Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs B from London

"Chiawa is a lovely camp on the banks of the Zambezi, the perfect place to start our holiday. The "tents" are very comfortable and well spread out giving the feeling of privacy. A few yards from ours was a bench from which we could watch elephants, warthogs, hippos, impala, etc., many wandering past our veranda (which overlooked the river). The room had power so charging batteries was very convenient.

The staff were very friendly and helpful. The food was good as were the facilities although we didn't fancy the look of the pool.
Dining facilities were very pleasant either under cover or out in the open as you wish and there was a very nice bar area.
One lunch was a surprise set up for just us on a boat; we cruised the Zambezi with waiter service - how exotic do you want to get?

The guides we had were generally very good and we especially enjoyed Spencer and Paul. The safari drives were comfortable, with just us on the vehicle, and we saw a lot of varied life."

"Unusual camp in that the rooms are solid walled with mesh windows. They are very comfortable, our only gripes are lack of power and the time it takes for hot water to get to the taps, minor issues given where we were.

We particularly enjoyed the private deck overhanging the river edge on which lunch is served.

Game drives were very good with especially good sun-downers. Our only reservation is that they tend to put all the guests on one vehicle if possible, albeit only two abreast. That being said, we did see a successful lion hunt and plenty of other game.

Staff were very pleasant and the owners were about although we didn't see much of them.

One negative is the disclaimer we were asked to sign on arrival. It seemed to absolve the camp of any responsibility whatsoever for anything at all. We've seen nothing like this at any other camp, although they didn't mind us crossing out parts we particularly didn't agree with.
Food was very good and the hippo and elephant hides excellent spots for an hour or two at midday."

"We loved this camp, its staff and the welcome. It is beautifully situated on the banks of the Luangwa river.

The rooms are essentially straw huts but much more comfortable than that sounds (or the photos look). Inside is a large bed, enclosed at night, with bedside tables, in a large mosquito net. There are outside showers with constant piping hot water and covered loo. The rooms are well spaced out for privacy in a grassy encampment. There is in-room power for charging batteries, etc.

Dinners are served under the stars with staff members, including the charming owners, John and Carol. Game drives were very good although Tafika doesn't believe in using radios between vehicles for game spotting; we feel this is a disadvantage as it can mean not seeing as much as one might.

A must is the micro-light flights first thing in the morning, an optional extra not to be passed up.
All in all this was our favourite Zambian camp."

"After our safari we wanted somewhere to relax and Kaya Mawa was perfect.

Set on a beautiful beach on Likoma Island, we were treated like royalty; nothing was too much trouble. Staff, most of who are from the local village, couldn't have been more charming and helpful. Our room was very big with private plunge pool, three decks and complete luxury.

Meals were mostly served on the beach and the food was very good. Other options were in your room or deck, in the gazebo, under the mango tree; they kept coming up with new ideas.

One of us did a couple of scuba dives which were very nice indeed with a totally personal service from dive master Kevin.
We did the boat trip around the island which was somewhat spoilt by rough conditions at the other (north) end of the island. The visit to the incongruous cathedral was very interesting.

We can't recommend this place enough; we are already trying to work out a way to go back!"

"Guides Hector and Mapone were excellent, knowledgable, the best communicators of our trip and were great fun to be with. They worked very well together as a team. Our only reservation is that 6 guests to a vehicle looks cramped - we were lucky and only had 4, which was fine.

This was certainly a smart camp but we found the brown tap water, with the distinctive iron smell, here and at Kwara, off-putting - this didn't happen at Xakanaxa.

We enjoyed taking our meals with the guides, campfire stories, etc. It quickly produced a friendly and inclusive atmosphere which added to our experience."

"Whilst our guide, Montsho was very good/experienced, after Lebala the restrictions of being in the national reserve diminished our enjoyment of the wildlife.

We were very impressed with the food which was the best on the trip. The showers were the best too. This was a larger camp and didn't quite have the "inclusive" feel of Lebala and Kwara but the quality of the facilities was the highest of our trip."

"Best for big cat viewing. Guides Piet and GnT were an excellent team and worked very hard to deliver interesting game drives. We would like to add a special note about Piet. An English, solo travelling, lady joined our group mid way through our stay. She was extremely demanding of Piet and required almost one-to-one attention. In our view she had been badly advised (not travelling with Expert Africa) and was totally unprepared for seeing nature in the wild. She was only interested in "pretty animals" and was selfish in her demands and behaviour towards us and the guides. Piet demonstrated outstanding patience and diplomacy in trying to balance her requirements with those of the three of us other guests on the vehicle. We are aware that she made a complaint and whilst we made assurances at the time to Piet, GnT and Janet, we want to add our comments to assure the team at Kwara that they could do no more in the circumstances.

We felt that the tents would benefit from some refurbishment. We didn't experience many mosquitoes but they would have little problem coming up through the gaps between floorboards. The canvass was pretty mouldy in places and the bed linen was very tired. That said, the location on the lagoon with the views (and sounds) of the hippos, impala, warthogs and baboons on tap was wonderful.

Again, we have the reservation that 6 guests to a vehicle looks cramped - we were lucky and only had 4, which was fine."

"We made an incorrect asumption that mobile meant mobile and thought we would move locations during our stay. The fact that we didn't did not detract from our experience. Grant and his team looked after us very well. Having already spent 9 days on safari, we set Grant a very challenging task to find us something new! He rose to that challenge with a great hyena and leopard spot on a night drive and a wild dog hunt.

The high levels of water this year have increased the drive time to the camp to 5 hours. Obviously this encompasses game viewing but it is a factor to be aware of.

Grant offers a very special, individual experience with his undivided attention. It is quite humbling to appreciate that the camp is there just for you. It is ideal for a family where the activities can be tailored to the needs of children, a service not so readily available with other camps."