Reviews of Old Mondoro Bushcamp
(99%) From 97 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Old Mondoro review
We loved the camp's location right on the river, and the surrounding floodplain with its beautiful winterthorns and mahogany trees created a really magical setting. Mark and Madelein were energetic and enthusiastic hosts who made us feel very welcome.
We had great sightings of leopard and lion on our game drives, when we met barely another vehicle, but just as good were the evening drives after sunset using a filtered spotlight. On one of these - thanks in particular to the sharp eyes of our spotter and trainee guide Samora - we were lucky enough to see an aardvark, something we had never ever thought would happen and which was really a highlight of the whole trip.
Superb
The luxury continued here on a similar basis to Chiawa Camp - facilities luxurious and comfortable. Chalet overlooked part of the river, so spent the afternoon siesta time watching animals from the terrace area of our room. Staff all friendly, helpful and knowledgeable.
Delicious food, which included a full cooked breakfast on our last day - nothing was too much trouble. All game drives were exceptional including a river safari. Particularly liked the "hot water bottle" which we had on the early morning game drives - when it was cold, these were a godsend!
Overall an excellent place to finish our safari.
Stunning river setting at Old Mondoro
We loved the location. It is extremely photogenic with the camp overlooking a wide expanse of river with numerous pods of Hippo wallowing in the shallows.
We found the accommodation most comfortable; all chalets are perfectly situated facing a small tributary with the main river to the left. Game was ever present: elephant were regularly sighted having mud baths a few metres away below our veranda; plus water buck, buffalo, impala and countless birds large and small: Goliath Heron, Grey Heron, Egrets, King fishers and Ibis.
The staff were lovely: attentive and courteous, and the food was excellent. No chance of losing weight here, with the charming Madeline, the hostess, anticipating our needs before we knew we needed them! The very knowledgeable guides proved to be expert trackers - the excellent host Mark being one and Sebastian another. We saw leopard three times in our short stay, and the rare aardvark and honey badgers on our nocturnal safaris.
We also loved the canoeing and boating experiences: lots of crocs, hippos, marabou storks, marshal eagles, fish eagles, a Harriet hawk, bee eaters and more kingfishers. On land the open vehicles gave unrestricted viewing. My only recommendation would be to have adjustable camera selves on the guide rails to rest long lenses on.
A memorable stay - thank you.
Old Mondoro Awesome Again
Awesome stay, great time with guide Seb and fishing guide Johan.
New managers were good.
Old Mondoro Bushcamp review
The Old Mondoro must be regarded as different from its sister camp at Chiawa. Facilities are more basic (perhaps more authentic of old style bush camps) and open to the animals.
The canoe trip was both exciting and provided close encounters with many animals and great bird viewing. The local area was very dry with less vegetation than normal at this time of year following a poor rainy season so we saw substantially more game than anticipated. As always we particularly enjoyed the walking trip.
My companion has vegan food and, having given prior notice, was well catered for.
Great safari lodge
This is a well run lodge, lovely views from the rooms,bar etc, and even the communal loo.
Fantastic food, friendly and informative staff and nothing is too much trouble for Michelle the owner to make your stay enjoyable.
Safari drives through pretty scenery with great sightings of wildlife including aardvarks which we had never seen before.
Absolute favourite.
This bushcamp, with only 4 chalets, is my favourite of this trip.
Chalet 1 and 2 overlooking the river. Chalet 3 and 4 overlooking a lagoon were animals come to drink and bathe. I stayed in chalet 3 (the best) and when I arrived elephants were blocking my door! What a welcome.
The guides are extremely good and they create a warm and relaxed atmosphere, that makes the gamedrives a real pleasure!!
There is plenty of game. I have had great wild moments in a beautiful environment. Also the food was very good.
A smaller , more " bush" version of Chiawa
All my comments re Chiawa apply to Old Mondoro.
OM is smaller and complements Chiawa as a perfect two camp experience.
Moving from one camp to the other takes about 1 hour along the Zambezi must be one of the best " hotel transfers" in the world.
Outstanding service, location and wildlife
On arrival, we found out that we should have been informed that our 4 days would be 2 days each in 2 different chalets. We had not been informed, so told Michele this was not acceptable to us. The matter was rapidly resolved and we were allocated an excellent chalet for all 4 days. This beginning was a perfect illustration of the fantastic service and care for residents at this camp. Any suggestions or requests were immediately attended to with consideration, sensitivity and a smile. There is a great sense of teamwork here, with no evidence of the hierarchy of staff present in some camps.
Particular mention goes to our game drive guide, Sebastian, river cruise guide, Trafford, trainee guide Samora, waiters Joel and Prosper, chefs Robert and Chris, who all helped to make this a very special stay. Managers, Michele and Reon, went way beyond any call of duty in chasing the camera phone lost in the bowels of Profilght. Even with their efforts, the phone did not arrive until just before we left, so they lent us a quality camera so we could take photos.
Our room was looking over the Zambezi with a lovely shaded veranda frequented by elephants all day. The Sitenje has views over the river and over the bush, so wherever you sit there is wildlife to see. The game drives and river cruises are varied so we were able to see plenty of different land and water based wildlife at all times. We came across 3 male lions with a buffalo kill, then the following day with a Kudu kill. They then joined with 3 females, one pregnant. We saw plenty of leopards including 2 young ones racing up and down a tree in play.
Robert and Chris provide outstanding food from their kitchen and were happy to show us their facilities. The food was varied, meat deliciously tender and cakes and desserts so delightful we ate far too much.
Overall, this was the best camp we have stayed in - a big thank you to the great team who work there.
Old Mondoro Bushcamp review
Old Mondoro was well located especially for the elephants. The chalets are high quality.
The staff were very friendly and the the food was really nice. Our guides there (Sebastian and Marshal) were knowledgeable friendly and committed to us having a good time. This camp unlike the others had the guides sharing the guests. It worked out well as both guides were excellent but overall our preference is one guide for a visit.
We saw some excellent bird life and again the night drives were a highlight (including the Great Eagle Owl). It was pretty good to see a leopard on our initial drive into the camp from the airport.
Old Mondoro is a pretty flash camp.
