Reviews of Kaingo Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
186 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Kaingo Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

96% success

100% success

58% success

100% success

100% success

100% success

100% success

100% success

92% success

73% success

14% success

0% success

0% success

0% success

0% success
"Kaingo Camp review"
on our penultimate day we decided to have a walking safari in the morning. This was well worth it - despite some nerves at the beginning. We all learnt a lot from Sandy on all our drives but also the walking safari. I feel i need to raise one issue though - at the end of the walking safari we were due to meet our car at an agreed location. Due to a misunderstanding the car was not there and our guide Sandy had difficulty in getting a response from the Camp on his radio. It seemed like a long time standing and waiting but it probably wasn't that long. What surprised me though was the way the camp office reacted. Surely they must have standard operating procedures - especially on walking safaris?
What if one of us had fallen and broken a bone - or had a heart attack? Being on foot rather than the car creates additional risk that I didn't feel the camp recognised" See all these reviews: 6n in Zambia; 3n in South Africa
Firstly, the guide had informed the managers of the planned route for their walk and organised the rendezvous correctly. However, when he first radioed for a pick-up, the message was received by Kaingo, but not passed on as it should have been. When their guide radioed a second time, on arrival at the rendezvous point, poor radio reception caused the message to be garbled, and hence the vehicle was further delayed before it finally arrived. The camp has put additional training in place to double-down on this for the future.
This shouldn’t have happened, and we apologise most profusely to these travellers.
Fortunately, had the situation been more serious or urgent, then there are two more extreme steps that would have been taken – which would have alerted more people and brought help immediately. Fortunately there wasn’t a major emergency, and these weren’t needed.
"Kaingo Camp review"
The game viewing is exceptional in the South Luangwa - lions, leopards, hippos, elephants, giraffes, civet, genet, porcupines, and some of the most stunning zebra you'll find anywhere. There were a few occasions where the park felt a little too busy, especially on the evening drives when the headlights of competing vehicles are a distraction, but it's a stunning safari location and caters to photographers especially well.
We found the food a little too fussy for our tastes, but we're probably in the minority, and the chef here does a great job of catering to different dietary requirements." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 7n in Zambia

Buffalo
3 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
5 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
2 sightings

Lion
10 sightings

Spotted Hyena
5 sightings

Wildebeest
6 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Had a great time!"
"Luxury by the river"
Our 'picnic' lunch out was an absolute treat, and our final meal together on the verandah of our beautiful accommodation was just the most exquisite way to end our special family holiday. Thank you.
Special mention has to go to the wonderful chef who bent over backwards to find my granddaughter's taste buds. The quiche sent for our picnic at the airport hit the spot perfectly. Thank you." See all these reviews: 5n in Zambia

Buffalo
2 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
3 sightings

Lion
3 sightings

Spotted Hyena
2 sightings

Wildebeest
1 sighting

Zebra
10 sightings
"Kaingo Camp review"
The accommodations are really quite excellent, the guides very qualified. Be prepared for in-camp wildlife, including baboons, hippos and, in our case, a friendly (?) elephant. The food was excellent....top quality. The staff was uniformly friendly and helpful. The common space is really extremely nice...as is the new (to us) waterside deck. Overall, a really great experience.
Only negative was availability....we would have chosen to stay 3 nights but only two were available.
Highly recommended." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia

Buffalo
1 sighting

Elephant
1 sighting

Giraffe
1 sighting

Hippo
1 sighting

Leopard
1 sighting

Lion
1 sighting

Spotted Hyena
1 sighting

Wild dog
1 sighting

Zebra
1 sighting
"The sound of Hippos at Kaingo"
Sylvester (Sly) was our excellent guide and his ability to spot photo opportunities and put the truck in the right place was key to my better photographic efforts! We had some fantastic Leopard sightings including Chiphadzuwa with Cub and were able to observe several unsuccessful(!) leopard hunts. Traffic was higher than at Mwamba and the presence of leopards and lions while we were at Kiango seemed to act as a draw for traffic from other lodges - but traffic still remained low and most of our sightings were in seclusion. Sly successfully led us to wild dogs on our last full day - cue celebration!
Kaingo and Mwamba camps are very different but both excellent - which is best - depends on which one we are in!" See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia

Buffalo
4 sightings

Eland
1 sighting

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
3 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
6 sightings

Lion
6 sightings

Spotted Hyena
5 sightings

Wild dog
1 sighting

Wildebeest
5 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Kaingo Camp review"
The wildlife is abundant and can be "in your face" close, for all the big game. This makes for good video as well. But there are other less common species here as well including the Crawshay's zebra and the Cookson's wildebeest. Both are not difficult to see.
You can walk out of your tent to a separate overlook on the river (each tent has it's own). The camp also has "hippo hides" but these hides make most hunting hides look destitute in comparison. Again, there are places to sit and support for your heavy lenses, if required. You are at eye level with the animals in the water. Some effort went into their design including taking into consideration the sun. You will not bake inside these enclosures.
This was our first time at this camp but if we go back it will not be our last. Only the Masai Mara can come close to the experiences you will see here. The best thing is there are only a fraction of the visitors. We have now been to Africa some 8 times so these comments do not come from inexperience or naivete. Yes, the rest of the camp is first class also: good food, rooms, staff service and general facilities." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 6n in Zambia; 4n in Zimbabwe; 3n in Botswana; 1n in Kenya

Buffalo
7 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
4 sightings

Lion
6 sightings

Spotted Hyena
5 sightings

Wild dog
1 sighting

Wildebeest
8 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Loved it Kaingo"
The staff there is the best. Our guide Yoram was a bit quiet, but found the game. Saw lots of Leopards.
Will return." See all these reviews: 16n in Zambia

Buffalo
Multiple sightings

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Leopard
Multiple sightings

Lion
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wild dog
Multiple sightings

Wildebeest
Multiple sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Kaingo Camp review"
The hosts ...all of them were awesome !!! sightings and the guide were terrific....my son was even taken out for late nt drive to see the stars....
Looking forward to our next visit to Kaingo !!" See all these reviews: 5n in Zambia

Buffalo
Multiple sightings

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Leopard
Multiple sightings

Lion
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wild dog
Multiple sightings

Wildebeest
Multiple sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Kaingo Camp"
See my more detailed comments on previous years reviews.
One little point to look out for is that if you wish to visit the hide at Mwamba bushcamp (and it is a good location) but you are staying at the main camp at Kaingo then your ability to access this hide cannot be guaranteed as residents at Mwamba have priority." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 2n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

Buffalo
5 sightings

Elephant
5 sightings

Giraffe
5 sightings

Hippo
5 sightings

Leopard
4 sightings

Lion
5 sightings

Spotted Hyena
4 sightings

Wildebeest
2 sightings

Zebra
4 sightings
Holiday styles & special interests in Zambia
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Zambia.
Other lodges in South Luangwa National Park
Alternative places to stay in this same area.