Travel reviews by Mr K from Channel Islands

"Excellent overnight stop, especially after three hours at the airport, processing the hire car and filling in the paperwork for our lost luggage.

Would be a great place to stop prior to flying out, staff were friendly, food good, rooms comfortable and a pool."

"This is an old favourite and hopefully a future destination to.

It gives a real introduction to a trip, there is plenty of wildlife to see and the guides and staff are very friendly.

Hope to return again soon."

"This is a real favourite and i was so proud to take my partner to such an amazing location.

The quality and service at the Dune Camp has if anything got better over the years. The wildlife opportunities have been reduced by the ravages of the drought but the micro fauna is still as stunning as ever and those landscapes still take your breath away. The staff were wonderful."

"This camp could be so much better, but it has one good point and that's its location and the early start and late finish in the dunes and for that alone, it is a good place to stay.

The staff were not over friendly but tried real hard. The rooms were clean and functional but this is not a place to be staying in your room as there is so much more going on just down the road.

Got engaged in Dead Vlei so possibly one to remember in future years although the lodge may dwindle from the memory much sooner."

"Brownie Points well earned.

After a few days of longish drives, this is a great place to get to, take a massage, eat some great seafood and indulge in some retail therapy, possibly should have stayed longer.

Rooms are excellent, staff were amazing, Spa was great and the restaurants (great breakfast) are very good, but this is not why we are here."

"My first time here and well worth the visit.

Just getting the opportunity to see desert elephants up close was worth the trip (possibly some of the worse gravel roads of the trip to get here).

The rooms a big and airy and really clean. The pool was well utilised and the location is excellent for the local gems to be found in this area."

"I find it hard not to give them an excellent overall simply for the enthusiasm of the staff.

The rooms are tired (i got locked in the bathroom and had to be released from my indignity) but they are clean and the beds comfortable. There are good wildlife sightings we had three different lion sightings, elephants up close and there are good game sightings and you are very close to Galton Gate.

I would definitely go back."

"This is all about the waterhole and being in the middle of one of the great wildlife locations.

The rooms were very clean and practical and you can walk to a waterhole 24 hours of the day and have great wildlife sightings what isn't there to like."

"This camp has improved so much over the years and the biggest difference since my last trip was the helpfulness of the staff, i may have just got lucky.

They have also improved the checkout from the disastrous days of checking your mini bar while the sun was about to rise."

"If you had a sixth paw, our experience here would have got it.

Agita was blown away after 5 days in a car with me, a real bit of luxury. Amazing location with great staff and possibly the best breakfast cinnamon pancakes in Africa if not the world, reason enough to go back on its own.

Really nice pool and the room was excellent."

"At the end of any trip you want somewhere to unwind and just relax and this was the perfect combination. The guides are excellent and the walking first class with stunning views.

A welcome treat at the end of a very long and winding road."

"This is a well run commercial enterprise that endeavours to provide a real bush experience. It is well packaged and well run, the staff are excellent and the accommodation of the highest quality.

The game sightings are disappointing if you have spent a lot of time in the bush but you can never really get bored of seeing the large cats. I fear for the future as it is proposed to introduce lions in 2013 which will have a dramatic impact on cheetah tracking and possibly drive the leopards to more remote areas.

The main highlight was seeing a small pack (4) Wild Dogs make a kill but it took us 2 trips and 6 hours to find them, but was a unbelievable experience."

"This is a new "premium camp" in a remote part of Etosha and there are some issues with the camp, which will need to be addressed. Firstly is it built on a hillside and the access routes are steep and not easy to walk. The answer to this is to use electric golf buggies and very narrow paths with sharp corners - this is a disaster waiting to happen.

The signage is poor with no direction to reception. The other points are minor such as staff eating meals at the desk and having their gatherings in the bar during the day.

The last issue is petrol (diesel less so) as if you want to spend a couple of days here and then drive on, there is no petrol available so fill up before you go into the park as the only option is a 150km round trip outside of the park.

The food is very good, but the game can be sparse although this could be the first white elephant sighting for a long time."

"The camp has improved and the rooms are clean and the staff helpful. This camp is functional and works well but has one outstanding feature which make it worthy of one nights stop at least and that is the waterhole, which never ceases to fail for good viewing.

The food is still the same but this is not a place you go for fine dining.

One final warning - there are large burnt out areas to the west as you come from Dolomite, about 30km of nothing but ash and a blackened landscape and no game."

"Again this camp is about the waterhole and the sightings are usually very good. The food is much better than Okaukuejo and the check out is now efficient. The camp is currently surrounded by road works as the roads are regraded hence it is very dusty with lots of lorries and piles of siftings hence some of the roads are only single track.

To the east towards Namutomi there are large burnt out areas hence game viewing is difficult even at some of the waterholes."

"This is a lovely camp with great facilities and lovely staff. The only downside is that there were no animals inside the reserve - they are definitely there but in two days we saw a couple of lion and a brief rhino sighting - the later is part of a rehabilitation project and as the central fence is removed the sightings could be more difficult until the rhino become used to the vehicles.

Great location and food."

"I could be critical but nature controls the viewing not the people. We had three quite difficult days and the experience fell short of our expectations. On the positive side you have the opportunity to spend time with one of the best guides in Africa and gain a detailed understanding of the bush and how it works.

On the downside this is a farm (well 4 actually) that has over 2,000 animals and i can confirm they are there as you see them as you drive in and there are dozens of tracks and more poo than you can shake a stick at, but on the walks the chances of seeing anything away from a waterhole seem to be very low.

Bruno is keen to keep the animals wild (good) but this means they are not comfortable with people on foot and very skittish near the waterholes. If you love to walk (we do) this is great but 6 hours at 30+ degrees is tough, if you want to photograph animals or at least see them (we do) this is probably not a great place to start.

Overall it is a wonderful experience but the advertising and the hype are not quite what you get - or were we just very unfortunate."

"The camp has been upgraded in the Wilderness style but has not lost to much of its bush camp feel.

The staff were excellent and we were made to feel very welcome. We had lion in camp for most of the time we were there and had other excellent sightings away from the camp.

The resident porcupine also made dinner a memorableable event."

"The rooms were considerably better than I had anticipated both clean and modern. The rest of the facilities were also very good.

The one complaint is the ridiculous system for checking out in the morning. It can take up 45 minutes to check out while someone goes to the room to confirm the contents of the mini bar. I would suggest they leave the fridge empty other than a couple of bottles of complimentary water and let people buy their own drinks from the shop.

If you want to get out at first light (the main reason for being there) give yourself plenty of time. Other than this it was a pleasant experience."

"This is a very specail camp with a friendly atmosphere, excellent staff and beautiful rooms. The food is stunning and the view equally so.

Our time here was a little hectic as one of us had to drive back to Ongava (350 Km round trip) to retrieve a lost battery charger - a fantastic days drive that took 8 hours owing to the time spent at the excellent waterhole activity in Etosha.

The others were treated to a leopold killing an impala, so a pretty good day alround. The activities at Onguma are varied and the staff very enthusiastic - certainly aplace I would like to re-visit."

"After a long days drive from Etosha you need something to look forward to and Hakusembe will not disappoint. The staff are friendly the rooms are excellent and the food is very good.

We took the river cruise which is a great way to end a hot day driving 450km."

"After a very long 6 hour drive not being able to find the camp was a bit stressful to say the least but when you actually find the pick up and arrive you will find an absolute gem of a camp waiting for you.

The road to the camp is only accessiable by 4x4 but being greeted by a family on elephant and beautiful water scenerary is worth the drive. The lodge itself is fantastic and the rooms perfect on your own island hidaway.

The staff were great, the food excellent and the activities great as you can split it between the water and the dry woodland areas.

We stayed 2 nights but a third night would have been better. Seeing Sitatunga is always special"

"Although we only stayed one night, this large lodge really deserves two nights, we had a fantastic time spending an hour with a family of elephant in the river, carmine bee-eaters and roan antelope make you think you have been here much longer.

The facilities are excellent and the staff helpful and the NP is a little known treasure."

"A return visit to lagoon at first was a little disappointing as the camp is now very aged (it is being closed and completely revamped from the end of November, due to re-open in March 2011, and in need of a revamp).

The staff are what make this camp being friendly and very focused on providing their guests with the best opportunity of seeing the wildlife treats.

We were very fortunate to see the Wild Dogs who had gone after the first sighting and we spent three days with the 3 cheetah brothers which was great viewing. This is a real bush camp and my only hope is that the new camp keeps the true feel of wild Africa."

"When you drive into this camp it is difficult to gauge what to expect but once you have met the staff and been shown around you quickly realise that this is a great placew to relax and I would recommend staying in the house boat on the river, looks a bit rickerty but it was the best nights sleep i have had in a long while.

The river cruise is pretty basic and you make of it what you can - we had a great evening. The food here is excellent and the wine even better still.

A great stop off next to an excellent NP - Mahango is small but is full of game and birdlife and deserves at least a day to see the best of it."

"After two weeks of 40+ degree heat, 3500km of driving and stunning wildlife viewing this is a great place to come.

It is much more than just an overnight stop and possibly deserves 2 nights as it is a great place to chill. The staff a very friendly and the rooms and facilities brilliant, plus they have food and wine of the highest standard.

The farm feel is very welcoming and the walking very enjoyable."

"At first site this is a large camp, but you immediately feel at home, the staff are friendly and helpful.

Kimberley and Rianne were great hosts and Samson was an enthuastic guide.

The highlight of the stay was the seven hours spent watching a cheetah with two cubs, making 5 failed attenmpts stalking and hunting impala, before finally making a kill less than 300m away - truely widescreen viewing."

"A true bush camp in a great location, your are not really sure if you are ever going to arrive but when you do it is worth the wait.

There is not waterfront or vast open plains to soak in but the location is fantastic for its isolation among the low scrubland and you are close to all the key viewing areas. This is possibly not a place for your first ever safari, but I was joined by a honeymooning couple who found the expereince engrossing and the camp welcoming. Marios was a great host, we spent hours talking about photography and became firm friends in a matter of days.

A great birding location, but the highlight was the first 17 minutes on an impala lambs life from the point of joining the world to standing and running 17 minutes later - stunning (and all within 300-400m of a dozing male lion).

Highly reccomend this camp it has everything a good bush camp should have."

"After the heat and dryness of Ruaha it was nice to be next to the water and what a fantastic location. This is a special place and should be on anyones list of camps to visit in Tanzania. There is a relaxed atmosphere and the staff really make you feel wanted. The advantage of being here are the water activities, the fishing is good the boat trips enjoyable (even being hit by a hippo did not take the shine off the trip).

Are there any negatives, well yes just one, the roads are unbelievably rough, over rocky outcrops most of the time, but this is a minor inconvienance for the beauty of the place and the variety of the wildlife, esp the birds.

Put it on your list of places to visit."

"There are special places in the world and this is a very special place with very special people. The variety of game viewing is outstanding but it is the people that make this an exceptional place. Sasha and Tam are a couple made in heaven who spread their happiness to every corner of the camp.

The game viewing is splendid, the walking fantastic and the visit to the lake stunning, add to this some of the best food in Africa and you start to understand why it really is a must visit place"

"At the end of any trip you need a place to chill before the long drag home. This is an oasis, with great staff and wonderful food.

Having stayed only a few hours overnight did not do this fine hotel justice. i would have been happy to stay a couple of days."

"This is a great stop over which probably deserves a longer stay. The staff are very helpful and the pick up service from the airport works extremely well."

"This is a very practical stop over if you are going to the far reaches of Nothern or Western Tanzania. The rooms are fantastic, but the location close to the airport and the path running behind the lodges, can make it a little noisey."

"A proper Safari Camp run by proper Safari people. The tents are clean and spacious and the beds could sleep four adults comfortably. The camp staff were very friendly and the mangement team were great, making sure that everyone was included and all requested were dealt with. You add to this a top quality guides (Silvarnus is a top guide) and some great game viewing, it's starting to be a good place to stay.

The fly camping experience should not be missed, you are out in the wilds with all the comforts of the main camp.

As with everything in life there are some downsides, it took me 5 hours in a 14 seater plane with 4 stop off's to get to the camp and there are several other camps being developed in Chada, which means there is a an increased density of vehicles, so go now while it remains one of the unspoilt locations of East Africa. I would highly recommend this camp.

The game is stunning, including wild dogs (this is a rare treat in this part of the world), more lion, hippo and elephant than you can shake a stick at, so be prepared for a great adventure, I stayed for 7 nights and this wasnot really long enough as there is so much to see."

"This is a real African experince not to be missed. There is nothing better than being in the bush, in the dark with the noises of the night, good company and excellent food. This may not be everyones cup of tea, but if you can manage to sleep on an extremely comfortable camp matress and deal with a very clean long drop toilet, this is an experience you should not miss.

The staff at Chada make this a great couple of nights and it is the only time I have had a hot lunch deliveredd to me while watching leopard."

"For a premier camp, this falls short of the mark. This is a camp living on it's past reputation and the best chimp viewing experience to be found. The rooms are fantastic and the general staff very helpful, but the managment and the quality of the food needs to be improved. Other than the two latter points this is a fantastic location and I would recommend anyone who wants to see chimps in their natural environment should add this to their list of things to do. It is truely amazing but be prepared to work for the pleasure as the walking can be steep and very sticky. Having said this our first Chimp viewing was 50m from the breakfast table."

"Excellent food, wine and company, in a friendly relaxed environment. As far away as possible from a standard hotel. Little Switzerland in the desert, not for those looking for lavish hotel services.

Scenic Flight - We took a 3 hour flight inland and back along the Skeleton Coast. i was a little disappointed as the weather was hazy hence being a keen photographer, made for a frustrating afternoon.

Having said that the scenery was stunning, the pilot comforting (although do not try talking to him over the noise of the engine) and you get to see a lot of the country from a perspective you do not normally get - I would suggest giving it a go."

"This is a new camp (first year) and there are still a few rough edges (literally) requiring polishing. This is a big lodge with 25 double rooms, but works very hard on being friendly, with good food and enthuastic staff. The downside, is the very rough access road (5km) and the most impractical shuttle service from the parking area to the camp. Electric golf buggies on a one way path - not great. The rooms are fantastic with the largest bathrooms possible.

The big plus and it is a big plus is being inside the park at sunrise (well an hour before sunrise) which make preparation for photographers/walkers perfect. Would definitely stay here again, mainly for the latter point

Balloon Flight - This is an experience which should not be missed, even if you think you have a fear of hieghts. After two years, i ended up with the same pilot and as ever Eric was on top form - make the effort to request being in Eric's basket so to speak.

Great views, great breakfast, great experience."

"This is a place to get off the beaten track, away from the crowds and get in touch with reality. The walking is simple and the beauty of the Namib is stunning. This is my second visit and would be quite happy to return in the future.

The amazing thing is the food is excellent, the beds under the stars the warmest and most comfortable in Nambia - a truely million star view.

If you do not like walking, bugs, conversation and good company - don't go"

"This is a big camp with 80+ beds but do not be put off, as the rooms are basic clean but very good value. The food is good, albeit buffet (not my favourite) and the staff are very helpful. The location makes it great for the Canyon both north and south.

It is a travellers pass through point, with large groups staying just one night, but a good stop off for a couple of nights."

"Granite cabins built into the hillside, next to no people, no noise (see later) and views to die for - well yes it has all this but there is a price to pay. 7km to breakfast/dinner on a sand road in the dark can be fun, they are also building the new railway line right in front of the cabins (well half a mile away) hence go in the next 5 years, as it probably take that long to finish the line.

This is a grat place, the food is excellent, the staff are helpful nad it is only an hour or so to Luderitiz and you have the wild horses just 10 minutes away, add it to your places to go before the train arrives.

Luderitz excursions - Do not arrange trips (with Wilderness) on a bank holiday. The boat trip is fantastic and the captain fun and knowledgeable. The only down side for me was the phone call from Wilderness asking me where i was as i had missed the trip, apart from that the seals are great the bird life good, dolphins stunning and the hot chocolate fantastic. Would definitely do this again, remember to take your jumper.

Kolmanskop - well it was a bank holiday and we did turn up an hour after the tour (on tame every other day of the year), having said that the guy on the gate did let us in and we did have the place pretty much to ourselves after all the tour people had left. Great place especially when the wind blows and all you can here is silence and history.

Bogenfels / Pomona day trip - This is a trip you need to think about as it is all day in a small mini bus and one of the harshest environments Namibia has and it is brilliant. Pomona is a very emotional experience as the dry air has preserved the timber buildings, which the sand is detrmined to reclaim. I spent an hour here pretty much on my own (their was only myself and Paul and Iris on the trip) and you realise how tough really was. Lunch was pretty good - Iris rustled up a feast in one of the houses).

Then onto Bogenfels (on one rough road) which was stunning, the strong offshore winds created fantastic waves which crashed into the rugged coastline and the arch is a must see for any keen photographer or lover of nature.

Iris was a star."

"A well run lodge on the edge of the Kalahari, good food and friendly staff (the cats are friendly to). The added advantage is that the CCA Cheetahs are just over the fence and they are great to view at close quarters.

I was here in 2006 and there was a lot of grass, this year there was a lot more grass. Great stop over which deserves 2 nights."

"I found the staff to be extremely friendly and it was a very intimate place, which made you feel wanted. The guides were enthusiastic, knowledgeable and willing to assist (in particular with good photographic opportunities and always finding the best position to take a shot).

as you will see from the the title it was matters outside of the control of the camp. There had been a large bush fire on the marsh 3 weeks early and the ash/dust was whipped into a three day storm - not pleasant but still and experience in it's own right. I would reccommend this camp to others but if i was personally returning it would be in April - June rather thaN August - October.

The proximity to Chobe NP make it a great location for visitis into the park to see something different - we were fortunate enough to find two male lions on an elephant kill they had made a matter of hours earlier."

"This is a very special place in a very special concession. The camp staff are some of the friendliest I have encountered in africa and the knowledge and enthusiasmis second to none. The guides were fantastic and their knowledge of the wildlife and how to photograph it (best positions, thinking ahead) were top draw.

The highlight here are the large elephant population and of course the wild dogs, we were fortunate to be there as the 9 nine week old pups were moving den and spent a night following them on their first hunt with the parents - this was something very special.

highly recommended and non of the guides will let you down and the use of a seperate tracker make the experience different and the interaction between the two of them provides ample entertainment in it's own right. The camp also catered for my 16 old daughter extremely well."

"This camp the second in the Kwando Safari package was as good as Lagoon in Kwando, with a high level of service, fantastic staff and the best chocolate cake in Botswana. The guides and trackers are of the highest standard and again the interaction between them make for it's own entertainment. This is a great location in the delta and the variety of landscape make it a good place to see a wide variety of wildlife and birdlife.

There were huge heards of buffalo here in August, which brought with it a high concentration of lion, hyena and we had good leopard sightings also (never guaranteed). The highlight was watching a lone hippo chasing buffalo across the delta, mouth open and thankfully a couple of hundred metres away.

Again they catered well for my 16 year old daugher and seemed to be catered for family travel very well.

The elephants walking through camp and using the corner of your tent frame as a rubbing post first thing in the morning, make for an interesting wake up call.

A special place that should be on any serious safari buff's list of places to visit."

"It was good to return to Chitabe trails [Ed: this is the old name for 'Chitabe Lediba' camp] and see old friends, it was two years since our last visit and three of the friends we made then were still there and most of the staff were unchanged - this is always a good sign. The camp has been re-vamped and does not have that same small camp feel, i enjoy but i have to say the rooms, facilities and general layout are excellent and the staff are friendly and extremely helpful.

This camp still has some of the best guides around and they will go out of their way to ensure you see the best of what is avaialble. A good family camp that caters well for young people.

The view over the water hole mean that you should not take to long a break in the afternoon as this is the best time to watch the animals drinking, lions, elephants (large herds of) and buffalo (Aug-Oct) make great afternoon viewing, considering everyone else seemed to be asleep"