Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs A from Yorks

"This was our first visit to Zimbabwe on safari and exceeded all expectations. From the first afternoon of our arrival, when we spent a couple of hours following and watching three cheetah brothers at a respectful distance, to the 5 seat Cessna flight to Mana Pools our stay at Hwange was nothing short of wonderful.

Sophie, a young lady with managerial and hostess skills way beyond her years, ensured every element of our camp stay was of the very highest order, delivered with an engaging and enthusiastic manner.

Spike and Sean were our guides for the majority of the time and did a splendid job. There was nothing Spike didn't know about the entire environment, from the geology to the stars and the insects to the birds, he's a walking encyclopaedia delivering his knowledge in a gentle and informative way. Sean too, though apparently in the very last stage of his training as a guide, was undetectably so. Our greatest wish was to spend time on foot and to see the animals and birds in as natural a way as possible. That wish was fulfilled in spades.

From successfully tracking lions, who were themselves tracking buffalo, to stalking those same buffalo to within a small but safe distance, we spent a good deal of time on foot in the bush. And we identified a satisfyingly long list of birds too. Walking in onto the watering place of a sizeable herd of elephants and watching them from cover at a distance of less than 10 metres made for an unforgettable sunset experience. It was only intensified by having a drink in the gloaming overlooking a lake as dozens of nightjars flitted like giant moths, hawking for insects."

"We were greeted off our tiny Cesna plane by our guide Mark Friend and the only other guest for the duration of our stay, a charming professional videographer from France, Caroline. From then on we had the most exceptional time.

The location of the camp, with our tent overlooking the Zambesi and across to Zambia, is the stuff of dreams. That, combined with excellent service, great food and our very comfortable tented 'suite' ensured a perfect stay.

Again, our intent was to be on foot as much as possible. Mark ensured we did just that, seeking the unknown wild dog den location, ultimately with success and encountering a wide variety of wildlife throughout.

I think even he, and certainly Caroline and we, thought the highlight of our stay to be the late afternoon moment we came upon a clearing in the bush, alongside which lay a watchful lioness, into which ran two adult black maned lions who proceeded to have a full on fight not 70 metres from us, presumably over mating rights. Whatever the cause, we were left simultaneously aghast and enthralled when they all ran off into the bush. It was Mark's first on-foot sighting of lions fighting.

There might have been a challenge to that being the highlight when we watched the guarded wild dog den as the pups awaited the return of the adults following their morning hunt that brought them food. The excited barks and yips and growls on their return as the 6 pups emerged from the den was an extraordinary moment.

In Mark's calm, capable and experienced hands none of us ever felt anything less than safe, inspired and excited.

The combination of Hwange and Little Vundu was an outstanding success, to the extent that if I had but one holiday left, this is where I'd come."