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Tafika
Tafika
Tafika
Tafika
Tafika
Tafika
Tafika
Tafika

Reviews of Tafika

Wildlife sightings and reviews

303 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Tafika and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in May-2018, 64 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Tafika.
Lion

89% success

Leopard

92% success

Wild dog

42% success

Hippo

100% success

Giraffe

98% success

Zebra

98% success

Elephant

97% success

Spotted Hyena

92% success

Buffalo

90% success

Wildebeest

53% success

Eland

9% success

Roan antelope

4% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Sable antelope

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 303
Duration
Arrival date
Harvey and Jo
Lewes

"Tafika review"

4 nights Arrived 20 Oct 2022
"Our second visit, good feel to having a family run camp again.

Food outstanding, a step up from other camps, happy to let you look round the kitchen and laundry area. Catering staff particularly friendly and attentive.

Guiding very good indeed, with a walk across (by canoe) to one of the bush camps very informative on ecosystems. Excellent game viewing, at a pace to suit us. Village visit close by reflects the close ongoing involvement of the family with community and school, plus local football teams - we took several footballs to donate as well as school equipment.

We left by road to Mfuwe airport on what is currently a poor road, nearly two hours, but you can fly from Tafika to Mfuwe or Lusaka if you can pay....... Classic bush dining outside for dinner, elephants through the camp as well as at the waterhole and hide.

Will certainly return if possible." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Roan antelope

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr D.
Bristol

"Tafika review"

3 nights Arrived 17 Oct 2022
"A wonderful experience.

Stunning accommodation in an ideal position. Seemingly unlimited game viewing.

Hospitality was superb." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Roan antelope

1 sighting

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Miss P
London

"Tafika review"

3 nights Arrived 12 Oct 2022
"I think this was my sixth visit to Tafika, and I'm sure it won't be my last. I love the camp, the people and the food. I particularly enjoy the atmosphere at the bar after the evening drive where everyone gathers to hear about the day's sightings, and the sociable lunches hosted by John and Carol.

Some further subtle improvements have been made to the rooms - especially the seating areas at the front. I think the roof has been extended forwards to provide shade, and some very comfortable built in seating provided. At the end of my stay, they very kindly offered me an air transfer down to Mfuwe (at no charge) since the pilot was picking up guests to take to North Luangwa.

Thanks to Nick for showing me the African Broadbills that frequent the back of house area! I also stupidly left my camera battery charger behind and they arranged to get it to me in Lower Zambezi in a few days, which I was very grateful for." See all these reviews: 15n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

4 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Spotted Hyena

10 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Ms S. from
Westport,

"Tafika review"

2 nights Arrived 10 Oct 2022
"Tafika is in a pretty spectacular setting and the camp itself is lovely.

We did early morning game drives and evening drives and spend the hot part of the day having lunch and relaxing in the camp. We saw lots of animals and enjoyed the fact that we spent time observing the animals rather than being rushed. Tafika has a policy of no more than 4 in a vehicle and we really appreciated this.

The guiding was great - we particularly enjoyed the night drives which enabled us to see lions & wild dogs preparing for their hunt. Pretty magical.

Staff were friendly, and super helpful - special shout out to Val and Levi." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Dr and Ms R
Bristol

"A wonderful experience in a magical place"

4 nights Arrived 9 Oct 2022
"Tafika is in a wonderful setting right on the banks of the Luangwa. The rooms are beautiful - photographs don't do them justice. The ends are open to the sky and the sounds of the bush at night. Food was fantastic; lunch and breakfast are buffet style and dinner served outside by candlelight. Vegetarian food was outstanding. We visited the garden where much of it was grown. Staff and the family always ate with us and we had a lot of interesting conversations.

We did two long game drives each day; early in the morning and in the afternoon/evening, which became a night drive after sundowners. Our guide Macuba was amazing, finding wild dogs, lions, and even a honey badger. We were given plenty of time to take photos and enjoy being with the animals. Jimmy did a great job with the light on the evening drives.

We also did a fantastic walk with Levy who educated us about all the smaller signs of animal behaviour.

A standout experience of the stay was the carmine bee eater hide which we visited on a drive. The other hide is in the camp and visited by elephants and many other animals.

The standard of service in Tafika was outstanding; everyone greeted us by name and every request was answered. Vel managed everything with interest and humour. The Tafika 'family' made us feel truly welcome.

Tafika is simply one of the best places I have evert stayed and the memory will stay with me forever." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 3n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

4 sightings

Lion

2 sightings

Wild dog

2 sightings

Zebra

5 sightings

Mr & Mrs B
Avon

"Tafika review"

1 night Arrived 9 Oct 2022
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Mr & Mrs B
Avon

"Tafika review"

3 nights Arrived 1 Oct 2022
"Our third time at Tafika and it was better than ever.

We were well looked after and the game viewing was magnificent" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia; 4n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs S
UK

"Lovely location beside the Luangwa River"

2 nights Arrived 24 Sep 2022
"It takes about an hour and a half along a bumpy road to reach Tafika from the airstrip but a warm welcome awaited us at the camp. The views from the camp over the Luangwa River are tremendous.

One night there was quite a commotion as two male Lions sought to devour a dead Hippo whilst surrounded by Crocs. The camp now has a Carmine Bee-eater hide which was rewarding as these migrant birds had arrived for nesting in the river bank.

A new hide has been created since we last visited and from there we were able to get eye-level views of a herd of Buffalo drinking. The highlight for us was following a female Leopard as she went to quench her thirst. Although she was not really in hunting mode, she was clearly using the vehicle to mask the sound of her footsteps.

Our guide Lloyd has great experience in guiding and has been at the camp for many years. He also found us Wild Dogs." See all these reviews: 21n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

10 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

5 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

1 sighting

Lion

5 sightings

Spotted Hyena

2 sightings

Wild dog

5 sightings

Zebra

7 sightings

Miss H & Dr B
London

"Tafika review"

4 nights Arrived 22 Sep 2022
"The very personal and intimate feel of Takifa was delightful. The staff, especially Velelope, were so welcoming and it was fantastic to chat with each of them over meals and around the camp. The reed chalets were very comfortable, and the food was amazing with the freshest salads, home baked breads and cakes, and delicious meals.

We had some great sightings on our walking safaris, getting very close to 2 male lions. A highlight was the evening sighting of a wild-dog pack with numerous cubs, making strange calls to each other as they rested and played.

You really feel like one of the family at Tafika, we particularly enjoyed seeing 'behind the scenes' including the kitchens, workshop and garden.

They organised a fantastic birthday surprise sundowner on a bluff overlooking the river bed. This was hysterical as our guide performed a great charade of pretending it was all set up for someone else, and Vel and her colleague risked being trampled by a herd of elephants who came to the party while she was hiding behind a tree waiting to surprise us when we drove up!

Switching that very bumpy return minibus ride from Tafika to Mfuwe for a 12 minute flight with Rory in the camp plane was a great decision.

Our only negative comment was that we were with the same guide throughout our stay, and the guides didn't seem to alert each other to sightings by radio the way other camps do. This might be something other guests prefer but we felt we may not have seen as much as in previous trips?" See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 4n in Malawi
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

4 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

6 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

4 sightings

Spotted Hyena

1 sighting

Wild dog

2 sightings

Wildebeest

2 sightings

Zebra

5 sightings

Mr & Mrs R
Solihull

"Tafika review"

3 nights Arrived 8 Sep 2022
"This was a really magical place. It was more rustic than some of the other camps but we still had luxury without it being pretentious. We came to see leopards and they sure did deliver. The village trip was so lovely - the school kids put on a show - dancing and poetry reciting and not a single request for money. If you like cycling, do go out with John and enjoy the river bank sights. We also loved the grumpy elephant which came to feed on fruit outside our hut every 2 hours!" See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Buffalo

2 sightings

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

9 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

4 sightings

Spotted Hyena

5 sightings

Wildebeest

1 sighting

Zebra

10 sightings

Showing 1-10 of 303
98%
303 reviews of Tafika by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
281
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Mchenja Bushcamp

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Mfuwe Lodge

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