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Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp

Reviews of Chiawa Camp

Wildlife sightings and reviews

89 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

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jun-2018, 27 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Chiawa Camp.
Lion

96% success

Leopard

85% success

Cheetah

0% success

Wild dog

18% success

Elephant

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Buffalo

88% success

Spotted Hyena

79% success

Zebra

52% success

Eland

13% success

Aardvark

5% success

Sable antelope

5% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 89
Duration
Arrival date
safari lovers
UK

"Luxury in the Bush at Chiawa "

3 nights Arrived 4 Nov 2023
"Chiawa is seemlessly run by a large team, a number of whom welcome you on arrival by boat .

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

5 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

3 sightings

J & J
York

"Chiawa Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 2 Nov 2023
"One of our favourites." See all these reviews: 20n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

10 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Lion

4 sightings

Mrs JD
W London

"Chiawa Camp review"

5 nights Arrived 6 Oct 2023
"Juliet at Chiawa was so kind-for the last 3 x nights that we stayed there, she upgraded us to the Safari Suite, which was magical and hugely welcome, as the heat on this trip was massively high, and having a pool was a Godsend, albeit i only have went in for one minute, due to my injury

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr B.
Bishop's Stortf

"Better than excellent!!!"

5 nights Arrived 31 Aug 2023
"Loved this camp, loved the special touches, loved the staff ( wow, can they sing ) loved every little thing about our stay.

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

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

Mr A F, Torquay
UK

"Chiawa Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 20 Jul 2023
"Comments, ratings and wildlife as previous nights." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Mr A F, Torquay
UK

"Chiawa Camp review"

4 nights Arrived 14 Jul 2023
"Camp personnel, wildlife, accommodation, food and activities all excellent as previous visits." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

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

A&L
Qatar

"Chiawa Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 26 Jun 2023
"Chiawa was exceptional. We had a fabulous time from the moment we landed in the Cessna light aircraft at Jeki Airstrip to the time we climbed into the helicopter to take us from Jeki back to Lusaka (for our onward flight to Livingstone).

The short drive from Jeki to the river was packed with excitement. The guide heard and then found a lion which we tracked and watched for over an hour before he took us to the river for our boat trip up the Zambezi to the camp. What a wonderful way to travel and arrive – a safari in its own right.

The accommodation was spectacular in every sense. The food was excellent and the service exceptional. Chaiwa had a real touch of class/style beyond the other 2 camps. Simple things like the table, white tablecloth, candle etc for sundowners when on a drive (and/or on canoe and river cruises) were such a nice touch. Likewise, our surprise lunch banquet floating down the river on our arrival day with a bottle of bubbly. This made it all feel so special. The communal BBQ in the bush was another nice touch and gave us the opportunity to meet other guests.

The guides at Chiawa were exceptional – and were especially good company. Their judgement about what, where, when, how etc was terrific. We were – and remain – in awe at their knowledge and skills, their gentle and kind hospitality and the way they built relationships with us.

We saw the most amazing game whilst at Chiawa – we don’t know if that was the norm or if we were particularly lucky – especially cats. The canoe safari was great fun and was concluded in great style with a transfer to a boat for smart G&Ts on the river at sunset. Very cool.

We really liked the feel of Chiawa. There was far more of a truly local feel to the camp and there was a clear and obvious happy and professional atmosphere.

Our one critical comment relates to the General Manager. Whilst he clearly ran an extremely efficient business and a professional and happy team, we felt that his own people skills were rather lacking. His interaction with us seemed mechanical rather than empathetic. Again, we stress that this was our perception and how we felt - rather than anything concrete." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr Paul
Doha

"Chiawa Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 21 Jun 2023
"Transfer from Busanga Plains to Jeki airstrip via Lusaka delayed so late into Chiawa Camp. Transfer by boat on the Zambezi to Chiawa Camp which is always magical.

Watching the elephants crossing the river feeding on the islands. This is my second visit to Chiawa and it did not disappoint.

Hosted by By Simon and Juliet .I was in room 7 which has great views of the river. The camp has a great atmosphere with communal dining.

Elephants are possibly the main attraction at Chiawa camp, Lots of them ! The food is top notch with an early breakfast before the game drive and Bruch after at 11.30. Lots of choices. Evening meal is a communal affair. Generally on the first morning you have a Bruch boat cruise with bubbly.

I loved the afternoon canoeing on the channels avoiding the aggressive hippos." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

3 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Lion

7 sightings

Dr T
Suffolk

"Chiawa Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 4 May 2023
"Beautiful position on the bank of the Zambesi.

Very good facilities and excellent staff.

Amazing barbecue supper with all the trimmings on an island in the Zambezi !

Excellent walking safari and game drives." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Aardvark

1 sighting

Buffalo

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

Zebra

3 sightings

Miss H & Dr B
London

"Chiawa Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 19 Sep 2022
"An amazing start to our Zambia/Malawi holiday.

Chiawa is even more luxurious than when we last visited in 2016. The tents are beautifully appointed, really comfortable and with large deck. Food and guiding were fantastic.

We particularly enjoyed having a dip in the pool as the daytimes were so very hot. What made it so special were the different dining experiences and activities, we were constantly being surprised and delighted." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Lion

6 sightings

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

Showing 1-10 of 89
98%
89 reviews of Chiawa Camp by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
80
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0
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