Reviews of Kaingo Camp
(95%) From 141 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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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.
Kaingo camp July 16
I stayed in Kaingo for 3 nights in July 16. Absolutely superb from the moment I arrived. Rooms are wonderful, with outside seating area and a separate seating area on a raised platform overlooking the river, lovely bedroom and toilet/shower.
Nothing was too much trouble for the staff- in particular my guide Sandy who was full of information and expertise. The food was so good I began to worry whether I'd still fit in my clothes at the end of the stay! This has to be the best place in the world for leopard viewings, and everything else too from wild dogs to eagles.
I couldn't recommend this place highly enough, and hope to go back next year.
Kaingo Camp review
Again met as promised, always a good start, followed by an enjoyable and informative drive to the Camp.
A quick greet and we were off on the first of many trips, going to the Hippo hide immediately as requested - the main point of the whole exercise. After that the 4 days passed in a whirl of painter dogs, lions, leopards etc. interspersed with good food with brilliant guides.
A wonderful place to spend 4 days.
Fabulous stay at Kaingo
We spent 7 nights between Kaingo and its sister bushcamp, Mwamba. Our stay at Kaingo was amazing.
We were very impressed by our guide Sylvester. He would read the tracks in the dust of the road and off we would go - and there would be the wild dogs or the lion pride! The game is plentiful around Kaingo but it still requires a high degree of skill to locate 5 leopards in a day. Highlights of the game viewing were a pride of lions hunting buffalo and a leopard exploding from a gully in an effort to bring down an impala. One day I went on walking safari with Sylvester while my companion, Gina, went on a drive. On the walk with Sylvester and the ranger Peter, I witnessed wild dogs hunting. Down on one knee taking pictures, the dogs raced by about 5 metres away.
We had selected Kaingo for two reasons. First was the focus on photography. Kaingo really shines in this aspect! There were bean bag lens rests in each vehicle and dustcovers were provided. The guides are all terrific photographers and shared their knowledge, as did other guests. Second, we wanted to support an owner-run independent camp. Derek's family has been involved in developing and protecting South Luangwa for many years. Kaingo camp was obviously designed to minimize impact. While everyone spoke highly of Derek, we were surprised to learn that he and Jules live in Lusaka and are not at the camp full time. Re-reading the Expert Africa webpage on Kaingo, it notes that Derek often helps out with guiding. Perhaps this should be updated.
Kaingo camp offers lovely accommodation in chalets, each with a private deck overlooking the river. The outdoor bathtub felt a bit excessive but others visiting the camp might really enjoy that kind of amenity. The food was excellent and Kaingo catered to people's dietary needs with grace and ease.
We would highly recommend Kaingo, particularly for serious photographers.
Kaingo Camp review
We have visited the South Luangwa area many times over a period of over 20 years of regularly going on safari.
In our opinion Kaingo is the best location in the area and this must be a view shared by many other guests as we have never seen so many photographers with "serious photo kit" at a camp before. The explanation for this lies in the camp having constructed 5 separate hides to enable photographers to get close to their subjects and the fact that the river and its banks provide an excellent backdrop for many photos. Having reviewed our photos we can only confirm that this is an excellent photographic environment.
The camp is well run and operates in a flexible way so that guest preferences for activities can be organised to suit. There is always plenty to do.
The rooms are of a standard which is common to camps in the area.
Food is varied with much supplied from the camp's farm on the outskirts of Mfuwe. The standard is good - one must remember that this is a wildlife safari and not a gastronomic tour.
We can highly recommend this Camp and hope to return very soon
Our favourite camp
Everything about Kaingo was just right-friendly staff, superb game drives, excellent food and accommodation. Access to the hides at Kaingo and Mwamba was a bonus.
The game drives and hide visits were wonderful and we were accompanied throughout by a superb guide, Sylvester, and spotters
Kaingo Camp review
This was our first lodge, and our favourite. We were extremely impressed with the individual attention we received from all members of staff. We felt very spoilt!
We would like to make special mention of our guide, Andrew, who went out of his way to share his expert knowledge and passion of the bush with us and we felt very privileged to be in his company.
This lodge set the standard for the rest of our trip.
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.
