Travel reviews by Mr S. from Clontarf

"Clean, comfortable hotel on the airport complex that was a good choice for our first night as we arrived after 9pm. OK breakfast.

Security was tight with a sniffer dog put into our vehicle on arrival before you could get to the hotel reception."

"An enjoyable first camp - well run by Anita (a fairly new but highly experienced manager at the camp). Well guided by William who made a real effort to find animals and position me well for photographs.

This was our first Kicheche camp and it was very good. The tents are large and comfortable, food excellent and activities well organised. The guiding at each camp was also very good.

Each camp has its own character so don't feel like a standard corporate offering. It was really good to have staff at each camp separately mention how well the company looked after them during COVID. It was also nice to see the staff knew each other across the camps. So well done to Kicheche.

We had some excellent drives with great sightings of many species. Seeing so many rhino - Southern White and Black - was fantastic. Drives are quite long leaving at 6am returning just before noon, then 4pm to about 7/7.30pm.

The camp was not full so other than the first day we had a vehicle to ourselves. William was a great guide and it was great to hear how he has developed over the years at Kicheche to become a guide."

"We were the only guests at this camp and they looked after us well. Staff were friendly and keen to please. The food was very good and meals were enjoyable with the owner/manager Adrian.

The tent was comfortable - jugs of hot water and the bucket shower was topped up whenever we wanted and first thing each morning.

This is very much a hiking location (and fly fishing) rather than a place for seeing wildlife. The staff are all local Samburu people so it was good to spend time and learn a little about their culture. We did two main hikes and then shorter late afternoon walks locally. One was a 580m ascent to a rock up above the camp in the valley for breakfast. The 6km walk through the forest was strenuous and the views from the top were spectacular. The other was a 12km round hike up the valley to a pool where it is possible to swim where we had a picnic lunch.

We did see two herds of elephant on the final day and heard other animals around. There was surprisingly little bird life around.

We enjoyed the walking and the scenery.

The trip made a nice break from game drives plus the flights to the Mathews Range and then down to the Mara gave great views of the country from the air."

"Minnie is a fabulous manager and really runs this camp well. The whole team seemed to work well together and enjoy being there. See our comments on Kicheche Laikipia for views on the Kicheche group.

Again the tents and food are fabulous with plenty of time out following the wildlife. We had an excellent guide in Johnson who worked hard to ensure we saw as much as possible and I was positioned well for photography, including an early start to get photos in the rising sun. We had a vehicle to ourselves. The visited started very well with sightings of cheetah, leopard and lion all in the open on the plain on our first drive. Johnson stayed with us to hike to the fly camp and on to Bush camp.

The camp is well located and we saw plenty of wildlife in the conservancy. It was very interesting to hear how the conservancy works and the how the community and the environment benefit from the camps.

As an example of the extra thought given by the manager, a couple staying at the camp were a recently retired couple from the US on their first ever trip outside the US. On their last night the camp staff came out and sang and danced and presented the couple with a local gift as a memento of their visit."

"Very enjoyable walk to give a differing view of the Mara. As it was hot and some of the grass was long, we drove half way to the camp from Valley Camp and walked about 7km in on the afternoon, then did the 12km to Bush Camp the following day.

The 'fly camp' set up is amazing. It was set up the day of our visit. We had a decent sized tent, there is a long drop toilet, bucket shower and a mess area. Food was brought in from Valley Camp and heated over a wood camp fire where we ate with our guide Johnson, a trainee manager Ester, and other staff at the camp. It was a very enjoyable evening.

The walk gave the opportunity for Johnson to explain about some of the vegetation, medical uses of plants, identify animal droppings etc! A very friendly armed ranger also walked with us. Unfortunately we did not see much wildlife on the walk.

We would certainly recommend the activity as a break from game drives and some exercise to work off some of the great food!"

"Another fabulous Kicheche camp ably run by Didi and Anne. If anything the tents are even larger. And the food was probably the best of the camps.

We only had two nights here. There was rain on the two afternoon drives that limited some of the wildlife views and we didn't have any good sunrises/sunsets for photos! We did thoroughly enjoy it though. I was expecting to see more wildlife and had set high expectations for photography given their description of the camp. The advertised specialised photography vehicle was not in use when we visited.

Charles was an excellent guide in the conditions and again was excellent at positioning me for photographs including thinking where to go early in the mornings hopeful of a sunrise setting.

At the outset I said I was hoping to get photos of leopard in a tree. He identified a location where he hoped a leopard would run later in the day, we waited for an hour and he fully delivered when a leopard appeared climbed up the tree, looked around and came back down. We drove through the bush to a great viewing point whilst a vehicle from another camp chose a more obvious location but where the tree was partly obscured by bushes.

We also had a great experience (in the rain!) following some lion hunting a buffalo and giraffe unfortunately abandoning without a chase!"

"This is an excellent place to stay close to Nairobi airport, far better than an airport or large chain hotel. It was very relaxing with very good food and large comfortable rooms. We really appreciated that they let us keep our room all day on our departure day and have lunch and dinner. We were not leaving to the airport until 8.30pm.

All the staff were really attentive and friendly - everyone remembered our names even though we were only there for 2 days. Food was very good, sensible portions with second helpings offered, so no chance of being hungry.

They were willing to drive us out of the park to notable locations in the area but we chose to stay put and relax.

On our first morning the Operations Manager, Rihaz - a professional wildlife photographer and guide - took us on our game drive as our nominated guide was assigned to do an airport pick-up. It was an excellent morning with some great photos of the white rhino, three black rhino posing for us, a herd of zebra drinking, a crocodile, sunrise shots and so much more.

The afternoon drive suffered from heavy rain and we finally asked to return early given the conditions and lack of sightings. Our guide in the afternoon was average and lacked the enthusiasm that all of our other guides had shown at our previous camps. He seemed to be texting on his mobile phone a lot of the time. I had booked to go out early the following morning before sunrise but cancelled after this drive. It was a shame as the Nairobi Nat Park is actually very good especially early in the morning and mid week before the tourist trips arrive from Nairobi City.

The Emakoko is well worth staying at either at the start and/or end of your trip."

"Whilst not the camp we had booked, Dadiso was very comfortable and staff very friendly. The Save Valley area is fabulous - a wide variety of habitats and woodlands. The wildlife is much more skittish than in other areas and there is a real wildness feel. Unusually for the time of year we had a lot of drizzle and occasional rain which kept the animals in the bush.

Ian Batchelor private guided us and he was excellent and made the visit a most memorable experience. We had fabulous walking experiences tracking lion, elephant and buffalo, ably tracked by Confidence. The rhino were evident but elusive! Ian also sparked our interest in the birds - seeing over 85 species in our 5 days. We would very much recommend Ian as a guide and host.

Private guiding in Save
As noted Ian was an excellent guide and host. By the time we left we felt we’d known him for years. Nothing was an issue for him and he was fully focused on giving us the best possible experience. It amazes us how the best guides are as passionate and excited about sightings as we are, and truly dedicated to the preservation and sharing of the wildlife.

He works extremely well with his tracker, Confidence, to provide a great walking experience.

We learned a lot from Ian and the time flew by. We hope we can travel with Ian again before long."

"This was our second visit to Camp Hwange and it was great to have Washington greet us again at the airstrip.

Again the team did a great job of ensuring a fabulous visit, in a very friendly and efficient manner. With “work to do” each day we had great engagement with the animals we watched and schedules became flexible during the day as we reacted to what we found.

We especially enjoyed seeing and worrying about the lone lion cub and finally seeing it reunite with its parents.

Walking with Dave and Washington was excellent and their enthusiasm and excitement really makes the experience.

Private guiding in Hwange
Dave’s energy and enthusiasm is infectious. Being out in the bush with him is hugely informative and fun. He was totally focused on giving us the best experience and searching for tracks to find certain wildlife.

Schedules went out of the window as we happily followed what we found, and learned much more about the animals’ activities, environment and social interaction.

It was also great to see how good a manager, trainer and mentor Dave is to his team.

We also had some great walking at Camp Hwange - always meaningful tracking for certain animals and feeling totally safe. We had some great experiences with some elephants on a couple of walks.

Would very much recommend time with Dave and Washington"

"Somalia’s Expeditions is a high quality camp with lovely tents and lodge facilities. It’s a great size and we’d definitely prefer it to the larger main camp. The location is also great.

This end of Hwange has different habitat to Camp Hwange, as ever with loads of elephant but the lion pride was the main attraction - we saw 10 lion together on our first sighting!

The whole team was very friendly and enthusiastic about their guests. Star was a great host and we had fabulous guiding by Mike Tsoka who has an incredible depth of knowledge. “We love it! “

We would recommend a few days at Expeditions."

"A very comfortable place to stay for the final night before flying home.

Nice and quiet with good breakfast and dinner. Nice areas to sit around and relax. Does take a taxi to get into the town and to the Falls but very easy.

Had an excellent taxi driver recommended by the hotel who gave us a bit of a guided tour of Vic Falls!"

"Comfortable hotel and helpful staff. Close to the Falls.

Good atmosphere at the Terrace bar and food was of high quality.

Good place to stay at start and end of trip"

"From the time we were met at the strip by Melanie to the morning we left we felt at home - very friendly, extremely keen to ensure we had great experiences and close encounters with the game (especially lion, painted dogs and elephant) whilst always respecting the animals and their environment.

Daryl is a fabulous guide and committed to protecting the wildlife. Melanie is a great host and included all the staff ensured they got credit for their involvement in our stay. Daryl and Melanie seemed as excited as us to see the animals, especially the dog pups.

We will always remember our canoeing along the Zambezi and the unique views of hippos. The accommodation and food were excellent. It was also fascinating to hear about Nick and Daryl’s efforts with their Conservancy protecting the wildlife in the park.

Thoroughly recommended for any trip to Zimbabwe."

"The experience at Goliath is totally dependent on Stretch’s availabiliy. We had some great experiences walking up to elephant, lion and wild dogs with Stretch who has an incredible relationship with the animals. He also is a great photographer with creative ideas but our access to him and his knowledge was limited.

The camp is more basic than Vundu but perfectly comfortable. It did seem to undergoing some change in management.

We may have suffered from it being in a state of flux with a full camp and inexperienced staff organising the activities. The quality of our activities varied day to day."

"Professionally well run owner-managed camp. Dave was very much in evidence and ensured everyone got a great experience.

We saw a host of animals here especially cats with an incredible first day - lion, cheetah, caracal, serval, wild cat There was a good team of experienced guides who were talking regularly to each other to track down the game. The camp is run very flexibly with schedules varied to match the animal sightings rather than sticking to fixed times.

The rooms are excellent and very comfortable. We had the same guide Kevin for most of our time and he was very keen to ensure we saw as much as possible

Recommended."

"Bush camp is a simpler tented camp at the north end of the park where game is more dispersed. Whilst more basic it has a nice feel and guests mix together. We had some great experiences and sightings, with close encounters with many elephant. However due to limitations with the number of guides we couldn’t do the walking safaris we had hoped for and for which we understood the camp is designed.

We spent a lot of time on game drives which enabled us to see many different game but had only one close encounter out of the vehicle.

The tents are comfortable with great food and the night skies are amazing.

If you want to walk check out the availability of guides in advance"

"We had a very comfortable stay at Amalinda for the end of our trip. The room (10) was amazing and the design of the whole camp is incredible

They organised fascinating trip out to Great Zimbabwe ruins for us, albeit a long day with helpful explanation from our guide Howard.

The cave paintings are well worth seeing and the rock formations create an incredible landscape.

Amalinda organised our travel from Hwange and back to Vic Falls. The journey was comfortable and smooth. Packed lunches on our travels were great.

Well worth visiting for a relaxing time after safari."

"As noted earlier

[Ed: see below]"

"Clean and comfortable basic accomodation close to the airport that was fine for the first stay of the trip before staring travel.

Restaurant isn't great but saves going out into Windhoek."

"Exceeded expectations as a place to stop heading down to the Rish River canyon area. ooms were very clean and comfortable and staff were attentive. Meals were also good. There is a nice pool area to sit around. It is a large resort so not much character. It is a bit further off the main B1 south than some other accomodation in the Mariental area.

The game drive into the Kalahari had a lot of people on the vehicle and the guide wasn't very attentive to photographers. And then the vehicles all went to the same location for the sundowner drinks so there were too many people present and we drove pretty much in convoy to the location."

"Nice place to stay close to the canyon. Quite a large facility with nice individual rooms amongst the boulders. Food was good albeit in quite a large restaurant. Fun to see a number of animals inthe grounds including Rock Hyrax and Oryx and able to watch animals on hte plain early in the day.

Only a fairly short drive (20 mins) to the Canyon. A later start is worthwhile as the sun only lights into the Canyon later in the orning whilst dust in the air affects tha fternoon views. Drove down the 4x4 track along the canyon to get some better views that are worthwhile versus the main viewpoint, though you do need a 4x4 given the quality of the road.

Alo stopped for fuel, beer and a very nice cheesecake at the quirky Roadhouse fairly close by, and would certainly prefer the Lodge versus the Roadhouse as a place to stay.

Drove down to the Orange River then up through Rosh Pinah enroute to Luderitz. Fabulous scenery along the way and very different green scenery close to the river although it adds an hour to the journey."

"Probably the only choice in Luderitz.

Clean and confortable room, and nice seafood restaurant. The bar is small and pokey though and suffered froma few people eating in the area.

Was full of coach tour people and staff not very friendly.

We only stayed one night and in hindsight we probably could have travelled in from Aus. The town itself doesn't have a lot to offer. Kolmanskop, one of the main draws is only open from 8am to 1pm. We got to the site early to look around alone before the coach loads arrived for the 9.30 and 11.00 tours.

The sea trips (now on a catamaran not the old Schooner) only run in the morning so if you do the trip to Halifax island you can just rush to make the last tour at Kolmanskop on the same day. High winds and rough seas meant the boat trip wasn't running anyway. If we we had only intended to go to Kolmanskop and some driving around we could have stayed in Aus.

Luderitz is clearly struggling economically with not much to see after a few historical buildings but worth a trip out from the Fish River Canyon to see the surrounding area."

"A very comfortable place to stay with individual chalet rooms well spread out, with a number of local walks with good views.

Staff were very friendly and helpful, and the meals were excellent. One of the owner brothers came around each table at dinner and gave us some great insights into the lodge, the hstory of the area and the Namibian climate.

A walk in the evening gave great views at sundown even if we did lose the route on the return so walked further than planned!

We only saw a few of the desert horses in the area and not close enough for photos. The drive to Luderitz is amazing with the barren Karoo desert, including sandstorms closer to Luderitz, albeit not sufficient to impact driving on the tarred road.

We had two lunches at the Bahnhof Hotel in Aus coming and going. It is a friendly and efficient spot with a surprising good and broad menu and worth a stop in the town."

"A fabulous location in the south of the Namib Rand reserve. There were only two couples there when we stayed. The quality of the tented accomodationw as very good and the food excellent.

The staff (particularly the 'manager') were not attentive and didn't seem keen to please or ensure a good experience. We were only there for one night before moving to the Dune Camp. No activities were offered the first evening and they were happy enough for us to go off on our own walk across the plain for sunset, otherwise they were just offering drinks at the back of the camp.

It took some persuasion to get them to agree to do a sunrise drive the following morning and they seemed keen to have us on our way early that morning.

They did arrange a sunrise drive where the scenery was fabulous in the morning light. The two guides who took us were friendly and keen to help though obviously rather junior and simply drove us a few kilometres to a great spot for sunrise and then back.

Overall, could have been a fabulous experience but was let down by the lackadaisical attitude of the guides/manager.

When transferring to the Wolwedeans Dune Camp with your own vehicle you need to drive out to the main road and around up to the main camp which is quite a long journey whilst their own vehicles travel up the valley between camps."

"Wolwedans holds itself out as an upmarket camp and doesn't really deliver - a view shared by other guests and noted by a local Namibian we met on our trip.

The location is fabulous and the accomodation is good. The 'ladies' running the camp were very friendly and helpful, and served some very good 5 course dinners and a good breakfast and salad at lunch.

But the effort to have all guests sit at one table really didn't work especially with guests of differing languages. Some asked to be seated elsewhere on their second night. I agree with another review that it would be nice to have some of the guides aorund at meal times whereas they return to the base camp.

Oryx regularly came to the waterhole and walked around the camp. We saw little other game close to the camp though saw a lot of wildlife on the drive into the Wolwedans base camp.

The big let down was the activities. We really weren't given much detail on options and were not told about the option to do a full day game drive (the activity all other guests told us was the best option). For the first night the only option was a short drive to a sundown point where other vehicles also attended so there was a large group of 3 vehicles. The following morning we did an early morning drive (unfortunately in a closed vehicle) to take some photographs of the area. In the afternoon after some negotiation we had a short walk with busman guides which was interesting but short, as the only other option was the same sundown trip. We couldn't do a long morning drive on our final day so asked about a further walk, but they couldn't provide a guide so we couldn't do anything before we left.

It all seemed a hassle to them to organise activities. We didn't feel we benefitted as much as we could have done in the fabulous location. We would comment that Matthew, a fairly new guide, was very friendly and tried to be helpful."

"We had a very good two night stay at Barchan Dunes enroute from Wolwedans. Wileem and Hannjete were perfect hosts.

They have done a clever and nice job building the individual chalets into the dunes, at the end of a lovely and very quiet valley. Hannjete quietly ensured tea/coffee/beer was provided at multiple points through the day whenever we were back at the home.

Dinner around the table with the hosts were excellent and it felt like being house guests rather than paying guests. We had two enjoyable discussions with the hosts and other guests whilst drinks flowed (especially reducing Willem's whiskey stocks).

The walk up the hill behind the farm is well worth it for fabulous views.

Other guests went on agame drive with Willem and saw a great range of game including a very large herd of Oryx plus Zebra.

The Spreetshoogte Pass is also worth a visit - a very steep and twisting road up that gives incredible views across the plain and only 20 minutes from Barchan Dunes.

Overall a very nice place to relax in the middle of nowhere!"

"OK place to stay in a beautiful location beind the Hohenstein mountain which looked fabulous in the eveiung sun. Rooms are clean and fairly basic. Meals were good.

It is quite a long drive out of Usakos and off the main route.

We took an evening game drive where the guide was excellent and knowledgeable. However we only saw a few animals in the distance. The sundown stop wasn't great (next to a fence where we couldn't see the dun go down) and we weren't taken to the rock art."

"Ghaub Guest farm is an interesting and comfortable place to stay. There was a very relaxed atmosphere and meals were nice. The local staff were all very friendly, helpful and clearly proud of the place.

The old building and rooms give a nice feel to the farm and the bedroom was well fitted out. Many birds were flying around the grounds which were amazingly green after seeing the rest of the country.

As we only had one night enroute to Bushmanland we didn't partake of the activities,the cave or seeing the rhino. Not much game was seen around the farm.

Overall a delightful and recommended place for a stopover in the region."

"Arno has done a great job creating the camp and cultivating the relationship with the local village. Seeing the bushmen in the village and out on their 'hunt' was really interesting especially as we expect their lifestyle will not last very much longer. It is clear they rely now on tourism rather than having to hunt and live nomadically. The main bushmen we saw, the chief and other relatives of guide Freddie, made a real effort to be informative and friendly.

It does seem a little too much like a 'human zoo' in the village when you start with the 'shop' selling their handmade articrafts followed by arranged dances and demonstrations of arrow making etc. On the walk the bushmen clearly weren't needing to hunt and it felt the walk was a bit of a tourist occasion.

Arno was informative and attentive, clearly is core to the camp and is looking to sell the camp if possible. The camp is comfortable but basic with simpler meals than at other camps.

We also suffered because of the drought and a recent bush fire in the area which meant there was little game and no elephant locally.

It is a long drive out to Nhoma which ensures you realise how remote you are (and the effort Arno has to go to get supplies from 4 hours drive away). The last 20 kilometres of the road has a lot of deep sand in places and a 4x4 is essential for getting through to the camp.

Overall, well worth the visit to a remote location to see a life which if likely to end soon, but not as authentic experience as hoped."

"An excellent end to our trip around Namibia. The whole facility is very well set up and run, relaxing, informative and enjoyable.

The Standard rooms are nicely decorated in a simple way and have two large beds with views out across the plain. Meals are served in a large building. The set 3 course dinners were good - game each night. The first night's meal was significantly better than the second. All staff were keen to ensure the visit was good. Tables were allocated for dinner, but we asked to combine tables with others we met on the game drives and were accomodated immediately.

We took three drives out seeing leopard, cheetah and wild dogs, as well as loads of antelope and giraffe. The guide, Immanuel, was excellent and made an effort to ensure we saw as much as we could during our stay. We were nervous that the viewing would be affected by the way they collar the cats and track them but in practice it didn't affect the experience as the cats are roaming wild and the tracking doesn't 100% identify the location of the animals and the animals might be in areas the vehicles can't reach.

The clinic/centre is also worth a visit to understand the work AfriCat does.

We hung around on our final day as it was such a comfortable place torelax before heading on to Windhoek."

"This is a smart house to stay at before flying out of Windhoek in a quiet residential area. The meals are effectively served in an open plan kitchen/dining area. Breakfast was fine but we didn't feel there was any atmosphere so ate out in Windhoek, at the well known Joes Beerhouse.

The room was quite small but well appointed and very comfortable.

The manager, Eddie, was very attentive and runs the place well."

"Only spent one night at Macushla House. Service was good and staff were very friendly. Room was clean and décor is interesting.

Nice not to be in a large hotel. Bit of a distance from Nairobi airport."

"High quality hotel - check in was very easy and efficient, room was comfortable and quiet. The main bar area was a little noisy and difficult to get a meal. Ate at the La Panorama restaurant - meal was excellent but service a little slow. View across Kigali is excellent.

SImba from Primate Safaris was excellent - really went the extra mile to ensure we had a wonderful trip. He made our trip very easy and informative. He was really interesting to talk to regarding the genocide and the subsequent reconciliation. So overall meeting him added significantly to what was intended primarily as a visit to the gorillas.

Simba also kept watch on other guests and ensured that they were looked after. The morning of our second visit to the gorillas two guests had some difficulty and Simba made sure they were looked after even though they were not his responsibility. He was known to many of the guests and very popular. He is customer focussed and has a lot to offer to tourism in Rwanda."

"Was uncertain about the lodge having read reviews but shouldn't have been. Very good stay.

Room was comfortable and clean, staff were very friendly and helpful. Our boots were cleaned very well especially on the second day when we only had 30 minutes before we left. Meals are average but OK. Contrary to other reports there is 24 hour electricity.

So a good base without spending the very high prices at other lodges."

"Fairly local to Nairobi airport and fine for overnight when making connection through Nairobi airport. Comfortable room. Was very quiet in the hotel when we were there."

"I was uncertain about Flatdogs based on reviews on some sites suggesting it is a basic camp. It has progressed considerably from its original back packer camp.

Bwalya was an excellent guide who took us for all our drives over 3 days and worked hard to ensure we saw just about all animals and had a varied experience. He also drove us up to Tafika on the last day. The other staff were friendly and efficient and added to the stay.

The food is excellent with a varied menu available at all times of day - definitely the best meals we have ever had on safaris. - and it was great to have a cooked breakfast when we returned from the morning drives!

The tent was very comfortable - once you got to it around the regular elephant visitors most days."

"We had an excellent time at Chikoko - the lodges are very well built into the trees and comfortable - though the stairs up are interesting!

Brent ensured our walking safaris were really informative - he knows everything about the flora and fauna as well as the animals and explains how everything interacts. And then at night can talk about Big Wave surfing in Hawaii during the winter!

The four hour morning walks seemed to go by so quickly. Wonderful sightings of elephant, buffalo and the deer on walks including experiencing maybe 1,000 buffalo stampeding past us.

It's great to be in such a remote area and fully experience the bush. The food was very good and a marvel how well the cook copes with the limited facilities.

As with all of Remote Africa the organisation and staff were excellent."

"Remote Africa changed our schedule to spend one night only at Crocodile camp and two at Chikiko because of the time of year. The facilities are good but that area had a lot less animal life at the time we were visiting.

It was our first experience of walking safaris. the walks were very informative understanding more of the flora and fauna and the environment despite the fewer animal sightings."

"The 'centre' of Remote Africa this is an excellent camp run by very friendly and massively experienced staff. A mix of walking and driving safaris provided a huge range of experiences.

Maruska recommended this camp to us as she knew we really enjoyed family run camps from past safaris. Remote Africa really delivered at Tafika, Chikoko and Crocodile camps. The owners are all over the operations and the whole staff feel part of the one family. We met many guests who returned over many years.

Carol, Bryan, Rona and Heather run the camp like clockwork whilst always being around and very friendly. We had great drives with Bryan and Jenny. And walking with Alex and old hand Isaac was fabulous. We won't forget walking through the long grass searching for the growling lions around their buffalo kill.

Bryan excelled by finding wild dogs for us one night just before the ever necessary gin and tonic for sundown!

A return is essential!"

"We didn't read that carefully about what we were letting ourselves in for going to Shiwa. It isn't a plush manor house but is a totally absorbing and busy experience across so many dimensions. A unique piece of Zambian and British history, a wonderful location, quite extraordinary owners in Charlie and Jo, a massive farm operation and extraordinary archive of documents.

Charlie and Jo are fabulous hosts - how they run the farm, manage a game reserve, sort the archives, restore the house, care for 1,000 people living on the estate, work with NGOs to improve the facilities in the area and still be available throughout the day to be the perfect hosts is unbelievable.

We spent three days with them and it wasn't enough. Over breakfast, lunch and dinner with Charlie and Jo we managed to get a small insight to the remarkable place and Charlie's family. It is an incredible operation. We also met some of their friends - some passing through and some resident on the estate.

The meals were great, totally from locally produced ingredients.

Well worth the visit to see a totally different part of Zambia from the Luangwa Valley and to get to know in a small way a remarkable couple. We didn't have enough time in the archives and we look forward to reading Jo's account of life in Shiwa from Sir Stewart Gore- Browne's arrival to the current day. Keep writing Jo!"

"Comfortable, clean B&B that was just what we needed after overnight flight to rest before setting off on trip

Staff were friendly, rooms very spacious, nicely yet simply decorated.

Some road noise especialyl commented by other guests with rooms closer to the side road

Location appeared a little off the beaten track but seemed safe once we were used to Windhoek. Great to be close to Joes Beer House for dinner!"

"Located close to the dunes. Good Wilderness camp - staff here were significantly more friendly than the other Wilderness lodge we stayed at. Excellent tents and meals were good.

Our guide Johan was excellent and made our trip to the dunes far more enjoyable than if we had gone alone - including encouraging us to climb Big Daddy at Dead Vlei!

Would recommend booking the activity to visit dunes with them - saves time getting in at dawn. Sundown activity drive isn't worth the money. Would book full board versus buying activities separately"

"A bit out of town this is a simple but clean B&B with spacious rooms. Staff were helpful and reasonably friendly including advice on places to eat. Not a long drive from centre. Good place to stay as stopping point on self drive holiday"

"Well organised. Fuller of families than previous camp we had been at. Didn't feel as relaxed or as friendly as camp at Sossuvlei. Very confortable and great location. Not really worth staying much more than one day.

Were flexible in arrannging for us to visit the rock engravings and desert elephants in one trip - though it was freezing cold in the early morning fog!"

"One of our top two locations on our trip. Dennis and Barbara made the whole experience out of this world. Location is fabulous - totally away from everywhere, incredible scenery, totally quiet, extraordinary evenin skies. Camp is comfortable, relaxed, basic and fun. And Dennis' enthusiasm for geology, fauna and flora is infectious. As Chris wrote - what they do they do very well.

Fabulous and informative hiking in the morning and great animal viewing in the afternoon - so different from Etosha; were rally lucky to see a leopard as well as herds of Hartmann Zebra and giraffe etc

Two days is too short"

"Large and lacking in character but easy to get out on drives. Food was pretty awful and very little to buy in the store to be self catering.

Staff seemed not to care about service

But probably better than staying outside the park and evening waterhole was great"

"Service was slightly worse than Okaukeujo but game viewing was even better

Staff were sullen and unhelpful in restaurant and again very little to buy if self catering. Snack bar closes for lunch

But saw fabulous game driving around the area - many lion, black rhino etc And the sight of 40+ elephant at the watering hole at night was amazing plus rhino

New chalets are clean and nice

Worth at least a night"

"Probably the only place to stop at on the journey from Etosha to Caprivi. Comfortable, slightly quirky lodge. Not much to do but fine as the overnight stop. Surprisingly noisy from the road. Staff were OK but more interested talking to each other than to guests. Food was OK and rooms comfortable"

"Very friendly staff at this great lodge next to the Okavango river. You can spend hours just watching the hippos in the river (and around the tents at night!).

Staff were keen to help and the owner was very welcoming and helpful.

Definitely do the village trip with one of the local staff. It was done in a very thoughtful way - you didn't feel you were intruding but learned a lot about the local way of life. We were really pleased we did it.

Would recommend as a place to stop off at for a couple of days - didn't try the game viewing in the local park as we had come from Etosha"

"Small B&B outside the town up a small lane. Nothing really to see or places to sit around a relax. Was noisy at night with music from some local bar

Food was quite nice but wouldn't recommend as a place to stay
But close to the airport"

"Absoulte highlight of our trip. Just three of us on a small island looked after by five fabulous staff.

Location was amazing - 40 mins mokoro trip from nearest camp on a small island where everything was set up in s simple but remarkably effective way. Not what we expected for 'camping out' in the delta. Being greeted with a gin and tonic was a good start!

The whole staff made an exceptional job to make us feel at home and ensure we reallt enjoyed every moment. How the cook produces such stunning meals including fresh bread and cakes baking on embers I will never know. Paul, the guide (see references to him at Footsteps camp), was knowledgable with infectious enthusiasm and really 'read' us and what we wanted. We felt we were truly 'feeling' the delta without any over sensitivity on safety

Mokoro trails with Abulance and Chief were great - they did absolutely everything they could to find the animlas and birds for us, punting through the thickest reeds we had seen. Sitatunga, Pels Fishing Owl, Fish eagle etc, they found the lot. And hippos look a lot larger from a mokoro!

Overall an incredibly relaxing experience, visiting extraordinary scenery and wildlife, with every possible help from the staff. Cannot recommend it too much. Oh and a large bull elephant coming through the camp at night walking around the drinks table was memorable!"

"Nice location and comfortable accomodation spoiled by too hands-on, over safety conscious management.

Felt staff were going through a set script rather than relaxing and going with the guests. We couldn't move for risk of safety - quite a contrast to our time at Ndhovo camp and the mokoro trail camp. You couldn't even walk to your tent in case there were animals within 20 feet - which clearly there weren't.

Trips out were too short, delivered to a set speech, surrounded by other mokoros or jeeps which ruined the experience.

if you want a very tame, totally safe, comfortable camp with nice food then this is the one for you. It wasn't the one for us."