Reviews of Nsefu
Wildlife sightings and reviews
203 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Nsefu and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
87% success
88% success
66% success
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90% success
87% success
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"Excellent camp with huge wildlife viewing"
Interesting drive to camp over dry river beds and through villages etc. with Chris who was very informative. Beautiful riverside setting, attractive though not luxurious rondavels which could have had a few more shelves but really appreciated the cooling through the net system. Adjacent lagoon attracted lots of wildlife, very useful hide, very good food, excellent hostess (Hannah) and lovely food.
Lots of wildlife, several leopards etc. My birding interest catered for." See all these reviews: 12n in Zambia
"Good team, shame about the mossies at Nsefu"
At night time they were like pizza ovens infested by mosquitos, and we have never slept so badly on safari trips as here. We and other guests were bitten from head to toe, inspite of nets, insect repellent and the misnomered "Doom" knock out spray. The recently installed "Evening Breeze" airconditioning units made minimal difference, and were not worth a reputed $4,000 per unit. Traditional fans plus mosquito coils might have helped.
We heard from other sources that this is one of the oldest camps in South Luangwa, possibly having "listed" status, and that the waste water soakaways are too close to the accomodation, providing ideal breeding conditions for mosquitos. RPS really needs to bring in zip up tents here, with mosquito nets and fans to replace the rondavels.
This was the only negative aspect of our stay here, but left a lasting deep impression - sleep deprivation does not lead to an enjoyable visit.
The game viewing was excellent - all of the hoped for sightings, plus a fascinating night trail of a leopard invading the baboons "bunkhouse" to the sound of aggravated roaring! The hide attached to the camp provided excellent close views of leopard, warthog families and battling male impala.
Chris, our guide, had the knack of finding interesting situations - on a night drive picking up 6 lions organsing an ambush in a gulley for unsuspecting puku, and on a trip to the salt pans 2 hyenas taking a bath in the sulphur springs. His good humour with tired, mosquito bitten customers, was commendable. Braston, the knowledgable camp manager, led us on 2 fascinating walking safaris, dodging elephant families, and following a leopard and her cub at close quarters.
The food was of high standard, and imaginative - in particular the "Mongolian" meal - self-selected raw veggies, chicken, pork and beef, plus sauces/spices all mixed up and cooked in a skillet over a mopane wood fire by the chef, and eaten out in the open. Hannah, the hostess, treated us to a visit to the camp kitchens - basic, but spotlessly clean. She also created a wonderfully refreshing mid-morning pick me up - lemonade, ginger beer and angostura bitters, with loads of ice." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 7n in Malawi
"Robin Pope Safaris : Nsefu Camp"
South Luangwa National Park cannot be bettered. Very good for walking safaris." See all these reviews: 21n in Zambia
"Nsefu review"
However we felt that standards had dropped slightly in the last two years,Specifically:
Bathrooms and particularly basins were not as clean as they could be whilst bedrooms were immaculate.
On a number of occasions there were more than 4 guests per game viewing vehicle. This was put down to illness,shortage of staff etc. RPS has always prided themselves in keeping the numbers in vehicles to a minimum but we think this time they were stretching it a bit.
When suitcases come out of the transfer vehicles they are covered in dust. Surely they could be wrapped in covers to prevent this.
It is hoped that these are seen as positive criticism. Nsefu still is our favourite camp and has very high standards." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 4n in Rwanda; 2n in Kenya
"Nsefu review"
It was a great start to our safari holiday." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
"Nsefu review"
"Nsefu review"
The addition of a hide made for close viewings and you would never know what then came through camp. Minor fault was that the water seemed ( appeared ) tainted by rust so staining skin ." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia
"Nsefu review"
The camp also chooses to irrigate a lagoon adjacent to camp, which clearly helps to bring a great many animals to the camp vicinity during the dryer season. (I'm not sure how I felt about this -- great to view the animals, but the human-created waterhole was just slightly off-putting. It probably would have been fine if the water pipe had been hidden and I'd never known about the irrigation.)
I only participated in a few games drives, but I was impressed with the guiding. Chilumba, Brasston, and Thomas are all excellent guides. The hostess, Hannah, is young and has very limited experience. When the camp manager (Brasston) was on his days-off, Hannah seemed to have a bit more on her plate than she was accustomed to.
The rondavels at Nsefu definitely exceeded my expectations. 7x24 electric power was available in the rondavel through solar power (and because it was sunny throughout the day), and they've also got a cooling system for the bed area which was welcome on the hot nights. Food was ok. Overall, a very, very good camp." See all these reviews: 6n in Zambia
"Excellent safari at Nsefu"
Excellent sighting of game, including leopards, lions (and lots of cubs), large herds of buffalo, elephants, giraffes, zebra, etc - everything we hoped for. Good bird watching too." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 3n in Malawi
"Final return to Nsefu"
The guiding was as always first class with Thomas being very knowledgeable and helpful and giving us every opportunity to do things not done before such as Sunset at the Baobab forest, Sunrise on the Salt Plains with cooked breakfast by his capable hands and a successful trip to find the elusve Eland." See all these reviews: 23n in Zambia
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