Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs W from Coventry

"A Chobe Princess on the Chobe River was a great experience - we moved to three separate locations over the three days including Elephant Bay. It was especially enjoyable being on the river after sunset and as the sun rises. The crew and guides couldn't have been more helpful and hospitable. The group dining was a great experience enabling us to meet and talk with the other guests. We were fortunate to have the top berth which gave us great views over the river. A particular highlight was seeing 4 lions coming down to the river bank to feed on a dead buffalo at 7am - with calm water and perfect light for photographs."

"This was our second visit to Muchenje and well worth the return. The communal dining was a great experience, being able to talk to the other guests, the guides and Kathy. Both Ali and KB were well informed and helpful guides. The number of guests per vehicle was restricted to a maximum of 6 people, although we were often only with 2 other guests. The highlight of our visit was the boat trip on the Chobe River - with multiple animal sightings and a delicious lunch. My only wish was that Muchenje could use their own pier for boarding rather than travelling all the way to Kasane - presumably the water levels were too low for this to happen. Sadly we could only stay for 2 nights this time - 3 would have been better!"

"We were concerned about this part of our trip - but shouldn't have been! It was a wonderful experience, being located within the park itself. The tents were well presented, clean and free of any insects etc. The facilities were obviously basic but fully acceptable. The showering facility was novel and the staff couldn't have been more helpful in providing warm water whenever needed. The comfy chairs and foot baths outside our tent were very welcome. The communal dining again helped to meet and talk to the other quests - the food being delicious. All the staff were a credit to &Beyond - singing to us on our arrival at the camp and again after each evening safari. A particular thanks to Daniel, Tony our guide and the Chef. The highlight of the trip was the photographic boat trip. We got very close to hippos and elephants and learnt many new photographic tricks - also being able to keep the memory stick with all our photos. The only downside was that were only booked for 2 nights and would have loved an extra night here."

"Anabezi already has the feel of an established camp although it only opened this year. The camp layout and chalets are of the highest order - the plunge pool being idyllic during the very hot days!

There were many aspects to Anabezi that we enjoyed; the welcoming cold towel after a game drive; the chats around the bar before meals; the company of the staff; and the delicious food. However an overriding point was the lack of overcrowding on the game drives where there was never more than three people involved.

Matt, Anet and Emma were exceptional hosts and made our stay very enjoyable. Matt and Nobi were great guides - both locating well hidden leopards from baboon warnings. They were very knowledgeable and keen to identify and let us photograph all wildlife including birds. It may seem a small point but they were willing to stop and switch off the engine to enable better photography - thank you.

Seeing and hearing a male lion roaring on our first night drive was an excellent start to our holiday. However the high point was probably the boat trips to see the Southern Carmine Bee-eaters. There is really nothing negative to say about Anabezi except that the animals are still somewhat skittish with approaching vehicles but this should disappear as the camp becomes more established.

Anabezi is already proving to be an excellent camp and will only get better still as it becomes more established. Well worth a visit and a great start to a safari holiday in Zambia."

"Nkwali is a well established camp in a great location and lovely views - which would be even better when the Luangwa river is nearer capacity. It is a friendly and welcoming camp especially for the elephants that visited the small lagoon on most days.

The guiding here is very good and our special thanks to Emmanuel and Jacob for giving us great sightings and photo opportunities. We were lucky enough to see several leopards as well as lions on each day of our stay. They were both very knowledgeable on birdlife which was a bonus to us.. However the highlight of our stay was a visit to a small lagoon where we saw lions, giraffe drinking, saddle-billed and marabou storks catching fish as well as three pelicans patrolling the decreasing water.

The only downside of the camp unfortunately was the frequent lack of water in our chalet. This culminated in one night when my wife was poorly and there was no water in the toilet cistern or anywhere else. The staff tried to rectify the situation but at midday the following day we had to use someone else's chalet to have a shower - unfortunately no one was on duty to help us.

A plus point was that there were never more than four guests to a vehicle which meant we were never over crowded. This is a good camp where we would have allocated higher marks if the water problem had not existed."

"This lodge is somewhere where every serious safari traveller should visit. At present it doesn't have the big game of other safari locations but it compensates with great antelope and bird sightings. The lodge itself is superb and the staff are exceptionally welcoming. The views over the Shire river are breath-taking.

The accommodation is superb being very stylish and spacious and the food is of the highest order. The atmosphere is very relaxing and so are the safari trips but we still saw sable, hartebeest, kudu, impala, waterbuck, reedbuck and nyala as well as over 50 bird species. The night drives also seemed more productive than anywhere else and it was great to see bushbabies.

Liwonde was a good guide, very knowledgeable on birds and helpful with my photography. I'd like to say a big thank you to Alex and Karien who were very helpful and supportive while my wife was poorly during our stay. They made us feel so welcome that Mkulumadzi was an brilliant end to our safari holiday. On one night they served our evening meal at our chalet which was special.

The highlights of our trip were seeing the elegant sable, a two day old warthog and the bushbaby that visited us while dining in the evening. There are no negatives about this camp other than the lack of predators to see - but this will surely change over the coming years.

Anyone considering a balanced safari holiday, with a touch of something different, should seriously consider a trip to Mkulumadzi. It is an easy transfer from Zambia to Malawi and the views of the Shire river are inspiring. Finally, anyone visiting is helping Malawi recover its wildlife heritage and enable it to become a safari destination of choice."

"All the Kwando staff were extremely friendly and welcoming. It was a joy to be stopping with them.

The guide (Bali) and tracker (Julius) were excellent, being very knowledgeable and going out of their way to ensure we saw the wild dogs . We also saw leopards and lions. The guide was always happy to stop and point out bird-life.

Safari vehicles were comfortable even with six on board, spread over three tiers. The guide was happy to remove the roof cover to give better viewing opportunities.

The camp is in a lovely setting and the rooms were excellent and very spacious. The food was plentiful and good quality.

It would have been useful if the company provided or the shop sold small field guides on the animals/birds found in Botswana."

"Again the Kwando staff were very friendly and welcoming. They made our stay an exceptional experience.

The guide (Hobbs) and tracker (Chester) were excellent, being very knowledgeable and going out of their way to ensure we saw cheetahs. We also saw lots of lions, elephants etc as well as many bird species. Being a photographer the guide always placed the vehicle in the best position for the really special photos. He also lent me his lens to get a good picture of a Bateleur Eagle - much appreciated.

Safari vehicles were comfortable but six people in two tiers is extremely restrictive, especially for photographers with big lens. The middle seats are particularly problematic. We were very lucky and only suffered this situation twice in eight safaris but this was purely because of special circumstances at the camp while we were there. Kwando should think very seriously about this situation if they pride themselves on the true safari experience. The guide did his best to enable everyone got a view of wildlife whenever possible.

The camp setting was very nice and the room was comfortable but not to the same standard as Lagoon Camp. The food was plentiful and enjoyable.

I would be reluctant to visit this camp again (specially at high season prices) with the prospect of being cramped in the current vehicles. This is a shame because the staff, guides, trackers and wildlife all deserve a return visit."

"Again the Kwando staff were exceptionally welcoming and friendly. They even arranged a meal in our room on our last night when we were the only guests - much appreciated.

The guide (Alex) was a temporary assignment from Tau Pan but was very helpful and knowledgeable, especially on the different bird species. He enabled us to have great photo opportunities of two cheetahs at the water hole.. We also saw lions and elephants in confrontation at the nearby waterhole before nearly being joined by two warthogs! The guide was always happy to stop and point out bird-life.

Again the safari vehicles were very comfortable but suffered from being six people in two tiers. This situation was made worse by the roof cover which was necessary to protect the occupants from the strong sun. We were lucky in only having a six person situation for one safari, but the people sitting in the middle had a difficult time. If you are serious about bird watching and/or have a big camera lens the vehicle set up is potentially very problematic. Again the guide tried his best to ensure everyone got a reasonable view whenever possible.

The camp is in a very open setting overlooking an artifical water hole. The rooms are excellent and very spacious and the swimming pool presented a welcome break at midday. The food and drink were plentiful and good quality. Well worth another visit for the friendly staff, knowledgeable guides and a different perspective on wildlife viewing but not for the prospect of being six people cramped into a two tier vehicle."