Reviews of Tafika
Wildlife sightings and reviews
343 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

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"Terrific Tafika"
We were lucky to be guided again by Alex Phiri and had some wonderful experiences and sightings. Heather Mansfield, Rona Leppens and all the team worked tirelessly to make our stay as enjoyable as possible. Rona and the chefs went to great lengths to meet our dietary requests and all the meals were delicious.
The accommodation as usual was first class, very comfortable whilst remaining an authentic African bush camp. The range of activities at Tafika are considerable and each time we visit, we just wish that we had booked a longer stay. You never get bored!
We have been able to experience first hand the benefits of the Tafika Trust, and we would encourage anyone who can, to support the Trust." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Tafika review"
It was an opportunity to learn about the work they do with the local community through the Tafika Fund.
We visited the local village and school and were inspired by the young people we met." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
"Tafika review"
The location is fantastic, the guiding is great and no importance is placed on superfluous luxuries.
Given the remoteness of the location, the quality and quantity of the food is quite extraordinary. Try the mountain biking!
On a memorable last afternoon, 5 elephants sauntered around the camp for half an hour or so. Fortunately there was no one in the hammock at the time." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Namibia
"Back after 19 years and just as wonderful."
Its natural setting and simple reed huts is underpinned by an amazing infrastructure and attention to detail. Great food and great guiding. We appreciated the introduction of battery fans as it was 104 degrees in the middle of the day in October.
The night drives are a real treat. Saw Leopard and Porcupine as well as many many lions and elephants." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
"Absolutely fantastic"
The location is fantastic, the guiding is great and no importance is placed on superfluous luxuries.
Given the remoteness of the location, the quality and quantity of the food is quite extraordinary.
Try the mountain biking!" See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 3n in Botswana; 2n in Namibia
"Traditional Tafika"
Our stay was marred by Judy feeling quite ill for 36 hours and unable to take part in all the activities but on the second day she was able to sit outside by the river and watch the wildlife, including quite remarkably, the birth of a young Puku - something the owners had not seen in the 40 years they'd been in Africa. The game drives were full of wildlife experiences including lions, elephants, leopards and many species of birds - fantastic photographic opportunities.
The owners, Carole and John, were very keen to ensure Judy was taken good care of and did their very best to get appropriate food and drinks for her. In the end, a doctor who was visiting another guest checked her over and assured us that it was nothing serious and that she would recover, which she duly did." See all these reviews: 16n in Zambia
"great place, great guiding, great place"
John and Carol Coppinger have 'got it right'." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
"Return to Tafika"
I do think that there is some restrictions as to where one can drive to view the game; the Salt Pan route appeared to have problems with mosquitos and tsetse fly and so visits were not frequent.
As usual the river though provided a pleasing focus, for sunsets.
Mona's food was excellent -- particularly lunch." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
"Our favourite lodge"
Thanks (again) for the birthday cake and serenade." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
"Tafika Review"
The owners, John and Carol Coppinger are very gracious and good hosts, joining their guests for most meals. The staff is attentive and helpful. The guides, led by Brian, are quite good. They don’t use radios in their vehicles (except for emergencies), so if one guide finds something of interest, there’s no way to share that information with the others. However, as Brian pointed out, without radios, the vehicles are quieter, and there’s no chance of the guides’ abusing their use.
The camp is located in the Nsefu sector of the South Luangwa Park, and it seemed to me and my group that the area covered in the game drives is quite a bit less than at other camps (Kaingo and Mwamba, as examples). This led to our retracing our steps in almost every drive. Granted, you still see different things, but sometimes the scenery felt repetitive. That said, we did see a lot of different birds and animals.
Alex was our guide. He was easy to be with and very knowledgeable; however, at times he was unnecessarily aggressive with animals in order to get them to react (e.g., driving fast through a group of buffalo and again through a group of elephants). Also, the guides, as a group, seemed to be competitive toward one another, rather than mutually supportive as we found at other camps." See all these reviews: 17n in Zambia
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