Reviews of Nkwali
Wildlife sightings and reviews
241 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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89% success
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93% success
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64% success
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100% success
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98% success
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98% success
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98% success
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87% success
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85% success
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26% success
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8% success
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6% success
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4% success
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4% success
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0% success
"Nkwali review"
The cabin was v comfortable and on arrival I was delighted to be able to see monkeys, and a bush buck rights outside my door. It was very close to the river so you are able to hear the sound of hippos all day long. I hadn't realised just how abundant and diverse the wildlife would be - I had hoped that it would be a trip of a lifetime and it was.
All the staff are incredibly friendly and helpful. They made it all feel relaxed but it's clear that a huge amount of work was going on to ensure that I had the best holiday experience. The food is excellent, the guides are incredibly knowledgable and wildlife - the stars of the show was beyond what I could have hoped for. Seeing two lioness up close is an experience that I'll never forget - utterly amazing." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Eland
Multiple sightings
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
2 sightings
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Lion
4 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Nkwali review"
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Eland
1 sighting
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
Multiple sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Nkwali review"
The Nkwali facility is much roomier than Nsefu although the lighting in the bathrooms could use reviewing. It was still pretty cold there.
As usual the Robin Pope cooks are top chefs. A bonus was meeting Emily who writes the weekly "Its Monday"." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
Multiple sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Nkwali review"
My only complaint is that the rooms are open air, which allows the baboons to wreck pure havoc on your personal belongings. Really wish there had been an option for a screened partition to keep the baboons out of the rooms. I realize the open air shower area also provides access to the baboons with the tree branches overhead. It is indeed a difficult situation to remedy.
It’s a lovely camp, my first impression of the open air concept was very positive, until I learned about the habits of the baboons in camp. In future I will definitely inquire whether there is some way to prevent larger animals from entering the rooms/tents. I do not mean this to be disparaging in any way against Nkwali camp.
It’s a unique experience and the South Luangwa NP is stunning and exciting to visit. Just be aware of the situation and make an informed decision." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 5n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana
"Nkwali review"
Excellent guides and the camp is in a very good area for game.
Regularly saw leopards and wild dogs in the area." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
Multiple sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Wild dog
Multiple sightings
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Nkwali review"
It's always such a friendly and welcoming camp. At this time of year, it's lovely to see a mixture of faces from all the RPS camps and even the mobiles. The location on the river can't be beaten, and the rooms really make the best of the views and bring the outdoors in. I also love the amount of wildlife around the camp, from the cheeky vervets bounding between the rafters in the room, to the elephants visiting the lagoon during lunch time, to the beautiful bushbuck in front of my chalet during siesta time.
This is traditionally thought of as a weaker time of the year for game viewing, and certainly the big cats are not as prolific as in dry season, but the wild dog sightings were exceptional (as they were last time I visited at this time of year) and the birding is great too, so personally I think it's much under-rated. We saw a big pack of 20 dogs almost every day, including a sighting of a full hunt and kill of a puku from start to finish. The park is also really stunning at this time of year. We had only one leopard sighting but it was a really excellent one, with the leopard trying to hunt a rock monitor and then being chased off by zebras. Other guests who made more of an effort to find leopards saw several more, but I was quite happy to spend time with the dogs.
This is my second trip to South Luangwa during green season, and if Luangwa River Camp had been open I would have split my time between the two camps. However, the Nkwali location is very central for accessing all of the area that is possible to drive in at this time of year, by using the boat crossing to enter the park directly and occasionally driving up to the main gate. The dogs were mainly up in the area around the main gate which is a bit further from Nkwali but the guides were always happy to adjust game drive times to leave earlier in the afternoons. I had Obi as my guide, and he was excellent.
Finding options for walking can be tricky as many areas are boggy and those that aren't are used for driving, but we did manage to do a nice morning walk by taking a boat up to the area where the pontoon usually enters the park.
Overall, a superb stay." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
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Buffalo
3 sightings
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
10 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
1 sighting
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Lion
1 sighting
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Spotted Hyena
10 sightings
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Wild dog
10 sightings
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Wildebeest
2 sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Great place to stay"
Amazing food and very attentive staff.
Had the pleasure of being guided by Kiki with whom we loved sharing stories and laughs as well as great sightings.
This sectors has blessed us with amazing sightings, of hyenas, leopards, lions and of course plenty of hippos, elephants, kudu, puku and impalas.
Night drives were great, finding owls, genets, and mongroose- among the rest." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
Multiple sightings
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Lion
Multiple sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Nkwali review"
Not only was Kiki a great guide, but he was also a very humorous and interesting conversationalist. Over dinner he told us about the matrilineal tradition of his people, the Kunda, and some funny stories of his girls growing up with their cousins. We exchanged travel stories – us with other trips in Africa, and he with trips to the US. The first place he visited in the US was Minneapolis in February! Believe it or not, he also spent time in Menlo Park California, which happens to be where I grew up. What a small world!
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Nkwali. Our room was beautiful and comfortable, with a view of the river and hippo chorus serenading us every night. Food was fresh and delicious. The camp has a very convenient boat that can cross the river into the park without having to drive to the main gate bridge. South Luangwa park in June was stunningly beautiful – lush and green with plenty of wetlands, beautiful birds and butterflies, and teeming with wildlife. What a great start to our trip!" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
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Buffalo
10 sightings
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Elephant
10 sightings
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Giraffe
10 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
2 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
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Zebra
10 sightings
"Nkwali review"
The wildlife in the Mfuwe area was during our stay slightly less active than at Nsefu, but maybe it only felt like it after being on safari for already quite a while. We also felt that compared to Nsfeu the area might attract a little bit more traffic due to the higher number of lodges and self-drivers. But of course now due to Covid, it was not busy at all. Amongst the usual *stuff”, we spotted 4 leopards, a very photogenic porcupine and as the highlight of our stay even an aardvark – still can’t believe it ! Now only an aardwolf and a pangolin is left on our list of rare sightings." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
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Aardvark
1 sighting
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Buffalo
Multiple sightings
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Elephant
Multiple sightings
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Giraffe
Multiple sightings
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Hippo
Multiple sightings
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Leopard
4 sightings
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Lion
2 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
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Wildebeest
1 sighting
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Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Good safari at Nkwali "
We had a shared car for these last days which was ok but curtailed the photography somewhat. Service in camp improved because the camp host was called away to look after luangwa house so Kiki stepped in. He was excellent in sorting out the changed arrangements for getting home and printed off the new flight details for us, which was a god send in the bedlam at Johannesburg.
The only problem was the room. We were in room 5 and the mattress was infested with bugs so we were bitten to death each night. If we had stayed we would have asked to move back to 6, but the holiday was, sadly, ended prematurely because of covid19." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
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Elephant
6 sightings
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Giraffe
4 sightings
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Hippo
10 sightings
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Leopard
4 sightings
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Spotted Hyena
4 sightings
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Wild dog
1 sighting
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Zebra
10 sightings
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