Travel reviews by S & D from London

"This was our fourth visit to Chongwe and it has lost none of its charm and excitement. As always the staff made you feel special and went out of their way to ensure a memorable holiday. We celebrated our Golden Wedding this year and we were given a special dinner party culminating in a lively entertainment provided by all the staff.

The wildlife lived up to our hopes with good views of lion, leopard and all the other regulars (elephants,hippos,buffalo,impala and waterbuck) making their appearance both in and around the camp. The birds were plentiful (over 100 different varieties) and the tiger fishing was excellent with fish up to 11.5lbs.

We were accommodated in the Albida Suite which provided a wonderful ambiance and level of luxury scarcely credible in the bush. Michael looked after us royally and getting up at 5 a.m. was no great chore given his production of breakfast as the sun rose over the Zambezi.

Our guide Joseph was as good as any we have had on any safari and his knowledge of the flora and fauna was comprehensive. Additionally the care he took over our comfort and safety was outstanding.

All in all a wonderful location was supplemented by superb staff to produce another memorable stay."

"Given the quality of service we enjoyed at our first stop we might have expected less at Potato Bush but it was equally outstanding. Again the staff and facilities were unbelievably good and we enjoyed a whole new set of experiences including sitting down to lunch in the middle of the Zambezi with the water flowing round our feet. Fortunately the crocodiles did not make an appearance.

Our guide here was Ali and yet again we were more than impressed by his level of knowledge and ability to locate birds we had never managed to see on previous trips. Wildlife viewing here was also excellent here because of the availability of backwaters off the main river which acted as a magnet for both animals and birds.

Overall Potato Bush provided yet another brilliant stay which we would recommend to all."

"It was luxury at Ntwala and it was a new experience for us not having stayed there before. The staff were very helpful and friendly and our young guide Martin was excellent."

"We have stayed at Impalila on several previous occasions but not since 2004. We had a personal reason for going there this year and the staff at Impalila could not have done more to help us with our project.

David caught the two largest tiger fish of his life which impressed a group on a fly fishing trip."

"This was our third visit to Chongwe. It is the most delightful place. We love the fact that the camp is open and the elephants wander freely through it.

Our guides George and Richman and all the staff treated us royally. For our last three nights we were upgraded and accommodated in the Cassia suite which was delightful. Our thanks to Edward and Given who looked after us there."

"Excellent staff, in particular guide Robert.

We experienced major problems with tetse flies with both ladies being bitten very badly every day.The tents were not sufficiently secure against insects because of poorly fitted mesh,nor were there mosquito nets.This resulted in an insect getting into my left ear on our final night. After a very uncomfortable night with the fly buzzing in the ear for over 6 hours, my friend who has medical experience succeeded in drowning it with cooking oil. At the camp during our visit the management team of Wilderness Safaries were in residence and Keith Vincent commented on the lack of nets. He had left however by the time the fly incident took place.

Inspite of this problem,and some shortages of supply, perhaps related to the fact we were the last guests of the season, we did enjoy Lufupa especially the river. Incidetally I had the fly removed at the Throat Nose and Ear Hospital on my return to London,"

"Again very good staff and a very interesting location. We were lucky to be sharing the camp with 4 charming Germans and greatly enjoyed their company. There could however have been a problem if they had not been equally flexible as there was only one vehicle and guide for the 8 of us.

Tetse flies were also a big problem here forcing the game drives to keep away from the areas adjacent to the tree line. Supplies were also an issue here with no insect repellent available. The lions and cheetahs were the stars here and we enjoyed our stay, We were impressed by the standard of the cooking onthe basic facilities."

"This was our second visit to Chongwe and it was even better this time.The management staff went out of their way to make sure we had a great holiday.

Our suite was superb and our dedicated butler made sure we were always well served. The birds animals and fishing all exceeded expectations. We will surely visit again."