Reviews of KaingU Lodge

"Enjoyed our stay here but the camp didn't have quite the same personal feel as the last camp. This could be because it is just outside the park and slightly more on the commercial side.

Our guide, Israel, was incredible. We called him binocular eyes!!!! Again very knowledgeable on all aspects of the bush and helped us with bird identification. Accommodation was great, overlooking the river and very private.

However, the 1st dinner was disappointing. A cold soup (not very nice), and meat we couldn't cut very easily (lamb) and not too good sponge pudding (and we aren't fussy eaters).

However, all the breakfasts and the bush breakfast on our own one morning, were great and the dinner on our own was good too. River trips were great, the walk up to the hill was good with super view." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia

"The lodge is in a lovely setting on the banks of the Kafue River where it is very wide and quite rocky. The location means that the river is a feature of every activity whether it is a boat trip, canoeing or a drive in the park.

As the lodge is situated to the east of the river and therefore not in the national park, the game viewers are parked on the opposite side of the river, in the park, necessitating a 15 to 20 minute cruise in each direction between the lodge and the car park.

The area is very quiet and it was rare to see another vehicle/boat when on an activity. In some ways this is great but it does make finding wildlife more difficult when out in the bush. That said, we knew that wildlife would be a challenge here but were pleasantly surprised by the range of antelopes that we saw. However, in three days we didn't see any predators and those elephants that we did see were quite skittish.

The lodge was very comfortable and the owners were very welcoming and hands on. The food was good and we had one private dinner overlooking the rapids downstream of the lodge, albeit it was very dark. It was good to see where we had eaten when we walked down to the rapids with our guide later in the stay.

The camp has solar power and there is no charging in the tents. I was glad that I had taken a couple of power banks with me which I could charge in the central area when we were out on an activity and then use to charge the cameras in the tent during the afternoon/overnight." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia

"Location was great, the river was beautiful and we saw a wide variety of birds and game particularly antelope.

Hosts were good as was the food.

Not giving excellent rating because one of us fell from deck when the railing came off almost into the river!" See all these reviews: 20n in Zambia

"We only stayed 2 nights arriving late and leaving early but a lovely camp . Great location, spacious tents and most importantly the staff were great . The owner managers very much around and leading a great team. The game is much less here so go mainly for the scenery , canoeing and walking in a lovely setting and you won’t be disappointed. Food was excellent with a special meal on our last night. Hopefully over the coming years the game will improve making it a superb camp in every respect .
One lovely touch was we were a group of 6 and ended up on a short flight in a 4 seater so 2 journeys to our next camp .We were asked if we minded if one of their guides who had never been on a plane could do the return trip - it was a delight to see his excitement , his big smile said it all and to us showed how much care they took of their staff. Worth a visit for sure." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia

"Great location on the beautiful Kafue River. Very peaceful location with good rooms brilliant staff. gill and Julia were great hosts and very happy to share their experiences of running the lodge.

Excellent, happy, smiling staff who were always happy to help.

The preparation of food was excellent but the quality of meat not quite as good as at some lodges.

Wildlife was good and the river trip and a surprise brunch a highlight" See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia

"Lovely stay at KaingU, especially liked the warm hospitality at the camp. Location by the Kafue River is awesome, and you can enjoy a short boat ride before each game drive.

Meals on the veranda are in a beautiful setting. Stayed only two nights and could therefore only do a few games drives but those produced great results. We managed to even see a cheetah which was the main reason for us to come to Kafue NP.

What we did not know yet, this one cheetah would be the only one to show up during the entire Kafue trip including a later visit to the Busanga Plains. So, the Cheetah experience will always be linked to KaingU." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia

"The highlight here is undoubtedly being right by the Kafue river and enjoying the wildlife (especially birds) that it attracts. You cross by boat to get in and out of camp, there are longer boat trips and (memorably) we had a wonderful surprise brunch on one of the islands.

The scenery is spectacular with huge granite boulders being a challenge to navigate. The dining area is right by the water with bee eaters to accompany daylight meals. All the guest accommodation faces the river and rooms are well appointed with a covered verandah for relaxing.
All the owners are very hands on and very, very personable. The food was exceptional and the staff excellent.

It was a last-minute decision to bolt on two nights here at the beginning of our trip so just one full day for game drives so difficult to give an informed opinion on the variety of wildlife. However there were lots of antelopes including puku, which was a first for us.

Guide Israel was informative and entertaining." See all these reviews: 19n in Zambia

"We did not choose KaingU for the density of game so we were not disappointed! The location on the river and the river itself is quite stunning. The area is also rich in bird diversity. Our guide, Israel, was both knowledgeable and good company on all our activities.

We opted for morning game drives and afternoon activities on the river.

It takes approximately one hour before you leave the "Spine Road" to explore the topography and landscape which will not disappoint." See all these reviews: 15n in Zambia

"KaingU lodge is located on the banks of the Kafue river in the Game Management Area, however, it is a short boat ride to the park and the vehicles. The location on the banks of the river is stunning and it is not to the detriment of the lodge to in the GMA.

My guide, John D, was extraordinary. He has a knowledge that is second to none and appears to have an instinct for finding things. John was able to traverse the park off road moving from one pride of lions to another, finding 12 different lions at 3 different sightings in one morning. An afternoon on the river with John was another great experience where we were able to find and photograph many incredible species including Fin-foot.

Gil was kind enough to take me out at night to help me take photographs of the Milky-way. It was an incredible experience standing on an island in the middle of the Kafue river in the pitch black taking sensational photographs of the stars thanks to Gils's teaching and great company.

I found that the Tsetse flies were keen to bite me at KaingU, however, this was offset by sheer enjoyment of every moment. The lodge was exceptional as was the food and hosting. One incredible dinner was taken in the bush besides the rapids. The rooms have hot water and lighting and charging is available at a central location.

I thoroughly enjoyed KaingU and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone, amazing! Lusaka is also accessible by road." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia

"Very good." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia; 6n in Rwanda