Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs L from Cumbria
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
0
Simply amazing, beyond all our expectations
Zambia between 28 Aug 2019 and 12 Sep 2019
"Our first holiday to Africa was simply amazing, it surpassed all our expectations. The National Park was stunningly beautiful with such a varied landscape, the views and the light were so photogenic. The opportunity of seeing the wildlife and birds was beyond our dreams and expectations, it was amazing what we saw and we appreciated being immersed in the landscape whilst in the camps and on game drives, a truly memorable experience. We also valued the fact that the Park was not overrun with tourist vehicles surrounding and disturbing the animals.
The guides were fantastic, their knowledge and skills were awesome, they literally enhanced our whole experience with their information and their ability to locate animals and birds. Their knowledge did not stop there, we enjoyed being told about the different trees, the tracks (thank you Daudi for your drawings), and even the different animal poo...all so interesting.
The camps were all in quiet, beautiful locations, they were so comfortable with a very high standard of house keeping. The food was constantly delicious, varied and so beautifully prepared and served. The laundry service was efficient and so appreciated .
Finally though, it was the welcome we received from all the staff that made our holiday so perfect
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We have wanted to do a safari holiday for many years but we have worried about the impact of tourism on local communities, the environment and the wildlife but then we were told about RPS and Zambia by some friends of my sister, who also recommended Expert Africa. Having looked at the RPS website and receiving their Monday newsletter we knew that Zambia was the place for us but as we hadn’t been to Africa before we had so many questions to ask and many of them trivial.
We wanted to talk to someone at Expert Africa directly and Claire was perfect, she answered all our questions quickly and patiently, she put together our wonderful itinerary and had so much knowledge and enthusiasm. We will be returning to Zambia and we will be in touch with Claire to discuss our future holiday.
In addition, the complementary guide book and wildlife survey were so appreciated.
Thank you all at Expert Africa and RPS for a fantastic holiday in Zambia."
The guides were fantastic, their knowledge and skills were awesome, they literally enhanced our whole experience with their information and their ability to locate animals and birds. Their knowledge did not stop there, we enjoyed being told about the different trees, the tracks (thank you Daudi for your drawings), and even the different animal poo...all so interesting.
The camps were all in quiet, beautiful locations, they were so comfortable with a very high standard of house keeping. The food was constantly delicious, varied and so beautifully prepared and served. The laundry service was efficient and so appreciated .
Finally though, it was the welcome we received from all the staff that made our holiday so perfect
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We have wanted to do a safari holiday for many years but we have worried about the impact of tourism on local communities, the environment and the wildlife but then we were told about RPS and Zambia by some friends of my sister, who also recommended Expert Africa. Having looked at the RPS website and receiving their Monday newsletter we knew that Zambia was the place for us but as we hadn’t been to Africa before we had so many questions to ask and many of them trivial.
We wanted to talk to someone at Expert Africa directly and Claire was perfect, she answered all our questions quickly and patiently, she put together our wonderful itinerary and had so much knowledge and enthusiasm. We will be returning to Zambia and we will be in touch with Claire to discuss our future holiday.
In addition, the complementary guide book and wildlife survey were so appreciated.
Thank you all at Expert Africa and RPS for a fantastic holiday in Zambia."
Arranged By Claire Scott
Latitude 15
"A haven of relaxation after a long flight"
1 night
Arrived
29 Aug 2019
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Luangwa River Camp
"A perfect introduction for first time visitor"
3 nights
Arrived
30 Aug 2019
"This holiday was our first to Zambia and our first to Africa, so when we arrived at Luangwa River Camp we were in awe. The main building, bar and dining was just so perfect, it was open, comfortable, welcoming and had wonderful views overlooking the river, so wildlife viewing started immediately. We were made very welcome by Matt, and later Ignacious who explained the timetable of the camp and activities. Our accommodation was wonderful and exceeded all our expectations, the house keeping in the camp was at a very high standard.
It was here that we first tasted the amazing food provided by RPS, I am a vegetarian and I was constantly served food that was beautifully prepared and tasted delicious. It was here that we first experienced the activities at RPS camps and we were not disappointed. Our guide, Daudi immersed us in the landscape and enhanced our experience, he quickly assessed that we were keen birders and introduced us to so many species.
The safari vehicles were the perfect way of getting close to so many animals. We also enjoyed the walking safaris and felt completely safe with Daudi and his team. All the staff were welcoming and friendly, including Alfred our night watchman, we enjoyed hearing how his night had been each morning.
We can’t praise the staff enough at River Camp, thank you all so much for a truly memorable stay."
It was here that we first tasted the amazing food provided by RPS, I am a vegetarian and I was constantly served food that was beautifully prepared and tasted delicious. It was here that we first experienced the activities at RPS camps and we were not disappointed. Our guide, Daudi immersed us in the landscape and enhanced our experience, he quickly assessed that we were keen birders and introduced us to so many species.
The safari vehicles were the perfect way of getting close to so many animals. We also enjoyed the walking safaris and felt completely safe with Daudi and his team. All the staff were welcoming and friendly, including Alfred our night watchman, we enjoyed hearing how his night had been each morning.
We can’t praise the staff enough at River Camp, thank you all so much for a truly memorable stay."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
2 sightings
Elephant
6 sightings
Giraffe
5 sightings
Hippo
8 sightings
Leopard
1 sighting
Lion
2 sightings
Spotted Hyena
2 sightings
Zebra
5 sightings
Tena Tena
"A relaxed, friendly camp"
4 nights
Arrived
2 Sep 2019
"Our stay at Tena Tena followed the River Camp and we were not disappointed. The public area was just lovely, the use of wood was amazing and so comfortable for enjoying the wonderful views whilst having a drink etc. The tents were large, comfortable and so well equipped and we loved the open plan (but private) shower and toilet. The sitting area outside the tent was the perfect place to relax during siesta, whilst enjoying the views.
Again, the house keeping was perfect, the food just wonderful and all the staff were welcoming and friendly. The activities at Tena Tena were fantastic, our guide Nyambe introduced us to so many new species of birds and animals. His knowledge and skills enhanced our experience and he was patient in our desire to see as much as possible, especially birds.
Again, we can’t praise the staff at Tena Tena enough, thank you all so much for a wonderful and memorable holiday."
Again, the house keeping was perfect, the food just wonderful and all the staff were welcoming and friendly. The activities at Tena Tena were fantastic, our guide Nyambe introduced us to so many new species of birds and animals. His knowledge and skills enhanced our experience and he was patient in our desire to see as much as possible, especially birds.
Again, we can’t praise the staff at Tena Tena enough, thank you all so much for a wonderful and memorable holiday."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
1 sighting
Elephant
8 sightings
Giraffe
8 sightings
Hippo
10+ sightings
Leopard
2 sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Spotted Hyena
9 sightings
Wild dog
6 sightings
Zebra
1 sighting
Nsefu
"An idyllic camp to end our holiday"
5 nights
Arrived
6 Sep 2019
"WOW, after Tena Tena we then stayed at the wonderful Nsefu camp in the best accommodation of the whole holiday and in a truly wonderful location on the bend of the river. Here our accommodation surpassed all expectations, it was just amazing, spacious, super clean and so comfortable, we never tired of the view.
Again the house keeping was superb, the staff were friendly and courteous and the food continued to be delicious and served with so much attention to detail. The bar area was beautiful and a perfect place to relax watching the wildlife on the river or lagoon. We did find the dining area rather too dark as we had difficulties seeing our fellow guests and guides during evening meal times but that is the only negative comment and it certainly did not affect the enjoyment of our meals or our holiday experience.
The activities at Nsefu were fantastic and this was thanks to our wonderful guide Willie who not only helped to increase our bird list to >140 but who had so much knowledge to share about the environment...the trees, birds, animals, and history, he made our game drives so interesting. The team at Nsefu, our host Katherine and all the staff made our stay so perfect and again our guide Willie made this holiday so memorable.
Thank you all so much, we will never forget our first trip to Zambia."
Again the house keeping was superb, the staff were friendly and courteous and the food continued to be delicious and served with so much attention to detail. The bar area was beautiful and a perfect place to relax watching the wildlife on the river or lagoon. We did find the dining area rather too dark as we had difficulties seeing our fellow guests and guides during evening meal times but that is the only negative comment and it certainly did not affect the enjoyment of our meals or our holiday experience.
The activities at Nsefu were fantastic and this was thanks to our wonderful guide Willie who not only helped to increase our bird list to >140 but who had so much knowledge to share about the environment...the trees, birds, animals, and history, he made our game drives so interesting. The team at Nsefu, our host Katherine and all the staff made our stay so perfect and again our guide Willie made this holiday so memorable.
Thank you all so much, we will never forget our first trip to Zambia."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Sightings report
Buffalo
1 sighting
Elephant
10+ sightings
Giraffe
9 sightings
Hippo
10+ sightings
Leopard
3 sightings
Lion
7 sightings
Spotted Hyena
8 sightings
Wild dog
6 sightings
Zebra
2 sightings
The hotel is so interesting with beautiful grounds and art work. The staff were so friendly, nothing was too much trouble. After a much needed sleep in quiet room, the staff accommodated our early morning breakfast ready for our departure to the airport for the flight to Mfewe.
Our stay was brief but we wouldn’t hesitate to return in the future and we would recommend Latitude 15 to other travelers."