Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B from Westerham

"It is 4 years since the last visit to Bergendal . As in all the Government rest camps , the catering franchises have been changed and are much improved"

"For Game viewing, location on the Sabie river, this is the best camp in the Kruger.
Seeing the Big 5 in a morning on successive days bears testament.

Game viewing from the restaurant area was great fun and for those who wished to self cater, the camp shop was very well stocked."

"Located on a curve of the river, the site of the camp is spectacular. Due to the drought, the river was dry and the game had scattered to look for water.

The facilities, food and rooms were excellent. The staff were attentive and very courteous.

The only downside was that our room No 1 was near a generator from which there came a low humming all night which overwhelmed the sounds of the bush."

"Back to reality after the luxury of a bush camp, but then it is a fraction of the price.

Good viewing again, but some of the gravel roads were very corrugated in this area"

"The commercial, administrative hub of the park, so staying there is not a bush experience, but because of its location the game viewing is good, but generally you will have to share the sightings with numerous other vehicles.

The sunset drive organised by the camp is well worth going on as dusk falls you will be the vehicle in the area and just being that little bit higher gives an enhanced viewing experience."

"Having transferred from the Kruger via Joburg, we did not arrived until 2030, but despite that the kitchen had kept open and a very warm welcome.

The House is an old colonialMansion with a lot of great memorabilia everywhere.

The quality of directions from the Airport to the Hacklewood was excellent, otherwise it would have taken some finding in the dark."

"Having stayed here over 20 years ago, the hotel has expanded, but very tastefully.

The beach is fantastic and there are plenty of other activities to try in the area."

"Very easy to find, again great directions, a beautifully restored old house.

In a very quiet part of Swellendan, but with restaurants nearby if you wished to eat out from the hotel.

A very nice gesture was a complimentary car wash which having been around the Bontebok National park the day before, was much needed."

"Beautifully located in very much up market Hermanus. Abalone was a great overnight stop. The site does not offer dinner, but very are lots of choices in Hermanus and the manageress suggested and booked a reatuarant for us which was great. Breakfast was sumptuous .

I have put down no comment for several of the sites on the activities category as for only staying for one night and self driving , we did not choose to partake of any of them"

"The Guest house was easy to find and very quiet and peaceful with good security . A delightful French couple Orlana and Emannuel own and run the place with a real passion. We ate out at a the Casa Forna restaurant in Otjiwarongo which was fine .

Good information from them on Etosha and free unexpected car wash."

"Our first visit to the now opened West side of the park via the Galton gate. The Dolomite camp is stunningly situated on the side of a crest with great views over Etosha.

The problem with the camp is that you are totally reliant on a golf buggy to get around the site as some of the climbs if you are elderly are just too much in the heat and as the camp was full, you spent a lot of time waiting for transport.

As it was fairly dry the game was concentrated around the water holes with especially good viewing at Renostervlei , Rateldraf and Arendsnes."

"Our sixth visit to Okaukuejo and the water hole never lets you down with a constant stream of animals visiting. This time plenty of Rhino and Elephants . The room was airconditioned and clean near the waterhole ideal. Dinner was an acceptable buffet , but for a $180 Namibian dollars per person it would be churlish to complain.

General game viewing was good , lions , hyena , jackals , bat eared foxes , plus all the usual herbivores"

"Quality lodge with excellent rooms , service and food."

"With rising waters the lodge was only reachable by pontoon. With secure parking it was great fun being punted across to the lodge where we given a warm welcome by Monica and Johann to whom nothing was too much trouble.

An evening boat ride and an visit to Mahango National Park were great fun, even managing to see the elusive Sable and Roan antelopes."

"Leaving the car at Kongola police check point , we were meet on time and transported into the Bwabwata National park to the Lodge on an island in the Kwando river system. Well laid out lodge with excellent staff and good food .

The evening boat trip was rather dull . The route we took had limited birding and tall papyrus reeds which blocked any field of vision though other guests who took the game drive option that evening had good viewing."

"The boat transfer to Lagoon was fantastic fun and immigration into Botswana and the river check point was great . I think we were the only people the immigration officilas saw that day.

Lagoon camp facilities have been totally upgraded since our last visit in 2009 . The rooms and general areas were greatly improved . The staff were excellent all the time , especially our guide Sugar and tracker PK were worked tirelessly on the drives to find sightings when at times the grass was so high that anything could have been next to the road and we would not have seen it."

"Sister camp to Lagoon needs the facelift that Lagoon has had as the rooms now do not compare. But it is still an excellent camp with great game viewing , Lions Cheetahs Wild Dogs and Sable were highlights.

Robbie the guide and AT the tracker were top drawer in their tracking and enthusiasm"

"A brilliant location overlooking the Namibian border with flood plain below , just outside the designated National Park area ,As the park is unfenced the animals still roam around in abundance. The lodge is well run by an English couple Rob and Joy who could not do enough to made sure you enjoyed your stay.

The boat trip was the highlight seeing hundreds of Elephants playing in the river . The room was fine and food excellent."

"A Camp with a fantastic family feeling. Nothing seemed too much trouble in ensuring that all our expectations were met. The lunchtime buffet was wonderful, just what was needed after the morning game drive.

Our thanks to guide Brian who answered every question with great knowledge and humour."

"A lovely venue overlooking the river.

Wonderful food served in the company of the delightful Katy and the guides. The river was on the low side so it made for difficult viewing over the tributary banks. The birdlife was prolific with Simon our guide getting the boat into position for the best possible photos.

The elephants at lunchtime beneath the viewing platform were so close, that it was fantastic just to sit and watch ."

"The highlight of the sightings were the wild dogs , some good leopard. Many thanks to Brian, Patience and Crispin for their spottings throughout our stay.

Message to Christina, Keep up the good work"

"Arrived early evening so just time for a quick snack, sleep, before an early morning transfer to Lusaka airport.

The chalet was spacious and very comfortable"

"Well situated camp away from the main tourist trail . The northern part of the park was much busier with more day safaris from Arusha and lodges.

Due to the rains a lot of the game apparently had moved away from the Silale Swamp area and a lot of the tracks were badly rutted making driving difficult , but the viewing was still good . During the day stacks of elephants, lesser Kudu, leopard and fringe eared oryx were seen and on the night drive serval, genet , porcupine, and a pride of 23 lions. Rooms ( shower outstanding) and food were good and the staff excellent. In certain areas there were certainly a lot of tsetse , especially around the swamp area."

"Set back from the crater edge with no crater view , Rhino Lodge is a great budget option .

Although the Lodge was full , there was no noise and the buffet style dining and breakfast ran very smoothly. Although not in the same class as more upmarket lodges the rooms were clean and comfortable and 25mins from the descent road into the crater. The day trip to the crater was excellent and our guide Jackson made a great job of getting around and avoiding the crowds.

6 black rhino and plenty of lion ,hyena, eland were the highlights."

"The mobile camp in the Ndutu area of Ngorongoro Conservation area is a class act. From the welcome to departure , nothing was too much for camp manger Pascal and his team. Considering that every drop of water for use in the tents is man handled, the standard of service was excellent. The timing of breakfast was flexible to the individual needs and the food at the communal diner area was good and plentiful.

The camp was ideal to see the vast herds of wilderbeest and zebra stretching across the horizon during the migration . Olakira is situated close to quite a number of other camps and consequently at predator sightings there were always a large number of vehicles . The bush telegraph cackled into operation and although there were good sightings of lion , leopard and cheetah, we were never the only vehicle at the sighting. One big plus is that in the conservation area you are allowed off road and consequently this enhanced the sightings . Just up the road in the Serengeti national park, there is a strict on road rule"

"Another class act as a camp. From arrival to departure the staff were top class. With decent rains the bush was very dense and animals scattered up to the escarpment which made game viewing very difficult but the ability of Marius Swart our guide for the 3 days made for a fantastic bush experiance . If it was living or growing Marius knew about it and passed on the information in the most understandable way.

Kwihala follows the on road rule only which is mandatory in Ruaha , so don't expect to go off road. The camp will be moving soon to a new permanent site just around the corner with a refurbishment of the facilities , the way the staff were talking , it will be spectacular.

Colin the camp manager could not do enough to help , Geoffrey the chef , fantastic and the flexibility of drives very welcome"

"A splendid location on the river gives fantastic views from the communal areas and the individual stilted tents. The big bonus of the camp is to be able to offer game drives and boat excursions. The drives around the lagoons and the river were always interesting with plenty of activity.

Elephant ,lion ,giraffe and wild dog on land , with hippo ,crocs and abundant birdlife by boat. Barbara , Andrea and the staff were most attentive and thanks to Ally and Makumbo for the spotting on the game drives and Damon on the boat. Lunches were excellent , the diners not quite as good as some of the flavour combinations were somewhat unusual."

"Centre of town hotel . Smart, tidy good service . Ideal for a night stop over before returning to the UK"

"Very pleasant lodge set not far from the main road, an easy drive from Windhoek.

A good viewing area enables you to see some game from the main lodge though some of the species, white blesbok, grey springbok made somewhat unusual viewing . In one of the camp's other large fenced areas ,we had a very enjoyable evening game drive.

A good spot to break up the journey to/from Etosha or the Caprivi."

"Much improved accommodation since our last visit in 2002. The bush chalet concept was excellent. The old style barrack type rooms are still there but look as though they have been refurbished as well.

No problems with the all inclusive concept of meals , although not as good as some of the private lodges with d'hote menu was quite acceptable . The Camp was quite empty so the service was fine.

Due to heavy rains the park was flooded in certain areas and some roads had been shut by the park authorities. This did stop not some good sightings LIon Hyena, Eland especially around the Chudop waterhole area. The Fischers pan drive was great for Zebra, Giraffe , Wildebeest, Warthog, Gemsbok. No elephants as they had all gone north."

"As Namutoni , the Okaukuejo accommodation had been completely upgraded in certain areas . The chalet near the waterhole was good ,but even after only a year was showing signs of wear and tear.

The dining was a bit like canteen style , a rolling buffet , so it was vital to avoid the crowds as this was a much busier camp than Namutoni. We ate late both lunch and dinner and found that after the initial crowds had died down , the standard was satisfactory /good , but don't get too excited.

The main draw has always been the waterhole , but the recent heavy rains had made it redundant which was a shame , but on the plus side it made the waterhole area very quiet during the evening and night, so that there was not the constant noise if you did want to get to bed early as previous visits.

As at Namutoni ,the authorities had closed several roads , but there was still plenty to see and so much just by the car. The 500 dollar deposit was no problem , returned promptly when checking out. The staff generally were fine"

"as before"

"On arriving at Ndhovu we were met by Horst and informed that we were the only guests. The tented accommodation was fine . THe evening boat ride was excellent . Great birds and some good animals along the bank. Tasty food taken wth Horst , fascinating entertaining company.

A morning drive in the Mahango Park was great fun , but did not see the elusive sable . Really enjoyed the camp and the personal service. One plus point was that unprompted our car had been washed after the mud of Etosha and that was a real bonus."

"Returned after a period of eleven years and did not recognise the place. Vastly improved with a very impressive main lodge area and the individual chalets to a very high standard. The staff and food were excellent .

The evening boat ride and game drive were well guided , but the viewing was dissapointing and the price of both was far higher than at Ndhovu and later in our trip at Mazambala so if you are not on an all inclusive rate be aware.

The Camp staff were prompt and efficient in sorting out the border formalities both going and coming back from our transfer to Botswana. which was great fun by speed boat. Another unprompted car wash which was great as the amount of insect life that had died on the front of the car and windscreen was enormous."

"After the speedboat transfer from Lianshulu which was great fun through the papyrus. Comimg ashore at the best international border ever, a small tent, an official and the Botswana flag . I think we were the only people he saw that day !

Lagoon camp was magnificent , there were only 4 guests as it was low season and grass and undergrowth so thick that in certain areas you could not see more than 5 yards . James and Dijou worked so hard in tracking and to find the Lagoon pride of wild dogs twice was amazing in totally different areas . Another highlight were the roan albeit fleetingly.

The staff were totally attentive and the food was fine . The tent was showing signs of age ,but was satisfactory."

"The air transfer was 40 mins from lagoon and no problem. Another great Kwando camp. The main lodge area looks over the lagoon and the resident lechwe and impala . Get a high numbered tent as they overlook the lagoon.

As it was a busier camp and its sister camp Little Kwara is just down the road , four vehicles went out morning and afternoon and they were in communication which made sightings a little bit easier. Even so . Lions , Hyena, Leopard, and a Cheehah mum and 5 cubs in one day !! Guide David and trainee tracker KP were great company and David must be up there as one of the very best.

Food , accommodation were fine . A brilliant 2 days"

"As before"

"Only a couple of miles off the main tar road, there was a secure parking area , before the boat transfer to the lodge about 10 mins.

The room was basic , no freeby shampoos etc .but clean and tidy. Again we were the only people staying , but that did nor spoil our enjoyment. The view of the swamps from the raised viewing tower was spectacular .

The evening boat ride through the swamps towards the edge of the national park was fantasic. Great birds and varying animals along the banks in the company of a super guide Arris. The meals were fine and although we did not see much on the morning drive in the Bwabwata national park because of the denseness of the foliage ,it was still very enjoyable.

Not a luxury camp , but excellent value for money."

"Some 8 miles off the main road , outside Rundu. A camp on the banks of the main Okavango river. We arrived late afternoon and the room was fine.

We were not offered any activities , but were not that bothered as we only using the camp for an overnight stop. Both the evening meal and breakfast were buffet style and fine. Again the car was cleaned first thing in the morning unprompted."

"Bush camp facilities were absolutely first class . Our activities were somewhat twarted by the heavy rain both evening and morning, so both the game drives were curtailed . That is the problem going in the rainy season !"