Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs A from Bristol

"We arrived in Ndola from Jo'burg and met by our driver. we then drove to Kitwe without any problems.
we had booked into the Pamo Hotel on President Avenue. The checkin process was a little protracted but the room was well appointed with tea and coffeee making facilities. The free breakfast was okay but only instant coffee being available.
The hotel has a restaurant serving mainly indian cuisine and this was extremely good. Would recommend to anybody visiting Kitwe.
We also ate at the Afrigonia restaurant immediately opposite the hotel and this was also very good with great service.

Anybody visiting Kitwe and wanting to go birding the Chembe Bird Sanctuary is a must. About half and hour from the city."

"This was a unique experience like no other.
Staying in the Shiwa House with Jo and Charlie was like a 'country house weekend'.
The Shiwa House and the estate is an ongoing project. Do not expect great luxury because it isn't there. It is homely, quirky and somewhat basic. If you don't like cats or dogs Shiwa is not the place for you.
Both Jo and Charlie are great hosts and knowledgeable birders which suited us and both put themselves out to take us around their large estate viewing game and bird life.
The archive and library provide a picture of life in Africa in the early 20th century and the dream of Stewart Gore-Browne.
A wonderful four days."

"This was the first safari lodge we had visited and was not disappointed.
Our lodge looked basic from the outside but when one entered it was quite luxurious.
All the staff were friendly, professional, and always available to help.The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and made our walking safari and game drives fun and educational.

It would be remiss of me not to mention that we probably owe our lives to Steven and Justin, our guides, and Ronaldo our Scout. When we were charged by a very angry bull elephant it was only their quick thinking and training that kept us from harm. We had never run so fast in our lives.

The catering is absolutely incredible with every meal being a delight. How this is achieved in the bush I don't know. You do not lose weight at Tafika.

We enjoyed our time at Tafika and would wholeheartedly recommend it to anybody visiting South Luangwa."

"At Crocodile camp one felt that you really were in the African bush. Wild animals all around, being woken by the sound of Hippos, this is what walking safaris are all about. The the two daily walks provided the opportunity to see animals close up and learn about their habits from Amon our guide.
Crocodile Camp is a basic camp compared to Tafika but the staff still are able to prepare excellent meals. Quite amazing."

"This camp was our favourite. The rooms are built on stilts which provides incredible views across the bush from the bedroom.
The facilities are a little more basic than the other camps but if you don't mind the odd frog or snake in the bathroom it should not be missed.
The food again was amazing and we asked to visit the kitchen so we could see for ourselves how this was achieved. The chef was a delight and was very happy to show us around his kitchen. Fresh bread and cakes baked every day.
Amon was our guide again and he made our walks interesting and fun."

"Toka Leya sits on the banks of the Zambezi in an idyllic location but it is quite a strange environment. It appears to be geared up to cater for groups and honeymoon couples.
The room was fantastic apart from the blinds which were a nightmare to operate.
The food was average with limited choice on the lunch and dinner menus.
It was difficult to relax as we were constantly being asked what activity we wanted to go on. It was if if the staff expected you to want to go on every activity offered and could not understand when we refused.
The staff made a big thing of wanting to know what time you wanted a wake up call, what time you wanted breakfast, what time you wanted lunch, make your dinner choice at 3.30pm. It was all too regimented.

However, the staff were excellent and Steven and Helen on the front desk went out of their way to help me when I had an insect in my ear.
One very strange aspect was that we were not given the wifi password but had to give our devices to the staff who entered the password for us.

Also the pool was pretty murky for the duration of our stay.

if we returned to Livingstone I am certain we would look at other hotels/lodges before Toka Leya"