Reviews of Chongwe River Camp
(96%) From 110 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Chongwe River Camp review
We stayed at Chongwe River camp for 5 nights. Each day the activities were different. This is a bigger camp with 9 tents and when full 18 guests. During our time there most people stayed for 2-3 nights so we met a variety of very interesting and fun folks.
We were always only 4 and just once 5 guest in a vehicle which made for a comfortable ride even though the vehicles are older. The activities we experienced were game drives, boating and fishing for tiger fish which was exciting and became quite a competion between the guys and gals as to who would catch the biggest fish. Gals won!
Our guides were again very knowledgable and went out of their way to make the safaris interesting and to find game that we had yet to see. One of our game drives left very early before breakfast and our guides Patrick and Givern cooked breakfast over a camp fire deep in the National Park with all the trimmings! The tents were very comfortable and the meals and service very good.
The management group appeared to work together as a cohesive team and were very anxious for feed back on any aspect of the camp that we thought warrented improvement. In fact we received an e-mail from them with information that they were installing solar pannels for power something we had suggested. All the camp staff were very helpful and very cheerful.
I used the pool and found it a bit stark but do understand that there are issues with the umbrellas and the baboons. One late night discussion concerned whether some sort of exercise equipment should be bought for the camp. While I do not know the demand, I suggest that any such installation be at or close to the pool. This will make it available to all and I suspect that many people will use the pool after a workout.
I was pleased that the water is treated and thus reduces the need for plastic water bottles.
Another highlight was visiting the Conservation Lower Zambezi facilities.
Perfect Location at Lower Zambezi
Chongwe River Camp is located at the confluence of Chongwe River and Lower Zambezi - couldn't be better !!!!
The tented rooms are spacious enough and have a wonderful en suite outdoor-bathroom. All people are very friendly and helpful, service and food are excellent. Our Guide Patrick was very good and joined us on all our activities: game drives, walking safari, boat criuse, canoeing (highly recommended!) - and we were max. 4 people on a boat or vehicle !!!
We saw lot of game - many already at the camp!! Hippos and crocodiles are just in front of the camp in the river and you can see many other animals coming to the river for drinking. And elephants were visiting the camp and esp. our tent every day - amazing!
Going on a game drive you first have to cross Chongwe river with the vehicle (the river is the border of the National Park!). Then you are in the park and there you can expect different landscapes and many different species of animals. There seems to be less game in Lower Zambezi than in South Luangwa but still enough to see and there are definitely less vehicles there (if compared with the central Mfuwe area in South Lungwa). We saw small and big game, lots of birds and at least 2 big male lions and a pride of 7 lions and 2 leopards (one at day and one at night!).
People who are interested in tigerfishing are invited to try to catch one - an activity we didn't join!
In conclusion: We started our Zambia safari at Chongwe River Camp / Lower Zambezi and it was the perfect start ... regarding everything: camp, location, activities and of course wildlife !!!!
Very pleasant and well run
This camp was larger than our usual choice but we were pleasantly surprised. very well run and lots of activities with everyones choices met with many guides and scouts present. Not all guests totally focused on game but guides dealt well with this.
Game not as brilliant as before but still had lots of elephant in camp!
Flight out from Royal very convenient to connect with BA flight home
Absolutely Brilliant Camp!
Stunning location at the confluence of the Zambezi and Chongwe river, with amazing wildlife IN and around the camp.. Excellent accommodation, food and atmosphere.
The fact that I was travelling solo didn't seem to make any difference as regards the level of quality service, flexibility, professionalism showed by all the guides. I particularly enjoyed fishing with Sam and then with George. The canoeing and evening game drive were also delightful
I loved Chongwe River Camp the minute I set foot in the place! Flossie is most welcoming and top marks to all the staff for making it such a wonderful stay! I will Definitely return!
Beautiful setting
Chongwe river camp is located in a very beautiful setting, facing both the Zambezi and Chongwe river. Baboons, warthogs, waterbucks and even elephants are regular visitors of the camp.
From your tent you can watch the animals coming to the river to drink water. The tents are spacious, clean and comfortable offering with a beautiful view over the river.
The density of game in the park however does not compare to the one we experienced in South Lwangua.
Chongwe by the Zambezi
Super camp, although could be less individual after the smaller Robin Pope camps, but fortunately, (for us), it was not full. Upgrade to a suite was terrific.
Less game than Luanga but still exciting and stimulating with mighty river on your doorstep.
Chongwe suberb - Albida suite is pure luxury
We stayed in the Albida suite for 4 nights, and it is the best accommodation we have ever experienced in all our years of travelling.
Michael was the perfect butler, Flossie the wonderfully exuberant host and Patrick Cryvet (littlebrownjobs1) the best birding and all-round guide we have ever had.
Waking up to watch, from our bed, the sun rise across the Zambezi while the hippos splashed and grunted their laughter in the river was a wonderfully moving experience. We absolutely loved it.
Chongwe River Camp review
Beautiful place
I loved everything nothing was too much trouble perhaps not quite as good game viewing but all other aspects made up for that. The boat trips and canoeing
Yet again staff wonderful full of interesting stories and knowledge
What fishing!!
We had seen so many wonderful animals by the time we reached Chongwe that we did not go on safari trips. We did however go fishing and enjoyed every minute, morning and evening.
Will never forget the setting of the Camp and the proximity to the Lower Zambezi.
Best Safari camp ever
What an extraordinary place. Our camp overlooked the confluence of the Chongwe and Zambezi rivers and gave us a spectacular view of all manner of wildlife - hippos, elephants, lions, crocodiles, baboons, impala, kudu, many birds, all coming down to the water's edge to drink.
It is not a camp for the fainthearted mind you - the first night an elephant broke into my bathroom and I was terrified. Little did I realise that this was quite normal behaviour and nothing to be frightened of. The other three nights were spent enjoying my nightly visits and quietly watching elephants eating their much loved Albida seeds (elephant biscuits) at spectacularly close quarters. During the day the elephants came into our camp and strolled past us. As long as you talk quietly to them and don't get too close they are fine.
We even had a leopard in camp one night that we sped off with some other guests in the truck to look at more closely.
The staff were excellent and catered for our every need.
We did many activities including game viewing, tiger fish fishing, canoeing, sunset river trips - all unbelievably exciting.
We will definitely go back.
