Reviews of Tena Tena
Wildlife sightings and reviews
154 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Tena Tena and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
83% success
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"THree nights here"
"tena tena safari"
Camp host/management left a little to be desired though. There was a known problem with the hot water, which was not explained until we complained about it. They are apparently "waiting for parts". This means that there is an initial few minutes of hot water until the boiler overheats. It then has to be switched off for at least a minute, whereupon a further minute or so of hot water is available and the whole process has to be repeated - not very convenient.
Our room fan broke and not fixed. We lost some clothing in the laundry and were told it was not in camp and if it had been left at Nkwali, then it would have been forwarded. No further attempt was made to track it down. There was little atmosphere in camp, perhaps because the hostess was entertaining her brother." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
"Tena Tena Review"
Great welcome. Really enjoyable walking transfer to Nsefu.
Only sorry to have missed the lions that seem to regularly walk through the camp!" See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia
"Encounter with Robin Pope at Tena Tena"
It was particularly relaxing to sit in front of our tent or the main area browsing in our birding book or writing post cards and listening to the hippos in the river and the cry of the numerous fish eagles. Tena Tena's postcard service is a very nice idea, our friends and relatives were delighted when our postcards finally arrived...
We had some very good leopard sightings at Tena Tena. Our guide Chris is very likeable, his sense of humour and enthusiasm for the wildlife are really catching and make our game drives very enjoyable. On a walk, we had a fascinating encounter with lions: We tracked them and after they had noticed our presence, they quietly withdrew into the bush.
One afternoon we even met Robin Pope with his wife by chance on a game drive!" See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
"A gorgeous place with animals galore"
(I) Don't expand it any further, It seems less of a Bush Camp with 6 tents than it did with 4.
(ii) It seemed a long walk from tent 3 to the central facilities for 2 people in their mid-70's
BUT no-one could fault the welcome and treatment." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
"Tena Tena review"
When going to lunch on the first day, we had to take a different route because of 2 elephants near the tent. On one evening we had to be driven to the tent because of more elephants. At night the hippo (and hyena) provided a tremendous chorus. We really liked it, but others might want earplugs.
The views from the dining area were not quite as good as from the other camps – at this time of year the river was fairly distant. However it was a nice place to sit, and wildlife was still visible. (One night a leopard walked along the sand in the light of the watchman’s torch)
Food again was very good, and our needs as non-meat eaters were well taken care of.
Again game drives were by open vehicle, giving excellent viewing. We saw very few other vehicles on the drives (only occasionally others from Tena Tena). There were a very large number of elephants in the area.
Our first guide’s style didn’t quite match ours. The company dealt with this well - we raised this with Jessica, the hostess and we were changed to Bertrame & also George, whom we knew from Nsefu. We then spent more time watching animals’ behaviour.
With hindsight, part of this is knowing what you want and communicating it. When you meet a guide for the first time, they ask “What would you like to see?” We are happy to see anything, so I guess our response is not very helpful. However, we want to spend time with animals, watch their behaviour and learn about them. We’ve learnt it is important to think about what you enjoy & communicate this to the guide.
Tena Tena is a realy good camp." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia
"Great start to our holiday at Tena Tena"
"Tena Tena review"
Considerate and professional staff.
Enjoyed both the walks and drives. Excellent wildlife sightings - including honey badgers!" See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Animals and birds abound at Tena Tena"
There is so much wildlife to see and numerous beautiful spots not far from the camp. We very much appreciated the overall respect for the wildlife - ie no chasing or speeding or off-roading or parking very close." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
"The ultimate wilderness experience"
I didn't think it could get better but this was the best -- to stand 50 metres from a curious bull Giraffe was amazing and we also saw elephant close up and a buffalo herd." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia
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