Reviews of Lianshulu Lodge

"A very comfortable lodge fit for royalty with game drives on land and water. What more could one ask of an African holiday?

We were privileged to be out game driving when the first rain of the season arrived and did it rain! The guides said it was one of the most violent storms they had experienced with lightening , thunder and sheet rain. It was so bad that we could not drive and sheltered in a Ranger Station. If you have never smelt the bush after the first rains you have missed and experience. Elephants appeared and seemed overjoyed with the rain. What an experience!" See all these reviews: 13n in Namibia; 2n in Botswana; 2n in Zambia

"Very large rooms furnished to a very high standard, with bath, shower and outdoor shower.

Note: no power in rooms except lighting at night and early morning. Can't charge batteries except in main building. No walking unattended between room and main building between sunset an sunrise, so if you want to, it must be pre-arranged. No wifi.

Despite what the latest edition of the Bradt guide says, there are no night game drives, or guided bush walks." See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 3n in Zimbabwe

"Had the place to ourselves on one day, great location with excellent rooms.

Very friendly and attentive" See all these reviews: 12n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana; 3n in South Africa; 2n in Zimbabwe

"An "old fashioned" Safari Lodge - nothing was too much trouble- "a Puncture? - we'll fix that for you!" - no questions asked.

Just the right attitude in the location where any other solution would have been a marathon of organisation and driving." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 3n in Botswana

"This is a very smart place where we were well received by the manager,r egret can't remember her name, but she did think of everything we could need.

Very attractive decorated beautiful table settings, delicious food and wine. Great sundown trip with our G&Ts overlooking the most enormous croc on the opposite side of the backWater.

Helpful guide, nice large room overlooking the water." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia

"Lovely lodge in a great riverside position. The lodge managers were very hospitable and made us feel very welcome. Nothing was too much trouble.

Very good food was served." See all these reviews: 10n in Namibia; 6n in Mozambique; 3n in Botswana; 1n in South Africa

"Further to earlier feedback comments the tarred road has now been completed well past the turn off for Lianshulu which is now 36km from the petrol station at Kongola. The turn off is on the right but the signposting is not great – the first sign you are likely to see is actually on the left-hand side of the road! When you reach the lodge you will need to wait for the watchman to unlock the gate for you – this is not a do-it-yourself affair!

Annetta and her staff met us with cool towels and cold drinks and our bags were whisked away to our room. The main area has lovely seating areas overlooking the river and benefits from a cool breeze. The decking could, however, do with a few hours attention from a handyman with a hammer and bag of nails, being uneven in places.

Our room was enormous with sitting area and full bathroom (with bath and indoor and outside showers) and a loo with a door for privacy. Two grey louries (go away birds) visited our terrace every day at 2pm. We discovered that two of our lights were not working and these were fixed immediately. Stanley looked after us on our activities with great humour and professionalism and was as delighted as us when we drove around a corner to find eight roan antelopes by the side of the road.

The food at Lianshulu was delicious and service excellent, though dissecting unfilleted fish when it has been battered and covered in sauce was not the easiest job, particularly in poor lighting! We particularly enjoyed the samosa starter and the pork fillet we had on our last evening.

Comments have previously been made about the cost of activities at Lianshulu; we had asked Sabina if she could organise a full board and activities tariff for us which, given that it included all non-premium drinks (not that we needed any as the house wine was very good), gave us good value. Annetta seemed to think this was a very good idea though it would not work for guests who do not want to take part in activities. Being ‘all inclusive’ didn’t mean any skimping either – we were sent off after dinner each evening with nightcaps to enjoy on our deck!

It can be cold on a morning game drive (particularly if you opt for the 6.30 start!) so it would be nice to have the option of a hot cup of tea or coffee when you stop to stretch your legs rather than cold drinks from the cool box. Having gone out early we returned to the lodge to a substantial brunch after which a 15 minute sit in the sunshine by the pool soon warmed us up. Martin also enjoyed a swim in the (very clean) pool one afternoon and commented that the pool towels were even fluffier than the ones in the room!" See all these reviews: 19n in Namibia

"Another lovely setting - and our private safari lodge since we were the only visitors for the first night. Service was very attentive and the food was good with some excellent dishes. However we found that the game drive and river cruise were the most expensive by far of those that we had been offered. We did the river trip which was most enjoyable but the 'nibbles' supplied to go with our drinks were quite ordinary and certainly less inspired than the previous two sunset cruises that we had done.

Another concern was the power which was not enough to drive a hairdryer or charge any electrical item. We therefore had to bring them to the main reception area where there was a 'charging' room. The safe also did not work.

We visited Liazula village nearby which we had read about in the Bradt guide but this was not pushed by the manageress and she seemed surprised that we enjoyed our visit so much. All in all though we had a lovely time here.

You gave us a warning about the state of the roads towards the Lodge. these have recently been 'tarred' and are now excellent" See all these reviews: 16n in Namibia; 2n in Zambia

"A very comfortable and attractive lodge on the Kwando River, offering river trips and game drives.

Plenty of wildlife, elephants roam the camp at night and monkeys will be after your breakfast in the morning!" See all these reviews: 21n in Namibia

"Better directions would be useful. The M125 road is being re-built from gravel to a tarred road. You drive many Km along the new tarred road, then off onto the gravel - as a consquence of the road work, we missed the signs for Lianshulu and the Mudumu Park completely as they are located on the other side of the road construction. Luckily we stumbled on the game drive vehicle several Km past the sign and he led us back. The manager explained that she has put up temporary signs but they kept disappearing.

The lodge is lovely, and the bungalow was simply superb. Food and service were very very good and Annetta and her staff couldn't have been more attentive.

We went on a couple of river trips and a game drive. We didn't really see much on the game drive (possibly due to the season) but we did see plenty of the river trips - including plenty of birds, and Elephants and Hippos opposite the lodge." See all these reviews: 11n in Namibia; 4n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe