Travel reviews by Ms L from Boston

"Kwihala Camp has a great location and a warm, friendly and attentive staff. There is a real feeling of camaraderie at the camp.

But Kwihala's most notable feature is the quality of its guiding. This was my second visit to Kwihala, and again I found the guiding to be absolutely top-notch.

Thanks to Festo, Tony, Lorenzo and Pietro for an excellent visit with a lot of great sightings."

"Beho Beho lived up to all of the glowing reviews I had read about it before my visit.

The facilities are incredible and the food is fabulous. But what stood out most to me is the personal interest that the managers and guides and staff take in each guest. I could tell that it really mattered to each of them that I had the best experience possible at Beho Beho.

Special thanks to Rika, Werner, Herribert, Salum and Saningo for a great stay in a wonderful place."

"Very friendly and accommodating staff"

"This was my second visit to Liuwa Plain.

It is a spectacular park, a very unique experience to be in a place so remote and untouched. Jason is a terrific guide. The camp is very comfortable and the baked goods were especially good.

I had a wonderful time, really enjoyed the camaraderie with the staff and other guests."

"Very friendly and accommodating staff"

"Mkulumadzi is a really stunning lodge.

My chalet had a great view of the river and it was nice to fall asleep at night to the sound of the river. The chalet uses solar power and has electrical outlets, a mini fridge, and an air conditioning system for the bed. The main lodge area was very nice and the camp staff and hosts were very friendly and accommodating.

The game is less dense than in other parks I've visited, but I still had a wide range of sightings including several animals and birds that were new sightings for me."

"When I left for my vacation in Mozambique, I was feeling very burned out. Explore Gorongosa was a great place to relax and rejuvenate and I had a wonderful time there. I would definitely recommend Explore Gorongosa to other travelers.

The tents are very comfortable and well-appointed. There are solar-powered lights in the tents which were great for reading before bed. The beds have mosquito nets and cozy duvets. I slept very well during my stay. There is a pitcher and basin inside the tent. There is also a basin outside in the shower area, along with a bucket shower, with warm water for both available upon request. The toilet is of the non-flush variety, but I hardly noticed the difference. The common area is also very nice and dinner was typically served under a candle-lit chandelier.

I especially enjoyed the hospitality and camaraderie of the camp. Rob and Jos are very warm and friendly and they have done an amazing job with the camp. The guides and other camp personnel were great too.

I saw a wide variety of birds and game in the park (including some excellent lion sightings), but the volume of game is less than in other parks I've visited in Tanzania and Zambia. But I think that made the sightings I did have more special. The flora/terrain of the park is especially interesting because it is so varied. On a single drive you can see three or four different "looks" of the park. I particularly liked the fever trees and took a lot of photos of the markings on the bark.

I had a road transfer to the park from Beira and an air transfer to Indigo Bay. The road transfer takes about 3 hours, and while it was very interesting to see the countryside, it was nice to have an air transfer to my next destination.

I felt very privileged to visit Gorongosa NP and to see the progress being made by the restoration project. I think it is a very worthwhile destination and a great place to let go and enjoy what nature has on offer."

"Indigo Bay is a very nice resort and I enjoyed my stay. My beach villa was almost as large as my apartment and also had a veranda and a small yard of sorts. All of the personnel were very nice and friendly. The spa was very, very nice and had amazing views.

As a head's up for other travelers, most of the activities are not included in the room rate and the activity fees are not nominal. The spa prices are comparable to the spa prices in the U.S. That said, I enjoyed the activities I did, particularly the day trip to Santa Carolina Island. I also enjoyed the spa service I had."

"Machushla House was a lovely respite after a long day of traveling.

Although it is not located in the immediate vicinity of the airport, it was not a very long drive to get there. Although I arrived fairly late at night, the kitchen staff was still able to make a snack for me.

The room was very comfortable and had a lot of character. The grounds were very nice as well."

"Virunga Lodge was amazing. The views are unreal, and there are flowers everywhere you turn. The lodge personnel were all very warm and welcoming. I don't think the photos on the EA website had been updated for the remodeling when I chose this lodge, and it turned out to be even nicer than I expected.

The bed was very comfortable with really nice linens. The bathroom had two sinks, a flush toilet, and a regular (non-bucket) shower. There was also 24 hour electricity in the rooms, and cool motion detector lights in the bathroom that were very handy if you needed to use the bathroom in the middle of the night. While it is a longer drive to the park headquarters than other lodges, I wouldn't let that discourage anyone from choosing this lodge, since the drive is so pretty and seems to go by very quickly anyway.

Patrick from Primate Safaris was a wonderful guide. I was traveling by myself and it felt almost like I had an older brother looking out for me. Patrick is very knowledgeable about the history and economy of Rwanda, and we had many very interesting discussions about public policy and economic development. I had read quite a few books about Rwanda before I visited, and my conversations with Patrick helped me connect a lot of dots and place everything I had learned in context - definitely a highlight of the trip. I would highly recommend Patrick as a guide."

"Hotel des Mille Collines was a perfectly fine business class hotel."

"Perfectly fine business class hotel."

"I loved, loved, loved Kwihala Camp. The tents are very unobtrusive, and you do feel like yours is the only tent for miles around (in a good way) and you do feel very immersed in the beauty of the setting. My bed was very comfortable, and the linens were really luxurious. The tent furnishings were just right, and there is 24 hour electricity. Aside from the sink and shower handles looking a little different, the bathroom was functionally equivalent to any other bathroom, so I wouldn't be discouraged from visiting by the bathroom fixtures being of a less permanent variety.

The guiding at Kwihala was superb, among the best I've ever encountered. I happened to be the only guest in the camp for the three nights I was there, and Pietro and Fester both went with me on every drive. I learned so much about the park and the animals, and Pietro also had a lot of useful photography tips. The staff at the camp was terrific, too. I was not feeling well on the first day I was there, and Pietro oversaw what seemed like a very elaborate operation to make sure everything possible was being done to make sure I felt better. I really appreciated how well the camp took care of me. I would love to visit Kwihala again. Great camp, amazing park."

"Selous is a very nice camp. I really liked my tent. The bed was comfortable and the bathroom and dressing area were very spacious. The tent had a fan which was really nice since it was a bit humid when I first arrived.

Barbara was a very gracious host, and I enjoyed getting to know her and also Mohammed, who was one of the servers.

I don't know if I would recommend Selous for a solo traveler. Each tent has its own table in the dining area, and each tent has its own guide and vehicle. While those amenities are advantageous for couples and families, I did miss the social element of dining in a group and going on game drives in a group."

"This is a very nice hotel. I'm not sure I will ever stay at one that is nicer. At the end of a long trip, it was a special treat to be able to stay in such a fabulous hotel.

The bathroom was beautiful, the views were amazing, and the bed and furniture were very comfortable. Room service was surprisingly affordable."

"This camp is very remote, and the plains are very vast. I enjoyed being isolated and feeling insignificant on the face of the earth.

The experience of the park is more subtle than other parks with more large game. Lots of birds, lots of flowers, and a really gratifying sense of freedom. The camp facilities are relatively basic, but the food and service were very good.

The flight to Kalabo had great views, and it was really interesting to drive through Kalabo."

"This camp has great facilities. I liked that the tents had doors and curtains, and also appreciated the lamps, as I usually read before I go to sleep. The bathroom was very nice, and the hot water was plentiful and immediately available.

Caroline was very warm. The guides were all very good.

The range of activities was great. I went canoeing and fishing, and also on game walks and drives. The visit to Chongwe Falls was particularly fun."

"Nkwali was fun. Very lively and social."

"The food at Tafika (and Crocodile and Chikoko as well) was really, really good. The staff was very nice, and the guides were really good.

My one criticism of Tafika is that the rooms had bed-sized mosquito nets rather than larger walk-in mosquito nets that could include a table and a little walking room. I found the walk-in nets more user friendly."

"I had loads of fun at Crocodile, thanks to having Isaac as a guide.

The food, like at Tafika, was fantastic.

The rooms are less posh than at Tafika, which is not surprising since the camp is not vehicle accessible."

"Isaac was also my guide at Chikoko, so Chikoko was also loads of fun. I liked the tree houses a lot, especially because they had walk-in nets.

Beautiful location. On the night I was there, we could actually see stars reflected in the water."