Travel reviews by Mrs J. from Gulf Shores

"Drivers from Pioneer Camp were waiting for us at Lusaka Airport. About a 40 minute drive to camp. Our room was basic but we were not lacking for anything. Dinner was homestyle local food and good. Good camp for start of our trip."

"Larger accommodations and more activities than the other camps. My granddaughter and I took advantage of fishing, and I managed to catch a 12 lb. catfish. Nina had to help reel it in Canoeing with the hippos was great and seeing crocodiles and elephants up close was amazing. Had no idea of the training the guides had to go through. Our guide Alex rattled off names of species, phylum of animals and trees etc. He spotted animals day and night we hadn't even seen yet. We were indulged and even were able to pick the time we wanted our safaris to begin each morning. Due to Covid the camp was almost empty. One lunch on an island in the Zambezi River and dinner one evening in the bush with torches all around was pure luxury. We saw hundreds of hippos here. They sang to us all night. A few giraffes, One zebra mixed in with many impala plus many baboons. And a very special sighting of 23 wild dogs and a glimpse of a baby. Solitary elephants and groups of 3 or 4. Mongoose, civets, white tailed mongoose, and genet sightings at night. Not an accurate count but game sightings were not as plentiful here as they were in Nsefu and Robin's House in Nkwali. The bird watching was more plentiful here. Beautiful birds and different kinds of geese, cranes, and storks. Especially liked small green love birds that would fly out of thickets in mass and several fish eagles. Forgot to mention the wonderful guinea fowl. Food is excellent here and at each camp we stayed."

"Also loved Nsefu. At one point my granddaughter said she thought that was her favorite camp. Accommodations were smaller here but more game. Also only guests in camp so we had a lot of attention. Elephants in small groups with young and some males in groups also. Giraffes are more plentiful and in family groups. Several wild dogs Large groups of buffalo. A herd of 80 or more crossed our path one night. Civitits, mongoose, genets at night and some late night hippos and elephants. Zebra small herds, too many to count impala, kudu, and puku. Plus baboons. Again no accurate count. We were too busy enjoying ourselves. Willie the camp manager and John our guide were of much help entertaining us with past animal stories."

"Robin's House at Nkwali was lovely with two bedrooms and separate bathrooms. Deck overlooking Laungua River. Finally saw our first lions. Beautiful young males about 5 years old. Saw them again the next day. Also saw a leopard and her cub she was hiding from a hyena. Also saw her in a tree with an impala she had killed earlier. Saw a hyena while having sundowners that we followed. Arrived at a kill where 2 wild dogs had apparently brought down an impala and were running away. Vultures arrived already and the hyena,1 or 2 of them, had dragged the impala into a thicket next to our vehicle and were having a meal. Extremely noisy as we learned they eat bone, fur, and teeth. Also saw an impala escape two wild dogs by jumping down to the river bank. Dogs missed seeing her baby that was standing nearby, still as can be, by a tree. This was as if we were on a wild dog safari! Plus puku, kudu, elephants, giraffes, buffalo, and the ever present hippos. Had the joy one night of seeing 2 porcupines running up a path with their quills in full bloom. Perry, our guide, was outstanding. Again great food."

"Beautiful lodge. Some hippos, elephants, Giraffes. Enjoyed seeing the White Rhinos that are in a breeding program. Fortunately they are protected 24/7. Very good food and beautiful surroundings. Victoria Falls was so full of water and the spray from the falls made it difficult to get the full impact of the falls drop. The different paths the water had cut in the rock were amazing. Even with rain gear we were sopping wet. Walking was very slippery on the wet mossy stones. Lodge has a nice library with Wifi. Relaxing way to end our trip."