Travel reviews by Mr H & Mrs H from London

"We had a great time at Old Mondoro - it's reputation as one of the best bushcamps in Zambia is well deserved.

Two nice leopard viewings, elephant eating from the roof of the room, tracking a herd of buffalo on foot, canoeing down the Zambezi (with and without hippo contact) and wonderful location, food and service to just name a few of the highlights.

Would recommend a stay of at least 3 nights to enjoy all the different activities and experiences this small, personal camp has to offer."

"We had seven fun-filled days of great wildlife viewing at and around Kaingo and Mwamba. The name Kaingo (ie. leopard) was certainly programme for us, we were lucky enough to have five leopard sightings, including that elusive daytime leopard on our last day.

The same could be said of Lion Plain - having two large resident lion prides around always makes for exciting trips out into the bush.

The unique set of photograpic hides set up every season by Kaingo were fantastic, everything we were hoping for and more - a photographer's dreas. Also on activities, one clearly notices the guides' awareness and experience with photographers.

Being located further away from the gate and the many lodges in that area, staying at Kaingo provides a great safari experience in diverse, game-rich landscapes with few other vehicles around."

"Mwamba has been a very enjoyable, intimate bushcamp experience for us and shouldn't be missed when staying at Kaingo.

The wonderfully remote location in the middle of game-rich areas, combined with great personal service/guiding and a waterhole hide right in the camp made for days filled with plenty of excitement. The fun doesn't stop when arriving back in camp - there is plenty of rustling, grumbling, growling and hooting in and around camp to keep things interesting day and night.

Don't come here if you are after luxury with aircon and modcons - but if you are after an immersive bushcamp experience of a largely bygone era, you might just fall in love with it."

"Kaya Mawa and beautiful Likoma Island has been the perfect 5-day addition to our Zambia safari.

The picture-perfect beach location, crystal-clear waters filled with life, great food and service along with amazingly friendly people of Likoma Island made it a fantastic, relaxing experience. Special mention for the beautiful room (or villa in our case) - it would certainly deserve six stars for all of its unique individual features, special touches and spacious luxury.

Thanks again to the wonderful management and staff for all the effort in taking care of us after my father had hurt his ankle and apologies for all the long-distance room service across the beach and extra boat trips - rest assured that our time at Kaya Mawa was still hugely enjoyable."

"Ras Kutani's beautiful location between a lagoon and the ocean the perfect place to relax before starting on safari. Nothing like walking down the beach for hours without seeing another soul and a nap in the hammock to unwind.

Very friendly and attentive staff, excellent food and vervet monkeys on the roof only made the experience better."

"Very well run camp on a beautiful bend in the Rufuji River. We were very fortunate with the game - wild dogs during the "airport transfer" were just the start - and the guiding was of a very high standard.

Spacious tents right on the river bank with plenty of elephant and giraffe visits - there is nothing like an elephant bull coming out of the bushes to get the adrenaline going when walking to lunch. Participating in one of the great boat trips in the afternoon then did its part in calming down again - note also the effort being put in to set up a great place for the sundowner on the river bank.

Speaking of food, the Italian management certainly shines through with the food - excellent 4-course meals are certainly not the worst possible way to end a day.

Only one surprise independent of the camp - a lot of the game, especially antelopes, zebra and giraffe, are very skittish in the Selous. Fortunately the same cannot be said of the lions, hippos, crocs, etc..."

"One can feel that Mwagusi has grown over the decades as an owner-run camp, loads of character and and owner Chris makes an excellent host with plenty of stories to tell after over 20 years in Ruaha.

The best feature of the bandas may well be the sunken corner with big cushions - a great spot to relax and watch the action down in the sand river. Not that there wasn't plenty of wildlife outside the camp - guiding was excellent and one really noticed that each guide knows the different areas of the park very well.

In general, we really enjoyed the fact that Ruaha has such a varied landscape - everything from plains to wooded hills or rocky kopjes can be seen in good day's drive.

Dinner at Mwagusi is a real occassion - the camp has three different locations along (and in) the sand river which are lovingly decorated for dinner, making for a very special experience. While there were some issues around quantity at lunch, the food was fresh and of excellent quality."

"Katavi was probably the highlight of our safari - great game and untouched by tourism and modernity, it truly feels like a world away from modern life. The concentration of hippos, crocs and buffalo was truly incredible and the varied, untamed landscape of plains and woodland serve as a great backdrop.

Chada blends in perfectly into this landscape as highlighted by the frequent camp visits of all kinds of wildlife and we really got the feeling of being immersed in this wilderness.

One can see how much thought has gone into every little detail of this remote outpost, from the tents to the library tent and the comfortable 4-seater vehicles. Food was great, service flawless and camp managers Nicola and Peter made you feel very welcome every step of the way and their personal attention only added to the experience.

Regarding the much written about Tse-Tse flies - we felt that they were a distraction during the afternoon activities, but not really a major issue - and the camp itself is free of them."

"We did have some apprehensions before coming to Mahale as we had great expectations and were not sure how we would take to the chimps. Suffice to say, Mahale and Greystoke did not disappoint.

The camp is located in a fantastic spot and the palatial rooms are full of character and intricate details.

But no doubt, the chimps are the star attraction. We were lucky to get very good sightings every day of our stay and while the trekking can be a bit strenous, it was still doable for the unfit (ie. us).

The crystal clear waters of the lake are especially appealing after a morning's hiking and just relaxing by the beach is a great complement (or even alternative...) to the chimp trekking. A cool cocktail by the lake and a wholesome dinner perfectly rounded off our days and it felt almost unreal to head back home from this fantastic place."

"Ibo Island was truly a unique and wonderful place - after 8 nights I felt almost like a part of the family and community.

Ibo Lodge's "own" temporary sandbank has to be experienced to be belived - snorkelling, relaxing or walking on the soft sand - all in the middle of the ocean and not a soul in sight. When not relaxing on the sandbank or around the lodge, the variety of options to explore different aspects of the island, its fascinating history or the mangroves were equally enjoyable.

Ibo Lodge's staff were wonderfully friendly and every lover of seafood will not want to leave again - lobster, crab, shrimp, fish, etc. all fresh from the surrounding waters (although I did enjoy the beef filet one evening to mix things up a bit).

In my view, Ibo can only be recommended for anyone looking for a unique island experience away from the masses."