Reviews of Nkwali
Wildlife sightings and reviews
256 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Nkwali and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

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"Nkwali review"
The camp Manager, 'Keke' was a delightful worldly man.
Still short of coat hangers!
Re. Wildlife Survey:
Waterbuck - 5 sightings
Leopard - 4 different individuals sighted
Lion - 12 individuals
Wild Dog - One sighting of a pack of 13 active individuals
Highlight - At dusk two lions up one tree and a leopard up another, both in clear sight at the same time and just 60m apart." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia

Buffalo
10 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
4 sightings

Lion
4 sightings

Spotted Hyena
8 sightings

Wild dog
1 sighting

Zebra
10 sightings
"Nkwali review"

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Leopard
1 sighting

Lion
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wild dog
1 sighting

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Nkwali"
Obi was an excellent guide and a fount of knowledge who helped us see so much." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia

Buffalo
3 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
2 sightings

Lion
8 sightings

Spotted Hyena
2 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Fabulous sightings at Nkwali"
Our guide Pious was amazing his ability to track and find the wildlife was incredibly, we had the most amazing sightings here.
The location of Nkwali is also lovely
Again all staff were great." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 3n in Malawi

Buffalo
10 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
8 sightings

Lion
2 sightings

Spotted Hyena
6 sightings

Wild dog
2 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Wonderful Nkwali"
Perri , our guide was extremely knowledgeable and approachable. He made us feel at ease and relaxed about asking questions.
Our tented accommodation was luxurious and food “ top class”." See all these reviews: 6n in Zambia

Buffalo
Multiple sightings

Eland
Multiple sightings

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
Multiple sightings

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Lion
Multiple sightings

Roan antelope
Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings

Wildebeest
1 sighting

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Returning for a 6th time to Nkwali"
Staying at Nkwali was a pleasure." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
"Nkwali fantastic as always"
We enjoyed this time the Emerald season when the park is green and you have the feeling to have the park for yourself. The bird life is amazing and we found other wildlife sightings like leopards, wild dogs, lions with cubs, lots of elephants etc. The game is maybe a bit more difficult to spot in comparison to the dry season but in a park like the South Luangwa there is always still more that you could wish for. The high levels of the river and the morning boot drives into the park at sunrise have been out of this world. Just stunning!
We have to say a special thank to everybody from Nkwali. The whole team made this stay again unforgettable and it was so hard to leave. The atmosphere in the camp is very warmly, relaxed, cheerful. Thank you for all the new wrinkles because of laughing so hard :-)
The passion for wild life with all the incredible knowledge that all the staff has got is amazing. Guiding is hard to top. We have been very privileged to go with Kanga on our Safaris. We learned a lot from him observing carefully the nature. Now we understand again more how this precious and fragile ecosystem with all the plants and animals is working.
We are looking very much forward to our next time even when we have to wait till 2021." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia

Buffalo
2 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
9 sightings

Lion
6 sightings

Spotted Hyena
4 sightings

Wild dog
3 sightings

Wildebeest
2 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Nkwali Review"
We loved the rooms at Nkwali, which are very open to the outdoors and beautifully appointed. Several other guests had visitors to their rooms including monkeys, bats, and lizards, but this is all part of the fun! The bathrooms are stunning, and ours had a tree growing through it. The pool area is very nice, overlooking Humphrey the hippo's territory.
Our guide at Nkwali was every bit as knowledgable as the other Robin Pope guides, and we enjoyed his expertise. Our host, Sorrel, was extremely personable and we thoroughly enjoyed our conversations. Like the other Robin Pope lodges, the food was delicious. The only thing that took away from our experience slightly was that the camp was so crowded that they did not have enough boats to bring us to our game drive vehicles at the same time, and on both excursions we were left behind to wait while the other groups got to go out earlier." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia

Elephant
Multiple sightings

Giraffe
1 sighting

Hippo
Multiple sightings

Leopard
2 sightings

Lion
2 sightings

Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Nkwali Camp"
The resident hippo, Humphrey, was out of the lagoon in the day and we saw a mother and baby hippo running along the riverbank in broad daylight too. A troope of baboons had a party in my room and left a bit of a mess but no harm done. I had been warned they might come in if I had food, which I didn't have but they came in anyway. There were footprints of hippo right outside my room too. Having the fourth wall of the chalet missing was a bit disconcerting!
Everyone was very attentive and helpful particularly because I was alone for half my stay. The meals were very good, always over generous and frequent! Again spacious room and everything provided. The public areas were interestingly designed and it is lovely being so close to the river." See all these reviews: 8n in Zimbabwe; 6n in Zambia

Buffalo
3 sightings

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
5 sightings

Hippo
6 sightings

Leopard
2 sightings

Lion
4 sightings

Spotted Hyena
3 sightings

Wild dog
2 sightings

Zebra
10 sightings
"Fantastic Experience at Nkwali"
The camp itself is located on the banks of the Luangwa River and is open to the local wildlife - including a resident Hippo that wanders the grounds at night. Because the camp is small enough to offer more intimate African experiences than the larger lodges it was the perfect place for us, who go to Africa to enjoy the wildlife, birds, and local people.
We started each day with a breakfast cooked over a campfire, then a game drive with a stop for tea in the park, lunch and a siesta back in camp, and an afternoon game drive with time for a "Sundowner" before a night drive back to camp. The game viewing in South Luangwa is among the best in Africa and the Nkwali guides are expert at their jobs. Since we are birders, we appreciated the fact that our guide was an expert in local birds as well.
Highlights included leopard sightings almost every day, lion, giraffe, elephant, zebra, lots of antelope, and over 100 species of birds." See all these reviews: 11n in Zambia

Buffalo
1 sighting

Elephant
10 sightings

Giraffe
10 sightings

Hippo
10 sightings

Leopard
5 sightings

Lion
4 sightings

Spotted Hyena
3 sightings

Wild dog
1 sighting

Zebra
10 sightings
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