Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs K from Barnstead

"Room and view good but there was not much atmosphere about the place. Perhaps due to the quiet time of year. Small niggles: a light wasn`t working in the room and we twice had to request our complimentary tea / coffee /milk.

Location ideal for the Falls but needed a taxi to go into Livingstone. We felt the buffet dinner was expensive, only alternative was nearby Squires restaurant or the even more costly Royal Livingstone Hotel. Reception staff not overly welcoming but other staff friendly and helpful.

Beware of self appointed " guides" near the Falls. Helicopter ride over Falls was an expensive but great 15 minutes.

Prices for meals and activities had risen considerably from those estimated at the time of booking."

"Muchenje was the first accomodation on our 9 night safari trip and as such we were impressed. The wonderfully peaceful location looking out over the plains to the river, the spacious and comfortable style as well as the elephant shaped soap and thick luxurious towels!

However, the food was average ( by English standards) and we would have preferred drinks ( beer and soft drinks) to be freely available to help ourselves to, as well as being served at the bar.

We were glad we had chosen to visit Chobe National Park from this location rather than the MUCH busier lodges nearer Kasane but the dpwn side was the drive to and from the entry point for each safari, especially cold in the open jeep at this time of year.

Chobe was great for the amount of animals we saw but we were disappointed not to see any of the big cats. We did however see a pack of 4 wild dogs but being the national park we could not follow them as they raced off to hunt.

The lodge packed in 3 safari drives a day as well as a short visit to a local tiny village and school. Worth doing for an insight into a completely different way of life with absolutely minimal possessions.

We had hoped to do a walking safari but the only guide qualified to do this was not available. The night drives were limited to the area near the lodge and were not very inspiring.

But the boat trip along the Chobe river was wonderful. Very relaxing and peaceful whenever the guides cut the engine which they did frequently. We saw many family groups of elephants , hippos and crocodiles on the banks as well as in the river, warthogs and mongoose, fish eagles, kingfishers and bee eater birds. Our guide was quite knowledgeable but not much fun, rather serious and we needed to ask lots of questions to find out more."

"We loved the luxury of the"tent" which looked out over the lake. It was wonderfully relaxing with sights of elephants, baboons and hippo in the water at the far side of the lake and the amazingly loud sounds of the bell frogs in the evenings.

Going off road to follow a leopard staking out her prey (abandoned when the impala sensed her presence) was quite an experience, as was seeing a large pack of wild dogs. We caught glimpses of a lion but again they were elusive and we never saw any predators on a chase or feeding.

The camp staff were welcoming and friendly as were the guides although they sometimes needed prompting to share all their knowledge.

When 3 other jeeps arrived within 15 - 20 minutes of the call out to other guides following the wild dogs sighting we realised the concession was not quite as big as we thought.

The boat trip was disappointing, the hippos disappeared as soon as we arrived and we saw no other wildlife except one tiny crocodile. However the ride back in the dark, twisting and turning through the narrow waterways at speed was quite something!
The mokoro ride was uneventful but short and peaceful. The safari walk was a slow informative stroll around the camp."

"It is hard to grade Santantadebi camp because it is a true camp and facilities cannot compare with the semi permanent camps.

After a 4 hour drive through the bush we arrived in the dark to twinkling oil lamps amoungst the trees, quite magical. All food was cooked on an open camp fire and from this point of view was amazing.

The bucket shower provided plenty of hot water and worked suprisingly well. The beds comfortable and warm with hot water bottles provided!

Grant was an excellent and attentive host and very knowledgeable guide. We really appreciated the fact that it was only us on this concession, we felt much more " in the wilds of the bush "

Although again the big cats were eluding us the highlight of our trip came when an injured lion was spotted. With a snare deeply embedded around his neck and subsequent deep open wound Grant used his satelite phone to call the vet. As darkness fell we guarded the lion from gathering hyenas while waiting for the vet. Once the lion was darted and treated as best as was possible we all returned to a late dinner at camp where Grant, his Mum ( an amazing lady who had driven out with the vet to guide him to us ) and the vet all shared stories about their lives, so very different from ours!

Maybe one day in the future we would like to go on a longer trip with Grant for a wider experience of what he does so well."