Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs LS from Dorset

"The guides were excellent, special mentions to Brian and John D. The assistant manageresses, Jacqui and Musaki, were also excellent, extremely welcoming and nothing was too much trouble. Accomodation was comfortable and food good to very good on the whole. Very relaxing camp, lovely being right next to the river.

Unfortunately, as reported to Claire Scott, we had an issue over being asked to pay for drinks and park fees which we understood were included. Jacqui finally managed to sort things out to our satisfaction.

Also tsetse flies!! Several swarms on game drives which made photography all but impossible, and left some very nasty bites. All precautions were taken but to no avail.

It would have been useful to know in advance Wilderness' 3 tier rating of camps, which caused part of our problems, there is no mention in your brochure of these differences or indeed of which camps belong to Wilderness."

"With the best will in the world Solomon tried to find us game but there really was very little about. The drives were arduous (long and bumpy) with little result. Again tsetses were an issue.

Solomon was great, as was Mwanga (spelling?), and the chefs. All were welcoming to a fault and exceedingly good company.
The setting was great, looking out over the plain, just rather empty!"

"Spot on! So glad we had booked for 5 days, a visiting agent queried if that was too long but not at all, if we'd had longer we would have transferred to the bush camp for a couple of nights.

Derek and Jules are splendid hosts, Patrick is a guide par excellence, and all the staff did their best to make our stay memorable. The recent arrival of Izzy only added to the professionalism. Game was more than plentiful and the hides added another dimension to the day's activities. Derek was in his element when acting as a guide, much to our benefit.

Only one quibble, lunch was really superfluous!!"

"A unique experience. We weren't sure exactly what to expect, but were included into the Harvey family's activities and learnt a lot about farming in that part of Zambia as well as the history of Shiwa which we had read about. Charlie and Jo make great hosts and are full of enthusiasm for all their various projects.

The accomodation is not 5 star luxury, having been spoilt at the camps we felt the bathroom could definitely do with upgrading, but the food was good and the company convivial as Jo and Charlie had friends staying on two of our three nights.

Anyone who stays here must be willing to get involved and be swept along by daily events, although the option to sit under the tree or read in the library also exists. Either way it will be a memorable experience which we would recommend."

"Fine as an overnight stop but would not want to spend longer there.

Room dark, shower broken, dividing wall with next door paper thin."

"Rooms were excellent, would always recommend clients to opt for a Table Mountain view, otherwise you look at the car park.
Reception staff friendly and helpful.

Room for improvement in the service at breakfast time, certainly got the 'B' team on our last day, had to wait a long time for basics like knives and forks.

Very sensible idea of being able to hire laptop for short periods."

"Certainly has the wow factor! The setting, the rooms, the staff, everything was excellent.

Although it was full, it never felt crowded and nothing was too much trouble. We wished we could have stayed there longer as there was so much to do in the area. Might just be forced to go back in the near future! Being selfish we don't want it to become so well-known that you have to book years in advance!

Some very nice touches like the hammocks on the balconies, the drinks bars by the pool and the staff's efforts to remember everyone's name. Quite a feat!"

"Not the tailor-made safari we've experienced at other lodges where you fall over game as soon as you set foot outside, but this added to the adventure. Each trip felt like a real journey of discovery and on the whole we were richly rewarded.

All the staff were welcoming and again nothing was too much trouble. The atmosphere of the reserve grabbed hold of all of us and had us wanting more. The views from the northern hills were captivating.

Like at Hog Hollow we could easily have stayed longer and may just have to make a return visit."