Travel reviews by Mrs T & Mr S from Ohio
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
0
Zambia Trip
Zambia between 28 Jun 2013 and 8 Jul 2013
"The Zambia vacation was our first trip to Africa, and we couldn't have wished for a better experience.
The trip exceeded any expectations and the wildest imaginations we had about a trip to Africa. We have been married for almost a decade, but we had never gone on a honeymoon, and we decided to plan this trip as a belated version of it. It only took a few conversations with Claire Scott at Expert Africa to narrow down the endless list of choices to an itinerary that would fit our needs and our budget, and in retrospect we can only say that she scored perfect. Everything we had discussed during the planning phase matched what we experienced during the trip. Her experience and suggestions were invaluable, and we would definitely work with her again on another trip.
We picked Zambia as our destination because we wanted to visit the Victoria Falls, and we added a safari in South Luangwa after reading up on the various game parks in Southern Africa and upon recommendation by Claire Scott. Although we learned that it is one of the best known parks in Zambia it never felt crowded. Many times we felt like we had the park to ourselves. The wildlife is impressive, and with an open mind you'll be rewarded with amazing sightings. In conversations with Africa "veterans", many of which had visited several countries or were working in the travel business, we learned that South Luangwa is one of the best destinations in Africa to see wildlife.
We spent all of our time in South Luangwa in camps by the Robin Pope Safari company, and if we ever have the opportunity to return to South Luangwa we will definitely stay at their camps again. The level of organization and professionalism is remarkable, and, most importantly, the camp are located in beautiful areas of the park. All of the Robin Pope guides we met were very experienced and knowledgeable. We highly recommend them!
Seeing the Victoria Falls at the end of our trip was just amazing. The Falls were why we had traveled to Africa in the first place, and they did not disappoint. It is truly one of the natural wonders of the world, and it is definitely worth the trip."
The trip exceeded any expectations and the wildest imaginations we had about a trip to Africa. We have been married for almost a decade, but we had never gone on a honeymoon, and we decided to plan this trip as a belated version of it. It only took a few conversations with Claire Scott at Expert Africa to narrow down the endless list of choices to an itinerary that would fit our needs and our budget, and in retrospect we can only say that she scored perfect. Everything we had discussed during the planning phase matched what we experienced during the trip. Her experience and suggestions were invaluable, and we would definitely work with her again on another trip.
We picked Zambia as our destination because we wanted to visit the Victoria Falls, and we added a safari in South Luangwa after reading up on the various game parks in Southern Africa and upon recommendation by Claire Scott. Although we learned that it is one of the best known parks in Zambia it never felt crowded. Many times we felt like we had the park to ourselves. The wildlife is impressive, and with an open mind you'll be rewarded with amazing sightings. In conversations with Africa "veterans", many of which had visited several countries or were working in the travel business, we learned that South Luangwa is one of the best destinations in Africa to see wildlife.
We spent all of our time in South Luangwa in camps by the Robin Pope Safari company, and if we ever have the opportunity to return to South Luangwa we will definitely stay at their camps again. The level of organization and professionalism is remarkable, and, most importantly, the camp are located in beautiful areas of the park. All of the Robin Pope guides we met were very experienced and knowledgeable. We highly recommend them!
Seeing the Victoria Falls at the end of our trip was just amazing. The Falls were why we had traveled to Africa in the first place, and they did not disappoint. It is truly one of the natural wonders of the world, and it is definitely worth the trip."
Arranged By Claire Scott
Nkwali
"Leopard at first sight"
2 nights
Arrived
28 Jun 2013
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Nsefu
"The classic safari camp"
3 nights
Arrived
30 Jun 2013
"Nsefu was the second stop on our safari, and we immediately fell in love with this camp. The three days we stayed here were the absolute highlight of our trip.
There is something special about this place. If you have spend an afternoon sitting here and watched a herd of elephants crossing the Luangwa, you will know what we mean. Nsefu is the oldest camp in the park, but there is nothing outdated about it. Just like the other Robin Pope camps we visited it provided us with an exceptional level of comfort and meals that could rival those of high end restaurants in big cities. Compliments to the staff who work so hard behind the scene to make all of this happen!
During our stay we were once again rewarded with wonderful and at times very surprising sightings of wildlife. We would have never imagined seeing a leopard in broad daylight posing for us on the side of the road, lions resting not far from the camp, or an elephant visiting the camp during dinner. We were again very impressed by the knowledge of all our guides. The time we were able to spend with them was a wonderful learning experience."
There is something special about this place. If you have spend an afternoon sitting here and watched a herd of elephants crossing the Luangwa, you will know what we mean. Nsefu is the oldest camp in the park, but there is nothing outdated about it. Just like the other Robin Pope camps we visited it provided us with an exceptional level of comfort and meals that could rival those of high end restaurants in big cities. Compliments to the staff who work so hard behind the scene to make all of this happen!
During our stay we were once again rewarded with wonderful and at times very surprising sightings of wildlife. We would have never imagined seeing a leopard in broad daylight posing for us on the side of the road, lions resting not far from the camp, or an elephant visiting the camp during dinner. We were again very impressed by the knowledge of all our guides. The time we were able to spend with them was a wonderful learning experience."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Tena Tena
"Not your average tent camp"
3 nights
Arrived
3 Jul 2013
"Tena Tena was the third stop on our trip to South Luangwa, and the staff, the food and the location were just as excellent as they had been at Nsefu and Nkwali. Tena Tena felt more private than the other two camps. The tents are spaced very generously along the river bank with great views of the Luangwa, and the trees between the tents made us feel like we had this place just to ourselves.
The camp is within walking distance to Nsefu, and we took the opportunity to transfer while going on our first walking safari. After several days of game drives the walk was a new experience that allowed us to see South Luangwa in a very different way. Seeing and learning about the "Small Five" and the "Green Five" during a walk was just as exciting as watching the "Big Five" on our game drives.
The highlight of our stay at Tena Tena was a trip to the Kawaza Village. Meeting students at the school and visiting the local clinic gave us a deep appreciation for the incredible work that is being done here with often very limited resources. And if you ever visit Kawaza make sure to stay for lunch and try the local staple Nshima with chicken and vegetables. It is delicious!"
The camp is within walking distance to Nsefu, and we took the opportunity to transfer while going on our first walking safari. After several days of game drives the walk was a new experience that allowed us to see South Luangwa in a very different way. Seeing and learning about the "Small Five" and the "Green Five" during a walk was just as exciting as watching the "Big Five" on our game drives.
The highlight of our stay at Tena Tena was a trip to the Kawaza Village. Meeting students at the school and visiting the local clinic gave us a deep appreciation for the incredible work that is being done here with often very limited resources. And if you ever visit Kawaza make sure to stay for lunch and try the local staple Nshima with chicken and vegetables. It is delicious!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Islands of Siankaba
"Islands of Siankaba"
2 nights
Arrived
6 Jul 2013
"Our Zambia trip concluded with a stay at the Islands of Siankaba.
The lodge sits on two private islands on the Zambezi. It is about an hour from Livingstone airport or the Victoria Falls, but the location is definitely worth the drive. We were fortunate enough to spend two nights in the Honeymoon Suite, which sits at the very end of an elevated path connecting the tents to the main lodge. Equipped with a large balcony, an additional patio and an outside seating area it felt even more private than the other suites.
Just like in every other place we stayed the staff and the food here were excellent. We visited the Victoria Falls "old style", i.e. walking along the falls and getting very wet. If you want to feel its power there is no better way than walking along the Knife Edge trail and hearing the thunder of Mosi-Oa-Tunya."
The lodge sits on two private islands on the Zambezi. It is about an hour from Livingstone airport or the Victoria Falls, but the location is definitely worth the drive. We were fortunate enough to spend two nights in the Honeymoon Suite, which sits at the very end of an elevated path connecting the tents to the main lodge. Equipped with a large balcony, an additional patio and an outside seating area it felt even more private than the other suites.
Just like in every other place we stayed the staff and the food here were excellent. We visited the Victoria Falls "old style", i.e. walking along the falls and getting very wet. If you want to feel its power there is no better way than walking along the Knife Edge trail and hearing the thunder of Mosi-Oa-Tunya."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Although we had heard about the wildlife at South Luangwa, we didn't have any expectations. We believe that the biggest joy comes from surprise, and we were definitely rewarded. On our first afternoon game drive we already saw a leopard, and more would follow in the coming days. Elephants visiting the camp, giraffes strolling along the road, hyaenas feeding on a buffalo, hippos in abundance, zebras, impalas, puku were just some of what we saw during our stay.
On our last morning during breakfast we watched a male lion strolling along the river banks of the Luangwa. What a wonderful farewell!"