Travel reviews by Mr C from Hindhead

"Very efficiently, I was met at Maun airport and arrived at the lodge about 20 minutes later.

I stayed just one night at the lodge to recover from the overnight flight to Maun via Johannesburg. I saw the advantage that if there was a delay in the flights then I would not lose a day out on safari and it also enabled me to get to the first lodge in the Okavango delta before lunch.

I was very pleased with the chalet I was given and surprised it had air-conditioning given the temperature at around 40C was a bit of a shock coming from UK where the temperature was around 10C. The chalet had a lovely view out across a river. I was booked in for half board and was offered for the evening meal either the buffer or I could choose something from the al la carte menu.

The buffet was enjoyable. All staff were very pleasant and helpful, and ensured I got back to Maun airport for the flight into the delta."

"It was quite a short trip, about 20 minutes, from Maun to the airstrip serving the lodge. The airstrip is fairly close to the lodge and I arrived to be welcomed in song by staff. I was able to have brunch/lunch when I arrived. The room was very good and had a 180 degree view across the river and into the distance. There were lots of wildlife on the plain in front of the lodge, including elephants, buffalo, giraffe and different antelopes.

My guide was Rasta and spotter was Boxer, both were excellent. I shared a vehicle with a couple on the first day and then there was just me. I had number of lion sights both during the day and after dark. we followed a male lion for some time after dark and saw it pass through the sister camp Ma Dinare.

I was pleased to have a sighting of the not so common antelope such as Roan and Eland. Had a fantastic siting of leopard cub up a tree with the mother standing on guard below as there were lions nearby. I saw a pride of lions feasting on a recent elephant kill at night where the male lion wouldn't let the female lions onto the kill until the cubs had had their fill. On the last morning we started to follow some Cheetah tracks and I was please to have a sighting of two young male cheetahs. Sadly I did not see any wild dog at this camp.

The service given by the staff in the camp was excellent and the extra security required at night to safeguard clients was required. There are raised walkways to get to the chalets from the central area. At night your guide accompanied you to your tent but there are breaks in walkways with paths crossing at ground level to allow animals to pass through the camp. A couple of times there were buffalo at the crossings and the guide had to encourage the buffalo to move on to make the path safe to get to my tent.

During my stay the day time temperatures reached between 35C and 40C but there was no rain."

"The flight from Ra Dinare to Lagoon took about 40 Minutes. I arrived for short game drive before going to Lagoon camp in time for brunch. My guide was Elvis and John was my spotter. Both were excellent. During my stay I shared the vehicle with two ladies.

My thatched chalet had a lovely view out across the river immediately in front of the camp. The accommodation was good. The water level was way down as there had been little rain last winter so boat activities were not possible. Service by the staff in the camp was excellent.

Although lion sighting were less at this camp there was still lots to see with more sighting of leopard, cheetah, Roan antelope, Water buck and for the first time Sable antelope. There was one particular leopard sighting I will remember. We followed some leopard tracks that led us to a female leopard who we found was with her two cubs. She led the cubs some distance until we found a impala kill she must have made the previous night and she had gone to collect the cubs and bring them to the kill. BUT still no wild dog sighting.

Fortunately it was a bit cooler at the camp, up to around 35C in the day."

"It was about a 30 minutes flight from Lagoon Camp to the airstrip for Splash camp and then a 40 minutes drive to Splash Camp and arrived in time for brunch.

My guide was ST and Kerne was my spotter, both were excellent. I shared a vehicle with a couple. The first game drive in the afternoon was exceptional. It started with sighting of a leopard, sable and cheetah. Then we came across sitting in an open area a pack of over thirty wild dog. We watched them and they then got up and all started to walk in the same general direction. Several minutes later the pack started running and entered a clump of trees. We watched as dogs and impala came springing out of the trees in all directions. You could see impala out running the dogs and getting away. Then we saw some dogs catch an impala about a couple of hundred metres away. We got the kill in a few seconds to see several dogs on the kill and others arriving. Within about ten minutes the impala had been devoured. What was particularly interesting was that a few hyenas started to arrive and when the dogs saw them they chased them away. There was a lake close by and crocodiles on smelling blood came out of the water towards the kill. Here again the dogs faced up to the crocodiles and they stopped coming close to the kill.

Through the rest of the stay I had several leopard sightings and many other animals and birds but nothing as dramatic as the first afternoon.

Splash camp offered other activities and I took a trip in a mokoro, a boat trip and a guided nature walk. All additional activities were very enjoyable and were the things which made the visit stand out even more.
The accommodation at Splash camp is at a quite different level to the accommodation I had ever had on a safari. It is more like a permanent bungalow. All the facilities were there at a higher level. It had a beautiful view and one particular extra was wifi in your room.

The food and service by the camp staff was excellent.

The weather is Splash camp was more variable. There was heavy rain one night and it was quite cloudy at times but a bit cooler than earlier in the trip.

There was one minor hiccup when I was taken to the airstrip for my flight back to Maun. The waiting area at one end of the airstrip was occupied by two resting male lions. Hence it was necessary to board the plane at the other end of the airstrip.

In all camps I stayed in on this trip there was a short night drive after sundowners which let you see animals you would normally only see at night."

"We stayed at the Four Points for only one night, arriving late in the evening and leaving early the following morning. A representative of Expert Africa’s local agent was there to meet us just outside the arrival’s terminal at JKA and guided us to a Four Points car with driver to take us to the hotel a few minutes away.

We were efficiency checked in at the hotel and found the room to be a clean large and well appointed. All hotel staff were very polite and helpful.

We had to leave quite early the next morning but were able to have a breakfast in the restaurant which I was told is open 24 hrs a day. There was a wide selection of hot and cold food and drinks available in the restaurant in buffet style, and including a chef to cook you a fresh omelette."

"We arrived at the airstrip in Meru to be met by Joe, our guide, for our three night stay at Elsa’s Kopje. Joe gave us some refreshments and a quick safety briefing before starting our transfer to the lodge. We were watched over by black faced vervet monkeys hoping to get some scraps, I think.

On the way to the lodge we saw many animals and birds, and on arrival staff were there to welcome us with hot towels and drinks. The lodge manager gave us a briefing, where everything was and on safety about the camp. During the day we could move freely abut the lodge but after dark there was always staff readily available to accompany us around the lodge.

All cottages have been built along a hillside although having similar facilities are all different in design. Our cottage was at one end with wonderful views out onto the plain below where we could see animals passing below from time to time. The cottage housekeeping services were excellent from wake-up calls with hot drinks and cookies, cleaning, laundry, to setting up mosquito nets around the bed each evening.

Being the last cottage along the hillside we had to walk on paved paths, for a few minutes, through the reception area/lounge and then on past other cottages to get to the restaurant/bar/swimming pool area. The position of our cottage suited us as we heard very little noise made by other guests moving about the lodge.

We saw lots of rock hyrax (can be a bit noisy), black faced vervet monkey wandering around the lodge and occasionally impala.

We went out on drives from about 6.30am to about 11am each morning and then again from around 4pm to dusk. We had breakfast out in the bush on two mornings. Our guide Joe was excellent in finding us multiple sightings of all the mammals normally to be seen in Meru (with four lion sightings) except for leopard and black rhino. Joe was so quick in seeing things we could have missed completely ourselves. Joe filled us in habits of the wildlife and the names of the many birds we saw. Joe was attentive to our safety, stopping at sighting for as long as we wanted and ensuring we saw as a wide range of wildlife as possible. Towards the end of the afternoon drives we stopped for sundowners and saw some wonderful sunsets.

Our lunches and dinners were served at individual tables in the restaurant where the waiting staff were fantastic. We particularly enjoyed the lunches where we were served a buffet of small dishes to choose from.

There is a small infinity pool with sun loungers around it which I just had to use!

In summary the accommodation fully met our expectations, the services in camp were of a high standard and Joe was a wonderful guide."

"We arrived at the Samburu Kalama airstrip and were met by our guide Solomon (a native Samburu bought up close to the park) for our three night stay at Elephant Bedroom.

On the way to Elephant Bedroom we saw many animals and birds, and on arrival staff were there to welcome us with hot towels and drinks. We were given a briefing, where everything was and on safety about the camp and then shown to our tent. The monkeys which live around are so clever that just zipping up the tent is not sufficient to stop them getting in. We were supplied with a lock to put on the zips while we were both in and out of the tent!

We had a luxury tent which was vast. It had two double beds, a separate large seating and patio area (with plunge pool), all looking out onto the river. I’m sure the standard tent would have been more than adequate, but a deluxe tent was only one available when we booked. The tents are placed fairly close together strung out along the river's edge but there was extra screening put up between the tents either side of our tent. All the services to the tent whether wake up calls with hot drinks and cookies or cleaning were very good.

Our tent was the last but one from the main area but it was a short walk along a sandy path to get there. During the day you could move freely around but keeping an eye out for elephants which pass through the camp from time to time (which did happen while we were there) then at night, staff were always there to accompany you.

We went out on drives from about 6am to 9am each morning and then about 4pm to dusk each evening. The area we were in was very rich with wildlife. Our guide Solomon was fantastic. He spotted the smallest of animals and birds, recognised signs given by other animals and birds which indicated lion/leopard may be close by, and followed tracks left by animals. We had four leopard sighting and three lion sightings during our stay. Solomon spotted a leopard sitting on a rock at least 100ft above us. He heard another male leopard calling for females which he then spotted close by and which we followed for over 15 minutes before other vehicles arrived. We saw a pair of lions kill an Oryx and a pride of lions with two cubs. We saw wildlife special to Samburu such as Grevy’s Zebra, Somali Ostrich, Günther's dik-dik, Vulturine Guineafowl and Somali Bee-eater.

We had all our meals in the main area of Elephant Bedroom. Breakfast was a buffet style meal served immediately after our morning drive. The lunch was served on the beach area just in front of the river and dinner was up on the raised patio area. Lunch and dinners choices were offered and pre-selected before the mealtime. The food was of good quality and the waiting staff were excellent.

We attended a very enjoyable special sundowner with other guests where food, drinks and a singer with a guitar sang some Samburu songs.

We also made a visit to a local Samburu village to learn about how the Samburu people live which was very interesting.

In summary, we think Elephant Bedroom has the best location in Samburu, has one of the best density and range of wildlife we have come across in our seven safaris, the facilities of the camp are excellent, we were very fortunate to have Solomon as our guide, but Samburu is quite hot compared to the other places we stayed at during this trip."

"We arrived at the Maasai-Mara North airstrip to be met with hot towels and refreshment before the transfer to Elephant Pepper. On the way we saw Cheetah mother and two cubs as well as other animals.

On arrival we were met with hot towels and drinks followed by lunch then a full briefing by the camp manager. The monkeys are so clever at getting into tents the zips need to be secured by carbine hook. You could move around the camp freely during the day and staff at night were always there to escort you.

The camp is in a wooded area with views out into the distance where from time to time you could see elephants, giraffes and even a hippo. The camp and the area around was very peaceful which we appreciated compared to the camp in Samburu.

The tent had all the facilities we expected and had a shaded patio area in front. It was short distance from the main area along paved paths. All housekeeping services were very good.

Our guide was Sammy (a local Maasai) for our three night stay. Sammy was friendly and very good as our guide. We went out on morning drives from about 6:30 to about 11am and had breakfast in the bush. Afternoon drives were from about 4:30 to dusk which included a sundowner. At one sundowner I went around to the back of the vehicle and to my surprise saw a hyena sitting quietly five metres away. I alerted the presence of the hyena to Sammy and my wife and they then looked rather sceptically to the back to the vehicle to see I was not playing prank. The sunsets were amazing. On both early morning and late afternoon we needed extra layers on as the conservancy is quite high up and much cooler than the other parks we have been to.

The sighting during our stay included four cheetah family sighting, four lion sighting with one being a large pride with cubs, and leopard sighting which Sammy spotted and other guides touring around had failed to see. At one cheetah sighting the family were finishing off a young Topi and we followed them when they came across a hare which all three chased, but it escaped down a hole in the ground.

Sammy looked very hard for more leopards known to be around, but our luck had run out. There was other wildlife we saw special to the area such as the Masai Giraffe, Topi and Wildebeest.

There were three course lunches and dinner with lunch served in front of the main area buildings where you could see wildlife going by and dinner was served in one of the two restaurant buildings. The food was of good quality and the waiting staff were excellent.

One of the services offered to guests by the Elephant Pepper is an all-day trip to see one of the famous Maasai Mara animal crossing. This would have entailed nearly four hours of driving each way. As we had seen one of these crossing on a previous safari, we decided not to take up the offer and continue with drives in the conservancy.

In summary, the density of wildlife in the northern conservancy was not very high but there was plenty of wildlife to see. The level of services given by all camp staff was excellent. Our guide Sammy was excellent to, very conscious of our safety and marvellous at finding and telling us about the wildlife we saw."

"This camp was peaceful, had friendly staff and the accommodation was good. All meals were good.

Excellent place to stay for a night."

"Camp was in a beautiful setting looking out across the Busanga plains.

Staff were very attentive and friendly. Food was extremely good and plentiful. The kitchen was very obliging when small requests were made.

Our guide Aaron was very good. The balloon trip was fantastic."

"The camp was in a lovely location. Ephy our guide was competent. We would have preferred the safari vehicles to have a top to protect from the sun. The boat trip was very good. James led us on a guided walk which was very informative but intense.

The accommodation had a good view however it was too hot to sit out on the verandah in the afternoon as the shading was poor allowing a lot of sun to come through and also making the room very hot. The chalet itself was fine.

We were very disappointed with the food. The breakfast choice was very limited and quality was poor. For example toast was often cold and burnt, and only fruit was small pieces of browned apple with the occasional slice of banana in a small bowl with barely enough for all the guests. Lunch was provided as a buffet and of average quality. The portions of food provided at dinner should have been larger for an adult male.

the staff were friendly. The quality of service from the camp staff was inconsistent for example staff not always at bar to serve cold drinks on returning to camp after a drive, offering to serve a beer and then finding it had not been chilled, not having bucket shower ready when it had been requested."

"We loved this lodge. Beautiful location, rooms and central areas.

This is a very well managed camp and everything ran smoothly and we were made to feel valued guests. All staff were friendly and couldn't do enough for you.

The food was excellent and we were treated to a surprise lunch on an island in the river and dinner in the bush on the last night.

John D was an excellent experienced guide supported by trainee guide Daniel. We enjoyed the river trips and guided walk up to the rocky outcrop for sundowners."

"Camp is in an excellent position next to the river. The tents are set well apart and were well equipped. We enjoyed being on the end in tent 1 as it was very secluded and have us the opportunity to stretch our legs. The Masai were always there to accompany us.

Service was excellent in both the restaurant and bar. David, our water was very attentive and personable. The food was acceptable and portions were too large. There were some strange combinations and the food seemed to have been kept warm for some time. All meals were served at our table but we would have preferred buffet style service for lunch.The manager on duty at the time was a bit hit and miss in her dealing with us.

We were fortunate to have both a guide and a driver on our game drives and were on our own for every drive. Ezra, our guide, and Khalid, our driver, were excellent. We especially enjoyed the river trips and the surprise sundowner with fizz. The walking safari was a bit boring and the information could have been given to us in a fire side chat. e.g.: the history of the Masai."

"The rooms are situated above a dry river bed but we saw little game from our tent. We thought the tents were too close together as you could hear other people talking which took away from the solitude we usually enjoy in the camps. The paths to the tents needed some maintenance especially some loose sandy steps which are especially dangerous at night.

The rooms were spacious but needed more storage. We needed a table to put things on and a few more shelves.

Service was excellent and we liked the fact that drinks were inclusive. The staff were not so chatty but we suspect their English was limited. Ken, the manager, was very attentive and professional. Times of meals and drives were very flexible and nothing was too much trouble.

John, our guide and driver, was experienced and very good at spotting animals and even small birds at a distance. He accommodated our interests and we were lucky enough to be on our own in the vehicle. We especially enjoyed the night drive.

The meals were good and freshly cooked. They were quite simple and there were a variety of vegetables."

"Very good place to stay before going to bush camps to allow time to recover after a long journey. We experienced some of the best wildlife viewing on game drives from this lodge.

The transfer from Mfuwe Airport to Kapani Lodge was quite early in the day and we were unprepared for the open vehicle and speed of travel and so we were very cold on the journey."

"Loved the accomodation on stilts and decking area. Service was fantastic.

The guide called us just before our siesta time to take us to see some lions which had just been seen in the area.

We were delighted to have private dining on our decking area and to share it with a group of elephants.

Walking and vehicle game drives were not as interesting as we had hoped.

To improve privacy screening from the bedroom to bathroom needs to be higher to block views to the camp fire area."

"Brunch in the bush was a lovely surprise. Hippo hide viewing was a great experience. Had excellent service from camp staff.

Walking and vehicle drives were not as interesting as expected.

We found the accommodation and main area building were too close together and we were disturbed by general noise from the bar area and conversations from the room next door.

People needed to walk past our chalet to access theirs and could easily see into our chalet."

"Accommodation and personal viewing area were fantastic. Wonderful views from common area. Service was excellent.

We had an excellent viewing of a leopard at this camp during the day. The walks were more interesting."

"This bushcamp had the best location and accommodation of the four camps. Service was again excellent.

At last saw a good quantity and variety game.

We were delighted by the surprise champagne sundowner and camp fire held by the river where we watched a beautiful sunset."

"Transfers were good.

We were provided with inferior accommodation to what was booked due to an error. Although clean it was very basic and not of a standard we would normally book. The manager was very apologetic about the error and he is still in discussion with Expert Africa about this matter.

Strange service with the food which had be pre-ordered at check in and when we were called to the table the food already sitting there getting cold."