Reviews of Little Makalolo Camp

"Little Makalolo is a small camp (approx 6 tents laid out either side of the main tents, pool etc) in a private concession in Hwange National Park. The camp is approached through a forest but looks out over an open area with a large waterhole which a wide range of animals visit throughout the day.

The tents are excellent and reached via wooden pathways, the outside sitting area looks out over the waterhole where there is nearly always something going on. We also had a bird bath/pool on the edge of the deck which was good to watch from inside the tent during siesta time with a variety of birds dropping in for a drink or bath.

The main area has large lounge and dining tents and a pool deck arranged around a camp fire under a big tree which works very well. The food and service was very good and on our last night we were treated to a private dinner by the pool with elephants coming into to drink less than 10m away.

As we visited in August, the area was generally very dry and game was concentrated around the various waterholes. As part of the national park, vehicles are restricted to the tracks which we thought might be an issue but wasn't really. However, it might make following a leopard pretty difficult and our one sighting of a cheetah disappeared into the bush very quickly. The area is rich in elephants, giraffe zebra and various antelopes. The most common predators were lions and we had a couple of great sightings.

As there are a number of camps within the large concession, there is good radio traffic between the various guides and therefore a lot of pairs of eyes looking for sightings which is a definite advantage. Although we never felt there were too many vehicles around.

There is a log pile hide next to the waterhole which allows really close viewing of the animals coming into drink and bathe, most notably elephants. We spent over 2 1/2 hours in the hide between brunch and our afternoon game drive and our guide counted over 100 elephants in addition to Kudu, Zebra etc.

The lodge also has a sleep under the stars platform adjacent to another waterhole which was a great experience, although the stars were dominated a full moon.

The only issue that we came across at Little Makalolo was in respect of guiding. Disappointingly, on our third day (we stayed for three days) our guide was changed even though the initial guide was still around. I'm sure that there must have been a good reason but would have expected the camp manager to take the trouble to explain what was happening and why rather than leave it to a clearly embarrassed guide. That said we were quite happy with both guides." See all these reviews: 10n in Zimbabwe; 4n in Botswana

"This was an exceptionally well run place in every respect, despite the heat and drought. The standards are high and the quality of the place shone through.

We had a really excellent guide, Leo(!) and all the camp staff were most charming and helpful. The highlight, once again for us, was a visit at breakfast time of a small pack of wild dogs, three adults and six pups, to feed on a dead elephant who had died overnight just in front of camp.

We watched them for 90 minutes and were delighted to observe them at such close quarters. We had some excellent game drives and saw leopard, bush baby, genet and, finally , eland to add to our tally overall." See all these reviews: 8n in Zimbabwe; 7n in Botswana; 7n in South Africa

"First class service and food.

Excellent guiding and sightings

Friendly camp atmosphere

Visit to the local village was insightful and rewarding" See all these reviews: 13n in Zimbabwe

"Again very knowledgeable guide, making our game drive interesting. Guides keep in touch with each other radioing when something interesting to be seen. eg Lions.

Visit to local village was an eye opener, lovely people we felt very welcome. Happy smiling children pleased to see us, asking lots of questions. Danced and sang for us brilliant performance." See all these reviews: 13n in Zimbabwe

"Little Mak is a very comfortable camp with just six tented chalets set in a semi-circle around a watering hole which is frequented regularly by a variety of wildlife especially elephants. Each of the tents are well laid out with indoor and outdoor showers facilities. The hot water is generated by solar panels and is extremely effective although it does take some considerable time for the hot water to appear at the taps.

The detailed report on the EA website is very comprehensive and accurately covers all aspects of the layout of the accommodation and the camp itself.

Dickson, our guide for the duration of our stay, was extremely knowledgeable and managed to find lions plus cubs on our first day in camp who were fantastic to watch. Hwange is noted for its large elephant population and we often felt that they were all at Little Mak. We spent part of an evening game drive sitting in the log pile in front of the watering hole totally surrounded by at least five or six family groups totalling well over 60, including a number of very young calves. The interaction of the young as they tried to emulate their older siblings was fascinating.

Sundowners at another watering hole, again surrounded by elephants was another highlight, especially as they walked right past us, totally disinterested in our vehicle or us, in order to get to the water.

Dickson also managed to find a cheetah on a hunt during our transfer to Camp Hwange by road, as well as annoying a hippo who seemed to take an instant dislike to our vehicle and decided to charge!!. Hippos run quite fast it would seem!!

There are a couple of points we would make regarding the camp. EA states that dining style is group meals, however that appears to no longer be the case as we were seated at separate tables for our entire stay, and as the camp was far from full, this made for a somewhat isolated experience. All the camps we have visited over the years have used communal dining and this is an aspect that we always enjoyed. I don’t know if this a recent departure for Wilderness Safaris however we were disappointed by this aspect of the camp. Something they might want to reconsider.

The other point we would make is that due to the camps location you have to spend approximately 20 mins driving through dense mopane forest before reaching any of the more open areas where wildlife can be easily seen and tracked. It’s not a major issue but an aspect that needs to be taken into consideration during game drives

All in all a great camp in a fantastic location." See all these reviews: 10n in Zimbabwe

"An absolut wonderfull Camp, quite upmarket. The Staff and especially the guiding of Charles were absolutely brilliant. Definately one of the best Guides I've had so far.

All activities have been on a vehicle. Sightings were absolutely thrilling, wouldn't have expected that much in terms of quantity and quality of Game sights. Lions everywhere, Cheetah, Elephants, Zebras, Giraffes. Birding was great, i was able to tick down 100 species in this trip. Great luxurious Camp.

Highly appreciated their luxury Safari vehicles, 2 single seats in a row and in the middle a box to take care of my photographic equipment.

Loved that place!" See all these reviews: 9n in Zimbabwe

"Another well run Wilderness camp - this time our visit was made by our guide, Eustace. We would rate him as among the top 5 guides we have encountered over very many safaris in southern Africa. He is charming, very knowledgeable, has such a keen sense of the bush that he knows before it happens that something wonderful is about to occur (even if we did spot the wild dog before him!).

The game viewing at Hwange was superb." See all these reviews: 12n in Zimbabwe

"We drove to Little Makalolo from Vic Falls and were met at Hwange Main Camp by our guide, Eustace, who set the stage for the most enjoyable stay at this wonderful camp. All of the staff were friendly, efficient and obviously very happy to be part of the team and they made us feel like family. The smiles, the humour, the knowledge and the desire to make our stay as good for themselves as it was for us was just brilliant. The food quality, service and the clean rooms completed the perfect stay.

Eustace proved to be a superb guide and we were able to quickly establish a wonderful personal rapport which enhanced our shared experiences of the flora and fauna.

Elephant viewing was just amazing and we had great sightings of lion, eland, sable and many other animals both large and small as well as lots of birds.
Pumped waterholes create great wildlife viewing, especially Elephant, but it will be interesting to see how the vast overpopulation of these gentle giants can be controlled to preserve Hwange." See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe

"Loved everything about the camp. The entire staff was so friendly starting the moment we arrived at the airstrip - cool towel, cooler of beverages and animal spotting before we even arrived at camp. Once we got there, a warm towel, a welcome cocktail and 5 or 6 gentlemen greeting us, taking our bags, getting us settled and getting us out to see wildlife. Our guide, Mike (or Miiiiiiiike as we all called him) was AMAZING, not just knowledgeable which is obviously a requirement for the job, but charismatic, fun and flexible, always trying to accommodate what we wanted to do/see.

The rooms were wonderful, including the charming loo with a view and the outdoor shower. The only downside was that warm and cold water in the sink came from 2 different taps, so getting "warm" water was a challenge. But I loved the "water babies" that were put on our beds every night to keep us warm (and also in the jeeps in the morning).

When there were questions/issues with our departure time from the camp they were great about trying to work it all out, never getting frustrated and always keeping us informed.

The log house by the watering hole was an amazing experience, the food was delicious and the conversation around the firepit after dinner was great. I would highly recommend this place to anyone wanting a great safari experience." See all these reviews: 7n in Zimbabwe; 3n in South Africa

"Really friendly classic camp with great guides and service." See all these reviews: 13n in Zimbabwe