Travel reviews by Ms AW from SW London

"Although this is a large camp I thoroughly enjoyed it. Being on the Zambezi river is just beautiful and the view of the Zambian mountains makes for a perfect backdrop.

Loved our cruise and sundowners watching a hippo pod. The elephants wander around this camp. The staff were fabulous here.

We had an amazing experienced guide called Englibert who made our outings memorable. We thoroughly enjoyed the lunches here- a lovely variety of salads. Since I was travelling with my son, they put us in the family room which was a nice bonus.

I also like it as they did a lunch in the bush for everyone at camp. Also, a very nice touch is giving you a cloth to wash Hands when you arrive back after a game drive."

"I am very glad we went to this camp and would have liked to stay for another night. I would like to rank it very good.

There are so many things I love about it. The elephant hide was def a highlight of our trip. Also, the elephants that visit the plunge pool at lunch are a delight. It had the best elephant viewings by far. Loved the waterhole here as frequented by lots of animals. So you can game view in between drives.

I love the rustic feel of the camp- that’s what makes it so special. Love the morning camp fire on the sand - feels authentic. I loved it because it was a small and intimate camp. Nice touches like water bottles for early morning game drives and also for bed time. But I honestly was very cold in bed and didn’t want to get out of it to change in the morning.

I see a few weeks later the overnight temperature has really warmed up. The staff are lovely and Liberty was a great guide. The only real shortfall of this camp is that you have a good 20 minute drive to get out of it into the safari area. However the game viewing was excellent.

But I would def go back and recommend for a more authentic safari ."

"This camp is def luxurious. Again we were put in a family room, as travelling with my son. Nice bonus.

Although some of the evenings were cold we had heated blankets and the room came with heating and air con if needed. The room was absolutely beautiful and stylish. The water hole here didn’t seem to be frequented as much as at Little Makalolo but the elephants did wander around during the afternoon. The game viewing here was great. Lots of lion prides and cheetah sightings.

My son needed to speak to a doctor with a tummy bug and that was taken care of immediately. Also we had forgotten our camera charger and this was the only camp to offer us theirs to use. Wished we had stayed an extra night.

We split four nights in between two camps that were close together. Maybe 2\3 combo may have been better or 3/3 the best. Even though the drive between both camps was short and we didn’t miss out on a game drive , you get a better feel of a camp after three nights.

I don’t regret doing it as both camps offered different experiences but don’t think going forward I would want to pack unpack again so quickly. I must add that Expert Africa did not recommend this originally to me but I suggested it as I had read great reviews about both camps."

"This hotel is iconic and history abound. The facilities are beautiful.

Given the number of tourists that can appear all at once, they handle it efficiently . Concierge and customer service superb. The room was a little tired. We were in the stable area I believe and the gardens outside in the courtyard a bit tatty. But overall the premises were beautiful.

Lovely Indoor and outdoor bar area. Breakfast was nice and we had a lunch BBQ which was good. Had problems with the internet in the room. But it was quickly solved.

I wished I had added on a few more days in Victoria Falls as there is a lot to do. We visited the falls unguided. Taxis are USD 6 each way to most places you may wish to go."

"The hotel restaurant service was very slow; a lot of staff, but had to ask three different people for a coffee.

What I like about the hotel was the fact you could game view on site."

"This is truly a 5 star hotel. The grounds are beautiful and the terrace backing onto the pool was superb for drinks.

It seems to be an in spot with the Kigali up and coming types. The pool was outstanding. Morning buffet breakfast had a great selection."

"The hotel is comfortable and relaxed. The grounds are lovely and the main building or hub has a rustic lodge feel about it!

Food was good; offering a wide variety of courses."

"This was truly a 5 star hotel! Grounds were lush and terrace overlooking the pool area was a bonus!

The breakfast buffet is large and varied. The design of hotel is very good!"

"What cannot say enough about Beho Beho! The place is well managed and as a result the final product looks effortless. This is a luxurious safari lodge that wants you to have different experiences, whether I'd be the luncheon venue or the boat safari. Etc

Food was also of a high standard; variety of freshly made breads, lovely puddings and good South African wine. The morning game drives were up to 6 hours ling; unheard of on the safari circuit!"

"Just what your imagination would dream up; romantic, stylish getaway in the bush! This feels a bit more intimate and personal than staying at base camp!

The bathroom was totally funky and the Morrocan lanterns added a bit of exoticism to it!"

"Although I enjoyed Kapani lodge, I did prefer the more intimate relationship I had with nature at the bush lodge.

I also felt we should have been offered the option to walk.

Our guide, Abs was extremely knowledgeable, personable and professional."

"This was my favourite bush camp overall and perhaps the one I enjoyed the most. Robin, the manager, had a very relaxed manner about him and nothing was too much trouble for him. The camp had a very intimate atmosphere.

Our guide Aubrey was again excellent. We went on a few walking safaris with him and they were the most intersting of all of the camps we stayed at. He had a good understanding of nature. I liked the fact that at both Norman Carr camps the same guide stayed with you. I also liked the fact that a park ranger came with us out in the bush on each excurision.

The camp is in a beautiful location and the central lodge or meeting area is idyllic. I also think we saw the best game here: pride of 12, leopard making a kill, python wrapped around a dead impala. Hippos were in abundance here and the tents provided great views of them. On the walkign safari we got close to zebra, an elpephant, a hippo, and also saw a lioness chase 2 impalas.

Another plus for this camp is that you are truly out in the bush and apart from the other jeep at the camp that is all we saw. You are in the park here and have easy access where as at Kapani you have to drive into the park and also share the game with lots of other camps. The food at Kapani was slighlty better but both offered great salads. But if one has never been on safari and wants electricity, perhaps this is not the place for them."

"This was my least faveourite out of the 4 camps we stayed at. However, its location on the Lowere Zambezi was one of the nicest and the terrain was idyllic.

The reed cabins could have been a bit larger and as we had our son in the room, it was a bit cramped. I loved the bucket/shower concept. All 3 of us had no problem sharing one bucket and enjoyed a hot shower. The host couple was lovely and he was really disappointed that we did not see more game and in particular leopard. We also enjoyed a white linen lunch in the bush which was quite special. We also went for sundowners on the boat and there was a lot of hippo activity in the water.

The hostess was quite involved with the menu and even made her own ginger beer for the guests to try. We did not have the same guides for our 2 day stay and I really think that it is shame as you do not develop the same repoire you might have by only having one guide. Also, the guides do not know what has previoulsy been said on the last safari outing."

"Since this was the most expensive camp we stayed at, we had high expectations. The tented rooms were large and there was lots of room for us despite the fact that we had 3 in a room.

The hosting couple are present and really go out of their way to make sure you have a special experience. The food here was superb and one can enjoy an a la carte dinner menu. The house wine was also excellent here. Special touches included a surprise lunch for the 5 of us that travelled together on a boat. After an excellent canoe excursion we were greeted by the hostess and had sun downers on a sandy spit. Later, all guest were treated to a surprise dinner in the bush. Even posh loos were set up for the guests.

The guys went fishing out on the river here with a guide in between an activity. There is lots of choice here. It is almost like a safari resort, yet I don't mean that in a negative way. Everything runs smoothly here and the atmosphere is relaxed. Some of the ktichen staff even sung a few songs for the guests. A Chiawa water bottle is given to you so that they can cut down on plastic water bottles. You have to be boated in here which adds to the adventure of this camp. The night drives were superb here. The best of any of the 4 camps we stayed at as there were always cats to see.

I did not enjoy the walking safari that much here as the area we walked in had very little to see. Also, a guide should ask have you been on any other walking safaris as since we had already been on 5 walks this trip and others on different trips, we had some basic knowledge about the common stuff you see. Also, since the terrain is hilly here, the walk is in a flatter area, but as a result ended up being quite short- 1.5 hours. I also had a hrad time understandiing our guide at times.

Two of the guides here were excellent- Paul and Rory. I am sure they are tops in their field. Paul led us on an amazing canoe safari , proably a highlight for me. The channel is full of birds and I enjoyed them and I am not a birder. Also, we had a thrilling expereince with the elephants that crossed the water channel and had a mud bath!

Rory took us out for a 4 hour plus morning jeep ride and since there was not lots of game out, he focused on the birds, plants and trees. Some of the guides were in training , but thier communication skills will need to really improve if Chiawa wants to maintain its status of having top guides. Again, I prefer just having one guide but we had many here. The setting is again idyllic and the moutains provide a wonderful backdrop. This was the perfect place to end our safari vacation."