Travel reviews by Mr G & Ms B from Newcastle

"The 6 chalets are strung out along the river with each having its own private, shaded terrace on the riverside where you can while away an hour or so before lunch is delivered to you. We also had a hammock which was surely worth the gymnastics required for me to get into it! The outside bath is a nice touch, bring your own bubbles. I liked the fact that the lights in the chalets are solar powered and that there was no generator noise to detract from absorbing the natural sounds of the day and night. There is a charging hut in the centre of the camp where you charge your camera batteries etc. Laundry is washed and returned each day – this means you really can pack light.

The Shenton camps have their own plot near the airport which keeps the kitchen well stocked with fresh veg and provides local jobs. We particularly wanted a Zambian owned camp, small and in a quiet part of the park also it was important to me that the owners were fully engaged with and supportive of the local communities, economy and environment. All that came through to me very clearly here and I feel we made the right choice.

There is an abundantly clear commitment at Kaingo to ensuring that guests are well looked after in every respect from the comfort of the chalets, through delicious and well prepared food to having a good number of simply exceptional guides and spotters many of whom have been there for years. This combination ensured we had a fabulous safari filled with adventure and other amazing experiences which will always be with us. The driving loops are really well maintained and well positioned. Really enjoyed the night time drives which followed the sundowners which were taken at a different place each evening. You will find bean bags and dust sheets for cameras in the jeeps - much appreciated.

The landscape is fantastic and very varied. The range of wildlife in front of you is amazing and you can learn so much from the guides – who are not only superbly skilled with a huge amount of knowledge that they are keen to share but are adept at positioning the vehicles and understanding the light to give you a chance to get great photos. The 3 activities per day certainly resulted in a really satisfying experience, the hides are such a great for getting up close. We also stayed overnight in the elephant hide – a really special and unique experience."

"We arrived on foot after a leisurely and picturesque walk from Kaingo Camp. Our bags went separately by jeep. This was a lovely way to arrive with warm welcome from John and Henry. Izzy from Kaingo was there to introduce us to Brent our amazing guide and camp manager.

The camp really is tiny – 3 rondavels, rebuilt each year from reed and thatch. Each one is a reasonable distance from the other. The communal areas are all in the open air at the “front” of the camp. Lunch is taken on your terrace which in our case overlooked a dry river bed where there was plenty to see and watch.

Quite how the staff manage to produce such good food from the kitchen is a feat in itself. We found the food to be slightly better than that at Kaingo – difficult to say why. Laundry washed and returned each day. We felt very well looked after at Mwamba

The rondavels had solar lights, no sockets. This means no generator noise which helped the feeling of being immersed in nature. Brent took care of charging our camera batteries.

We had such great sightings and amazing experiences on these 4 days with Brent/Patrick at the wheel and Gideon in the jump seat. We had good company and good conversation around the dinner table and a surprise opportunity to catch up with Noelle from Kaingo one night. We also had some exciting times in the camp itself as an elephant invited himself to join us at dinner one night.

The “last waterhole” hide was productive most days but it was hot and so we were grateful for the coolbox of drinks down there. Given it’s such a small camp and that the hide is just “next door”, we appreciated the flexibility of being able to go straight after breakfast so we could come back before it got too hot. As well as getting the animals coming down to drink, there were some resident baboons and a myriad of birds who also came to drink. The smaller animals also attracted lions...

At Mwamba we found ourselves being very conscious of all aspects of the natural world and our place in it – it’s hard to describe but there is something very special about Mwamba and it makes a great combo with Kaingo."

"Eight Reedbuck claims to be Lusaka's only boutique hotel and is Zambian owned and run and has only 10 rooms/suites. It's certainly quirky and I hovered between giving it 3 and 4 paws. Settled on 3 in the end because I couldn't give 3 and a half and although I think it is trying quite hard it's not quite there for me. Having said all that it least it has character and it is comfortable with good communal spaces and I much prefer that to a bland, anonymous chain.

It's certainly decorated in a way that makes it feels boutique-y. We had a very warm welcome and whilst our bags were being delivered to our rooms we had refreshing drink the in garden - which is lovely. There is also a pool. Our room was huge and had we been so minded could have watch the large TV. We had a little private garden area and a huge bathroom. And A/C which was very nice. I'm pretty sure that if I had wanted a hairdyer I could have asked for one - finding someone to ask might be more challenging:-) - likewise had we each wanted a robe rather than sharing the single one in the room.

Staff were hard to find after our arrival but I was finally able to use the reception PC to check in for our flight the next day which I appreciated. The restaurant is small and although the menu limited, the food was nice and given where we were I thought it was probably reasonable value. But it took a very, very long time indeed to be served. Likewise trying to get a drink in the garden. Service really is difficult to find and it is very slow here. It's not the end of the world but I would have definitely have ordered more drinks in the garden and more food in the restaurant if it hadn't been so hard to track down and so slow to be delivered.

We were leaving at 0630 the next morning and although we had booked B&B then was no breakfast to be had. Again, not the end of the world because I wouldn't want much at that time in the morning but if I stay again then I would just ask for a room only rate or failing that then a rate that either gives you breakfast or a small "allowance" towards bar or restaurant spend.

Overall we had a comfortable night and I am glad that we took the lunchtime flight from Mfuwe because it gave us some time to relax in the garden and take in our last Zambian sunset. It's only about 30 mins from the airport so it is handy - if the service was better this would be a gem."