Travel reviews by Mrs L from Surrey
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
6
Excursions taken
0
Overall Trip Experience
Zambia between 4 Sep 2011 and 15 Sep 2011
"Very disappointed about the walking safari experience and because there was so little interaction with animals the walking safari part was repetitive and after a few days boring. As the camps were relatively close to each other the terrains were very similar and therefore again led to repetition about the trees, grasses and poo.
The pictures in the Norman Carr brochures have obviously been manipulated (we heard that one of the hosts had admitted this to fellow travellers), very misleading. Had we known that the animals ran away we would not have taken this holiday. A very expensive mistake.
Because of the repetition we also thought that the trip was too long. 5 nights would have been more than enough before moving to a new location altogether.
A herd of buffalo bolted when we were 200 metres away. Hippos and crocodiles ran into the water when we were walking on the river banks on the opposite side to the sand spits they were on 40-50 metres away. A lion even moved into the grass when we were over 250 metres away. Lions, Hippos and crocodiles do not move away from vehicles even when they are relatively close.
We saw lots of game on the drives and were lucky to see 5 leopard and a significant number of lions including a mating pair during the trip.
There were some issues of cleanliness at the camps with broken or chipped toilet seats and general dirtiness of room floors and at Kakuli the bar area. We do not mean daily dust. Mrs Lloyd has lived in Zambia and understands the local situation regarding cleaning. The expat staff should be more on top of general cleaning.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We have no issue with Expert Africa's service.
For walking safaris I would suggest that you ask people what they think they will experience. The novelty of the walking safari experience is short lived and therefore we recommend that 4-5 days on the Norman Carr safari is more than enough. Our 9 night holiday was far too long."
The pictures in the Norman Carr brochures have obviously been manipulated (we heard that one of the hosts had admitted this to fellow travellers), very misleading. Had we known that the animals ran away we would not have taken this holiday. A very expensive mistake.
Because of the repetition we also thought that the trip was too long. 5 nights would have been more than enough before moving to a new location altogether.
A herd of buffalo bolted when we were 200 metres away. Hippos and crocodiles ran into the water when we were walking on the river banks on the opposite side to the sand spits they were on 40-50 metres away. A lion even moved into the grass when we were over 250 metres away. Lions, Hippos and crocodiles do not move away from vehicles even when they are relatively close.
We saw lots of game on the drives and were lucky to see 5 leopard and a significant number of lions including a mating pair during the trip.
There were some issues of cleanliness at the camps with broken or chipped toilet seats and general dirtiness of room floors and at Kakuli the bar area. We do not mean daily dust. Mrs Lloyd has lived in Zambia and understands the local situation regarding cleaning. The expat staff should be more on top of general cleaning.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
We have no issue with Expert Africa's service.
For walking safaris I would suggest that you ask people what they think they will experience. The novelty of the walking safari experience is short lived and therefore we recommend that 4-5 days on the Norman Carr safari is more than enough. Our 9 night holiday was far too long."
Feedback response
Expert Africa was sorry to hear that walking safaris in South Luangwa did not meet the expectations these travellers had of what walking through a wildlife area would be like.
At Expert Africa we try hard to use our expertise to guide our travellers using unbiased advice rather than a 'sales pitch'. The flip side of this is that when travellers appear to have done their research and selected what they feel will suit them, we may not question these choices to avoid seeming to 'push' an alternative option.
This feedback has highlighted to us that we should always take the time to double check that our travellers choices are indeed the right ones for them. In that way, we can use our personal experience of the safari camps, areas and activities to ensure that our travellers have correctly interpreted any other literature and resources they've read where only the best room images and/or most exciting wildlife scenarios have been shown.
Had we done that with these travellers, they may have altered their choices and ended up with a holiday itinerary that suited them much better.
Arranged By Lucy Copson
Luwi Bushcamp
"Luwi Bushcamp review"
2 nights
Arrived
5 Sep 2011
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Poor
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Feedback response
The safari camp has noted the chipped toilet seat will be checked and swiftly fixed.
Close encounters with wildlife whilst on foot can occur, and so whilst these camps use only their most tantalising images in their marketing literature, the portrayal is not entirely incorrect. The managing director of Norman Carr Safaris noted that the company takes their guest’s safety very seriously as is evident by their excellent record over the past 60 years. He comments that it is something that neither he nor his guiding team will compromise on. The areas in which they offer walking safaris are completely wild and unfenced and so, whilst it is possible to walk in these areas, one must never forget that the animals here are wild and can be unpredictable. This priority over safety is also Expert Africa’s experience of walking safaris offered in our portfolio, including those done with Norman Carr Safaris. Having said that, this doesn’t mean that you don’t sometimes get close to wildlife. Whilst on a walking safari, you may find yourselves upwind of animals when generally they will smell you and run away; sometimes you’ll be downwind of an animal which won’t have seen you or smelt you and if the guide deems it safe you can creep closer; and sometimes you’ll come across an animal unexpectedly and if they haven’t seen or smelt you, your guide will often ask you to duck down and sit still so that you can safely watch – this can be from quite close by!
Close encounters with wildlife whilst on foot can occur, and so whilst these camps use only their most tantalising images in their marketing literature, the portrayal is not entirely incorrect. The managing director of Norman Carr Safaris noted that the company takes their guest’s safety very seriously as is evident by their excellent record over the past 60 years. He comments that it is something that neither he nor his guiding team will compromise on. The areas in which they offer walking safaris are completely wild and unfenced and so, whilst it is possible to walk in these areas, one must never forget that the animals here are wild and can be unpredictable. This priority over safety is also Expert Africa’s experience of walking safaris offered in our portfolio, including those done with Norman Carr Safaris. Having said that, this doesn’t mean that you don’t sometimes get close to wildlife. Whilst on a walking safari, you may find yourselves upwind of animals when generally they will smell you and run away; sometimes you’ll be downwind of an animal which won’t have seen you or smelt you and if the guide deems it safe you can creep closer; and sometimes you’ll come across an animal unexpectedly and if they haven’t seen or smelt you, your guide will often ask you to duck down and sit still so that you can safely watch – this can be from quite close by!
Senior Africa Specialist | Southern Africa & Seychelles
Nsolo Bushcamp
"Nsolo Bushcamp review"
2 nights
Arrived
7 Sep 2011
"Good Host and guide (Andrew). Walking safari focused mainly on the same animal poo that we had learned about at Luwi with a slightly different spin and again confirmed that all the animals ran away from humans. Our disappointment associated with this continued.
Andrew tried a bit too hard to find us a Leopard on both nights which resulted in us driving long distances on the two afternoon/evening drives. The night part of the drive was then done at too fast a speed to be comfortable for spotting and viewing."
Andrew tried a bit too hard to find us a Leopard on both nights which resulted in us driving long distances on the two afternoon/evening drives. The night part of the drive was then done at too fast a speed to be comfortable for spotting and viewing."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Mchenja Bushcamp
"Mchenja Bushcamp review"
2 nights
Arrived
9 Sep 2011
"Good host and an interesting group staying at the camp. Guide (Julius) was not so good . Seemed to spend too much time chatting to the gun man during drives. The walking safari at Mchenja was along the same lines as the previous ones focusing mainly on poo.
The game drives were at a much better pace and because of the area the viewings were better."
The game drives were at a much better pace and because of the area the viewings were better."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Kakuli Bushcamp
"Kakuli Bushcamp review"
2 nights
Arrived
11 Sep 2011
"Average host. We walked to Kakuli with another guide (Lawrence) who was very good. He changed the focus slightly away from poo and concentrated on birds. He was an excellent mimic.
We came across an elephant on the walk and Lawrence immediately made sure we changed direction to move away so that the wind was not blowing our human smell towards the elephant. We were definitely not getting close. In the brochures Norman Carr shows a group of people that look about 30 metres or less from an elephant flapping its ears. According to our guide this would not be allowed to happen. Again our disappointment and annoyance that the walking safaris were misrepresented.
Unfortunately on arrival at Kakuli we were told that our guide for our stay was again to be Julius. Part of the safari experience is to have different guides. As it turned out we had Julius at Kapani as well which meant we had the same guide for 5 of the 9 nights. As Julius was the worst of the 4 guides we had we were not very pleased. We did not feel that we could ask to change the guide."
We came across an elephant on the walk and Lawrence immediately made sure we changed direction to move away so that the wind was not blowing our human smell towards the elephant. We were definitely not getting close. In the brochures Norman Carr shows a group of people that look about 30 metres or less from an elephant flapping its ears. According to our guide this would not be allowed to happen. Again our disappointment and annoyance that the walking safaris were misrepresented.
Unfortunately on arrival at Kakuli we were told that our guide for our stay was again to be Julius. Part of the safari experience is to have different guides. As it turned out we had Julius at Kapani as well which meant we had the same guide for 5 of the 9 nights. As Julius was the worst of the 4 guides we had we were not very pleased. We did not feel that we could ask to change the guide."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Feedback response
Close encounters with wildlife whilst on foot can occur, and so whilst these camps use only their most tantalising images in their marketing literature, the portrayal is not entirely incorrect. The managing director of Norman Carr Safaris noted that the company takes their guest’s safety very seriously as is evident by their excellent record over the past 60 years. He comments that it is something that neither he nor his guiding team will compromise on. The areas in which they offer walking safaris are completely wild and unfenced and so, whilst it is possible to walk in these areas, one must never forget that the animals here are wild and can be unpredictable. This priority over safety is also Expert Africa’s experience of walking safaris offered in our portfolio, including those done with Norman Carr Safaris. Having said that, this doesn’t mean that you don’t sometimes get close to wildlife. Whilst on a walking safari, you may find yourselves upwind of animals when generally they will smell you and run away; sometimes you’ll be downwind of an animal which won’t have seen you or smelt you and if the guide deems it safe you can creep closer; and sometimes you’ll come across an animal unexpectedly and if they haven’t seen or smelt you, your guide will often ask you to duck down and sit still so that you can safely watch – this can be from quite close by!
Senior Africa Specialist | Southern Africa & Seychelles
Kapani Lodge
"Kapani Lodge review"
1 night
Arrived
13 Sep 2011
"Host very average, still had Julius as the guide. Staff very pleasant.
Our sons room had a split toilet seat and the loo was not clean."
Our sons room had a split toilet seat and the loo was not clean."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Average
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Feedback response
The safari camp has noted the split toilet seat and lack of cleanliness and both issues will be checked and swiftly fixed.
Senior Africa Specialist | Southern Africa & Seychelles
Taj Pamodzi Hotel, Zambia (this camp has since closed)
"Taj Pamodzi Hotel review"
1 night
Arrived
14 Sep 2011
"The room allocated had obviously been used by someone on a late check out after it had been cleaned as there was a dirty glass that the porter took away, used shampoo and signs that someone had lain on the bed. Other than that it was OK.
We were not met at the airport by Voyager and had to get the hotel shuttle which fortunately was picking up someone else on a different flight. We thought we were going to have to use the hotel shuttle back to the airport in the morning but fortunately Voyager turned up.
The staff wanted to charge us for one room even though they had the vouchers for 2 rooms passed to them when we checked in. When we question this they said OK. Obviously trying it on."
We were not met at the airport by Voyager and had to get the hotel shuttle which fortunately was picking up someone else on a different flight. We thought we were going to have to use the hotel shuttle back to the airport in the morning but fortunately Voyager turned up.
The staff wanted to charge us for one room even though they had the vouchers for 2 rooms passed to them when we checked in. When we question this they said OK. Obviously trying it on."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Average
Not currently featured by Expert Africa
Chipped toilet seat in chalet detracted from the luxury concept.
The realisation that walking safaris are NOT for getting up close to the animals was a major shock and disappointment. We have been on numerous safaris before in vehicles and were not aware all the animals fled when confronted by humans on foot. The Norman Carr literature did not mention this and the photographs in their literature are a total misrepresentation of reality."