Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs Hippo from UK

"See letter sent to Expert Africa"

"From there we saw the beautiful gardens that the hotel had to offer, along with the magnificent views over the plateau.

We had several walks into the countryside and witnessed the wonderful baboons, birds and butterflies, guided by one of the local chaps, thoroughly in awe of all that Ku Chawe and the area had to offer."

"Next we went to Mvvu Camp [Ed: this was actually Mvuu Lodge – not Mvuu Camp!] which was the most amazing stay we had ever had. Our ‘chalet’ was extremely comfortable and all the staff, as in our previous stops were very friendly and welcoming.

The drives and boat safaris we had were fantastic and the many species of animals we saw were magnificent, from elephants and hippos to crocodile and impalas, not to mention the variety of bird life along the Shire River.

Kevin and myself were disappointed that we could not see the part where the black rhino and zebra roamed as they were carrying out an animal count which, unfortunately, took pace during our stay. All the more reason to return!

Coming face to face with a bull elephant one evening on our way to dinner was an unforgettable sight and quite a rare occurrence, we’re told, but it added to our ever increasing love for the place. Waking up to find warthogs grazing on your front lawn and monkeys sprawled out on your veranda is a sight we shall always cherish."

"See letter"

"From Mvvu we went to Club Makakola which was a totally different side to Malawi, being on the lakeshore. Who needs the sea when you have this huge lake with its sandy beaches and clear blue water? When we sat by the pool overlooking the lake you could be anywhere. Seeing is definitely believing!

The ‘room’ we were given was extremely spacious, consisting of two bedrooms and a bathroom, joined by a long hallway. The accommodation and staff, along with the food were, again superb.

While here, as with most of our stays, we walked outside the complex, pleasing many of the local craftsmen when we bought their wares. The golf course was excellent and although we did not have a game, we were given a guided tour of the course, which boasted a variety of different bird life."

"On to Kayak Africa and Mumbo island which was extremely special indeed, as all the venues were for their individual reasons.

Ema, Pam and their staff all made us most welcome. Our very comfortable tent was just as the picture had shown us, sat on a platform, on stilts, overhanging the rock face with the waves splashing below.

Kayaking was great fun and to snorkel in the clear fresh water was amazing. Such pretty fish and we were privileged to see two otters swimming around. Walking on the various walks through the small beautiful island was really interesting and with only ourselves and the few other guests, it was idyllic.

From the food and brilliant sunsets to the bucket showers and eco friendly toilets, it was superb. It only goes to prove that we do no need all our modern conveniences and that we can manage without electricity!"

"Our final two nights were spent with Michelle and Howard, our hosts at Danforth Yachting. It was a real family atmosphere and again we felt very welcome. The ‘Stay and Play’ package was fantastic enabling us to try things we had never done before, such as the hobby cat sailing which was great fun.

The food which was all home cooked and prepared on the premises was excellent. It would give many of our high class restaurants over here a run for their money.

Again the accommodation was clean, spacious and comfortable.

An evening cruise on the yacht ‘Mafusa’ was an excellent way to watch our final sunset over lake Malawi and reminisce over the past two memorable weeks."