Travel reviews by A & K from Cambridge

"From the off this was a very special experience. We had the bonus of a helicopter ride from the airstrip to the camp. At the camp itself a warm welcome awaited – replete with a song of greeting!

The managers (KP and Tseppo(?)) run a tight ship and were well briefed on our dietary requirements which were well reflected in meal choices. Main courses ( from a choice of two) can be ordered for dinner, which is communal in the open.

Tent was spacious, very well equipped and with lovely furniture - probably the most comfortable of the places we stayed. They are stocked with toiletries so there is no need to bring your own (and best not to as camps are trying to prevent chemical run off into the wetlands). Views from communal deck and our tent were enchanting over the river.

Wake up call is 5am (with very welcome tea/coffee and biscuits) with game drive departures at 5.30am. Game drives run until about 12.00 with lunch served around 12.30. ‘Bush breakfast’ is taken on the drive about 8.30 - generous and tasty.

Dinners were scheduled for 7.30 which could be tight if the afternoon game drive ‘overruns’ (we had a 5 minute walk to our tent, and occasionally we felt there was insufficient time to freshen up for dinner).

Game drives finish with welcome cold towels on return. ‘Personal’ metal cold water bottles – which you can keep (topped up for every drive) are a nice touch.

Game drives were fabulous. Our guide Zacharias was a delight – studious, and dogged in pursuit of sightings for us. His dedication meant occasionally sundowners were missed -but when Wild Dogs and Leopards are on the menu, it’s really not surprising!

We are keen birders so once Zach was aware of this he did switch his attention to spotting birds for us too. He and other staff went our of their way to secure us a sighting of Pel’s Fish Owl – which we did successfully and had a sighting of a juvenile alongside the resident pair - the first confirmation of breeding the camp has had. He also conducted a walking safari for us which was a real highlight.

In summary , we found Duba Explorers to be a superb camp with highly professional and friendly staff and excellent food."

"Another superb experience at this camp - again from the off. We had a charming welcome from managers Tseppo & Chantal (?).

Tents are comfortable and again well equipped, though the fans don’t have much effect when temps soar to the mid-30s! Frequent cold showers were very welcome!

Information on the camp is a bit outdated - no more bucket showers and they do take laundry. Plus there are charging points (slow) in the tent but a charging area in the main communal area is better for faster charging of camera batteries, phones etc. Also, wifi in the tents.

Food is delightful – though menus were ‘affected’ by the presence of a Michelin starred chef as one of the guests – who couldn’t resist getting involved in dinner prep in the kitchens (which was a real treat – staff seemed to enjoy his presence too) Again, the ability to order from a choice of main meals (usually meat or fish/vegetarian) was appreciated.

Probably best game viewing of the camps though only marginally – Serval (in daylight!), multiple Lion sightings, Elephants, Wild Dogs, and Leopard plus some good night spotting on drive back to camp – Civet, Spring Hare & a Verreaux’s Eagle Owl devouring a lizard! Another nice touch - only 3 vehicles are allowed at a sighting at any one time – we sense the welfare of animals is taken seriously here.

Sticht proved a diligent and persistent guide in pursuing game and (eventually) birds alike. His knowledge of birds was good but not outstanding - but made up for it by his ability to spot them.

Selinda ais a very chilled camp - you can help yourself to drinks if staff not around. It seemed a very happy camp with lots of laughter in the kitchens. Waiting staff were charming and delightful. There is flexibility on meal timings. And you don’t have to sit communally if that’s your preference.

Overall, a fabulous camp to stay at."

"A bit of a mixed bag to be honest. Camp was lovely and staff (with one exception) were charming.

Our welcome was not great and there were issues with catering for our dietary requirements due to (it would appear) our requests not being passed on to the kitchen. However, once we made our concerns known, the food dramatically improved, and we finished on a high with a celebratory last dinner on the deck replete with champagne – all delicious it was too. Chefs were superb. Food is help yourself buffet. Maybe better if like other camps, main course could be pre-ordered to save food being cooked unnecessarily?

Our guide Lesh was charming and knowledgeable. He was competent on birds but not outstanding. Nevertheless, the birding here was possibly the best of the three camps - which more than compensated for us for the lack of big predator sightings. While we were aware that his was supposed to be a ‘water-based’ activity camp, the water levels had fallen to such an extent that the camp had reverted to more traditional game driving. Take this into account when booking. Lesh did take us on a great walking safari as well.

Our tents (with solid sliding doors) were comfortable if not quite as well equipped as our previous camps. We think some attention to maintenance is due ( e.g. a broken shower bottle holder resulted in smashed glass in the shower).

To make up for the lack of game sightings – our mokoro trip on the last afternoon was a highlight – a beautiful languorous way to spot birds and animals (some great sightings of the rare Sitatunga antelope).
A
s we said previously, the camp staff were charming but some of them lacked confidence and initiative – and the standing and watching while you eat is a bit disconcerting. Probably better when the camp has more guests – after the first evening we were the sole guests in the camp.

Overall, we’ d say Pelo is a great camp for birding and, when the water levels are high, water-based activities. Not so great for more conventional game viewing through the landscape and flora are fascinating and worth exploring."