Reviews of Chiawa Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
93 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Chiawa Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
97% success
87% success
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16% success
100% success
100% success
87% success
82% success
56% success
12% success
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4% success
0% success
"Chiawa Camp review"
We opted to dine on a table for just the 2 of us (as did many others) here and they also set up a very nice private lunch one day upstairs overlooking the river. Food very good. We had a surprise BBQ in the bush on our last night and have to say the food served was incredible. Very lucky to have all game drives by ourselves apart from one.
Unfortunately due to the low water levels they were experiencing we could not arrive/depart by boat or participate in any canoeing. Due to the extreme heat 40+ we certainly made use of the small pool.
We had had elephants on numerous occasions walking through camp (was lovely to sit in our hammock and watch the elephants in front of our tent) and Buffalo and Hippo also outside our tent at night).
Also had a wonderful foot massage by Janet." See all these reviews: 17n in Zambia; 3n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana
Buffalo
10 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Leopard
2 sightings
Lion
3 sightings
Spotted Hyena
2 sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Chiawa Camp review"
Also not sure that a new guide for each activity is best - it didn't really suit us.
These apart, the camp was excellent!" See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Senior Africa Specialist | East & Southern Africa"
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Leopard
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Zebra
1 sighting
"Chiawa Camp review"
This was a family trip for us. The staff was excellent to our children.
Wildlife sightings were amazing and simply can’t be described. They have to be seen to be believed.
We learn so much from our guides. We did some fishing which was great as well.
We all agreed this is our best family trip ever. I’m sure we will be back!
We can’t recommend Chiawa highly enough to anyone else seeking to go to Africa." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
Buffalo
10 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Leopard
3 sightings
Lion
5 sightings
Spotted Hyena
4 sightings
Zebra
6 sightings
"Chiawa Camp review"
Our highlight was the canoeing, which is a completely different experience from the game drives - it was very quiet and peaceful and provides an opportunity to see animals from a new perspective. It was also exhilarating being so close to large herds of elephants and the bird life was wonderful with lots of kingfishers and herons.
The Starbed experience (at an additional cost) was excellent with great attention to detail. The night sounds and incredible sunrise made it an unforgettable experience.
The accommodation and food were both excellent.
Overall a wonderful experience." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
Elephant
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Leopard
3 sightings
Lion
3 sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
"Luxury in the Bush at Chiawa "
We were initially a little overwhelmed by the size , ( more hotel feel ) but the staff are so good at remembering everyone’s names that we quickly felt they provided a very personalised service .
Lovely surprises kept happening - I won’t mention them , then future guests can be surprised too .
They guide differently here - depending on what activity you choose , you have a different guide who specialises in certain activities. You don’t therefore build up a relationship with any one guide . Having said that they were all very good and delightful people .
Rooms were fabulous- loved the ‘wallow’ . Helpful to cool down a little in the extremely high temperatures.
Food was good although we felt offering hot soup every evening was not a good choice . A cold soup would have been much better if they feel 4 courses is necessary." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
Buffalo
5 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Leopard
2 sightings
Lion
3 sightings
"Chiawa Camp review"
Buffalo
10 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Lion
4 sightings
"Chiawa Camp review"
The heat was 42 degrees in Tent 8 at Chawa in the afternoons, and that was lying on the bed underneath the fan with everything open!
The wild life was good, but not as exciting as on previous years, but the Leopard sightings were superb: sadly, the Wild Dogs had moved out of the Chiawa area, literally the day before we arrived, which was a shame-interesting to note that Wild Dogs were never seen when we last visited in 2017 and 2019, and we were excited to hear about the fact that they were now seen around Chiawa every now and again-from Grant's Newsletters over the last few months.
I think that the Chiawa guides should "chain them to an area where the clients can see them" !
It's really lovely that we have built up a really good relationship with Nico, our guide at Chiawa, and we are regularly keep in touch by e-mail-the rains have come at last, and he said that in a couple of weeks time, the camps will close for the year.
I think that Juliet and I built up a really good relationship, with discussions on many topics, including Leadership and what it meant!" See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
"Better than excellent!!!"
We were very lucky and upgraded to the Safari Suite which was palatial for the 2 of us with our own private pool overlooking the Zambezi we could wallow while watches, Elephant, Hippo and a host of other animals coming to the river.
The little touches that Chiawa offers Glashow how real hospitality should be. They created memories that will last a lifetime." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Leopard
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Wild dog
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Chiawa Camp review"
"Africa Specialist | Rwanda & Zambia "
"Chiawa Camp review"
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Leopard
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Sable antelope
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Zebra
1 sighting
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Royal Zambezi Lodge
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