The most outstanding safari destination in the world.
We travelled to South Luangwa National Park in August. We'd only been on safari once before - at a private reserve in South Africa. We'd asked our travel agency for the best safari experience and they said South Luangwa was it... and we can't disagree.
We stayed in two bush camps: Nsolo, a Norman Carr camp, and Lion Camp. Both were great! Staff couldn't do enough for us, the game drives were amazing and the guides' knowledge was encyclopaedic! Nsolo was smaller, more personal and more luxurious; Lion Camp was bigger but in a more rich area of the national park. However, if you're going for 5 star luxury - don't go to South Luangwa - this place is all abut the game, which is wonderful!
Let's face it, if you;re looking at South Luangwa, you're after great game sightings. It will not disappoint. A co-traveller has safaried across Africa for the last 20 years and said he'd never, ever experienced anything like South Luangwa; at a later stop, Sindebezi Island near Livingstone, we were speaking to a traveller who'd just been on a two week walking and river safari in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia (south) who, on hearing what we'd seen, said "Well, that's it - you can't go on safari again as nothing will compare to that". That's how great South Luangwa is.
I can't tell you everything we saw - the list would be far too long - but here's heavily edited highlights:
On our first night (Nsolo), we were sitting around the campfire after a delicious dinner when a staff member noticed some lions. Immediately, the truck was started up and we piled in. Barely two minutes later, we were sat watching a lion and lioness enjoying the moonlight... literally 3 metres from our bed! Suddenly, the armed guard who escorts you to and from your accommodation during the dark didn't seem overly cautious.
During the night, we had the best worst-night's-sleep ever. The sounds of the bush woke us delightfully often, including the resident hippo pod which lives right next to the camp and come out at night to graze around the edge of the camp.
My wife is a sucker for animal babies, so seeing hyena cubs, only a few weeks old, was amazing.
At Lion Camp, we saw, obviously, many sightings of the two prides which live nearby, including finding them lazing on the road just waking up after a night's feed. We sat in the middle of the pride, feeling like we were a little part of it rather than just observers. My lion highlight was seeing the full pride in a stand off with some painted dogs. Another was seeing a lioness move her 5 day old cubs from one nest to another: they were so young, their eyes were not open yet, and the tenderness with which she moved them in those huge, powerful jaws was stunning.
If you love elephants, you'll love South Luangwa. It seems like they're around every corner - and they're not afraid to let you know when you;re too close. We were mock-charged three times... but we never felt unsafe.
One thing we'd hoped for was seeing a leopard. We were not to be disappointed! Over 5 days at Lion Camp, we had 7 - seven - sightings, from glimpses in the night to sitting watching two different leopards in trees during the day. At one point, we were so close I asked the guide if it was purring - it wasn't: it was growling at us! We moved of sharpish. Another night sighting was wonderful - we'd seen the leopard at a distance and our guide swung the car round, went through undergrowth trying to second guess where it would head, and we were rewarded with it coming out of the undergrowth just to our side and making its way across the front of the car so close that, when in front, you couldn't see it over the bonnet.
For birders, which we are not, South Luangwa is wonderful. Some fellow travellers were birders and we caught a bit of the bug from their enthusiasm. Bee eaters and violet breasted rollers were my favourites, but the various eagles and vultures are spectacular in their size. We were even treated to a long, uninterrupted sight of Pel's fishing owl - something we appreciated but not fully until it was explained to us that this rarity is similar to seeing to a leopard.
Overall, if you love wildlife, if you love safari and if you want the greatest experience you've ever had, book for South Luangwa today.
US
Review about Tanzania by charles young
If you want to see wildlife in their natural environment and doing what they do (and yes that means hunting) then Tanzania is a superb trip. In addition to the wildlife the landscape photography is stunning along with encounters with the local Massai tribe. All the camps were professionally operated and there was never a fear for security or safety. This is frankly a trip of a lifetime and we are already planning a return trip to Africa.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very experienced and knowledgeable and helpful.
We had a meeting every evening regarding what to expect the next day. The accommodations were better than I anticipated and the food was exceptional. Our guides , Junga and Othman went above and beyound to make sure we were comfortable and found the best spot for viewing all the animals. We did see the "Big 5" and got so close to many of the animals. Our guides knew so much about the animal and it was so interesting to learn all about their interactions with each other. I would recommend Bright African Safaris and hope to travel with them in the future.
NL
20-35 years of age
Big value for money
I got more than expected, and it says a lot. The level of informations were of a very high standard before departure and the service at the camps and on game drive was excellent.
Our driver and the places we stayed were really nice indeed as well , We saw lots of animals in the wild , and had a fun trip !
It was not very but at least 110% satisfactory.
US
We had a great time, saw a lot, and learned a lot with Patrick of Mmilot Tours.
Everything was great -- Patrick customized the tour for us, met us at the airport, made all the hotel arrangements, booked us at Kwa Madwala which we loved, and most important, was an obliging, informative, entertaining guide.
IN
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A buget safari with all details coverd
I went to Masai Mara-Nakru-Amboseli 6 days safari in Sep-16 ....3rd week
Highlights:
1. A worth visiting place & safari...a must see place
2.. Absolute Holiday Safaris is a reliable company and the Manager David was polite and good to us.
3. Driver cum Guide Stanley was extremely good. Initially he looked to be little different but he made the trip enjoyable
4. Stanley took us every where ... even near to the animals when other vans did not dare to do it.
5 . When I lost my video camera in Lake Nakuru and traveled 15 km with out knowing it , Stanley took every effort , called some one there and got back my camera safely.....Weldone....Thanx Mr. Stanley. God Bless you.
7. We enjoyed every hour of the day ....especially Amboseli,,,, but could not see Mount Kilimanjaro due to misty condition.
8. Over all the safari was well organised.
Negative points:
1. The tented accommodation was not up to the expectations.
2. Always the food was bread, jam/butter/ Watermelon /some rice/etc .
But I really enjoyed the safari .
US
Wonderful experience in the Okavango Delta, Chobe and Victoria Falls
This was an amazing tripped booked by Gondwana Tours. Considering that I was a bit tardy in booking and didn't have the largest budget, it is remarkable how fantastic our experience was. No doubt the trip's success was due to Mark Hathaway of Gondwana Tours' excellent attention to detail and perfect communication. Honestly, not one thing went astray. Our trip involved bush pilots, land transfers across borders, connecting with other members of the party and fabulous game drives. The properties selected by Mark were wonderful -- again, completely exceeding expectation. I would highly recommend Gondwana Tours and Safaris.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Honeymoon
Had the trip of a lifetime. Nick and Sylvester could not have been more helpful. Felt looked after the whole time and saw wildlife that will stay with us forever. Highly recommended.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceptional Trip Thanks to Gail at Pembury Tours
We went to Victoria Falls, Kruger, Cape Town and the Garden Route on this customized trip. Gail efficiently and enthusiastically helped us plan this trip to suit our needs. Sometimes we stayed at 4* resorts and other times we decided to splurge 5*. ( Can't say enough about Tanda Tula at Timbavati). This required a lot of back and forth planning and Gail was always on top of it and happy to help us create the trip of our lives as it pertained to our desires and tastes. All of the resorts we stayed at were incredible and the transfers were well organized and punctual.
One advantage to booking with Gail, that I did not anticipate, was her help when I broke my ankle at Victoria Falls! We were fortunately booked to fly to Nelspruit, ZA that day (surgery in Zamba - not an option!). Gail got us a personal transfer to the airport and found the best trauma hospital in Nelspruit and directions to get there when we arrived. We would have been lost without her! We ended up having to rearrange the trip a bit because I ended up needing surgery and was in the hospital for 3 nights. She was able to rearrange our stay at Tanda Tula for longer so I could go on safari drives where we got see the Big 5 and much more.
Afterwards, when we were in Cape Town and the Garden route she was able to find us hotels that had wheel chairs - which was necessary for us at that point because I couldn't put weight on the injured ankle. We had originally planned to just book B&B's on the Garden Route on our own as we went so it was above and beyond for Gail to help us out there. She also called the airlines when we had to fly ( some of the flights that I booked) to let them know we needed help getting on and off the plane ( small planes with steps). And to top it off - when we started the last leg of the trip at Port Elizabeth airport to head back home - Gail surprised us by bringing us a wheel chair in person when we drove in to return the car rental! That was awesome! It was so nice to meet her and she is as warm in person as she is in e-mails and over the phone.
The original trip that we planned with Gail was fantastic. On top of that, even though I'ms sure that no one plans to break an ankle on a trip, just know that you will get help from Pembury Tours if something unexpected does happen. Without Gail, we truly wouldn't have been able to salvage our trip.