Travel reviews by MrW & MsM from Seattle

"We had a lovely stay at Tongabezi as the first stop on our honeymoon. The staff really did a great job of making us feel welcome and organizing activities for us. The river cabins were small, yet very comfortable. The food was excellent for all meals, though breakfast tended to be served late and a little slow in coming which was problematic for early AM activities.

Insects are a big issue due to it's location. The staff kept the cabins sprayed, and made sure that the curtains were shut in the evening which really helped keep the bugs out. They offered a "sanpan" dinner, where they bring your dinner out to a raft in the river. This was wonderful, except for the bugs.

While Tongabezi's location is very tranquil, it is about a 30 minute drive to the falls and all activities there. So, if your goal is to maximize your exposure to the falls themselves, stay closer to town."

"We only spent one night here, so maybe if we'd spent more time we would have gotten to like Muchenje more. But, we were not that impressed overall.

The camp is on a bluff overlooking a river, which gives you amazing views from both your individual cabin and the common area. When binoculars the game viewing is amazing from the lodge itself! The common area was very airy and attractively decorated. The rooms were pretty basic. They were small, and had poor airflow which was unpleasant on the hot days that we were there.

The food was not good. My wife is a vegetarian, and the camp knew this prior to our arrival, but didn't provide any vegetarian options besides the side dishes.

We ddin't see much on the game drives, but some of the other guests reported spectacular elephant sightings. So, perhaps had we stayed longer or had better luck with our drives we would have enjoyed it more."

"At Little Vumbura you truly feel isolated. The reserve is big, and it feels even bigger because you end up going in a roundabout way on the game drives due to the delta. We had amazing viewing on our game drives. Due to the heat, the afternoon/evening drives had much better viewing than the morning drives when it was hot. We had several leopard sightings and also saw lions, giraffe, and many elephants. We also caught glimpses of the red lechwe, though these tend to get scared of people.

The tends were nicely furnished, and the balcony was comfortable and private. The camp felt like part of the wilderness, though it was comfortable. The food was generally excellent, though a few dishes missed the mark. Brunch was a particular highlight as they offered both a full breakfast and substantial lunch options.

The camp managers were very friendly and excellent at facilitating conversation. The bar was always open, and drinks were excellent."