Travel reviews by Ms W from Putney

"Flatdogs was a the perfect first half of the trip, with its proximity to 'real life' outside the park, therefore a greater sense of the area and some of the issues presented by conservation of the wildlife. It was excellently run and the flexibility it offers is perfect for families - my 12 year old loved the pool and the ability to choose from a menu and decide on meal times. The staff bent over backwards to accommodate us, organising a walking safari for me and my son on our middle day of the trip and listening carefully to any thoughts or requests.

We stayed in both a luxury tent and a chalet and far preferred the luxury tent, which was stunning and felt more private and in closer proximity to the river - it had more of a bushcamp feel about it. The standard of accommodation was very high in both and the food was simply excellent.

The standard of guiding was predictably high. We were lucky in the way the vehicles worked out and we had a guide to ourselves for the duration of our stay, but I imagine we'd have had an excellent experience anyway. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and we really enjoyed the smaller details and smaller wildlife as well as the spectacular bigger game."

"Moving to Kaingo for the second half of our trip was absolutely the right decision - going further into the park and away from the busier areas near the main gate - despite losing the flexibility provided by a camp on mains electricity. After dragging my 12-year old away from the swimming pool at Flatdogs I was delighted that he loved Kaingo even more. We appreciated the quieter drives, the stunning ebony grove and the incredible standard of food accommodation achieved in such a remote place.

The staff were very kind and really looked after us. I was conscious that my son was the only child guest at that time, but he was made to feel very grown up and welcome (actually incredibly spoiled). We were thrilled with our walking safari and the range of wildlife we saw. Our hope of a good sighting of a honey badger was rewarded!

As usual, the guides were excellent, with encyclopedic knowledge and an ability to gauge the varying interests of the guests."

"We were only in the hotel for 10-11 hours (overnight), but were very happy with the food, the room, the location and all the help we received there.

Having stayed elsewhere in Lusaka in transit, I would definitely return to the Taj - ideally with time to use the pool..."