Reviews of Kaingo Camp
(96%) From 147 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Kaingo Camp Review
Kaingo is a beautiful bush camp overlooking the Luangwa River. Our group consisted of two families, four adults and four teenage children. My wife and I stayed in the family chalet with our two children and our nephew. The wife and I had a separate room with a comfortable queen bed and the children all had individual beds in the main room. All of the beds were very comfortable; there was plenty of room for all of us. I especially enjoyed the outdoor (but private) shower while my wife enjoyed the outdoor bath tub. The chalet also had a private porch overlooking the river. It was very relaxing to sit out on the porch during our down time and listen to the grunts and groans of the Hippos.
Kaingo is a well-run bush camp. Agatha and Gerard run the daily operation and are extremely welcoming. Catherine the chef prepared us excellent meals every day. We were served delicious breakfasts, tea time snacks, and dinners. One morning we were surprised with a breakfast on the banks of the Luangwa. While we ate, an elephant appeared and wandered down to the river to cross right in front of us. The culinary excellence of the camp was an added bonus to our safari experience. Also, I had neglected to mention that my daughter was vegetarian but once the staff learned of this, they went out of their way to have a vegetarian dish on the menu. The wait staff were all very friendly and enjoyed teaching the children some of the local language. Zikomo Joseph, Misa, and Loban!
Patrick was our guide for the entire week that we spent in South Luangwa National Park. The first four days Patrick guided our two families. He did an excellent job with all eight of us, keeping everyone fully engaged on the drives and walk ins. Patrick is not only extremely knowledgeable about the animals found in the park but also knowledgeable about the birds and plants. He has an amazing ability to transfer his enthusiasm and love for the wild life to the people he guides. The children thoroughly enjoyed learning from Patrick. With each drive or walking safari, there were new things to see. It almost seemed that Patrick could summon animals and birds that we previously had not seen. After a week, we saw lions, leopards, wild dogs, elephants, giraffe, zebras, and countless impala and puku among other animals.
On our last night Patrick took us to the Mopani forest. He told us previously that we would probably not see that many animals but it turned out to be one of the most memorable drives of the trip. It was beautiful to be among the trees with the setting sun in the background. We were truly blessed to have Patrick as our guide, there was never a dull moment.
All we could wish for
Everything about Kaingo was wonderful. Agata the manageress was so welcoming, as were everybody else. We had fantastic guides, with Andrew and Patrick particularly standing out as incredibly well-informed. The quality of the food was outstanding, produced by Catherine and her team of assistants. The rooms were extremely comfortable and the private viewing platform overlooking the river was a beautiful place to relax. Fabulous, no complaints whatsoever.
Read more about the whole safariKaingo, a dream realized
Kaingo far exceeded all hopes and expectations we had for a safari. The secluded and intimate location, the beauty and convenience of the lodges, the exceptional quality and cordiality of the guides, the abundant and well prepared cuisine, the attention to comfort and detail (for example, the cool or warm washcloths (depending on time of day) that awaited us after each safari), and the deep African connections of the staff all combined to make our days at Kaingo a most remarkable and memorable vacation, one our family quickly rated the best ever. (To provide context to this statement, it might be helpful to know we have vacationed in Asia, South America, North America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and in one other African country.)
Any lodge can access the glory and beauty of South Luangwa NP, and the animals are spectacular regardless of the name on the jeep, but the factors listed above made Kaingo feel that we were getting about as authentic and natural a safari as we possibly could, short of actually moving to Africa and living in a tent. We had no idea one could develop such an intense fondness for a place and its people in only 4 days.
A really wonderful experience
Liz and Garth who ran the camp were warm, welcoming hosts. Ruth the catering manager provided excellent food, and the staff were unfailingly helpful. We very much enjoyed our meals with the other guests and the guides, Patrck Ndhlovu and Andrew Mweetwa were entertaining dining companions.
The high points of our visit were the rides with Patrick whose knowledge of the wild life was a joy to share .Patrick's ability to get us close to the animals and birds really was wonderful and his understanding of leopard behaviours exceptional.
Our room was spacious and well appointed, our private viewing platform ideally positioned to enjoy the comings and goings of animals along the river bank and in the pools and using our outdoor bath filled with sun warmed water was the perfect way to relax during the hot afternoon.
Everything about this segment of our holiday was perfect, even the drives from the airport to the camp and the return trip were experiences that we relished.
Great experience would love to go back
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Kaingo.
The accommodation, setting, service and food was excellent and the enthusiasm of all of the team was really great. The idea of having three activities a day is really good as it minimises the downtime. The hides are a great idea although it is a slight pity that you can't just pop into them.
The night drives were good as were the low density of people and camera equipped vehicles.
Superb game drives & outstanding hosting
The managers, Garth and Liz, are outstanding. Very professional, but also extremely personable. It appears effortless, but I’m sure an enormous amount of hard work goes on behind the scenes. They co-ordinate everything so smoothly; meals are always served on time, you never have to ask twice for anything, everything in camp was spot-on.
They have a terrific support team in Ruth and the local staff, who have also perfected the knack of anticipating your needs. A marvellous team who make you feel most welcome, and who go beyond expectations to ensure your enjoyment and satisfaction.
The food here was excellent, the best out of all the camps I visited. And they are one of the few camps to serve a true brunch.
Terrific game drives, in well-equipped vehicles, complemented the fantastic service provided in camp.
Kaingo - great camp to start with
Kaingo was welcoming and was all about the game drives, which is why we were there! The service was excellent and Garth and Liz were great managers. Agatha and Ruth were also very helpful and friendly.
We lucked out getting Andrew as our guide. What a passionate guy. He truly loves his country and wildlife and is so knowledgeable - he certainly made the holiday memorable. All the other guides were also very friendly and knowledgable.
My only criticism would be the evening meal. The portion sizes were far too big! Brunch was much better as it was buffet style, but I think a lot of food was potentially wasted on the evening meals. The food itself was delicious, just far too much of it.
It was a great camp for the introduction to South Luangwa.
Kaingo Camp
Great fresh meals and loved the beach barbeque.
We didn't realise until we were at the next camp that Kaingo translates to 'leopard', and yes we had some great sightings of these beautiful creatures.
A really charming camp with a very friendly and helpful team.
Great safari at Kaingo.
We crossed the river by canoe to arrive at this camp which was good fun.
The camp hosts, Garth and Liz, were extremely helpful and gave the camp a very relaxed feel.
Our room was lovely with the deck overlooking the river being a real bonus.
The food was excellent here.
We were lucky enough to have the head guide, Patrick, whose knowledge of the bush is second to none.
We had amazing sightings of Leopard every day, with many sightings of large prides of Lion.
We were also lucky to see a pack of Wild Dogs having a tussle with a Hyena over a Puku kill.
We went on a three hour walk with him to get to the next camp, Mwamba , during which we had sightings of many animals and birds, including Lion which felt very special.
It was a wonderful camp to visit.
Kaingo Camp review
The warmth of welcome from the camp managers, the camp staff and the guides was a standout feature of this part of the trip.
Our excellent guide Sylvester, dedicated to us for nearly all of our 4 night stay, says he guarantees viewings of leopards for any guest who stays 2 nights or more, and in fact we saw up close up to three leopards on nearly every safari outing both day and night. Indeed big predator viewing started during our after-dark transfer from the airport where we came across a leopard in the road, not ending until after our transfer back, when we came across not only a further leopard but unusually a pack of painted dogs.
On the second day we discovered the local lion pride and further saw them close up a number of times. With the high density of unspooked wildlife, the low density of visitors, and the variety of trees and vegetation, the local area seems unsurpassable as a safari location. With the important sightings quickly experienced and the pressure off, we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves with yet further amazing sightings.
The special attention to photographers with vehicle beanbag supports was much appreciated. The rooms, food and camp facilities were absolutely amazing given the remote location of the site. Another 3 nights would have allowed us to also enjoy the amenities of the sister bush camp. Given our experience we were not surprised to have met return visitors to the area.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
