Travel reviews by Tom & Lise from NC USA

"The City Lodge OR Tambo is very conveniently located adjacent to the OR Tambo terminals and can be reached without having to go outside, carts are available to move luggage to the City Lodge.

The room was clean and comfortable, but did show evidence of wear

The Meals were excellent and a highlight of our stay.

The waitstaff were attentive and friendly.

The front desk staff were variable in helping us deal with some international issues."

"Our entire experience at Tafika was excellent.

The staff at Tafika were friendly, attentive and accommodating from our initial contact to our departure for Chikoko camp.

We arrived after dark and the driver was engaging and on the look out for wildlife - even spotting lions and an Eagle Owl during our transport.

The staff scheduled dinner to accommodate our arrival and we were greeted with candlelight dinner on the banks of the Luangwa River serenaded by hippos - how could it get better... but it did.

The accommodations were rustic, but lacked nothing - and we have never slept better than we did during our safari.

Breakfast sunrises were epic, served over looking the river.

The game drives were efficient and informative, rich with wildlife and excellent guides. The refreshments at sunset by the Luangwa River in the company of Giraffe closed a memorable first day.

It was also impressive that the Coppinger family were at the camp and actively engaged in making our stay special. They were friendly, approachable and it was pleasure discussing Africa and the history of the camps with them."

"Chikoko Tree Camp officially began our walking safari ( we chose wildlife drives for our one day at Tafika) The Chikoko Tree Camp is a charming, but rustic place to stay - from our room we could watch giraffe, warthogs, puku and impala. Being elevated among the trees with the smell of the wild Jasmine on the breezes was a highlight of our room.

The staff was very attentive and our every request met punctually with a smile.
The game walks were wonderful and immersive.

The guides and rangers were so skilled, that we never felt uncomfortable or exposed - rather we felt prepared for the adventure.... and an adventure it was!

The wildlife were abundant and the guides were able to anticipate the animals movements.

We sipped tea while watching elephants cross the Luangwa river, spotted a crocodile tucked beneath some shrubs, learned to recognize tracks and the guides successfully tracked a lioness which we were able to view from on foot... an inexplicable thrill!
Only to return for cool drinks and gourmet dinners - do not miss the chance to tour the kitchen and stare in amazement at the simple earthen facilities that produce such outstanding food."

"Big Lagoon Camp was our favorite camp, it is difficult to explain the visceral pleasure of the camp - when my wife was trying to explain the camp to our daughter, our daughter commented that it sounded as if "someone had created a fairy tale land just for you".

The big lagoon is teaming with wildlife at all times and the ebony fruits were in season, bring elephants throughout the camp to be experienced and respectfully observed just a few yards from the large windows at the rooms.

The same guides, ranger and porter team accompanied us at both Chikoko and Big Lagoon and the wildlife viewing and tracking became more familiar and more rewarding as we adjusted to the terrain and the rhythm of the African bush. We anticipated looking for wildlife, but in reality found ourselves having to decide which wildlife to look at first...

We surmise that when you go on game drives you see Africa, but when you embark on walking safaris, you experience Africa. We would encourage participating in several game walks, because it took a while to become comfortable with the terrain and begin to focus on the marvels of the African bush."

"Mwamba Bushcamp was comfortable and well appointed.

There was still moderate water available when we visited, so the last waterhole hide offered more bird watching than mammals, but the white fronted bee eaters were a pleasure to watch and photograph.

The area around Mwamba has three resident leopards who are more relaxed around jeeps and lounge or hunt with little regard for the jeeps offering exciting and frequent viewing. We were also able to observe lions from two different prides

The rooms are comfortable with hot water always available for showers. The roof has screened openings for unrivaled star gazing before sleep finally overtakes you.

We spent our second night at the Star Bed. A dinner was prepared for us at the Star Bed and was intimate and delicious. We felt very safe and very comfortable in the star bed and while the stars earn the name, it was th predawn light and sunrise which were the most memorable.

The following morning we elected to hike from the Star Bed to Kaingo. The early morning was rich with the whooping of wild dogs and our guide Elias was actually able to mimic their call and bring them to us for an exciting encounter when 3 wild dogs emerged from the brush, stood a moment and then trotted away.

The wild dogs were also trailed by two hyenas. The rest of the hike was rich with spore and tracks which our guide would identify and help us to learn to identify for ourselves."

"Kaingo camp was comfortable and sits overlooking the Luangwa river. My wife loved the open air (but private ) bath tub and missed no opportunity to soak in the tub while listening to the sounds of the river and wildlife.

The food, staff and wildlife viewing were all excellent.

The camp is larger and you will see others on the game drives, but this also increases the likelihood for finding lions and leopards as the guides communicate any sightings.

There are several bushbuck which stroll and graze comfortably around the camp and bee eaters are prevalent around the river banks.

The hippo hide is great, but needs to be used early or after 3pm as the hippos are not very active during the heat of the day.

We also elected a game walk on our final morning at the camp.

The game drives are very productive, but we preferred the experience of game walks and we were rewarded with a very close viewing of a hyena, distracted with a scent."

"We arrived late and left early...

The room was comfortable and well equipped

Universal outlets were available in the room

The breakfast buffet was enjoyable"

"The City Lodge OR Tambo is very conveniently located adjacent to the OR Tambo terminals and can be reached without having to go outside, carts are available to move luggage to the City Lodge.

The room was clean and comfortable, but did show evidence of wear

The Meals were excellent and a highlight of our stay.

The waitstaff were attentive and friendly.

The front desk staff were variable in helping us deal with some international issues."