Reviews of Tafika
Wildlife sightings and reviews
333 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
83% success
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43% success
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92% success
91% success
45% success
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"Tafika review"
Hands on, friendly owners who were keen to share their experiences and add to our understanding of the area.
Excellent game drives with an incredible variety of animals. The night drives in particular were outstanding as was the pack of 19 wild dogs and the lions swimming across the river. The herd of buffalo going down to the river to drink was also impressive. The guides were very knowledgeable and informative.
Good efficient staff who were all very helpful and attentive. Excellent food throughout the day." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Tafika review"
"Tafika our favourite camp"
Tafika was well run with amazing views of the Luangwa river and many Hippos. Early morning breakfasts with the sunrise in the background were a delight. Both lunch and dinner was hosted either by Jen, Nic or one of the guides.
All of the game drives gave us great sightings.Through the night there were plenty of animal visitors but we felt safe with the guards on duty.
We did a walking safari after a quick canoe trip across the river and had a fantastic Lion sighting.
The reed chalet are rustic but have all the comforts you need." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Tafika review"
"A great place to stay"
One of us now has mobility problems, and the staff were universally expert in making everything run as smoothly as possible." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
"Tafika review"
"Tafika review"
"Tafika camp, a marvelous starting point"
The staff at Tafika were friendly, attentive and accommodating from our initial contact to our departure for Chikoko camp.
We arrived after dark and the driver was engaging and on the look out for wildlife - even spotting lions and an Eagle Owl during our transport.
The staff scheduled dinner to accommodate our arrival and we were greeted with candlelight dinner on the banks of the Luangwa River serenaded by hippos - how could it get better... but it did.
The accommodations were rustic, but lacked nothing - and we have never slept better than we did during our safari.
Breakfast sunrises were epic, served over looking the river.
The game drives were efficient and informative, rich with wildlife and excellent guides. The refreshments at sunset by the Luangwa River in the company of Giraffe closed a memorable first day.
It was also impressive that the Coppinger family were at the camp and actively engaged in making our stay special. They were friendly, approachable and it was pleasure discussing Africa and the history of the camps with them." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia; 2n in South Africa
"Tafika review"
Whilst on one hand, we rather like the family business feel of the enterprise, it was sometimes a little overpowering. Each evening when we returned from a drive, the 4 members of the family plus one of the guides (who was an original founder along with John) would be stood drinking at the bar whilst others were working. This gave us a somewhat uncomfortable perception. Whilst the family were always kind, engaging and inclusive, it sometimes felt like we were intruding in a family gathering.
The village and school visit was the one time we felt uncomfortable. It all seemed rather staged and unnatural. Whilst we enjoyed seeing the school and hearing the church choir sing (and see them dance), we felt rather too controlled by our guide. I don’t think this was about our safety – as we never felt anything other than completely safe.
Finally, we felt that the management’s focus on us dropped off during our last day as we were by that time, the only guests in the Camp. It felt as if we were being steered towards activities that suited the lodge rather than what we desired – and breakfast on the last day when there was only us was a shadow of what it had been on other days when the camp was full.
To reiterate, we hope our comments are seen as constructive - and that they are based upon our perceptions/feelings." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
"Tafika review"
It is very much a family run facility. I marked it lower on facilities because the wifi was not great, but this is understandable so far in the bush).
Makupa (Cooper) was our guide and again he did a good job, we also had Lloyd one day and he showed us some different things.
Again the staff was very friendly and helpful." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
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