Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs M from Hampshire

"Lovely site, close to the river with wonderful sunrises and sunsets.

The accommodation was comfortable and exceptionally well-equipped, with hair-dryer, bath-robes, toiletries and insect repellent.

The camp was run in an efficient but relaxed and unobtrusive manner; Harriet and Fred were a great team along with the rest of the staff; our laundry was always returned neatly ironed and folded the same day; the room was always immaculately clean and well-prepared. Food was excellent, varied, fresh and delicious [ the lemon tart was the best we've ever tasted] and dietary requirements were always met. It was a nice touch to be surprised on an afternoon drive to find a table already set up with champagne and nibbles for sun-downers!
Jackson was a delightful and ever-present watchman who has served Nkwali for many years and escorted us to dinner each night.

Harriet was always on hand to meet us at the end of a drive with either a warm or cold flannel! She was an excellent host with a great sense of humour whose company we enjoyed very much.

Game drives and a short walk, guided by Fred, were informative and relaxed. Fred is obviously an experienced and enthusiastic guide with extensive knowledge and was an entertaining companion. His knowledge of the area enabled him to avoid some of the main routes and therefore other vehicles; there were rather more vehicles than we had expected but not enough to detract from our enjoyment. Fred proved to be a keen star-gazer and used his laser pointer to great effect. It was a definite advantage to be with the same guide for each activity.

The facilities generally were excellent; It was good to have twin showers - this saved time when trying to get ready for dinner - hot water was available at all hours. The swimming pool was a bit disappointing and uninviting - an apple core was spotted in the bottom! The lagoon behind the dining area was an attractive and interesting backdrop to mealtimes, with monitor lizards, sacred ibis, yellow-billed storks and turtles, as well as the legendary lizard buzzard which we thought was a mythical creature invented by Fred but proved to be in his bird book! Elephants and other animals often come to drink there.

It was a real bonus for us to be offered a third night by Claire which we appreciated hugely. We loved Nkwali and would certainly choose to go there again if returning to South Luangwa. Thank-you to all involved."

"This was our third visit to Tafika since 2005 and this time was just as rewarding as the previous occasions. Our room was beautifully prepared and hot water was available 24 hours a day. Laundry, cleaning and all general maintenance was carried out very efficiently and without fuss.

Food was amazing, with fresh fruit and vegetables coming direct from their wonderful garden - protected from elephants by an electric fence. Meals were planned and overseen by Rhona who coped unbelievably well with the many and various dietary requirements of the guests and was always on hand to make sure that no-one was given anything unsuitable. We were well looked-after by Heather and the team, especially when one of us became unwell and required re-hydration drinks.

Game drives and walks were rewarding with many elephants, large herds of buffalo, two honey badgers and good leopard sightings - plus extraordinary numbers of elephant shrews! Guiding was generally of a very high standard although with a number of different guides over the five days we found we were often being given the same information and were taken on the same routes. If it had been possible to have the same guide each time, this may have been avoided; we appreciate this is not easy to organise when the camp is busy. One or two of the more newly-qualified guides were a bit intense and may benefit from going out with an experienced and more relaxed guide like Isaac, but it is excellent to see that Tafika is sponsoring new talent in guiding. Crossing the river was always a worthwhile experience!

The roofless Land-Cruisers are the best way to see wildlife and are well set-up with places to put binoculars and bird books.

Tafika remains one of the best camps in Africa, superbly run by John and Carol, and we hope to return one day.

Many thanks to all concerned and our very best wishes to the team - including Brighton, whom we failed to meet on this occasion."

"Having arrived in the dark it was good to see such an interesting location on the first morning. The close proximity of the water hole to our tent made for excellent game viewing, especially of the huge number of elephants that came on a daily basis to wallow and play. It was also an enormous privilege to be able to sit in the guests' plunge pool while elephants came and drank from it! To be no more than eight feet from a wild elephant, and at ground level, as it drank was completely mind-blowing and a great photo opportunity.

The tent was comfortable and clean but a little short on storage space for clothes etc. We were consistently unable to get hot water from the shower and wash basin.

House-keeping service was good at all times. Our laundry was completed quickly and efficiently; washing powder was provided for guests to wash their own underwear. General organisation was a bit haphazard and we were never quite sure where we were supposed to be and at what time or who was in overall charge. This wasn't helped by the fact that rather than the six tents we had expected, there were in fact ten, with two separate dining areas and we were never sure which one to go to.

Food was generally excellent with good vegetarian options. There was always plenty of fruit and vegetables.

The only activity available was game - driving within a fairly limited area and we would have liked to walk. We found that the guides were predominantly interested in finding the big cats which, it must be said, were few and far between. There was very little attempt to spot and identify birds and rather too much time was spent driving at speed to possible cat sightings only to find the cats had moved on!

We asked if we could visit the Painted Dog Conservation Centre, having seen at its conception in 2002; we had noticed it on our way to Somalisa and Dudley arranged for us to visit on the way back to Victoria Falls. It was a thrill to see it in operation and to learn that over 6000 children had stayed there since it opened in 2003."

"On arrival we were met by Justine who told us she had upgraded us to a Premium Room which meant we had superb, uninterrupted views across the lake, exactly as we remembered them from our first visit in 1993. The position of the lodge on top of the hill is great, providing stunning views as we drove out each morning, stopping to look at the African Hawk Eagle and its nest below us.

Our room was large, airy and very comfortable and clean. There was plenty of storage space, a safe and a refrigerator.

Service was excellent in every way. Even though there was a hen-party, followed by a lavish wedding taking place, our needs were never neglected and everyone was extremely friendly and helpful whilst under pressure.

All meals were beautifully presented and delicious with a good choice of dishes.

In just two days we fitted in two game drives, a game walk, two lake cruises and a visit to the local village and school. The guides were very enthusiastic, informative and knowledgable and conscious of our comfort.

The Lodge has a most beautiful infinity pool which was immaculately clean and there is a poolside bar serving drinks. There is a television room for those that want to keep up with the soccer scores! There are many bird and mammal books around for guests to use."

"We loved the location of this camp, set in amongst the trees with the superb waterhole stretching out in front of us. The tents were generally well-spaced giving plenty of privacy. Game viewing at the camp water-hole was exceptional; we saw elephants, buffalo, kudu, impala, leopard, baboons, porcupine, genet, civet, hyena, wild dogs and many birds, including thousands of doves that arrived in waves. Lions could be heard very close by. We hardly needed to leave the camp at all!

Our tent was spacious and well-equipped and there was great attention to detail, probably one of the best layouts we have experienced in a tent.

Service was excellent, our tent was always clean and comfortable and laundry was returned the same day. Staff were all friendly and helpful. Meals and menus were announced by 3 members of staff in English, Tonga and Shona and whilst it was good to hear the musicality of the languages the staff appeared a little uncomfortable doing it.

The food was always of a good standard but there was occasionally some confusion about my specific dietary requirements - on one occasion there was no main dish that I could eat and one of the vegetarians staying there shared his meal with me! The lunch provided for our trip to the river was outstanding and much appreciated.

We particularly enjoyed the walking with Richard and especially our approach to the wild dogs and the time we were able to spend with them. Our game drive to the river was also outstanding. It was exciting but ultimately frustrating watching the elephant which apparently stands on its hind legs to reach high branches. Unfortunately it was feeding from a tree which was JUST within its reach with a good stretch of the trunk!

It was great to have the plunge pool in which to cool off - very welcome in the 40+ temperatures we were experiencing."

"We were concerned that the location, a couple of miles away from the town, would be a problem but the excellent free bus service proved invaluable. It was both frequent and punctual. It was great to be able to sit in the Buffalo Bar or the restaurant or by the pool and watch the animals coming to the water-hole.

Our room was comfortable with a limited view of the water-hole. It was a bit dark but had a semi-private balcony and air-conditioning. It also had a safe, fridge and tea/coffee making facilities. The bathroom was clean and well-equipped.

We have rated service as average because it ranged from terrible on the first night to excellent on the second - after our complaint! On the first night we were asked to move, in the middle of our soup, to enable staff to re-arrange tables for a large party which had just arrived. Following this, we received very little service at all because due to lack of staff, everyone concentrated on the large party.

Two courses were missed out altogether and the other two took 2 hours! We spoke to a manager who persuaded us that if we came again the next night we would have a good table and excellent service. This proved to be the case and we had a very enjoyable evening.

Food was generally excellent but on our first night the steak was disappointing and the manager adjusted our bill to reflect this - after some persuasion! Food and service in the Buffalo Bar at lunch time was excellent on both occasions. Staff were particularly friendly and welcoming.

We enjoyed a lovely walk on our own by the Falls. It was good to be there again and see that it has changed very little apart from the entrance and car park. Afterwards, we walked back to Ilala Lodge and went in for a cooling Malawian shandy by the pool, which gave us a glimpse of what might have been! The sundowner cruise was a very different experience from our last one; the boats were very much bigger, there were more of them and a great many more people which indicates the improving level of tourism. This made for a rather less peaceful cruise but still enjoyable, with excellent snacks and drinks.

We used the attractive little gift shop and were able to purchase stamps there and post letters in the reception area. It is a truly amazing building which provides maximum viewing opportunities on many levels. The pool is beautiful and kept immaculately clean, with changing/shower rooms nearby. Television and internet were available but we did not make use of them."

"Mindy ran the camp with a quiet, friendly efficiency and was always available. We very much enjoyed sharing meals with her. Whilst the variety and quality of the food was excellent, we have rated it as good because it did not always take account of my very special dietary requirements - vegetables were often too hard for me to eat. The laundry service was very efficient and much appreciated.

Levy and Godfrey were excellent guides and made every game drive an experience to savour and remember. We learnt so much from them and enjoyed their enthusiasm and humour. Bird life was superb and there were several leopard sightings, lots of monitor lizards as well as all the more usual animals. Great to see so many baby impalas.

The room was comfortable and well-equipped with an excellent shower but the absence of mosquito nets made for uncomfortable nights. The mesh covering the windows was not sufficient to keep out even the larger insects which came in through other gaps. We realise it was our choice to come at a time when insects were most prolific but nets would have helped.

The plunge pool was less than inviting, with a variety of dead creatures floating in it!!

Thankyou to the whole team for looking after us and giving us a memorable experience."

"Lovely welcome from Carol and John on our return after four years. They still run the camp in a relaxed and very efficient way with their great team. Rhona was exceptional in coping with my dietary requirements and produced a great variety of perfectly cooked meals.

The rooms are well-designed, comfortable and well-equipped with excellent showers and large mosquito nets which enclosed the whole sleeping area so there was no feeling of claustrophobia. The laundry service was superb, with clothes collected in the morning returned the same day.

The guides and spotters were all excellent. We particularly enjoyed the enthusiasm of Alex and Stephen. It was good to see Brighton again and enjoy his fire-lighting skills! It was great to be able to do guided walks, especially after crossing the river by canoe which added to the experience.

We appreciated being able to send emails and having Brian on hand to help with technical problems!

It was particularly good to have a closed vehicle to go to the airport - we saw others who didn't and they were very wet having come through a thunderstorm!

Unfortunately we were unable to take advantage of the microlight flights due to the cost of insurance investigated before we left home.

Thankyou to everyone for a memorable visit to Tafika and for the great care you took of us."

"A convenient location for the airport. A lovely hotel with well-equipped, clean and comfortable rooms.

Staff friendly and helpful at all times.

They were particularly accommodating about providing breakfast naerly an hour earlier than normal. Full feedback sent directly to Taj."