Reviews of Nsefu
Wildlife sightings and reviews
191 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Nsefu and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Great location, lots of wildlife "
Excellent sightings for both mammals and birds." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia
"A perfect finale"
The banana boat ride to the landing, being in the same room as my last stay, watching the elephant and giraffe in stately procession through the river: familiar but exciting as ever.
Chilumba went out of his way to find us the mother leopard and her cub, and the local lions, as well as introducing me to birds I hadn't seen before.
Sad to leave as always." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
"nsefu"
We felt uneasy, a bit voyeuristic, and asked to leave." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia
"Great safari at Nsefu"
The buildings are extremely comfortable and very interesting .The food was excellent and the guiding was superb.
Our guide ,Pious, located a pack of Hunting Dogs and we watched them hunt Warthogs and a hare . It was fascinating and exhilarating .
The walking safari gave us a different perspective again and was an experience not to be missed.
As with Nkwali the staff could not do enough for us." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
"Nsefu review"
The accommodation is a bit close and dated but as we left we had a long conversation with Rob from RPS who advised us that the huts would be rebuilt as they are slipping into the river
And he was at Tena Tena to show 3 local official around to hopefully start the process" See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
"Nsefu review"
"Our seventh visit need we say more"
The game viewing was exceptional." See all these reviews: 15n in Zambia
"Historic camp with fantastic river view"
The chalets themselves are rounded thatched huts with a bathroom the steps down in the back. As one of the first camps in the park, the huts are a little close together but provide ample privacy and a nice breeze. Each has a front porch that faces the wide expanse of the river. Like Nkwali, the staff was warm and attended to our needs. The camp has a hide overlooking a pond so you see game up close very nearby. This was also the camp that we took two walks through the area with an armed scout.
Breakfast and dinner we served overlooking the river and were excellent. The highlight dinner was the one we had on the top of an extinct termite mound for our 20th wedding anniversary. Again, the staff was amazing. The game drives were just as incredible especially since Nsefu is deeper in the park with fewer vehicles and wilder game. Watching a pack of wild dogs tear apart an impala, then chase off a leopard and finally battle a pack of hyenas for the carcass is an experience we will always remember.
Nsefu was a nice balance to Nkwali because of how deep in the park it is and the dramatic views of wildlife every single day. It's one of the most unique places we have ever visited and we will always remember it." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
"Fab camp"
"Scenic riverside location"
The white, solid construction, African style huts were clean, modern and comfortable. We could spot many hippos, crocodiles and elephants in the adjacent river at various times of the day, while the constant grunting of hippos continued throughout the night. Late one evening I opened my door and found myself staring into the eyes of a huge elephant which was staring back. Her baby was at her side.
We enjoyed a couple of excellent leopard sightings on game drives but animals in that region were often few and far between. If you wish to see high numbers or a large variety of game then this may not be the type of camp that suits you.
We didn’t see abundant game but we did enjoy some special encounters with elephants, wild dogs and leopards. It was also amusing to come across a vehicle from our camp bogged during a river crossing which required us to negotiate a lengthy detour to another river crossing to tow them out. While on that rescue mission we came across a leopard and spent a lengthy time ever so close while totally neglecting our stranded camp companions.
Our driver and guide always did his best to seek out game even when there was very little in the area. After dark one evening we saw the pack of wild dogs some 200m metres away so our guide made some animal call noises and all the dogs responded by approaching and lying down around our vehicle. The new name for our guide is “wild dog” so please show due respect if you visit.
My vegetarian daughter made her food requirements known to a camp manager but because the range of food at lunch and dinner was quite limited many other guests tended to choose the vegetarian dishes leaving less for her. Perhaps that’s an indication the camp should supply a larger range of food options and in bigger quantities because too often the food provided was completely consumed leaving clients hungry for more.
One evening after a four hour game drive we were treated to a lovely surprise dinner in the bush and about 20 minutes from camp. The biggest surprise was for the women who were provided with no toilet facilities except bushes in the dark after the four hour drive. The requirements of women need to be better understood by the all male staff running this camp.
Our morning and evening meals were all outside and in darkness which made it difficult to manage food selection and eating. Perhaps clients should be advised to carry head torches outside of daylight hours. Not everybody enjoys eating in darkness.
Camp management would be well advised to consider the following options.
1. Identify the dietary requirements of clients during the booking process and definitely when clients arrive at the camp.
2. Ensure that all clients are provided with suitable food options for their needs at each meal.
3. Be aware that when a separate “vegetarian” dish is supplied that it also becomes a food choice of non-vegetarians, so vegetarians can still be left without a sufficient meal.
4. Provide a greater range of menu choices rather than a meat dish and two vegetables. It’s unimaginable that a group of ten clients would all be satisfied with exactly the same three food choices.
5. Be more aware that if all food supplied is consumed then there probably wasn’t sufficient in the first place. Hungry clients can become unhappy clients." See all these reviews: 6n in Zambia
These problems with the food haven’t, to date, been something that we’ve come across at the RPS camps, and usually we would have expected that if guests chat with the chef on arrival, then they are given food which would be tailored to their needs very closely. We are really sorry that it was a problem during these travellers’ stay - as a result, RPS have asked their managers to change a number of approaches, including ensuring communications are passed on assessing the portions to make sure there is plenty of food available.
The team at Nsefu arranged a surprise bush dinner for these guests, to try to make up for the misunderstanding over the food during their time in camp. This turned out to be a bit of an unexpected surprise, and we're really sorry it had this effect. We have asked that RPS advise clients of the toilet situation in the future – they do have long-drop bush toilets available that can be brought out if guests wish, and the team are sorry that this impacted on what was designed to be a special evening. RPS have let us know they will be making sure to advise guests of the facilities available and will set up the necessary toilet facilities for any guests who would prefer them.
We are glad that these issues didn't impact on the rest of their trip - and we look forward to helping them out with another trip to Africa in the future.
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