Natureways Safaris

Excellent tour company providing a unique experience along the Zambezi River

Natureways were fantastic from the word go. Kelly-Anne was very prompt at replying to communications, and went above and beyond helping to assist with arrivals and departure transfers. Our guides Manu and Richard were excellent, highly knowledgeable of the environment around us, and we felt very safe in their hands. Conditions were difficult with very low water levels, concentrating the hippos into the passeable channels, but Manu steered us through expertly. The experience of wildcamping on islands in the river was incredible, and the food was just as amazing. Would thoroughly recommend taking this tour! We did the 8 day trip from Chirundu to Kanyemba, and would love to some day go back to do the full stretch starting at Kariba. Thank you Natureways.

Excellent guides, back up staff and product.

A Truly In-the-Wild Experience!

We had a wonderful 4-day canoeing trip with Natureways down the Zambezi in Mana Pools. We mixed it up with doing 2 days on the more rustic option and 2-days on the luxury option, and both were amazing in their own ways. I've never felt more "out there" as I did on this trip, hearing lions coughing in our camp, dodging hippos for 4 straight days and having close encounters with elephants, waterbuck and crocodiles. The guides were super knowledgeable and always prioritized our safety over anything else. The food was fresh and very well done, and the amenities in the luxury version were spectacular. All in all, one of the best experiences of my life.

There was one BIG mix-up in that we initially signed up for a 2-day walking safari and 2-day canoeing safari but when we got there Natureways had it booked as a 4-day canoeing trip. But in the end, we didn't mind at all as the 2 extra days canoeing were also amazing. Still, it was a mistake on their end.

An amazing experience

The tour was booked for us so we didn't have any direct contact with the office although I have contacted them since and have been impressed with the prompt reply. Our tour started and finished at the Zambia/Zimbabwe border and transfers were in place as promised and efficient.
We did the 'Tamarind' 3 day canoe safari. It was an amazing unforgettable experience from beginning to end. We travelled off season and I think this worked in our favour. The group was smaller as a result, in our case there was only us with our two guides so the full VIP treatment. During the three days we canoed at a lovely leisurely pace and we didn't see any other canoes at all during that time. We did see a little game on the riverbanks including an unforgettable herd of elephants washing and playing in the river. The guides were able to control our boats to maximise the viewing experience , it was amazing.
Our nights were spent on islands with nobody else around. We slept in open dome tents with the stars as our backdrop and the noise of the wild as our soundtrack. During the day we would stop for regular breaks and have a lunchtime siesta to avoid the heat. We were visited by a Bull Elephant during one of these stops and he was so close. It was a real privilege to be so close.
We were lucky as we had 'The Dream Team' as guides, Norman and Takesure. We certainly made them earn their money. They answered our never ending questions showing real depth in knowledge. They were good fun, very capable and Takesure's cooking was superb. How he managed to cook such a variety of tasty and healthy food using basic equipment is beyond me but we loved it all. We've now learnt all about the star constellations which are so clear due to no light pollution and we were gazing up at them whilst drinking our bottle of wine that was provided with our meal (nice wine which was a pleasant surprise). We finished our trip at Mana Pools and stayed there for our last night. This wasn't as private but the next morning we got a game drive and saw a pack of Wild Dogs which is quite a rare sighting, very happy with that. We would recommend this trip to anybody, it was wonderful.

Once in a Lifttime Experience

We had a wonderful trip 10 day canoe tour on the Zambezi - and we did survive all the hippos and crocodiles. ; )
Norman and Takesure are really great guides and we enjoyed the time with them very much, staying on beautiful islands, watching amazing sunsets, listening to the sounds of wildlife, watching game and elephants (also a cheeta and a leopard)... It was really an exciting and adventurous trip and T.K. continued the lessons in naming the stars that James has started.
Before we started traveling we were well well informed by Kelly-Ann about the the Safari and all necessary preparations, things to bring and so on.

Amazing experience

We enjoyed a wonderful few days with Natureways in the Mana Pools area of Zimbabwe. The guides were excellent - very knowledgeable, respectful of the animals and accommodating. We saw and learned so much on the driving and walking safaris. I admit to being nervous the afternoon we went in the canoe. The food was very good. It would be nice if they could have LED lights in the tents.

An artificially bloated tour designed to impress gullible foreigners.

Change of itenary well communicated but too late to make any alterations. Ground staff very eager to receive cash money for tour upon arrival. (?)Tents pitched in sun - lopsided port-a-potty attached. Long boring time between activities. Food very colonial, old fashioned and overdone (sit down, rushed, 3 course meal with no reference to Africa). Contracted guide (Andrew Smith) excellent, but should refrain from calling his guests "know-it-all's"

A wonderful experience, one that I would gladly repeat.

This was one of the best adventures that I have had. The trip was well organized, the guides knowledgeable and the exposure to wildlife and birds truly breathtaking. I would recommend this trip to anyone wanting a true African Adventure.

Professional company with professional guides

I'll be honest, if the information on the internet had said that we would be canoeing on a gigantic river with thousands of hippos, we probably would not have booked this trip. And that would have been a shame. Despite the fact that the safari was not what we were expecting does not mean we did not have a great adventure! We expected quiet waterways and seeing game up close. Well we DID see tons of game but there was nothing quiet about paddling the immensely wide Zambezi, zig-zagging around hippos. It certainly got the adrenaline going! Nevertheless, our favourite moments were when we arrived at our island for the night and set up camp as the sun was going down. We would then have a sundowner, help with supper, and chat quietly for a while. At night we would listen to lions roar, hippos call to each other, and elephants walking around our camp, eating with contentment. This was all done while lying on our backs in the tent, looking at the stars. Perfect! Thanks for a great, if unexpected, adventure!

Walking Amongst The Wildlife

There were 4 of us friends & 1 guide…Andy. He was the most amazing guide…considerate, Knowledgeable, patient. We were walking for 7 days; the camp moved every 2 days along the Zambezi River. The meals were Fabulous, cooked by Janet on an open fire. This was most incredible experience, walking in the flood plain, meeting NO ONE, very often surrounded by animals 360'.
Keep in mind these are tents, kerosene lamps & it is dark at 6 pm; showers are a bucket hanging over your head. But all this is part of the amazing experience. Walking is much more exciting than riding in a jeep.
Negative…the web site says luxury Camp Zambezi at the start…well there is no Camp Zambezi….that refers to an 'area'; so we expected 1 day at the front & 3 at the end to be luxury static camp, stationary …not so. We had 7 nights in the tents, 3 too many.! Feel the website is misleading. Switching to LED lights would be easy... less stinky & dangerous.