Reviews of Mchenja Bushcamp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
71 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Mchenja Bushcamp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Mchenja Bushcamp review"
The general wilderness, privacy and peacefulness of the location is unsurpassable. The relaxed intimate nature of the camp, friendly staff and exceptionally knowledgeable guides made our 4 nights stay a wonderful experience." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
"Mchenja Bushcamp review"
Richard and Sue were lovely and attentive hosts for which thanks to you both. The camp itself is just great and so are the chefs who produce wonderful food especially considering where the camp is. Next trip we shall walkabout between camps." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi
"Exciting time at Mchenja"
Our outstanding guide Sam was knowledgeable about the immediate area, Zambia as a whole and other African countries as well. We liked the walking safaris, especially as we had spent the better part of the previous 3 weeks sitting in vehicles. On one walk we saw a large colony of storks; on another we found a hyena in its den and observed numerous elephants at close range. The boat trips were a pleasant change, too, especially the one wandering through a channel under ebony trees.
The food was creative and delicious. I may have eaten some meat that had been at room temperature, so to speak, for a couple of hours on a safari as I was a little ill the morning after leaving Mchenja. C'est la vie.
How about moving the employees' footpath to the boat landing farther from the back of the tent?
The plunge pool was too dark to be inviting.
Sam can be found at Luwi Bushcamp during the dry season and we think it would be enjoyable to stay with him there." See all these reviews: 9n in Namibia; 9n in Botswana; 5n in Zambia
"A beautiful bushcamp for the adventurous"
The guides were very client aware and expert.
There was a good team spirit in the camp, which became evident when circumstances called for everyone to pull together." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 6n in Botswana
"The Joys of Walking in the Bush"
Mchenja is delightfully situated in a grove of large ebony trees next to the Luangwa River. The chalets were very attractive and luxurious and the hospitality was great, almost too much so as we were almost joined for brunch in the bar area by an elephant keen to share our meal!" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
"Mchenja Bushcamp review"
"Review of Mchenja Bushcamp"
"It was a splendid tour you had arranged for us in South Luangwa.
In all five lodges Kapani, Kakuli, Nsolo, Mchenja and Luwi. Anne Marie, Lora, Natasha, Warren, the guides Abraham, Lawrence, Shaddy, Sam, Jimmy and John plus the rest of the teams gave us a wonderful time. They were all incredibly hospitable and immediately made us feel wellcome.
The game experiences were unforgettable.The guides who were all excellent did their best to show the nature and the game in varied actions. Especially John, who was called out to take us from Nsolo to Mcenja, half way walk, two days at Mchenja and the walk from Nsolo to Luwi. He was a brilliant guide, who seemed to be fond of walking like we are, while some of the guides had a preference for driving."
"Mchenja -comfortable, elegant and great game"
The staff were great, always friendly and helpfull. The food was lovely & always well presented, again the vegetarian option was great. The guides were obviously very knowledgable and great at spotting game, we saw three leopard hunting whilst staying here, one in daylight, & the guides managed to get us really close. We saw 2 of the leopards make kills withing a few metres of our vehicle.
Our sole reservation concerns the fact that it appears that there is some friction between Mchenja & Kaingo. There are obviously 2 sides to every story, but we felt that it was inappropriate for the staff to discuss this issue with guests at dinner. In fairness, the issue was originally raised by other guests, not staff, but we felt that a tactful "no comment" would have been the better way of handling the situation." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"5* luxury in the bush"
We also think all of the staff should be required to have first aid training. What the (English) catering manager did in the case of a scorpion sting to a member of staff was exactly the opposite of what should have been done. There was some evidence of lack of training.
Our guide, John, was fisrt class. We feel, however, that he should not be oblidged to dine with guests every night - he was visibly exhausted, and it clearly wasn't that much fun for him.
Overall, however, we adored this place - wonderful location, beautiful accommodation, great rolltop bath, lovely atmosphere. The reason we will give the good' rather than `excellent' rating to the rooms is because of missing net.
It would be good to have more Africa-related books available" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
With regard to first aid: access for a guest in an emergency to a qualified practitioner of basic first-aid is important in the bush. In the case of camps, run by Norman Carr Safaris, the first-aid training for a few key members of the team is rigorous. We can confirm that all the camp managers have to pass first-aid training courses, as well as all the guides – for whom it is an integral part of their guiding exams!
However, we share the camp’s view that expecting every staff member in a camp to be first-aid qualified is not only impractical, but also probably undesirable. Like many of Africa’s best safari camps, Mchenja employs many of its staff from the local community. This is ‘responsible tourism’ in practice: it’s how it should be. However, inevitably some have had little formal education. Applying any blanket requirement for recruits to pass a written first-aid qualification would exclude many who need the work most.
"Senior Africa Specialist | East & Southern Africa"
"Fantastic location"
We were disappointed that the other guests at the lodge were more inclined to drive than walk. We felt uncomfortable having to ask to do a short walk on our first afternoon. We did feel we had to 'persuade' with regard to safari walking but did have a great walk with John the following day on our own.
Got on really well with John and the 'guy with the gun'. Lucinda the deputy manager was very friendly but preferred socialising to organising. Highlights were lion cubs, hippo lullaby and relationship with guide and tracker." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
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