Reviews of Nkwali
(96%) From 166 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Nkwali
I love everything about Nkwali, it has become one of my favourite camps in South Luangwa. The rooms are lovely, with great views across the river. Kiki is a fantastic host and the team of guides there are really friendly. They had actually arranged for me to have the same guide, Yona, as at Luangwa River Camp which was great as he knew my interests and what birds I'd ticked off my list!
We went to a very interesting talk by the Carnivore researchers on one afternoon before the afternoon drive.
We continued to have great wild dog sightings, including one of a different pack to the one we had been seeing previously.
They dealt very well with a mixed group of guests with quite conflicting interests.
Nkwali
Seeing the river in full flow was most impressive. Unfortunately rain prevented morning game drives but sighting the two leopards on our final drive was a highlight.
Read more about the whole safari
Welcomed back to Nkwali
Arriving at Nkwali for our sixth visit, we had a wonderful welcome from Kiki and his team. The chalets at Nkwali are spacious and very comfortable, with a fine view directly to the Luangwa river.
It was a delight to see the river so full following the recent rains, and we boated across to meet the vehicles left on the other side.
Seeing so many elephants with their youngsters was a treat, especially when we saw one baby that Kiki estimated was only one week old. The lions Ginger, Garlic and their pride we saw several times. Compared to the dry season, the air is so clear at this time of year that the photos we took show a full spectrum of colours.
Nkwali review
Our guide Kiki was again top guy like all RPS's staff and we were treated to great Safaris. While Bertram built a bridge for us to cross a stream Kiki was faced with either us wading through the muddy waters or going back. He was persuaded that we might be old but were not going back. Off came the boots and I suggested trousers as well but this would have been going too far! The resulting "bare foot safari" through the marsh must be a highlight of the holiday and surprisingly yours truly did not fall into the water.
Again we came across a multitude of game and birds...............what a fantastic way to see Africa. We wondered why did we ever come in the dry season since the valley in the wet season is beautiful and packed with all the animals you could wish to see, many with their young
Nkwali review
As always we were very well looked after. Nothing is ever too much trouble.
The guides are still very well trained and ever willing to discuss the days programme.
Lovely Nkwali
This is our 3rd visit to Nkwali in 2 years. We love this camp! The location, the kind how the camp is managed with so much love and enthusiasm which you can feel as a guest all the time. The hole staff is cordial, attentive, superb. The atmosphere is relaxed and cheerful. For us one of the reasons we fell in love. The guiding was outstanding. Full of passion, with so much respect for the nature, the unbelievable knowledge about animals, plants... as we stayed 9 night we had the chance to learn a lot of the interaction between animals and the ecosystem of the South Luangwa in general.
The game management area where Nkwali is located offers very good opportunities for wildlife sightings and you will not find many other cars because its Robin Popes property. In the National Park where you get via Pontoon or by boat is is maybe a bit more busy than the areas deep in the park like Nsefu. But it is still possible to avoid too many cars if you tell your guide that you don't like it. We had also leopards , wild dogs etc. just for ourselves but than you have to skip some of the leopards (which are plenty) or the lions. All in all we recommend Nkwali a lot and are looking forward to return as soon as possible.
Wonderful!
The camp was intimate and casual, but all our needs were beautifully met. The bungalows are very comfortable, and open to the river which is really nice. (Within hours of arriving, a hippo strolled by - within feet of our porch - on his way to the river!) The open shower is fun.
The food was delicious, especially the flaky croissants and vegetable tarts, and served in an open air dining pavillion. A small lagoon is next to the dining pavilion, and a hippo usually hangs out there - except for the afternoon that an elephant stood in the lagoon having a drink! The monkeys joined us for breakfast.
Game drives with Kiki were amazing - elephants, lions, lionesses & cubs, giraffes, hyena, leopards, wild dogs - every day something new.
From now on, when I can't sleep I will imagine the wonderful sounds of night at the camp.
Great place to start from.
Had some fantastic sightings of animals and birds,the guiding was excellent.
All of the staff were very friendly and went about their jobs in a very professional manner.
The meals were excellent along with the beverage.
Great start to our wonderful Safari holiday
This camp was the first stop on our Safari and we were greeted by Shannon, Fred and the team. We were made to feel very welcome and we found the camp staff and fellow visitors very friendly.
We had done a lot of research before choosing Expert Africa who advised us to travel to the Robin Pope camps and we were not disappointed, rather we found the experience exceeded our expectations.
We went on Safari both day and night with Fred who was very knowledgeable and we saw a great variety of wildlife. Food was great and was better than we expected and the informality of the camp suited us very much.
We would recommend commencing a safari experience at this camp.
Great game drives at Nkwali
Our guide, Fred, and our hostess, Shannon, were so helpful and knowledgeable and the staff were great. We had some amazing game drives and took many photos. Watching the Leopard pull its prey along a dry river back to a tree will stay with us for ever. Seeing the way the vultures (50+) climbed over each other at another kill was also pretty amazing.
Hints for visitors -
- Hat and long sleeves need to be at hand for the drive from the airport at midday in an open vehicle. It was very hot.
- The pool edge is very slippery with wet feet.
- Be prepared for the very early starts in the morning
