Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs C from Herts

"This was our first visit to the Kalahari and we hoped to see animals that we hadn’t seen before.

Tau Pan was a very friendly and comfortable camp. The rooms were spacious and clean. We enjoyed watching animals at the water hole each day. The food was excellent and my unusual diet was catered for. We found our guide and tracker very knowledgable and they worked very well together.

We did see the animals we hoped for along with a rare sighting of a wild cat. Sunsets were incredibly beautiful and enjoyed with our sundowners.The only disappointment was that the nearness of the lion pride did not enable us to do a walking safari."

"This was an amazing experience. Our guide, Andrew, was very personable and knowledgeable. We were collected from Khwai airstrip and taken to our remote camp which was set up and waiting for us. The tents were light and airy with comfortable beds. The camp team made sure that everything was just right, they were all friendly and keen to make our safari special. We all agreed that the food produced by Alec was superb, especially since it was cooked over a fire. My unusual diet was well catered for. The drives were full of anticipation and Andrew found us many animals and birds. Our bird recognition improved as the time went on.

Next we drove to Savuti. The camp team expertly packed up camp and managed to get ahead of us and set up the new site. We, meanwhile, meandered through different landscapes on our route which meant that we saw a variety of wildlife. For the first time we saw hills. The camp site was in a beautiful, quiet position. The channel was dry but there were still many animals to see.

We enjoyed sitting by two cheetahs as they rested and seeing three male lion brothers laying out together early in the morning. But most unusual for us was to see several Carmine bee eaters escort our vehicle across the grasslands so that they could catch the insects we disturbed. One night whilst drinking by the camp fire we had a visit from two lionesses. We followed Andrew’s instructions and sat still. Eventually they skirted around us and exited the camp, it was the closest we had been to lions when not in a vehicle.

We all considered this to be the best way to experience a safari, we felt close to nature and enjoyed a wonderful guide. We thoroughly recommend this safari."

"We loved it at Lagoon.

Everyone was so welcoming and our accommodation was very comfortable. The kitchen staff went out of their way to help me with my dietary needs and at every meal/trip out there was plenty of food for me. Our guide (Spencer) and the tracker (PK) were excellent. Spencer was a walking encyclopaedia, giving us so much knowledge about the animals and their surroundings. Both he and PK set up a wonderful rapport with us."

"We loved the intimacy of this camp.

There were only six people staying there at any time during our stay which meant plenty of attention for us. We found it a well organised camp with everybody keen to please. There was always food made especially for me (gluten free and dairy free).

Our guide, (Partner), was very special - he formed a good relationship with us and his tracking skills were excellent. We saw wild dogs for the first time which was a special moment for us all. The memory of the last night's meal out in the bush will remain with us for some time."

"We were amazed that every one of the management staff remembered our names right from our first meeting, this was impressive since there were 24 people staying at the camp.

We loved the singing before each evening meal. Metal was an excellent guide, adding to our previous knowledge gained in the last two camps. They tried very hard with my dietary needs (gluten free, dairy free) but there was never any food for me at coffee time or with sundowners."

"A very warm welcome from Fran and all the team. Our guide (Obi) was excellent, adding to our knowledge at all times. His guided walk was amazing and we had complete confidence in his knowledge of animal behaviour particularly when we came upon a large herd of buffalo!
We loved sitting by the lagoon during the siesta and watching animals coming to drink or wallow.

Crossing the river by pontoon was a new experience and we were the last people this season to cross to Nsefu by boat as the river was then low enough to drive across.

It was a shame that the pool was out of action due to the filtering system breaking down."

"Another warm welcome, this time from Polly and the team. The rondavels were very comfortable. Our clothes were washed, dried and beautifully ironed by charcoal iron. We had a wonderful introduction to the Zambian sense of humour which we loved. The camp was well sited on the bend of the river and we were able to watch elephants crossing it. We enjoyed watching the animals coming to drink and play in the lagoon by the bar.

Our guide, Braston, added further to our knowledge and had a great sense of fun. We saw a leopard within minutes of leaving the camp on our first game drive (mainly due to the spotter). Braston also cooked us a memorable breakfast in the bush at sunrise and led us on a walk to Tena Tena."

"Arrived after walking from Nsefu. Claire and her team made us feel very welcome.

Everyone was very friendly, right down to the night watchmen who led us to our tents each night. We were accommodated in large, new tents with a bathroom that overlooked the river which was full of hippo pods. We had three separate guides, Chylomba, Nyambi and Julius and each, in turn, added to our knowledge. A special mention here for Nyambi who led us on a walk and particularly made us aware of the interdependence of all life in the park.

Unfortunately we had a couple sharing our stay who drank too much. A big thank you must go to Claire who handled the situation very well, even giving us a private dinner one night so that we could avoid the couple (the man was particularly overbearing and loud)."

"A very luxurious camp. Our tent had air conditioning and there was a spa offering treatments.

The staff were very friendly. We bought souvenirs from the camp shop because they were reasonably priced. We enjoyed the activities on offer, like fishing, a game drive and a boat trip.

Our highlight was the visit to the Victoria Falls, even though the volume of water was low.

Godfrey and Histon were our guides. Histon gave us a tour of the environmental site that the camp is nurturing; a water re-cycling plant, solar panels and growing indigenous trees from seed and planting them in the area."

"Hard to make a comment as we were only there a few hours overnight.

They did not seem to be expecting us at the time we arrived. The rooms were adequate."