Travel reviews by Mr G. from Devizes

"Precious was fantastic and ever present during our time there. The chalets were perfect and the extended decking was a nice feature even in the limited time we spent there. The food at all the camps was very good but Nsolo was probably the best. It amused us that when we arrived late, we went straight from lunch to tea and cakes and then straight out on a drive.

It was the most basic of our camps but felt the most relaxed and although we were somewhat spoilt by there being only 4 or 5 guests, it made us feel really as if we were in a special place ( which we were).

Although I have only graded the facilities as good, we would not have wished for anything more as a base for exploring the bush."

"Kakuli had more in common with Nsolo and Mchenja than differences, the main difference being water in the river and the consequent numbers of Hippo (and crocs). The game sightings for us were excellent and Friday our guide stood out as the most fun to be with out of all of our excellent guides on he trip.

The chalet was lovely and we appreciate the differences between the 3 camps we visited in the area. We enjoyed the sofa outside in our limited time in camp. The elephant that came to visit us (and feast on the acacia pods) during our siesta was a special and memorable moment although probably not arranged specially by the staff! It was great to get that close to such an impressive wild animal without feeling threatened. (we were to experience more of this at Mchenja).

Sightings of game were excellent and having seen very few leopard on several safari holidays, it was great to find one on our first game drive."

"This was nights 5,6 & 7 in this area and our 3rd Time and Tide camp so we knew what to expect and were not disappointed.

Again, different chalet features were nice. The open plan bath tub was a nice touch but no time to enjoy it.

The room was affected by a significant fall of leaves but the staff tried their hardest to keep it clear. It was not a problem for us even when we noted that some of the leaves in the bathroom had eyes and were particularly frog shaped, mainly because they were frogs.

The game sightings were spectacular, particularly the leopard family of 3 whom we followed through the bush of a significant time."

"Having come from South Luangwa, this was very different.

The flight in was great with the views of the park and the Zambezi.

We had been travelling all day after waking at 5am and going on a long game drive ending at Mfuwe airport after lunch, flying to Lusaka and then to Royal Airstrip via Jeki. We had been travelling with another couple with whom we had been sharing game drives and meals for the previous 5 days and had become friends. However, on being met at Royal airstrip, we were ushered into a separate vehicle from them, joining another couple (who struggled with english and were just starting their holiday). The guide then stopped en route to the camp for a lengthy briefing on the activities we could enjoy at Chongwe, most of which was already known to us. This delayed our reaching the camp and on arrival, this briefing was repeated.

There followed much confusion as to which chalet we had been allocated. We were told initially that it was number 3, but then told that that had elephant damage so it would be number 1, which we were taken to. It was set up with twin beds which needed to be re-arranged. Within minutes, we were told that we could have number 5 if we wished (although on examination it turned out to be identical, and that our friends had been given the un-damaged number 3). During all this time, our bags were left in reception and I had to go and get them as the guide was waiting to take us on a game drive. We had by then had the chance to ask if we could drive with our friends.

All this could have been avoided by asking us at the airport (or earlier) if we had a preference. It would also have been better to have recognised that we had had a long day and although perfectly willing to go straight out on a drive, we could have been helped to do so. It also transpired that despite the lengthy briefings, we had not been told about more important details such as flexible meal times, wake up calls etc, all of which we learned by osmosis subsequently.

This sounds like a rant but is meant to be genuinely constructive. We really enjoyed Chongwe and the contrast from South Luangwa camps. Although it is clearly a bigger operation and busier, the water activities were superb, particularly the canoe trip. The icing on the cake was the surprise lunch on a boat on the last day before leaving for the airport.

One very minor point was that we really appreciated the damp towels offered to us on return from dusty game drives when in South Luangwa. Could this perhaps be offered in Chongwe?

We loved the elephants that came to lunch in the restaurant, despite the disruption of them serving themselves behind the bar."