Reviews of Mkulumadzi

"Fantastic stay - loved it. Only 8 chalets so whilst not as personal an experience as at Kuthengo, still got to know my fellow "passengers" and staff . The chalet was fantastic (Wifi was only available at reception) and with aircon.

As a solo traveller I was hoping meal times would be around a large table with everyone seated - instead it was a table for one for every meal. Not a problem at all (I like my me time) but it would have been nice to have shared experiences over evening dinner at least. Some of the guests on my vehicle asked me to join them at mealtimes so I did have the option of sitting with others if I wanted.

The staff were marvellous - both the camp managers (Johan and Anneri) and staff. My guide was Tom who was excellent and used tracking more to seek animals due to the denseness of the bush - a totally different experience to Kuthengo. My last night was celebrated by a table for 1 on the edge of the river by candlelight. I was very sad to leave.

The food was fantastic - great quality and inventive - some unusual combinations but gorgeous! And, salad options for lunch - perfect.

My fault as I hadn't researched the camp fully (doh!) but I wasn't aware you had to cross a rope bridge twice a day to leave and return to camp. I didn't enjoy that aspect (the "bridge of doom") but, it was a necessity and even had I known, it wouldn't have changed my decision to go there and having been, it wouldn't stop me going again. However, for older guests, those suffering from a fear of heights / vertigo it wouldn't be ideal so maybe the way in / out of the camp should be stressed to guests when booking.

Again very sad to leave - just what I needed." See all these reviews: 9n in Malawi

"The location is stunning! Right beside a beautiful stretch of river where you can watch elephants playing, waterbuck, nyala and baboons strolling past.

The staff couldn't do enough for me. The food was delicious, more than I could eat! The accommodation was luxurious and spacious.

The rope bridge to the lodge was a surprise which added an element of adventure before and after every safari!" See all these reviews: 9n in Malawi

"Extremely well run lodge, service, food and game viewing all first class as always with Robin Pope camps.

Our guide Tom was excellent." See all these reviews: 15n in Malawi

"+ great location
+ Richard & team took very good care of me when I was not feeling well
+ Enison is a very competent guide
+ Richard went the extra mile to help us identify species
+ great chalet and deck
+ beautiful breakfast, lunch and dinner area
+ great hides
- limited wildlife sightings
- cleanliness could be improved
- no walking safaris due to lack of rangers" See all these reviews: 11n in Malawi; 5n in Zambia

"The lodge is stunning and very well maintained.

The staff are always welcoming and friendly and the guides are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable." See all these reviews: 8n in Malawi

"Our first impression of the camp was "wow" - the main camp is open and overlooks the river and attracts a welcome breeze. We were given room 1 - probably the best room - as it overlooks the confluence of the Shire and Mkulumadzi rivers. The room is huge with comfortable sofas, a great outdoor shower and a much appreciated cold air system over the comfortable bed. The only downside to getting room 1 is that, due to the very high temperatures in October, it is a 5min walk to get to it. We were making full use of the shower and the swimming pool!

Our second impression of the camp was "where are the staff?". Having trudged down from the room for afternoon tea, there was no-one to take our order for tea and coffee. There isn't much time before heading out on a game drive and you don't expect to have to go and find someone to take your order. Our guide Mustafa would turn up, ready to go, before our tea! This happened on several occasions which rather aggravated my husband. We spoke several times to Nienke and she explained how they were indeed short of staff at very short notice. Once she realised how upset we were, she and Teun went all out to rectify matters. They were keen to listen to any suggestions for improvements such as allowing guests to make their own tea in the afternoon to leave the staff to concentrate on other things. They also made every effort to be available when guests were in camp.

But once we got over that little bump, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in Majete. It isn't the kind of park to get the close up encounters that you can get in other parks - there is a lot of undergrowth that can get in the way (we saw the bottom half of a giraffe) and there isn't a high density of game. But we knew that when we booked. Sadly the rhino and cats remained elusive but we had a fab encounter with two elephants having a great time crossing the river. Oh, and there was the rock climbing hippo! If you love bird watching, you'll love Majete. In total we saw 85 different species - 53 of those were birds - in our 5 nights which is just 8 less than in South Luangwa.

The Shire river was deep enough to allow boat trips which were a welcome break from game drives. They allowed you the opportunity to see the fantastic scenery beyond the trees as well as have great views of the sunsets. We also had a short walk along the river one afternoon. The plan was to get closer to the rapids but we got side tracked by sightings of an elephant and a buffalo. We got to sleep on the star bed which is on a raised platform overlooking the trees, about 10mins away from the camp. The scariest part of it was the drive there (Nienke's driving is pretty full on!). The stars and moon were so bright and there was a lovely breeze - we slept really well. The following morning, we had about an hour's walk through the bush which was followed by a full English breakfast cooked over an open fire overlooking the river.

Talking of food, Mkulumadzi manages to squeeze in one more meal than any other camp we've stayed in. Lunch and dinner were always excellent and I'm guessing that the menu rotates over 4 days. We were there for 5 nights and dinner on nights 1 and 5 was the same. The size of the camp means that you have a choice of places to eat including down on the sand below the dining area. On our last night, Nienke arranged for us to eat by the pool.

And finally, a big thank you to our guide Mustafa who was a great spotter and enjoyable company." See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia; 5n in Malawi

"A lovely position overlooking the river Shire. Recent repairs to the access footbridge and to two of the rooms following flooding and damage earlier this year.

Food was copious and good, with a fixed menu, although slightly stodgy

Staff were very attentive and the acting Manager was awaiting another Manager to arrive the following week, who would concentrate more on working with the guests.

The Lodge was quiet with only one other group of 5 guests. The weather was extremely hot and there was little shade around the pool, so we did not use this. The spacious room had a lovely balcony overlooking the river, an outdoor shower and a large bath, which did use up all of the hot water! (solar heated). The breeze bed facility, whilst being an excellent idea, did not seem to work properly.

Game viewing was difficult due to the density of vegetation, although the guiding was very good. We asked to look at smaller animals, birds and vegetation rather than concentrating on large mammals. We undertook one walk, which was cut short due to a heavy rain shower. We did get caught in a heavy rain shower on a game drive also, but waterproof ponchos are thoughtfully provided.

We had a lovely sundowner boat trip, but were surprised that lifejackets were not available, particularly as the small boat was filled to capacity.

Requested Sightings : see below

Also saw Waterbuck, Impala, Porcupine, Common Duicker, Nyala, Kudu, Orange Baboon, Reedbuck, Bushbuck, Liechtenstein Hartebeest, Vervet Monkey, Livingstone's Suni, Crocodile and many different and interesting birds." See all these reviews: 16n in Malawi

"Great place with animals all around and good food. In fact with 3 breakfasts ,lunch, tea, sundowner nibbles and dinner you seemed to be eating much of the time!! Of course you could decline or miss a meal. As warned the safaris were COLD in the mornings and you needed 3 layers and gloves (or tuck your hands under blanket supplied!)

We saw 4 of the Big 5 -- not a Leopard tho other people staying there had seen one.The safari drives were long and you didn't always see a lot especially after sundown about 5.30 when drive went on until 7.30 or 8.

Only saw 1 rhino at night water hole and 4 lions similarly at another water hole but saw hippos in and out of water and roaming at night. Saw elephants 3 times including at water hole 2 matriarchs with 2 young. The driver guide was very good and very helpful trying to find what we wanted to see as a request from fellow guest to see giraffes and another time zebra was facilitated.

The rope bridge was an interesting cross over each time!!" See all these reviews: 4n in Malawi; 1n in Zambia

"Great views again from main terrace and room no 1
Good guiding from Mali
Food the best of all the 20+ lodges we have been to in Africa & some of the others very good
Service at meal times also very good" See all these reviews: 7n in Zimbabwe; 5n in Malawi; 1n in South Africa

"I wanted to visit Mkulumadzi because of its location in the Majete Wildlife Reserve and the chance I’d be given there to encounter not only the stately Nyala but the entire Big Five as well. Of the latter, only an occasional Elephant showed up, but Nyalas were absolutely everywhere and they are indeed spectacular. Best of all, they roam freely in and out the camp and it was thrilling to be able to study them on such an “up close and personal” basis.

Mkulumadzi Camp is a beguiling property in a fairytale setting, and both the main reception/dining area and the "bush chalets" are classy, well-equipped and comfortable. Given all the right circumstances, this would be a dream-come-true camp.

Certainly the food is out of this world. One day we had a salad so delicious that I absolutely had to know its secrets, and Chef Thomas willingly obliged. As for my guides, both Michael and Mali were outstanding.

However, during my four days at Mkulumadzi the regular camp managers were away on leave, and several of the staff members seemed to be new on the job and unsure of their responsibilities. The situation gradually improved, but mealtime was particularly problematic for a person dining alone.

To further complicate matters, periodic – and at times torrential – rains made navigating the paths through the camp’s sloping terrain a definite challenge and obviously necessitated the cancellation of all boating activities. Moreover, much to my dismay, the roof over my bed leaked. A final disconcerting development was the arrival of a Bushbaby – and perhaps more than one – whose exact location in the rafters of my chalet was often unascertainable. (She – or they – stayed with me for two days.)

On a happier note, I thoroughly enjoyed hiking across the famous footbridge (suspended high above the Mkulumadzi River) every time we went out on a game drive and again when returning to camp." See all these reviews: 11n in Zimbabwe; 10n in Zambia; 7n in Malawi