Travel reviews by Mr D from California

"The camp is located just across the Luangwa River from the National Park. Each activity starts and end with a short boat ride, because the game drives and walks are conducted in the main park. We get used to the routine quickly.

Our guide Sebastian Jr. (RPS has another older guide named Sebastian) is very good. We had good sightings of lion mating, and leopard/hyena interaction. The central part of the park does have good concentration of games. During the day time, it does not feel particularly crowded as game drive vehicles spread out in a large area. However at night, we do see spotlights everywhere. Night drives tend to focus on a small area close to the main gate so that everyone can easily get out of park at 8.

It is a very comfortable camp, with good food and friendly service. The location is excellent, close to an elephant crossing site. Special mention: the camp manager Ignacia who makes everyone feel as a special guest."

"This is a historic camp, at an excellent location. It has the best view among the 3 RPS camps we stayed in South Luangwa. We watched elephant crossing river over a lunch.

The game drive is conducted in the remote Nsefu section of the park. The highlight is the seasonal carmine bee-eater colony on the river bank. RPS constructed a hide, allowing us to get close to the colony. We have good sightings of leopard in tree on night drive. But for some reason, lions make themselves scarce in Nesfu sector, although their footprints are found near the camp. During a short 2-day stay, we only saw lion from afar, on the opposite bank of the river.

Our guide Chilumba is excellent. He took us to find the rare and endemic Cookson’s wildebeest. On a trip to the remote salt pan area, he noticed a herd of skittish elephants that are not used to vehicles. He wisely positioned the vehicle at a safe distance. As a result, we experienced the adrenaline rush of elephant charging without a scratch, only a good story to tell.

Not specific to Nsefu camp: In my 7-night, 3-camp stay with RPS, I was guided by a total of 5 different guides. In general, I found RPS guides are uniformly well trained, knowledgeable and professional. Obviously every guide has a different style. It does take a while to get used to, both for the guide and for the guest. I felt the experience can be enhanced if each guest stays with the same guide throughout her stay in one camp, unless the guest opts for a different activity such as walk."

"The camp provides an immersive African bush experience. We can hear hippo, hyena and lion all night.

We like our guide John. We saw a pack of 3 wild dogs on the day we arrived. They used to be found around the camp on regular basis, but had been away for over 2 weeks. We were lucky that they decided to come back for just a day. By next day, the dogs left again. Another highlight is the hyena den.

The night drive is particularly productive, with multiple leopards on the move, and hyenas trailing in the hope to steal a meal. On the other hand, lions continue to evade us. As in Nsefu camp earlier, we only saw lions across the river at a distance."

"I am very happy to include Lower Zambezi (and in particular Potato Bush Camp) in the itinerary. It provides a good contrast to South Luangwa. The landscape is beautiful, with even more elephants than South Luangwa. It is a highlight to witness bull elephant reaching up the tree with trunk.

The camp is centrally located. It is a step up in creature comfort compared to where we stayed in South Luangwa, with personalized services and food ordered from a menu. But more importantly, it offers a private vehicle and guided for every party. It adds another dimension to our experience.

James is an excellent guide. I was very impressed how he found a pair of male lions at a totally inaccessible spot, with no other vehicle. On a guided walk, some male buffaloes spotted us and took an interest. James was totally cool in handling the situation. I never felt unsafe for a moment, confident that I was in good hands. On the final drive, he was on a mission to search for a leopard. It took us a fascinating hour to finally find a kill stashed in a tree, and hear leopard growling in a nearby bush. We waited a little until we got “bumped out” when more vehicles arrived. Never saw the leopard, but the special bush remains a memorable sight 😊"