Travel reviews by C & J from Utah

"The lodge "pick-up" was prompt and direct. The staff was helpful. The dining staff was very friendly. The room was attractive and clean.

Comparing to many other places in resort areas the price was easily twice the value. It seems there is little competition. We would next time at that price bypass a layover there and arrange to go directly out on safari."

"Our experience met and surpassed all of our expectations. We found our guide/outfitter Andrew to be delightful fellow. He was at once casual, informative, enthusiastic, sharp eyed, a fount of info. His experience level was obviously high for a youngish man.

We easily agreed on our priorities and objectives, and spent little wasted time achieving them. That said, we did not wish to hurry our observations of various details of landscape, birds, and animals. He was willing to linger or give more info on many identifications or behavior questions. We had superb spotting of birds and mammals, thanks in part to his knowledge of places or time of day.

The daily schedule we agreed on suited us well, early out of camp and time mid day to write, identify and journal our findings. He put us close to the cats but always showed respect for the animals space. We never felt overly intrusive. It does take a minute to sit calmly near a huge lion and learn to contain your excitement!

The variety of habitats and landscape views in our itinerary brought a constant feel of eminent discovery. On our slowest day, we probably still saw hundreds of mammals and dozens of new bird and plant species. The tree species alone were a wonder, very different for us in their adaptations.

Although we had several travel days, they were great for us in terms of extended discovery. We had some of our best game spotting on these days, wild dogs and Buffalo eg. We also saw some rarer raptors like a gymkhana attacking a starling nest.

On camp change days, the crew was flawless. We always arrived in a well ordered camp. The cooking and baking was a wonder in itself, with fresh breads and confections daily. Fresh veggies and fruits were a treat, and the exotic game meats were tender and well spiced. Safari guest fared in older days could not possibly have been pampered like this!

Our favorite daily break was the morning tea and sundowner breaks. It felt traditional and gave a moment for the grandeur to sink in, often watching Elephants bathe or Zebra grazing. The sounds of the forest are like none other in the world!"

"The overall experience was very good. The only letdown was the room. It did have a nice view of the garden and a tree with monkeys and birds. The room itself was not decorated. It was small. The bath was just ok no real style or era feel.

We suppose the very high cost in a facility of this nature and has its reasons. Perhaps it is expensive to be in Zimbabwe. The other parts of the stay were very good, but the room value seemed way below the cost.

We have stayed around the world and at that price expected a much larger and nicer room."