Travel reviews by Dr J. from Australia

"This was a wonderful camp for a first time safari experience. The camp staff were very 'visible' and attentive to guest queries and concerns. The highlight was the quality of the guiding - Peter was outstanding - he came across as 'listening' to the bush and exhibited his prowess in tracking as we chased an alleged cheetah in the vicinity of the camp.

Our first encounter (the very first afternoon, on the drive to camp) included a number of different animals: buffalo, giraffe, elephants as well and a male lion basking in the sun on the road. We managed a 30 minute encounter with him, with no other people around. Exhilarating. Eventually he sauntered up the road, calling. A great start.

The camp itself was very comfortable, with a fire pit for early morning warm-up and sunset relaxing, and a central area for meeting others. A great idea was a tunnel and hide to view animals in the camp waterhole. A hippo called it home, acting like a rock, except when s/he rolled and displayed four feet out of the water. The accommodation was very good, though a tad cold, even with warm bedding and water bottles for those coming from warmer climes. Food was excellent, and the picnic breakfasts outstanding.

A great introduction to the safari experience."

"Camp Hwange was a different experience to the first camp. The animals appeared more elusive, and it seemed we drove for hours searching. Our great achievement was a pride of lions at a kill - we sat and watched as several young males and a few females enjoyed a buffalo kill. We even returned the next day to watch the vulture take their turn.

The camp site was lovely - a large waterhole had a resident crocodile and was visited by numerous bird species, even, on our last morning, a pair of ostrich. A fire pit was the site of early morning continental breakfast, and a protocol of separate lunch and community dinner in the central area was in place - a little lonely for solo travellers.

While all the staff were generous with their care of guests, I felt the guiding was less nuanced than my previous experience. I particularly liked the trainee guide assigned to our group - Eric. lovely personality and great local knowledge, imparted with wonderful humour.

The camp had been recently refurbished and the safari tents were comfortable and warm."