Travel reviews by Ms S from East Sussex

"Tena Tena was the first camp on our first ever safari and I couldn't have asked for a better place to start. Whilst the accommodation was not quite as luxurious as some of the others we were to stay at, (undoubtedly due to the temporary nature of the camp) it was still supremely comfortable and welcoming. The staff were very friendly and helpful and the camp felt small and intimate.

The park itself was quite varied in landscape and we saw very few vehicles during our stay which was lovely. We saw more hippos here than anywhere else (they really do like to chat through the night!) and it was wonderful to watch them in and out of the water directly from the veranda in front of the tent. As for other game we saw all 4 of the big five, leopards, giraffe, zebra, birds galore including waterbirds and storks, lots of antelopes, a cobra, baboons, vervet monkeys, warthogs, etc. The only thing I missed out on was wild dogs (although apparently some were in the area).

I'd like to single out Christa the F&B manager for her friendliness and attention to detail and the fantastic vegan food she managed to create for me during our stay, including soy milk and margarine for me at breakfast and even vegan biscuits and cakes during our game drives.

I'd also like to thank M'wewmbe (sorry for spelling) our guide for his great guiding. We saw more varied game in this area than any of the others on our trip and much of this was due to his excellent tracking skills.

If you're thinking of going to Zambia I cannot recommend this place highly enough for a classic safari experience."

"We really enjoyed the walking/bush camping safari with Braston and his team. It's a great way to see and learn about the smaller things you miss on a game drive like tracks, droppings, animal movements and relationship they have with their environment. Although we were extremely lucky to stumble across 11 lions (with cubs!) it's not about viewing big game as they're much more warey of people on foot than they are of vehicles but it's great to stretch your legs and get some exercise whilst getting close to nature. We really learned a lot.

The two fly camps were very comfortable, with drop toilets and a fab bucket shower facility. We walked in the morning for a few hours to the next camp, then a siesta and another walk in the evening. He even took us for a drive one evening as we heard their were wild dogs around (sadly we didn't see them, which was unfortunately the same story everywhere).

Braston was a great, knowledgeable and friendly guide and his team were fantastic. On both Robin Pope safaris (here & Tena Tena) they took my vegan dietery requirements very seriously and provided soy milk, margarine and treats. Considering British Airways can't even supply soy milk on their flights, this is nothing short of a miracle!

I would recommend a 2 night walking safari to those who've got a bit tired of sitting in a vehicle for hours as a way to enjoy something a bit different."

"We arrived in darkness and only stayed one night so didn't really get a chance to properly see all the lodge had to offer. The rooms were comfortable and the location gorgeous, although a 30 min + drive from Livingstone. They very kindly arranged a trip to Vic Falls for us on the morning we were leaving which was great, although they did mess up the timing which meant we didn't have much time at the Falls and ended up having to wait 3 hours for our plane at Kasane airport.

The food was fussy and hugely disappointing, considering we'd just come from bush camping with wonderful food this was a real letdown. They didn't manage to deal with my vegan dietary requirements properly (again, I wouldn't be complaining about this had it not been for the fact the other more remote camps were great) and even the omnivores didn't enjoy their meals.

I think on balance this would be a better place to stay for a few nights to take advantage of everything they have to offer and enjoy the beautiful location."

"The good: Savuti camp was the most luxurious and beautiful camp of our whole safari and the helpfulness and friendliness of the staff was exceptional. I could not fault the huge, gorgeous rooms and the watering hole and hide was extraordinary. The food was also the best we had anywhere in Africa (thank you to the amazing Antonio!) and my vegan dietary requirements were very well catered for (including vegan pancakes and muffins at breakfast!).

The bad: unfortunately we just didn't gel with our guide (I won't name him as this would be unfair). We found him dry and reserved and he kept driving us around the same area each day so we felt we were in a very small park and didn't get a sense"

"After experiencing wonderful accommodation and hospitality at Wilderness Savuti Camp, I was expecting more of the same at Wilderness LV as it has such a good reputation. Sadly I was pretty disappointed on almost every front.

The staff (with a few notable exceptions) were cold and unfriendly, the food mediocre and the game drives poor both with game and guiding. Our guide (I won't name names) was so intent in finding the other couple with us a leopard (which we never found) that he barely managed to point out or stop for anything else. There were lots of birds which we weren't able to stop and look at but the mammals were few and far between. This is not the camps fault, it just happened to be very poor game viewing while we were there. The accommodation needs a serious upgrade, the mosquito net had holes in it, the bedside fan didn't work and the curtains were covered in stains. I know that one doesn't come to a camp for the decor, but for the price of this camp I expected something better.

Now for the positives. The mokoro trips are brilliant. Being on the water was fantastic and something different. We saw lots of tiny reed frogs and were lucky enough to spot a Pell's Fishing Owl! The boatmen/guides (Johannas, Tom & Gee) were friendly, fabulous and made the trips really special. We also did a motor boat trip with Gee and it was super fun. He was engaging and interesting. He'd only recently passed his guide exam and has a great future ahead of him I'm sure.

I'd totally recommend a stay at a water camp with water activities but I personally wouldn't stay here again unless some serious changes were made."

"Wow, what can I say. Amazing landscape & fabulous game (in late August). Ostrich, antelope we hadn't seen anywhere else, gorgeous lions, huge herds of zebra & wildebeest, spring hare (like little kangaroo!), meerkats and lots of birdlife too. Having just come from the Delta where our game viewing was very poor this was a real treat. The salt pans were incredible, you really feel very small and remote here looking at the endless horizon. The quad biking was great fun, but freezing cold so please go prepared! It's hard to believe how cold it gets at night when it's 40 degrees in the heat of the day. Our guide was fantastic. Very friendly and hugely knowledgeable. We had booked private drives but met up with others for a few of the "experiences" and evening drinks on the pans.

The tents were lovely, no electricity but absolutely gorgeous with plenty of kerosene lamps at night (could be a bit smelly though) and the common areas beautifully decorated and comfortable. The "yoga tent" was a bit of a strange thing though. It's huge but pretty much unusable if it's windy (mat kept blowing away) and I incorrectly assumed there would be some yoga classes given but no, it's just there for guests to do their own thing if they wish. This is a shame as it we would be great to have an afternoon class available on request as the siestas are so long and there's not much else to do.

The staff were friendly and welcoming, apart from the new manageress. We had a couple of teething problems and she was very defensive. She did apologise at the end though which made me think she just has a lot to learn about managing guests. Unlike most camps laundry takes 2 days so make sure you come with enough clean clothes.

Overall I'd say a trip to Bots isn't complete without visiting the Salt Pans and I think you couldn't do better than San (although tempted to try Jacks next time just so I can compare!)."