Reviews of Nkwali
(96%) From 199 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Excellent as always
Our ninth stay at this camp. Excellent as always. The guides knowledge is excellent. They cover everything - birds, trees, flowers and animals.
Nothing is too much trouble. The food is well prepared and the waiters very polite and efficient.
The rooms are well prepared and the bathrooms very roomy. The mosquito nets need careful inspection to ensure they have no holes. Also that there is a bedside table on each of the bed. We had to get one from the bathroom area as there was only one.
A well run camp.
Excellent camp and safari
Very professional team both in the camp and on safari
Read more about the whole safari
Nkwali review
Excellent guiding from Fred and a lot of animals to be seen including leopards two nights running. Fred almost seemed to have a telephathic connection with leopards as he knew exactly where to find them and what they were going to do! Quite a lot of other vehicles in that part of South Luangwa.
Rooms very comfortable and nicely furnished but limited storage space - fine for two nights but not longer. Problem with no water when first arrived which took several hours to fix - initial attempt led to mud shower! Very apologetic staff who were going to move us if problem persisted.
Food very good - especially the buffet lunches which were exceptional.
Good eating and sitting areas. Potentially nice swimming pool which was full of green water and would have been more appetising if it had been treated.
Manager very helpful - eg brought along laptop so could download pictures onto hard drive.
first night at Nkwali
This is somewhat of a blur compared to the others as I was still recvering from the overnight flight. The room i was given was a family room, so I had 4 showers to choose from for example! It had a lovely outlook over the river and was very quiet. It was fairly close to the main part but did need an escort at night The catch on the door didnt work well. It is a bit inconvenient to have to remember to put your things away from the baboons. I was only there one night so did not get to know thestaff. I liked the drums for meal times as you didnt have to keep check ing your watch.
Read more about the whole safarinkwali review
Lovely position, friendly staff, well organised.
Activities were very productive and the pontoon allows access to the park without using the main gate (although the water levels were so low - we drove across). Amazing leopard sightings. As the lodge was not full, we had several private game drives, which was a bonus.
Nkwali review
After more than 20 hours of travelling, it is great to finally arrive, at night, sitting on the deck of Nkwali overlooking the majestic river, sipping a drink an watching the bats chasing insects. It is fantastic being back, especially with my mother, for whom it is her first time in Africa and on safari!
Nkwali was the perfect camp to arrive, very relaxed and at a beautiful spot. All staff was very welcoming and hepful to my mom, who very quickly became used to safari life. The game sightings were great and so was our guide Fred: we had a fantastic sighting of two leopards on our first game drive. Another highlight were the huge flocks of carmine bee eaters who had just started breeding in the river banks.
During one night, the camp was visited by 17 (!) elephants who were feeding on the trees close to the huts. That was very exciting hearing and seeing them so close!
A near perfect finish to our holiday
Hard to fault, lovely location, spacious rooms and a very well managed camp
Read more about the whole safariDelightful stay at Nkwali
We were made extremely welcome and we were touched by the way our anniversary was recognised.
Like all other guests we were treated like royalty!
Nkwali-a great start to our trip
We were met at Mfuwe airport and the transfer to Nkwali was also a game drive.
The 5 chalets were well spaced, and we really liked that they were fully open at the front with good views overlooking the river. (There was a rule not to walk in front of the chalets to ensure privacy). They were large, spacious and airy. The front was closed at night with low railings and a curtain. Rooms had sockets for charging batteries.
The dining area was by a small lagoon – lunch was spent watching a large number of elephants coming to drink, bathe and wallow in the mud.
Food was excellent. We do not eat meat – staff knew this (although we always check when we arrive) and we were very well catered for.
Game drives were in open vehicles, giving a great view, and they were never “overfilled” – i.e. not more than 2 guests to a row.
Guiding and game viewing was excellent. Chilumba was knowledgeable and considerate. He knew about the behaviour of the animals and interpreted this well for us. He understood about the importance of the light for photography, and positioned the vehicle to account for this.
There was a rule that not more than three vehicles should be at a sighting, and this appeared to be obeyed (for example at a leopard viewing). However for a lot of the time, no other vehicles were seen (for example, we went back to the leopard in the afternoon and spent about 25 minutes with it without seeing another vehicle).
When we transferred from Nkwali, we went via the main gate area, where it was busier, but there was still excellent game viewing.
We really enjoyed our stay at Nkwali Camp – it was an excellent start to the trip.
Nkwali, Perfect start to my trip in Zambia
Beautiful spacious accommodation with extremely comfortable beds!
Great wildlife sightings from the 1st evening drive (including 1 leopard with his kill in a tree, Big male lion, elephants, giraffes, a Sharpe's Grysbok etc etc...!). Brilliant wildlife activity around the camp during siesta time.. right in front of the rooms along the river or around the waterhole close to the dining room.
Professional & knowledgeable staff. I also enjoyed the walks.
Loved the gentle drumming in the mornings.. great food and overall, excellent attention to details
