Karongwe Portfolio - Chisomo Safari Camp

Our first stop on our family of 10 safari adventure and this really set things off on the right start. We were there in July and weather was colder than expected ( their winter) could have used better heating in our rooms but there were extra blankets. The safaris were great and we saw the Big Five our first day. Can’t say enough about our driver and tracker “ forget me”. They were so knowledgeable and showed as us so many animals. The staff very helpful . My husband fell on a walk to see Cheetahs up close and staff member attended his Wounds each day.

Part of the Karongwe collection, this is simply outstanding. The staff, tented rooms with electric blankets and heaters, early morning and late afternoon game drives where all the big five can be seen, are all wonderful. Guides and trackers have phenomenal knowledge of the local area. The concession is vast so no game drives were the same. They provide hot water bottles for your lap and blankets for the early drives then a full hot breakfast when you return 3-4 hours later. Afternoon game drives go for a similar time and always include sundowner drinks beside a scenic spot. Food in the dining areas was a wonderful mix. Wine by the bottle and spirits were not expensive. We stayed for 4 days and loved every minute.

Everything about our stay at Chisomo Safari Lodge exceeded our expectations. My husband and I stayed for 4 nights in one of their luxury tents. This accommodation was spacious and included a large very comfortable bed with an electric blanket (wonderful on the cold nights) and mosquito net (didn't see any mosquitos). Each tent has a nice verandah, a bar size fridge with small freezer, wardrobe and a generous sized bathroom. Everything was immaculately clean and the elephant shaped towels and chocolates placed on our bed each day were a lovely touch. During our 4 night stay at Chisomo we did one morning and 3 afternoon safaris in Karongwe Game Reserve, a day trip to Kruger NP (about 2 hr drive from Chisomo) and a half day Blyde River Canyon Tour. All were excellent! Thomas and Ernest were our friendly Karongwe GR driver and tracker and they did a great job in finding us animals including, lions, water Buffalo, Giraffe. rhinos, hippos, cheetahs, elephants, zebra and many more. I appreciated Thomas also pointing out the many birds that were of interest to me. I loved walking to the bird hide each day where a family of hippos resided. Along with the hippos I saw a good variety of birds and other animals including a giraffe, warthogs, impala, nyala and kudu. The food at Chisomo was excellent! I have many dietary restrictions and one of my main concerns before travelling to Africa was how will they feed me. I need not have worried. I have never been so well fed and looked after. Joyce and all the kitchen staff thankyou, you were amazing! Thankyou to all the friendly and professional staff at Chisomo including the happy porter who walked us safely back to our tent each night after dinner. I highly recommend staying at Chisomo Safari Lodge.

We had an absolutely amazing 2 night stay here. While it may not be for everyone, we loved our "glamping" stay. Be warned that this camp has tents with roll down screen covers for night and curtains for privacy in the bathroom. You could easily hear others but most the time, everyone is sleeping early since morning game drives start early. We saw the Big 5 and Patrick and Ripos are wonderful, caring, amazing professionals who spoiled us rotten and didn't mind my 5000 questions. The food was wonderful and everyone had a smile on their face. There is a spa service but the one full day we stayed, I used it for a nap. We did the Bush Walk and learned so much about the culture. It's a must do. The only knock is that we went in winter and there was one main plug that we used at night to charge all of our electronics (batteries, phones) that we couldn't use the heater at night. First night I slept with my hat on. We did put the heater on in the morning to take the chill off. Besides the game drives, clearly the highlight is walking around the property and seeing the baboons causing mischief and sharing the space with Kudu and Wart Hogs. Such a special place in our hearts.

After dreaming of the Safari experience for nearly 50 years, our experience at Chisomo exceeded our expectations in every way. The team went above and beyond to care for my husband's numerous allergies, the food was exquisite, the service was top notch and the safari experience with Stefan and Alfred provided me with lifetime memories that I will always cherish.

We were pleasantly surprised by our first experience with glamping, at Karongwe Private Game Reserve. The accommodations were outstanding, and the food and service were excellent. We came for the safaris, and the game guides delivered every day with animal sightings including lions and cheetahs!

We stayed for 2 days in August 2024 and were very impressed with the service, food and game drives at Chisomo. We would definitely visit again and it was a brilliant addition to our time in the kruger area with some unique encounters with lions, leopards, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, hippo and much more!

This place is amazing. While the rooms are elevated canvas shelters, they have everything you need. The views of the animals wandering freely just off the balcony was incredible. The food in the restaurant was some of the best. And the game drives, just wow. We saw all of the big 5 here. I can't say enough good things about this hotel. I would have loved to have stayed much longer in this place. Great job!

What an amazing experience. From the accommodations to the food to the game drives to the staff we had a wonderful time.