Travel reviews by Miss H & Dr B from London

"An amazing start to our Zambia/Malawi holiday.

Chiawa is even more luxurious than when we last visited in 2016. The tents are beautifully appointed, really comfortable and with large deck. Food and guiding were fantastic.

We particularly enjoyed having a dip in the pool as the daytimes were so very hot. What made it so special were the different dining experiences and activities, we were constantly being surprised and delighted."

"The very personal and intimate feel of Takifa was delightful. The staff, especially Velelope, were so welcoming and it was fantastic to chat with each of them over meals and around the camp. The reed chalets were very comfortable, and the food was amazing with the freshest salads, home baked breads and cakes, and delicious meals.

We had some great sightings on our walking safaris, getting very close to 2 male lions. A highlight was the evening sighting of a wild-dog pack with numerous cubs, making strange calls to each other as they rested and played.

You really feel like one of the family at Tafika, we particularly enjoyed seeing 'behind the scenes' including the kitchens, workshop and garden.

They organised a fantastic birthday surprise sundowner on a bluff overlooking the river bed. This was hysterical as our guide performed a great charade of pretending it was all set up for someone else, and Vel and her colleague risked being trampled by a herd of elephants who came to the party while she was hiding behind a tree waiting to surprise us when we drove up!

Switching that very bumpy return minibus ride from Tafika to Mfuwe for a 12 minute flight with Rory in the camp plane was a great decision.

Our only negative comment was that we were with the same guide throughout our stay, and the guides didn't seem to alert each other to sightings by radio the way other camps do. This might be something other guests prefer but we felt we may not have seen as much as in previous trips?"

"A beautiful location at the lake edge, with a lovely 'beach vibe' was a welcome rest after a week's safari in Zambia. The design and styling of the buildings are really lovely, wine and food were excellent.

A visit to the local village was definitely worth doing, we canoed round to the big house in the bay then walked to Katundu workshop. The work they produce is absolutely beautiful so make sure you take your money with you! Next day we walked through the village and had a longer chat with the locals and the ladies in the workshop.

We were slightly disappointed with snorkelling, maybe we were unlucky as the water was not very clear so it was difficult to see the fish. However, the kayaks, dinghy's and paddleboards were all great fun.

When we arrived, we did ask to move rooms, mainly because we were 2 couples travelling together, and our friends room was significantly nicer than ours. There wasn't anything else available for the first 2 nights, but then we were able to move to a fantastic room at the top of the rocky path, which was amazing. As the organiser of our whole trip I did appreciate this end to our 'big birthdays' holiday.

Thank you Kaya Mawa for making the trip so special."

"Great fresh meals and loved the beach barbeque.

We didn't realise until we were at the next camp that Kaingo translates to 'leopard', and yes we had some great sightings of these beautiful creatures.

A really charming camp with a very friendly and helpful team."

"Beautiful tented rooms.

Canoe safari was definitely worth doing, and the night drives were amazing.

We tracked 2 leopards who were mating - didn't realise this was quite unusual until we got back to camp.

Had a very close encounter with Matata the bull elephant who tried to climb up our tent to reach seed pods on the roof!"