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Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp
Kaingo Camp

Reviews of Kaingo Camp

Wildlife sightings and reviews

213 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

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in May-2018, 53 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Kaingo Camp.
Lion

98% success

Leopard

98% success

Wild dog

50% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Spotted Hyena

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Buffalo

94% success

Wildebeest

80% success

Eland

14% success

Roan antelope

7% success

Sable antelope

2% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Showing 21-30 of 213
Duration
Arrival date
Mr P & D
Australia

"Amazing Lodge Experience 11/10"

5 nights Arrived 11 Jul 2022
"The accommodation was luxurious and comfortable. We stayed in the First House (family chalet).

Food was amazing - light, healthy, fresh and delicious. Staff attentive. Hosts welcoming. Catherine and kitchen team were great. All the staff and team engaged with us.

Our guide Sly was amazing - best guide we have had in all 4 trips to Africa.

The Elephant hide sleep out was a once in a lifetime experience. Great game sightings and photographic opportunities." See all these reviews: 16n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

8 sightings

Eland

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

1 sighting

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

10 sightings

Lion

10 sightings

Roan antelope

Multiple sightings

Sable antelope

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

3 sightings

Zebra

6 sightings

T&M
Queensland

"Kaingo Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 28 Jun 2022
"The location and photography facilities are outstanding and we will definitely stay here again.

Being located right on the river and the surrounding wildlife density, gave us a feeling of being in nature 24/7, rather than simply observing it at drive times. To this point, Kaingo accommodation is extremely comfortable and is also right in the nature experience, so don't expect boardwalks or TV and tea facilities in the room etc, as being so close to nature is exactly what makes this a magical place.

The 2 photography hides are very well located and having an additional private viewing deck of the Luangwa River attached to each suite provided maximum photography opportunities.

Our guide team Elias, Benson and Peter were exceptional. Mary, Ben, Catherine and Simon took great care of all our creature comforts.

Located quite close to Lion Camp, so safari drives will cover similar areas." See all these reviews: 15n in Namibia; 7n in Zambia; 5n in Rwanda; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

5 sightings

Eland

4 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

2 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Lion

6 sightings

Spotted Hyena

3 sightings

Wildebeest

3 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mr & Mrs B
Surrey

"Kaingo Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 26 Jun 2022
"Just 2 nights -restaurant class food and the new rooms are great. Much more game and the camp is lucky enough to have two sets of leopards kittens in the area" See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr T
Bangkok

"Luxury in the bush!"

3 nights Arrived 20 Jun 2022
"Not really 'luxury', but Kaingo easily is the most comfortable room we had in this trip.

Room is nicely decorated and spacious with indoor shower and outdoor bath. There is a private balcony with river views - very lovely to sit down and watch hippos, birds, etc during siesta. Food was so delicious and well prepared.

We had Sylvester as our guide (also at Mwamba) for the whole week and we could not have asked for more. He is so good at tracking/spotting wildlife, explaining and telling story. We have seen pretty much everything there is to see except the wild dogs which were not in the area during our visit. We enjoyed his accompany also during lunch/dinner and sundowners.

The only slight disappointment is that some animals such as lions and buffalos were more in-land as there were still plenty of water sources away from the river. But with such a great guide, I don't think it has affected our experience as we still saw so many wildlife. Birds sightings were excellent and we are not even much into birds." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

8 sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

3 sightings

Wildebeest

2 sightings

Zebra

5 sightings

Western
Alberta

"Kaingo Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 20 Sep 2021
"I had high expectations of Shenton Safaris and their camps based upon pre-trip research, and they really delivered! I stayed at 4 camps in SLNP, and 1 in LZNP over 13 days, and Kaingo was overall tops, given my focus on wildlife / photography, and extensive prior safari expertise.

I stayed here 3 days followed by 2 days at sister camp Mwamba, which seemed like an excellent combination. I would recommend staying at both, with 5 days total a minimum. An additional day or two at each would have been welcome as well.

Kaingo is a beautiful camp along the river bank, high end, but without being over the top. Guiding was excellent, which make this and sister camp Mwamba about 10 km away an excellent choice and combination for seasoned safari travellers, and wildlife / photography enthusiasts. Derek was in camp during my stay and we had a nice chat.

Kaingo has an in-river floating hide overlooking a carmine bee-eater nesting area in the river bank, very active in September/October nesting period. The hippos were further out in the river with water levels being higher this year, and therefore we didn't use the Hippo Hide. We also didn't access the Wild Dog Lagoon hide, which may have been dry this late in the season.

There is also a raised platform Elephant Hide nearby where you can pre-book to sleep overnight at extra expense, and I've heard good things about it. If you are looking for that sort of experience, this is likely preferable for various reasons to the overnight platform at Mwamba Camp.

Vehicles were open, full width bench seats to move back and forth, lots of adjustable camera supports, dust cloths to cover camera gear while driving, etc. Shenton guides do a good job of sharing sightings and working together to the benefit of the guests.

Kaingo had amazing five star food thanks to chef Catherine and team. There is wifi, but only in the camp back office area, a short walk away, and which you may be allowed to access upon request during daylight hours for a quick upload/download. This seemed like an ideal solution in providing needed but brief connectivity, while also not distracting or intruding upon the wilderness experience.

I also stayed 5 days at Time & Tide camps (Mchenja and Nsolo) in this same North Mfuwe sector, and they were good for various reasons, but also different. The vehicles seating and enclosure were less suitable for photography, and other than a beanbag or two, were not similarly equipped for photographers. There were no hides, and the guiding while good, was not to the high Shenton standard. More suited to newer safari travellers." See all these reviews: 6n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

5 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

3 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

2 sightings

Lion

5 sightings

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

Wildebeest

2 sightings

Zebra

2 sightings

Mrs E
Yardley, PA, US

"Spectacular camp and wildlife sightings"

5 nights Arrived 13 Aug 2021
"My eighth trip to Kaingo is a testament to how much I love this place. The camp itself overlooks the Luangwa River and each chalet has it's own viewing deck above the river. The remodeled chalets are tastefully decorated and very comfortable. Wildlife sightings and guiding here are just the best! Multiple sightings of various predators in one day are not uncommon. Food prepared by Chef Catherine and her staff is unusual, inventive, varied, and delicious. The guides know the behaviours of many individual leopards and lion prides and put you at the right place at the right time to optimize your viewing and photography." See all these reviews: 19n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

9 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

2 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

6 sightings

Lion

9 sightings

Spotted Hyena

5 sightings

Zebra

8 sightings

Ms B and Mr C
Montana

"Kaingo Camp review"

4 nights Arrived 9 Jun 2021
"Not only were we greeted by the welcoming staff, we had an elephant come and sniff us as we relaxed on our lovely private deck overlooking the river! The room had a solid comfortable feel, very comfortable and inviting. there is a private deck with a bathtub where the cheeky monkeys came and stole a necklace of glass beads (part of an artwork display) to try and decorate themselves with, lots of fun. We enjoyed that the wildlife which wandered in to camp was accepted with a sense of inclusion, not to be feared. It made this beautiful remote camp feel at home in the remote bush of South Luangwa. Our guide was Sly (Sylvester) and he was so personable and just excellent. Here we saw the handsome wildebeest species which is endemic here, what a good looking animal..We spotted so many birds! We especially enjoyed 2 evening/night drives with a Mama Leopard whose tiny babies were stashed in a tree.. We never saw them but hearing them mew when mom climbed in was so satisfying. We appreciated that Sly was able to follow the leopard over some distance back to the tree on the second evening sighting to see if the cubs would appear. It is a highlight to patiently watch one animal's behavior. Sly's experience with photography was apprciated greatly..
We enjoyed meeting Derek the camp's founder and being able to chat with folks on the wonderful waterside main deck. Livvie the new camp manager, Gerard looked after us well. Very supportive when our return flight on Emirates was cancelled and we had to make arrangements to return home.
Food was prepared with enthusiasm by Catherine and some delicious meals were enjoyed. especially loved our surprise bush brunch by the river!
We did not get to stay at Mwamba but we did get a tour of the camp and it looked like it would be excellent during lower water levels when animals would gather just outside the rooms." See all these reviews: 16n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

8 sightings

Wildebeest

1 sighting

Zebra

10 sightings

Peter
Oxfordshire

"Kaingo Camp review"

4 nights Arrived 30 Sep 2019
"Kaingo is a very special place - in comparison to Kwandwe it is much more remote and a Camp inside a national park. We really enjoyed Zambia and our time in Kaingo.

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mrs S
London

"Kaingo Camp review"

3 nights Arrived 21 Sep 2019
"Kaingo is well situated on the Luangwa River - benefiting from beautiful views and some amazing sitings from the comfort of your very own private deck (every room has one!). Their staff are one of their greatest assets. Everyone we met was so welcoming and friendly, really making you feel at home. A special shout out to Joseph and Stephen who must have the biggest smiles on the planet and are always ready with a cool towel and a glass of wine just when you need it!

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
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

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

B & G
California

"Had a great time!"

4 nights Arrived 20 Sep 2019
"We loved staying at Kaingo camp! We thought everything about it was wonderful – – the room, the food, the extremely friendly and helpful staff, our great guide, Sandy. The game drives were great and we saw lots of lions and some leopards in addition to the usual suspects—giraffes, kudu, zebra, elephant, etc. The hippo hide and the bird hide were both amazing and a real addition to our experience. We found the scenery in South Luangwa to be particularly beautiful in a haunting African way. We would recommend this camp to anyone." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 21-30 of 213
97%
213 reviews of Kaingo Camp by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
185
24
2
2
0
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