Guest reviews River Lodge At Kapama Private Game Reserve

by debndon Phoenix, Arizona

Great Camp on the River

Set on the Kapamba River in South Luangua National Park the Kapamba River Lodge is a lovely rustic permanent bush camp. Part of the Bushcamp Company family, the 4 room lodge is well managed. The individual chalets and the common area are open to the outdoors and all have great views of the river. The chalets have just 3 walls with the third wall completely open to the outdoors in the daytime and protected by an iron gate that can be shut at night to keep out larger animals. The downside for some is that bugs and small creatures such as lizards do get in. Mosquito netting prevents them from being a problem while sleeping. The rooms are well-appointed with a proper king-sized bed dressed in comfy linens, a desk area behind, plenty of storage space and a large open bathroom. The two head shower is open to the outside. Unfortunately the water pressure is poor. There are no locks, no safe, no air conditioning, no internet and no cell connection. There is solar electricity for light and hot water. For charging electronics there is a charging area in the lounge. Rooms are cooled with a fan that can be run all night. We found, however, that even though it is warm in the day the open concept chalets keep it from heating up as much other places we’ve experienced without air-conditioning. Two of the chalets also have a sala, a separate tree house bedroom of sorts with a toilet and sink downstairs and a bed upstairs. With no walls, just mosquito netting, and a twig roof that you can see the stars through, the room overlooks the water and is open to the cool evening breeze. Sleeping here was one of the highlights. It’s like camping only in a real bed. The elephants did keep us awake part of the second night rustling in the leaves below us, a bit unnerving. The common area is open to the river and has indoor and outdoor lounge areas, with a small pool for cooling off in the hot afternoons and a dining area. Guests eat meals with the Julius, the camp manager, and Charles, the head guide, who offer great insight into guests’ questions about animal life, life in Zambia, Zambian politics or whatever else you might be interested in. Meals are well-prepared and offer guests plenty of options. They specialize in the build your own concept, i.e., such as build your own pizza, Mongolian stir fry or sandwich wrap. For sundowners they surprised us one evening. They set up chairs, a bar and grill serving hot appetizers in the middle of the shallow waters of the Kapamba River at the confluence of the Luangwa. The setting sun reflecting in the water at your feet as you watch the orange ball drop behind the trees. You can hear the hippos grunting not far away in the Luangwa River. The camp is a walking/driving camp. The morning walking safari focuses on the smaller things in the bush such as plants, insects, animal droppings while the afternoon/evening activity is a game drive, sundowners and a night drive back to camp.

by G9516NWjamesb

quick weekend getaway

great value and all in price was well worth it . game viewing is luck of the draw - but we had really good sightings every drive . River Lodge is a great lodge to take familys with children but also good for couples and has great options of pools and places to relax

by smarti129492 Maputo, Mozambique

A wonderful long weekend in the bush

Kapama Southern Camp is a very nice place to go. A very nice location, a beautiful room and facilities. The service was amazing. Everybody is kind and make you feel at home. The food was fantastic The game drives also very good

by 167saulg Cape Town Central, South Africa

Perfect location and an excellent Bush experience

We saw our first game within 15 min of landing at the airport, and the holiday simply got better from then onwards. Fantastic staff and an authentic bush experience. This was combined with luxury accommodation and facilities and lovely food.

by mikey098katz

Our best trip yet!

My partner and I saved up and booked to treat ourselves to a trip over a long weekend at Kapama River Lodge. Honestly we were blown away. Our room was magnificent, the food was outstanding, the spa is a must and we truly experienced some of our best game viewing experiences yet. All the staff is so friendly and helpful and the overall atmosphere at the lodge is breathtaking. We cannot wait to return and hopefully we will be able to do so soon. We really would recommend Kapama for young couples, big family trips, bush lovers, bush newbies or anyone just looking for a get away treat. You can’t go wrong.