Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs D from Ferndale

"Very good game viewing with lots of wildlife and easily accessible despite a large number of their usual dirt roads being flooded due to high water. The camp has new jeeps which were very comfortable.

We had an excellent guide and spotter who were exceptionally knowledgeable and comfortable talking about a wide variety of birds, animals and plants with us (and without us having to ask loads of questions).

The camp itself is typical of the region - very good quality, a nice feel and friendly staff.
We also had good success fishing at Kwara (for catfish)"

"Lagoon had been rebuilt about 2 months before we arrived so everything was new and we had the treat of using their new chalets which are very large (more space than you can possibly use) - we did have some issues getting hot water to the room (not sure the plumbing was 100% correct). The camp used the older jeeps but like Kwara were upgrading.

Whilst the camp and camp staff were excellent we had our worst guiding experience here. Our guide and tracker were clearly knowledgeable but we had to ask lots of questions (rather than them volunteering interesting observations) and compared to our other camps we had more difficulty communicating with out guide. Our guide and spotter did do a good job of finding some wild dogs one day using excellent tracking skills, although this came at the expense of seeing other game (as we were in the wrong area for other game) - this meant we spent a long 6 hour morning game drive on that which perhaps wasn't the best thing if you are not massively into wild dogs."

"We had an excellent three day trip on the Selinda canoe trail. It was very relaxing gently paddling down the river and we were lucky to spot some good wildlife from the water. Our guide was excellent - always enthusiastic, very willing to listen to what we'd like to do and see, and he made our daily schedule very flexible so that we could spend as much time in one area as we could if we were seeing something good there.

The rest of the camp staff (chef, bar man and two camp hands) were also brilliant - the camp was set up beautifully, there was always hot water for showers, cold drinks, the beds were incredibly comfortable and the team went about doing their work very good naturedly. Definitely the most luxurious camping experience we've ever had!

The food also deserves a special mention - it was simply excellent for every meal, with good variety. One thing to say for the canoe trail is that it isn't the same as going on a game drive from the lodge - it's much harder to spot game from a lower vantage point so animal sightings tend to be much less frequent, though the quietness of the canoes in the water allows you to get much closer to the animals without scaring them off."

"Selinda is a beautiful camp. We were very lucky that when we stayed there we not only were only two of three guests in the entire camp that night, we also were treated to a lunar eclipse.

The rooms were extremely luxurious - the only camp that we stayed in with an individual power supply to each chalet, bath robes and slippers, full laundry service and a few other little extras which made it notable. The food also was exemplary - a choice of main course at dinner, access to a well stocked wine cellar, a wine tasting evening and a very comprehensive breakfast menu.

We had a great time fishing at Selinda with success from both the jetty right outside the lodge as well as from the boat a little way away (pike and bream). The camp managers were incredibly attentive, pleasant and very interesting people to talk to - it was nice for us to meet a couple who seem to be so genuinely enjoying their work."

"A good place to spend a relaxing couple of days at the end of our safari experience. We found that it was a good halfway house back to the "real world" and did feel more like a hotel/luxury resort than a top safari lodge. It wasn't quite such a personal and flexible service which we had at the bush camps we stayed in, but for what it was, it was really nice.

It's worth noting that because you are based on the islands in the middle of the river, it's a very relaxing place to be, but it's more tricky to arrange ad hoc activities off the island as this depends on boat/driver availability rather more than elsewhere. Our trip into Livingstone with a guide was very good, and the in-house masseuse was fantastic! The food here was also particularly good (though we never came close to finishing the three course breakfast!!), though the cake at afternoon tea was a bit stale.

There is a very good range of activities available, though it's worth mentioning that the majority of these are at an additional cost."