Reviews of Nkwali
Wildlife sightings and reviews
252 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Nkwali and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Nkwali review"
A really welcoming, vibrant, energetic feel to the camp. We were especially impressed with the staff here, the guides were incredibly knowledgeable and Max the host did an incredible job.
We were really made to feel cared for and at home." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia
"A very special memorable experience "
Over the four days we were led by three different guides (one who picked us up at airport, one who was our regular guide, one who took us on the walking safari) and all were excellent. We appreciated their enthusiasm and their efforts to make sure we were having an enjoyable holiday. Their knowledge of the animals and birds was impressive ....as were their ability to find stunning spots for sundowners!
The food was very tasty, varied and and well presented. On one evening we came back to discover they had set up dinner for two on our room terrace as everyone else had left. A small gesture but typical of the thoughtfulness of staff to make our stay special." See all these reviews: 5n in Zambia; 3n in Zimbabwe
"Return to Nkwali"
Perry was my guide during my stay. Perry is supremely knowledgeable, and is one of the best guides I have ever experienced. Knowing my photographic interests, he suggested 4:30 wake-up calls so that we could be out in the bush before sunrise. I particularly appreciated this.
I also had a great welcome from Kiki, whom I have known for many years. He, Bianca and all his team make Nkwali so enjoyable. The variety and quality of the lunches and dinners was excellent." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Nkwali review - great first lodge"
Sebastian was the allocated guide for the drives that I did and he was brilliant, excellent knowledge, absolute professional. All of the staff at the lodge were excellent, Kiki, Tizi, Bianca and Benson to name just a few.
Excellent food, excellent organisation and absolutely professionally run." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
"Nkwali review"
Nkwali set the standard for Robin Pope Safaris, the accommodation, food and guiding were great as were the animals and birds we saw.
The one drawback for myself who is 81 years of age was using the boat to cross the river. I was not good at the assent/decent from the river but the staff were always on hand to give me assistance
Overall- highly recommended" See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia; 3n in Zimbabwe
"Nkwali review"
It's situated on a beautiful spot on the river, where there was water even despite the drought, and the camp is spacious and the accommodation lovely. You can sit watching the wildlife on the river from your tent and the pool is a plus.
The staff were exceedingly friendly and helpful and the guide I had, Chizi (who I was lucky enough to be on my own with for a couple of days), was extremely knowledgeable and always seemed to manage to be in the right spot at the right time. I learnt a lot with him.
I loved the drum call to meals/wake up. A perfect start for a first-timer!" See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
"Nkwali review"
Good sized rooms open front & back - front is semi closed at night - but with large mosquito net protecting the bed area. Camp receives regular animal visitors from baboons/vervets to mongoose & bush buck plus lots of bird life (& the occasional elephant at their water hole near the dining deck).
African drums call you at wake up, lunch & dinner to add a local touch too.
Nkwali whilst away from the central SLNP area is busier than the other RPS camps so you will see other cars especially if your guide goes into the central park zone to look for sightings." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
"Nkwali review"
Perry was a fantastic guide as ever, and Sorrel was a great host.
The river crossing is a real benefit here, as it allows you to enter the park away from the busy main gate and our sightings were often not busy as a result. As ever, they were incredibly flexible regarding activities and everyone was able to do what they wanted without fuss- on my last morning a guide was brought in specially as some of the guests requested to walk, and the two guides who had been doing the drives were not walking qualified.
I think Nkwali definitely has the best chef of the RPS camps, especially for desserts and tea time cakes and coffee stop cookies!" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
"Nkwali review"
Our guide Perry was so knowledgeable and made a great effort to try and spot animals that we hadn't seen before.
The wildlife here was more spread out than in the Nsefu area. However we saw wild dogs and male lions that we hadn't before." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
"Nkwali review"
There's plenty of wildlife around camp, just an hour after arriving a group of elephants came to drink from the lagoon in front of our lunch table. Being outside the park was offset by the location on the banks of the river with a very short boat ride from camp taking you directly into the park. This helped avoid the busiest parts of the central area of the park and I only felt sightings were crowded on the few occasions when we went to the central areas with a specific goal (lion and wild dog).
It was the only camp that allowed radio communication between guides. This proved a double-edged sword - it means greater chance of seeing something special if it's found by another Nkwali vehicle, but there were a couple of occasions where a voice over the radio felt intrusive if we were stopped at a sighting. Not a big issue for me, but worth keeping in mind depending on the type of experience you want.
On the whole, of all camps I stayed in on this trip, I felt the team at Nkwali went that little bit further in ensuring they gave me the very best experience possible (not that others were bad, the Nkwali team were just superb). This included shuffling some allocations of guests and guides to give me a dedicated "birding" game drive with Perry (offered to me without me asking, when they noticed my interest in birds), and arranging an extra-early departure for a morning game drive to find lions in time to watch the sun rise with them." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
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