Reviews of Old Mondoro Bushcamp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
128 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Old Mondoro Bushcamp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Jun-2018, 41 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Old Mondoro Bushcamp.
Lion
95% success
Leopard
100% success
Cheetah
0% success
Wild dog
58% success
Buffalo
100% success
Elephant
100% success
Hippo
100% success
Zebra
97% success
Spotted Hyena
67% success
Aardvark
38% success
Sable antelope
3% success
Eland
3% success
Pangolin
0% success
Mr O
France
"Nothing to improve!"
4 nights Arrived 13 Oct 2012
"Old Mondoro is one of those rare places where nothing could be improved. Its location by the Zambezi is stunning, and the rooms are perfectly designed to enjoy the amazing view (watching an elephant from your outdoor bathtub is a rare treat). The food was wonderful and the service, headed by the ever-present Chris, was always spot on.
There is a variety of activities on both land (drives, night drives, walks) and water (cruising, fishing, canoeing), 2 friendly and helpful hosts, Kayla and Jason, and a great team of guides.
Special mention to the canoeing trip and the tiger fishing - the highlights of our stay!
Excellent camp." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
There is a variety of activities on both land (drives, night drives, walks) and water (cruising, fishing, canoeing), 2 friendly and helpful hosts, Kayla and Jason, and a great team of guides.
Special mention to the canoeing trip and the tiger fishing - the highlights of our stay!
Excellent camp." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
Michigan
"Old Mondoro Bushcamp review"
2 nights Arrived 17 Sep 2012
"Our stay at Old Mondoro was only two nights, but we wish we could have stayed longer. The hosts Kayla and Jason make this tiny 4-chalet camp feel like home. We always felt safe, even with elephants and buffalo wandering through the camp all day, because they kept a careful eye out and even drove us the short distance to our chalets when there were animal visitors about. Elephants wandering by your chalet or the dining area create great photo ops!
Kayla did a wonderful job of planning the menus (she does the planning for Chiawa Camp also), and the food was varied and delicious. The guides and hosts join us for all the meals, which leads to great conversation. The rooms are well appointed, and we were happy to have a charging station in our room for the camera batteries. And hot water on demand is always appreciated. Sitting on the deck outside our room was a great way to relax, with the ever-changing river so close at hand.
We enjoyed the variety of activities offered, even though we only did game drives with Morat and the pontoon cruises. We saw no lions while we were there, but Morat found a great leopard sighting for us on our last morning drive." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
Kayla did a wonderful job of planning the menus (she does the planning for Chiawa Camp also), and the food was varied and delicious. The guides and hosts join us for all the meals, which leads to great conversation. The rooms are well appointed, and we were happy to have a charging station in our room for the camera batteries. And hot water on demand is always appreciated. Sitting on the deck outside our room was a great way to relax, with the ever-changing river so close at hand.
We enjoyed the variety of activities offered, even though we only did game drives with Morat and the pontoon cruises. We saw no lions while we were there, but Morat found a great leopard sighting for us on our last morning drive." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Brussels
"Old Mondoro: sunrise over the Zambezi"
3 nights Arrived 10 Sep 2012
"A high speed boat transfer down the mighty Zambezi from Chiawa to Old Mondoro with Dave Cummings, the founder of these 2 camps and a great conservationist in the Lower Zambezi. He talked about his hopes and aspirations for this part of Africa. His son carries on his work.
A small camp of 5 comfortable rustic wood and bamboo tents set in beautiful green woodland on the Zambezi - in our case we looked on to a canal where elephants came to drink and wash. Like all the camps we visited in Zambia, the main sitting/dining area was a magnificent long-house of wood and thatch. Breakfast was round the campfire watching the sun rise over the river - pure magic. Elephant were impressive frequent visitors.
On drives through the open woodland we saw large herds of bushbuck, kudu, elephant with babies. Another canoe trip down a long canal - breathtaking beauty and peaceful but not without adrenalin, coming into close proximity with elephants, crocodiles and hippo. A birdwatchers paradise: egret, Goliath herons, Fish Eagles, Lilac breasted roller to mention a few.
The managers, Michaela and Jason, and all the staff made us very welcome: there was a good atmosphere." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia; 9n in Botswana
A small camp of 5 comfortable rustic wood and bamboo tents set in beautiful green woodland on the Zambezi - in our case we looked on to a canal where elephants came to drink and wash. Like all the camps we visited in Zambia, the main sitting/dining area was a magnificent long-house of wood and thatch. Breakfast was round the campfire watching the sun rise over the river - pure magic. Elephant were impressive frequent visitors.
On drives through the open woodland we saw large herds of bushbuck, kudu, elephant with babies. Another canoe trip down a long canal - breathtaking beauty and peaceful but not without adrenalin, coming into close proximity with elephants, crocodiles and hippo. A birdwatchers paradise: egret, Goliath herons, Fish Eagles, Lilac breasted roller to mention a few.
The managers, Michaela and Jason, and all the staff made us very welcome: there was a good atmosphere." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia; 9n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr R & Ms Z
NL
"Old Mondoro Bushcamp review"
3 nights Arrived 24 Aug 2012
"We liked and made use of all wildlife viewing opportunities: boat trip, canoe trip and drives. There are many elephants, particularly during the day when they visited us in our tent and encircled the lounge area. The canoe trip was extraordinary:
the peace and quiet with only the sounds of the many various birds. The boat trip on the Zambezi river with the hippos, crocs, elephants and the vegetation was also very much enjoyed. The evening drives with a low powered red light were a disaster for photography and to a lesser degree also for a guest as it limited the views. Semantha and Levi and their team did a fantastic job in organising and catering including taking care of diabetic food requirements." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia; 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
the peace and quiet with only the sounds of the many various birds. The boat trip on the Zambezi river with the hippos, crocs, elephants and the vegetation was also very much enjoyed. The evening drives with a low powered red light were a disaster for photography and to a lesser degree also for a guest as it limited the views. Semantha and Levi and their team did a fantastic job in organising and catering including taking care of diabetic food requirements." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia; 6n in Botswana; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs H
Worthing
"Great safari at Old Mondoro"
5 nights Arrived 16 Aug 2012
"Friendly informative managers, Kayla and Justin and.knowledgeable caring guides Levi and Morat really made theis part of our holiday especially memorable. We saw leopard on our first night drive and then again on our 4th night. The game were plentiful and we got really close. The buffalo and elephants were special.
We felt special too as thee service and commitment from all thee staff team was amazing, exemplified in thee way theey all responded when thee tree crashed onto thee kitchen during lunch one day! Everyone worked togetheer to get thee power up and running and food and drinks flowing. There was hardly a hiccup, Kayla apologised at tea time theat thee biscuits were from a packet! After theat thee routine of lovely fresh food and home baked cakes resumed.
The range of activities is a really plus withe boat trips on thee river and canoes up thee Discovery Channel where you felt very close to nature - thee hippos/ crocodiles and especially thee wonderful birds. The drives were excellent withe lots of animals, apart from thee leopards which were magnificent, we loved thee Aardvark and Porcupines at night thee Kudo, Buffalo and Elephant during thee daytime.
The walking was exceptional withe Levi providing a real insight into life in thee bush and thee history of thee region where he was brought up. We saw lots of game and learnt masses about approaching animals and how to be safe. We always walked in a different area of thee park so enjoyed different terrain and animals each time. Truly we have lovely memories of Lower Zambezi
The elephant wandering round thee camp was a real bonus. They got close up and personal so great photos.
At all times we felt very safe and looked after and I really recommend thee camp, its small and friendly and just great." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia; 5n in Malawi
We felt special too as thee service and commitment from all thee staff team was amazing, exemplified in thee way theey all responded when thee tree crashed onto thee kitchen during lunch one day! Everyone worked togetheer to get thee power up and running and food and drinks flowing. There was hardly a hiccup, Kayla apologised at tea time theat thee biscuits were from a packet! After theat thee routine of lovely fresh food and home baked cakes resumed.
The range of activities is a really plus withe boat trips on thee river and canoes up thee Discovery Channel where you felt very close to nature - thee hippos/ crocodiles and especially thee wonderful birds. The drives were excellent withe lots of animals, apart from thee leopards which were magnificent, we loved thee Aardvark and Porcupines at night thee Kudo, Buffalo and Elephant during thee daytime.
The walking was exceptional withe Levi providing a real insight into life in thee bush and thee history of thee region where he was brought up. We saw lots of game and learnt masses about approaching animals and how to be safe. We always walked in a different area of thee park so enjoyed different terrain and animals each time. Truly we have lovely memories of Lower Zambezi
The elephant wandering round thee camp was a real bonus. They got close up and personal so great photos.
At all times we felt very safe and looked after and I really recommend thee camp, its small and friendly and just great." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia; 5n in Malawi
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
EastEwell
"Old Mondoro Bush Camp Experience"
3 nights Arrived 23 Jul 2012
"Having not been down to the Lower Zambezi area before we thought we'd sample this area combining it with a trip to the S Luangwa Valley and this combination went very well. Old Mondoro and Ciawa Camp are a very good experience for a 5/6 night combination stay with Old Mondoro being slightly less plush than Ciawa but only marginally when you look at the finer touches.
The camp is in a very good isolated location well away from other camps for a very nice personal safari experiences for those at camp. Very nice rooms and good main camp area. Very good and tasty food. This camp is very efficiently run by the husband and wife team and offers a good range of driving, walking, boat, both motor lunch and canoes, and fishing experiences. But if going fishing please check on the timing to see when it's best to enjoy this sport.
Certainly the canoe experience is a very nice way to cruise down the smaller channels of the Zambezi and see the wildlife, although some people just before our trip had been worried by the hippos while canoeing. We certainly saw hippos on our trip but the guides were very efficient and the hippos only postured and were no threat. Very good food and good location for an evening near the water on a sheltered platform in a good airy location. They have animals which regularly come near and through the camp including elephant and buffalo and if you're located in the room near a creek you get pretty good views of wildlife during your afternoon siesta.
Good game viewing with some different game to be seen, we even saw an African Wild Cat and also saw porcupines out sunning themselves in the daytime near their burrow. The only issue is that they do not currently have a resident lion pride in the area so lion viewing is restricted to the transient lions who happen to roam though the area." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
The camp is in a very good isolated location well away from other camps for a very nice personal safari experiences for those at camp. Very nice rooms and good main camp area. Very good and tasty food. This camp is very efficiently run by the husband and wife team and offers a good range of driving, walking, boat, both motor lunch and canoes, and fishing experiences. But if going fishing please check on the timing to see when it's best to enjoy this sport.
Certainly the canoe experience is a very nice way to cruise down the smaller channels of the Zambezi and see the wildlife, although some people just before our trip had been worried by the hippos while canoeing. We certainly saw hippos on our trip but the guides were very efficient and the hippos only postured and were no threat. Very good food and good location for an evening near the water on a sheltered platform in a good airy location. They have animals which regularly come near and through the camp including elephant and buffalo and if you're located in the room near a creek you get pretty good views of wildlife during your afternoon siesta.
Good game viewing with some different game to be seen, we even saw an African Wild Cat and also saw porcupines out sunning themselves in the daytime near their burrow. The only issue is that they do not currently have a resident lion pride in the area so lion viewing is restricted to the transient lions who happen to roam though the area." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs B
Belfast
"Great location on the Zambezi"
3 nights Arrived 9 Jul 2012
"As with our last trip to Zambia we finished off with 3 nights in the Lower Zambezi, this time staying at the smaller sister camp to Chiawa, Old Mondoro. This camp provided a perfect way to finish off our safari to Zambia
Although Old Mondoro is billed as a bushcamp we found the accommodation quite luxurious and the position of the camp on the bank of the Zambezi provides for some excellent game viewing even from the comfort of the deck in front of the tent. Jason and Michaela were exellent hosts and nothing semed to be too much trouble for them serving up a most delightfull stay and making us feel so very welcome.
The accommodation was excellent, we particularly liked the contan hot water available from the gas boiler and as with the other two camps visited the food was of the highest standard. A nice touch was the provision of small braziers under the tables during the evening meals to help keep us warm.
Animal sightings were very much in abundance with once again frequent leopard appearances both during the day and at night. The guiding provided by Sebastian,Levy and Morat was of the highest standard. The encounter with a bull elephant in musth on the way to the camp from the airstrip proved an interesting start to the 3 days. I didn't realise elephants could run so fast !!
The close proximity of the camp to Lusaka makes it an ideal place in which to finish a safari and we would most certainly use it again when visiting the Lower Zambezi.
Can't wait to go back." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Although Old Mondoro is billed as a bushcamp we found the accommodation quite luxurious and the position of the camp on the bank of the Zambezi provides for some excellent game viewing even from the comfort of the deck in front of the tent. Jason and Michaela were exellent hosts and nothing semed to be too much trouble for them serving up a most delightfull stay and making us feel so very welcome.
The accommodation was excellent, we particularly liked the contan hot water available from the gas boiler and as with the other two camps visited the food was of the highest standard. A nice touch was the provision of small braziers under the tables during the evening meals to help keep us warm.
Animal sightings were very much in abundance with once again frequent leopard appearances both during the day and at night. The guiding provided by Sebastian,Levy and Morat was of the highest standard. The encounter with a bull elephant in musth on the way to the camp from the airstrip proved an interesting start to the 3 days. I didn't realise elephants could run so fast !!
The close proximity of the camp to Lusaka makes it an ideal place in which to finish a safari and we would most certainly use it again when visiting the Lower Zambezi.
Can't wait to go back." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs J
WMD
"Old Mondoro, absolutley delightfull."
4 nights Arrived 23 Oct 2011
"We found Old Mondoro very relaxing and friendly, the position of the camp on the bank of the Zambezi is difficult to put into words, the whole atmosphere of quiet ambiance yet with so much always going on is difficult to describe. The staff once again were so friendly and obliging nothing to much trouble for them serving up a most delightfull stay making us feel so very welcome.
Animal sightings were very much in abundance with once again frequent Leopard appearances in fact we were fortunate to witness two facing each other in what appeared a dispute over their territory only to be interupted by a male Lion whereby they were both forced to retreat into a tree, how lucky was that.
One further experiance I (Arthur) was lying in the bath tub with water upto my neck and my hat pulled down over my eyes when I were aware of a dark shape or form very close to my head, this proved to be the trunk of a Bull Elephant who had decided to share my bath water. Needless to say there was much clapping of hands and shouting untill he retreated a respectfull distance away. Memories that will live for ever." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Animal sightings were very much in abundance with once again frequent Leopard appearances in fact we were fortunate to witness two facing each other in what appeared a dispute over their territory only to be interupted by a male Lion whereby they were both forced to retreat into a tree, how lucky was that.
One further experiance I (Arthur) was lying in the bath tub with water upto my neck and my hat pulled down over my eyes when I were aware of a dark shape or form very close to my head, this proved to be the trunk of a Bull Elephant who had decided to share my bath water. Needless to say there was much clapping of hands and shouting untill he retreated a respectfull distance away. Memories that will live for ever." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs W
Sevenoaks
"A great location by the Zambesi"
4 nights Arrived 23 Oct 2011
"We loved the situation of this camp with its view over the river and the surrounding contryside. The quality of the accommodation is also very good indeed.
We woke up to two resident buffalo outside our deck and at lunchtime we were visited by elephants coming to inspect us !
The 'siesta' time in the middle of the day is a great opportunity to watch the wildlife and the sounds of animals in the river and the surrounding bush were unforgettable.
The canoe trip and river cruise are something different and we highly recommend as an alternative activity to viewing game as we found the variety of wildlife and the opportunity to take good photographs was not quite as good as South Luangua.
The service was second to none with restaurant quality meals by a superb Zambian chef !" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
We woke up to two resident buffalo outside our deck and at lunchtime we were visited by elephants coming to inspect us !
The 'siesta' time in the middle of the day is a great opportunity to watch the wildlife and the sounds of animals in the river and the surrounding bush were unforgettable.
The canoe trip and river cruise are something different and we highly recommend as an alternative activity to viewing game as we found the variety of wildlife and the opportunity to take good photographs was not quite as good as South Luangua.
The service was second to none with restaurant quality meals by a superb Zambian chef !" See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr A
Cambridgeshire
"Old Mondoro Bushcamp review"
3 nights Arrived 20 Oct 2011
"A nice intimate feel about the place. Facilities and guiding excellent."
See all these reviews: 17n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
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