Kuyenda

South Luangwa, Zambia

GENERAL SCORES /5:

Lodge/Hospitality: 5

Rooms: 2

Food: 4

Guiding: 5

Game Viewing: 5

OVERALL: 10/10

Vital Statistics:

Country: Zambia

Game Reserve: South Luangwa

Management: Bushcamp Co.

Year we stayed:2005

Approx price pppn then: $350

Summary:

Kuyenda, like the other bushcamps in South Luangwa, is built of reed and thatch and just put up at the beginning of each season so the rooms are very basic. However, the time we had at Kuyenda was among the best on any safari anywhere. The mixture of Phil Berry's legendary guiding and his lovely wife's hosting along with fantastic food and a beautiful setting... I wish we were back there now!

Kuyenda review

We were driven to Kuyenda from Bilimungwe by one of the Bushcamp Company's guides, so just getting there was a safari-drive in itself. One spent largely battling tsetse flies from what I remember - they were much worse than usual for some reason. The scenery changed from time to time and included an incredibly barren patch where elephants had killed virtually every tree in sight.

Kuyenda itself is not iin the middle of forest as Bilimungwe is, but is on the wide, flat banks of the Manzi river. It is very basic - just reed and thatch rondavels and a communal bar and dining area - all with views across the river and its wide, sweeping banks. I guess in the rainy season it would all be under water. There is running water in your outdoor en-suites, but you have to give notice if you want a shower so they can run buckets of fire-heated water up to the tank supplying your rondavel. However, nothing is too much trouble for the staff and the beds are very comfortable. There are only four rondavels so a maximum of eight guests can stay there and the emphasis is firmly on walking safaris.

The long-time guide and hostess here are the legendary Phil Berry and his partner Babette. They treat everyone like a treasured guest to their home and every evening is a dinner party thrown by them for their friends. The food is cooked simply on a wood-burning stove but it was excellent - they even made me a lovely birthday cake!

The safaris generally take the form of walking in single file, with the scout up ahead and Phil imparting his incredible knowledge, keeping everyone interested. We saw lions (the other side of the river from us, luckily) elephants, plenty of antelope etc all whilst we were just on foot. We even found the scuff marks from a leopard attacking an impala and tracked them back to a tree where we could see the impala still hanging from the branches - unfortunately the leopard was hiding somewhere, probably just metres from us! After a bit of a walk, in the evenings we would come across the vehicle with the sundowner drinks in it and night drive back to camp would follow. Because the camp is so remote and there is only one vehicle, it is unlikely you will see another vehicle whilst you are there. So the guide can't radio other guides to find out where the game is that day, but it didn't seem to affect our chances of seeing the animals - I guess there is such a density of animals here that if you wander out you are likely to bump into them. And it helps that Phil knows the bush inside out and knows where the animals like to be!

This type of safari requires one to be reasonably fit as the walks can be in quite hot and humid conditions. However, Lou and I are convinced that they are the best kind - you really are in the wild and seem to learn so much more than in a vehicle. And it is not like you do not get time in a vehicle too, to see plenty of the big stuff. In 7 days in Luangwa we saw plenty of lions and buffalo and 6 different leopards.

In the scores above you will see that I have given the rooms a score of only two out of five. I must make it clear that I did this reluctantly because I loved them and the lack of electricity and hot water didn't bother me. Lou likes her luxury, but even she could put up with Kuyenda's chalets for the amazing time we had there. However, they are nothing like the amazing luxury so often experienced on safari today. They are simply places to store your clothes and to sleep, so I felt that I had to give them a low score compared with many of the lodges reviewed on this site.

If you want a real safari, out in the remote bush, with an amazing guide and a lovely hostess looking after you, you really have to check Kuyenda out - we absolutely loved it.