Reviews of Mwaleshi Camp

"Of all the camps in the Tafika family, Mwaleshi is my favorite, probably due to its remoteness and the river with clear water running on your doorstep.

Starting or finishing your walk by crossing the river bare footed is simply magic, and the guides are always prepared with towels for getting that sand out from between your toes. Safaris here are almost predominantly walking, and for me, there is probably nothing that compares to walking up to lions on a kill on foot, never mind that you don't get as close as you would in a car.

Had a fantastic time here." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia

"Our first time to this lovely intimate camp in the North Luangwa after a thrilling transfer in a small Cessna 206 from Tafika - thank you Brad! Greg, Special, Moffat, and the team, plus Timbwe, our National Park scout were all very welcoming.

This is a very different experience compared to being driven around in a Land Cruiser. Be prepared for frequent crossings of the Mwaleshi river, and on-foot encounters with elephants, zebra, wilderbeast, hippos, hyena, and a rather forlorn looking crocodile and other smaller animals. The larger cats were somewhat elusive during our visit, but they had been around. The walk to the Confluence is beautiful, and provides a very different perspective on the African bush.

Lovely brunch overlooking the hippos at the junction of the Mwaleshi and Luangwa rivers. Elephant in camp on our first night provided some excitement, while the experiment photographing the stars above camp on our last night only helped to reinforce how much light pollution we have in the UK - rarely have we seen the MIlky Way so bright. Be aware that by 10.30am the temperature is hot - a walk across the "badlands" to the airstrip at this time will bring this home!

Thank you to Greg and all the team for a very different African experience." See all these reviews: 16n in Zambia

"Mwaleshi lived up to expectations this time!

The guide, Greg, was a very nice guy and he knows a lot. Special is special of course." See all these reviews: 14n in Namibia; 13n in Zambia

"Intimate camp, well kept. Very nicely situated at the Mwaleshi river. Very diverse habitat.

Excellent walking, guided by Alexander. We were the only two guests. The interaction between scout, guide and special was among the best we had. Enjoyed the "examination" before we let to fly back to Tafika. Walking pace gave room for discussions on all various aspect of the walk that came up. "Le chef" was the best of them all.

A good and healthy breakfast before safari. The idea with a "tea man" or special was very appreciated during the walking safari." See all these reviews: 17n in Zambia

"Really can't add much more to comments re previous comments.

If I was being extremely picky, I'd say the only improvement would be more more ice/colder beer. Having said that, the staff, and Laurence in particular were pro-active in putting beer in the freezer to cool off. This is not a criticism in any way, this is a bush camp after all. Alternatively, damp socks work well!!" See all these reviews: 9n in Zambia

"This is our favorite camp of all.

It is so remote and in a wilderness that has very, very few people and trucks so no chance of meeting anyone else while we are there. No chance of habituated animals here either. But it is comfortable and the standards of service and food are as Tafica. The Mwaleshi river has lots of animal activity along it, and the walking across is always fun.

Gerard Fagan had several high tech aids, Ipad and GPS, which were fun to use. As a guide he was superb - very experienced and great fun to chat with. We found the spoor of one of the escaped black rhinos, but couldn't find it.

I dream of this place and after our 3rd visit cannot wait to get back to this bit of paradise." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia

"We had high expectations for this camp, especially after our stay in Chikoko, which was absolutely brilliant. We expected this to be a very special ending to our trip.

However, there were a few things that were a bit disappointing:
- The guide, Gerard, seemed to be new to the area and also new to his role as guide/manager of the camp. You could tell he was a really experienced guide, but he didn't seem to feel sure of himself. He was a very nice guy, but we expected a little more after Alex (our guide at Chikoko).
- We were warned beforehand that the wildlife in the North park would be more skittish and that we would see less. Still, we were disappointed. One morning we had a six hour walk in which we saw one hippo and one puku.
- The camp was much more crowded than we had expected. It was constantly full with six to eight guests. This meant that we had to walk to the airstrip to pick up incoming guests which was a long walk in the hot sun away from the water and the wildlife. At other times we would travel by car with nine people in a car designed for a maximum of six. Also, walks are limited to a maximum of seven guests, so when the camp was full some of us had to go on a drive.

We feel that Mwaleshi can be a great and magical place to stay, but for us it was let down by an inexperienced (for the area) guide and the fact that it was fully booked during our stay." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia

"Ernst was refreshingly laid back making this the most relaxed experience. For us a much more mature approach to bush safety - very aware but not molly-coddling.

Walks were very good with wading in the river (where the crocs weren't) and some good encounters in close cover. Ernst was very good at recognising what you knew, and what you didn't.

No 'host' here so first hand knowledge on tap. Food was again very good - although not Norman Carr standard." See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia

"it is simply marvellous here, with Ernst in fine form as a top guide. Miles from any other human contacts.

Could we come back for a 3rd time, I wonder?" See all these reviews: 14n in Zambia

"We would not have missed the Mwaleshi camp experience from choice since in a way it was so different to the other camps in the southern park.

All the Tafika standards of service, food etc were here but the game was a lot more nervous.

Our walking Safaris were therefore more exciting and we had to work for our views of the game." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia