Travel reviews by E & S H. from California

"We had a very nice visit at Avani Victoria Falls. The rooms are clean and comfortable, and when we were cold at night the staff were happy to provide us with heaters (otherwise the rooms do get very chilly at night in the winter).

The grounds are lovely with a huge swimming pool, and zebra and monkeys wandering around. There were ample good quality food choices in the restaurants and at the buffet breakfast. We were certainly glad to be within the Victoria Falls park and it was easy to walk to the Falls.

Unfortunately the Falls only had a trickle of water when we were there (on the Zambian side). Apparently there had been lower rainfall than usual this year so we did not get to see the spectacular sight we had hoped for."

"We had the most amazing stay at Chinzombo - it was absolutely the highlight of our trip to Africa. The accommodations are huge and beautiful - modern with some traditional safari touches, and every small detail has been thought of. There is even air conditioning above the beds which was very welcome as our nights were extremely hot despite it being winter.

The food and the choices were very good, and my daughter and I were catered for specifically for our gluten-free needs.

Our game drives with our guide Brian were wonderful, he was so fun and friendly - and of course his experience, knowledge and ability to find the animals were great. When we wanted to see lions, he spent an entire morning tracking them down until he found the pride, and ditto with a herd of buffalo, and a leopard. Somehow he managed to deliver on everything we asked for.

Back at camp, we loved everyone on staff and in particular the managers Gloria and Faith. Their concern for our comfort and happiness was paramount in everything they did - they were beyond helpful, professional and flexible. But mostly we so enjoyed just hanging out and chatting and laughing with them. This really is a special place."

"Our first thrill about Chiawa was its location - landing on a dirt strip in the bush, then a 15 minute drive to the river, followed by a 40 minute boat ride up the river. We truly felt that we were in the middle of nowhere.

In general our stay at Chiawa was really great. Our accommodations were lovely though we had come from a more luxurious camp and our suite at Chiawa wasn't as spacious, plus we shared a bathroom with our teenage children rather than having one for each room, which wasn't quite as easy - but all in all it was very nice and comfortable. Additionally, the food was excellent and the chef did a lovely job of catering to our gluten-free needs.

Because we were on the Lower Zambezi River, we got do enjoy water activities as well as game drives. We spent a morning fishing (though unfortunately didn't catch anything) and an afternoon canoeing which was amazing. The guides took us down a channel off the river and we were scarily close to hippos and crocodiles - even the guides got tense on a few occasions. We also got 'stuck' when a herd of about 15 elephants decided to cross the channel in front of us and we had to stay put for about an hour while they entered the water, a few at a time, took a drink, and enjoyed the water until eventually all of them had crossed. That was a truly spectacular hour.

Our game drives were also excellent. While we didn't see such a wide variety of animals as we had in South Luangwa (there are no giraffes and we didn't see zebras in the part of the park that we spent time in, although they are in a different part), we did see excellent and close up lions and leopards every time we went out, more than we had in South Luangwa. We went with different guides each time and all were superb.

For us, the only downside of Chiawa was that the meal schedule was a little rigid and usually communal. Lunch and dinner were at a set time and because everyone ate together no one sat down until everyone had gathered. At our previous camp we enjoyed one communal lunch and some chatting over drinks but had meals at our own table which suited us better and also meant there was flexibility on timing. I know many camps have communal meals and it was really nice to share information with other people but we did feel rushed a few times to get to dinner or lunch (including once when we were on a game drive watching a leopard stalk a prey)."

"Our stay at The Peech was brief, only one night, but very comfortable.

We arrived in the evening having flown in from our safari in Zambia, and were very happy with the large rooms and bathrooms. The staff at the hotel were friendly and professional and encouraged us to eat dinner in the hotel restaurant as it was getting late, and we enjoyed a very good meal there - and a good breakfast the next morning."