Reviews of Nkwali
Wildlife sightings and reviews
258 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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"Excellent"
Nothing was too much trouble
It was the busiest of they camps we went to for seeing other cars" See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
"Short safari stay on transit to distant camp"
Very comfortable accommodation well appointed, however came back after game drive to find many baboons 'using' our room for many activities . Was not a problem as all our belongings fastened away as advised, but needs to be monitored.
Excellent game drives with Fred.
Loved the drums for wake up and meals.
Ideal when arriving early evening as not too far from airport." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
"great location at Nkwali"
Daudi was brilliant being very knowledgeable and patient with our many attempts to photograph birds. His skills helped us get great views of wild dogs...a great guy and fun to be wiith.. Johnson the night guard always had a story to tell about the night time visits through camp Transfer to our next camp was through the park which was a bonus as we lost no time viewing." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Warm, communal feel with abundant wildlife"
The architecture fits beautifully into its setting, with thatched roofs and walls made of adobe with wood accents. All rooms open to a panoramic view of the river where birds, hippos and elephants consistently spend their days. Monkeys and baboons play on the grounds, along with frequent warthog and elephants visits within the campgrounds.
Meals are served alongside a little waterway and breakfast alongside the river so one can watch the beautiful sunrise.
Our guide Fred, a jovial, well informed chap, was fantastic and eager to ensure we spent our time on the animal/bird life that held the most interest for us. He happily pursued detours when indications suggested that we could see a more elusive animal such as leopard, lions or wild dogs and allowed us plenty of time to take photos and observe animals. Many animals were quite close to the jeep and we could watch them do their thing for as long as we desired. One night, we watched a leopard for a full hour as he jumped up and down a tree, walked by the jeep, and stalked some puku. Another morning, we watched lion cubs with their mommas.
We saw loads of elephants on every drive--both In and out of water. Giraffes and zebras were more sporadic but generally appeared at some point on a drive, and certainly once every two drives. We also saw plenty of hippos, crocs, impala, puku, monkeys, baboons, water bucks, warthogs and a variety of bird species. The night drives provided us an opportunity to see things like serval and genet.
The atmosphere at nkwali is intimate, relaxed and communal. There are only 6 tents so there are fewer than 12 guests and, for my time, there were 8 of us. Guests are encouraged to interact with each other and the staff. A drum called us to tea time and meals. We then ate together as a group alongside the camp managers and often our guide,
They limit the drives to 6 guests per vehicle so everyone has a "window" seat. My first drive was just me!
As with all my safari camps, food was good and plentiful.
Reasons to stay at nkwali: comfortable yet rustic feel, abundance of animal life within campgrounds, communal, warm, and relaxed atmosphere, Kiki (manager), will (guest services) and Fred (guide).
I stayed in room 5 I think.
Suggestions:
Room didn't have mammal or bird checklists which would have been handy in tracking what we saw.
Room is quite open to the environment. My room had a gecko that didn't seem to have any interest on leaving, a few spiders and flying insects. I am quite skiddish and managed to deal with their presence but it created some anxiety when returning to my room in the evening. Importantly, though, I am way more skiddish about bugs than most." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 5n in Botswana
"Comfortable and beautifully situated lodge "
Food was excellent and could not be faulted." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 3n in Malawi
"Nkwali review"
Comfortable accomodation very enjoyable food.The staff were friendly and our extremely knowledgeable guide, Fred, responded to our interest in birds by helping to spot no less than 50 different types on the first morning. Further delights followed that day -- a large troop of baboons with very small babies passing close to the dining area, two sightings of leopard, a large herd of elephant and in the evening the rare sight of two white-tailed mongoose mating.
We were well pleased with our short stay at Nkwali." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
"Great hospitality"
"Nkwali review"
"Back again!"
Rooms remain comfortable though lighting could be better. We were moved from room 1 to room 3 after we discovered that it was impossible to open our safe and that our fan squeaked incessantly; however this move was not effected until we were out on our afternoon drive meaning we were unable to unpack anything until we got back at nearly 8pm, having arrived well before lunch. To be fair we didn't protest about this at the time but did rather feel it was done for the convenience of staff rather than guests.
Thanks for arranging for us to visit Project Luangwa, especially Njambe for driving us there in the heat of the afternoon.
Also thanks for the stop at Tribal Textiles on the way to the airport - new cushion covers duly purchased having admired them at the camp.
We will definitely be back!" See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
"Excellent as always"
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." See all these reviews: 15n in Zambia
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