightings of leopards in one day and to spend more than one hour in daylight with a very relaxed 3 years old Mutima. What a privilege!
My only regret is to not have spent more days at Tafika."

"Small and intimate bush camp in South Luangwa, Chikoko Tree is really in a remote part of the park. Just getting there is an adventure. You are transferred by boat at the crossing and then once you meet your team , you walk to the camp ( non vehicles are allowed).
The two-storey chalet is made of reed walls. The room is on the second level overlooking the dry Chikoko river . We had a good view over the grassland and saw many impalas, bushbucks, pukus and baboons . It really feels like sleeping in the trees. The bathroom downstairs is comfortable and there is even a hot shower!
Go check the kitchen: the food is varied and excellent and made over an open fire and an earth oven.
But you go to Chikoko for the walking experience and it was fabulous. Mukupa the guide and manager, Crispin the spotter and wildlife police, and Juston the tea bearer ( and fire maker) , took excellent care of us . We always felt safe. This is not a nature stroll around termite mounds and looking at some animal tracks or spoor. We not only ran into the usual antelopes, but also came across elephants and hippos. We didn't avoid them , we looked at them from a safe distance. It is totally different from a game drive , it is a real bush experience ."

"Considering that it is in the middle of nowhere , where vehicles are not allowed, Big lagoon is luxurious. the rooms are spacious, with an unbelievable view over the lagoon ( with all the birds and wildlife ) , and large bathrooms with showers with running hot water . The food is delicious and always different. We liked it even more than Chikoko Tree.
The walking safari was very rewarding. Mukupa and his team tracked a pride of lion and we spent a long time observing them from a distance but the lions were totally aware that we were there. We never felt in danger. We also tracked buffalos and came across elephants, hippos , zebras ( one with an evident and recent lion gash) impalas .... A truly special experience."

"Good hotel , very close to the airport and considering that we arrived late at night it was a quick drive there .

Breakfast was plentiful in the morning and we also were able to leave some luggage there to be picked up after our safari . Overall a very good choice"

"Perfect blend of luxury, coziness and exceptional guiding

At Kicheche Laikipia you get the feeling of your private cottage in a superb location in Kenya. The tents are huge , immaculate and comfortable , and we saw herds of buffaloes and elephants coming to drink at the waterhole in front of the camp. The food was tasty and plentiful and the bush breakfast in the morning is the little extra touch that make the Kicheche camps so perfect.

Anita is not only a very competent manager but she is also a consummate host : we loved the evening chats by the fire. All the staff is lovely and friendly.
William, our guide, is extraordinary. He seemingly could find wildlife at will: mating rhinos, lounging cheetahs, pride of lions hunting, sundowners in front of huge herds of buffaloes or elephants . He is also very knowledgeable answering all of our questions and giving insights on animal behavior.

Ol Pejeta Conservancy is rightly famous for its wildlife and especially its rhinos ,but it also offers the possibility of visiting the Northern White Rhino Recovery Program, the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and the anti poaching dogs training. We opted to visit the Chimps sanctuary and it is a worthwhile initiative to support."

"Like the other Kicheche camp we visited before (Laikipia) , Kicheche Mara is a wonderful , well managed camp. It is larger than the Laikipia camp but the tents are spread out and you only meet the other guests in the public areas for drinks and meals. ( except for Humphrey the resident hippo who showed up in front of the tent) .

The tents are huge and very comfortable and the staff at camp is always friendly and impeccable. The meals are very tasty and the bush breakfasts are heavenly.

Our guide, Paul was outstanding. He always managed to position the car in the best spots for wildlife viewing and photography : in the middle of a herd of elephants or surrounded by a pride of lions.

With Paul, we also went fly camping. It is by far the best experience we had in any safari in Africa . The fly camping is located in the Naibosho Conservancy, so we got to visit that area too. We started with a bush walk accompanied by Paul and Peter ( an armed ranger) . While walking , you are totally attuned to your surroundings and to the wildlife that is curiously looking at you. We arrived at the camp that had been set up by the staff of Kicheche Valley and were hosted by Esther, Keke and Julius(?) .

We had a dome tent with comfortable and warm cot beds. Washroom facilities consist of washbasins, bucket shower tent and drop loo tent. A campfire is lit up and sundowners and dinner were served : soup, stew, ugali and baked potato. Delicious! During the night , lions were active in the vicinity of the camp but we enjoyed the thrill of it. The next morning we went on a morning drive before breakfast in the Naibosho Conservancy .

Fly camping is really a not to be missed experience. It is comfortable in its simplicity, totally authentic and far from anybody else."

"With Paul, our excellent guide in Mara North , we went fly camping. It is by far the best experience we had in any safari in Africa . The fly camping is located in the Naibosho Conservancy, so we got to visit that area too.

We started with a bush walk accompanied by Paul and Peter ( an armed ranger) . While walking , you are totally attuned to your surroundings and to the wildlife that is curiously looking at you. We arrived at the camp that had been set up by the staff of Kicheche Valley and were hosted by Esther, Keke and Julius(?) . We had a dome tent with comfortable and warm cot beds. Washroom facilities consist of washbasins, bucket shower tent and drop loo tent. A campfire is lit up and sundowners and dinner were served : soup, stew, ugali and baked potato. Delicious!

During the night , lions were active in the vicinity of the camp but we enjoyed the thrill of it. The next morning we went on a morning drive before breakfast in the Naibosho Conservancy . Fly camping is really a not to be missed experience. It is comfortable in its simplicity, totally authentic and far from anybody else."

"Like the other Kicheche camp we visited before(Laikipia) , Kicheche Mara is a wonderful , well managed camp. It is larger than the Laikipia camp but the tents are spread out and you only meet the other guests in the public areas for drinks and meals. ( except for Humphrey the resident hippo who showed up in front of the tent) .

The tents are huge and very comfortable and the staff at camp is always friendly and impeccable. The meals are very tasty and the bush breakfasts are heavenly.

Our guide, Paul was outstanding. He always managed to position the car in the best spots for wildlife viewing and photography : in the middle of a herd of elephants or surrounded by a pride of lions."

"The Weinberg hotel is a clean and good hotel maybe a little soulless."

"We had a wonderful time staying here for 2 nights. Our objective was proximity to the dunes so that we could be there early in the morning with a good light . That worked out perfectly.

The Lodge itself is very comfortable - the dining area has great views. The chalets are well equipped. The Staff were all very friendly and helpful .

Kulala was a great choice as a base in the Sossusvlei area, although Wilderness should probably change a little the afternoon activity ( Sesriem canyon) . We felt it was a bit lightweight compared with the morning visit to the dunes. But probably it is hard to beat the Sossusvlei."

"Great hotel . The hotel is new, so it's very clean and comfortable.

We stayed in the Luxury room sea facing, it was very comfortable and well appointed, only criticism was sea view was mainly of the car park.

Location is perfect next to the ocean, very easy to get to, with very easy parking and walking distance to shopping and restaurants."

"We enjoyed the old fashioned, traditional safari lodge with dark paneling . Everybody was friendly and the service was very attentive . They even washed our very dusty car without us asking them.

The lodge was quite empty , with only another couple who did their own things , so during the activities it was just us. We did all the drives possible alone with Leon and we had a fantastic experience. The game encounters were superb . On one day we had three different rhino sightings!

We felt we were on our very own private reserve."

"Onguma Forest Camp was not our favorite.

It felt a little soulless and the zebra hide on the floor didn’t help. It is clean and the service was good and it is close to Etosha but still it is notch below the other properties we stayed.

The sundowner drive was not worth for us . Maybe we were unlucky but the area they took us was very dense and there were very few animals visible in the reserve .

We had a lot more sightings visiting Etosha’s waterholes independently."

"Okonjima was a perfect end of our trip. The standard rooms were huge and spotless with a fantastic view of the plains. The main lodge is very comfortable and welcoming with tea , coffee and cake and excellent food .

I was a little worried when I saw a long line of vehicles ready to take the guests for the afternoon activities . I thought we are going to be ten cars around a leopard . But everything is so well planned that the cars went in different directions and for our leopard tracking it was just our car ( excellent guide Martin) and we saw first a collared leopard and later her 2 years old son uncollared and very relaxed .

The next morning , we went to the Africat center and even though this is for their safety , it is still a little sad to see the cheetahs walking around their large enclosure. Still a positive and interesting experience."

"Nice and quiet place to stay in Windhoek.

Only a few rooms and overall a very family-like atmosphere . We stayed there before flying back home so didn’t spend a lot of time there.

The food was good especially the breakfast."