Island Bush Camp — Hotel in Eastern Province

Island Bush Camp was our first stop during our stay at all three Kafunta properties in South Luangwa, which was a wonderful experience for our first safari and first time in Africa. We were fairly sure that we wanted to experience the bush, and it did not disappoint. We were lucky enough to be the only guests for two of our three nights at Island Bush and felt very well cared for by Jacob and Derrick and entertained by Martin's stories. I had come prepared to not see as many animals, since they are a little less acclimated to humans here and we came towards the end of the season, but we were pleasantly surprised at how many animals we saw and the variety. Even before our first game drive, on our transfer to camp, we saw a leopard! Martin and Kenny were excellent during our game drives and walking safari. We really enjoyed the different types of information that Martin imparted during the walking safari, and I tried to make notes upon our return to camp, but there was just too much! We even enjoyed our time between the morning and evening activities, where we would site in front of the river in camp and watch/listen to the hippos and crocodiles and watch the birds and impalas coming by. This is not the place to go if you want to stay connected to work as there is no Wifi, but this is truly imperative to get the immersive experience of being in the bush; in fact, my husband demanded no Wifi. Our chalet was very comfortable; the design of the camp seemed to make the most of the breezes, as there are no fans. Despite this being a bush camp, it felt luxurious. We very much enjoyed the hot bush showers on our arrival back to camp, the morning wake up calls with a jug of warm water to wash our faces and the hippo songs outside of our chalet. The food was exceptional, including the campfire toast at breakfast, which was actually one of my favourites. We loved our whole stay at the Kafunta properties; Island Bush was our favourite site, but this is all down to personal preferences. We were happy to see Jacob at the end of our stay, when we arrived and the main lodge a few days later. We hope that everything went well with breaking down the camp and wish the staff a...

After traveling for two days we finally arrived in Paradise!!! If you love animals and the wild and you don’t mind a few mishaps along the way, then you must come here. We booked with Kafunta almost a year prior to our trip. When we arrived in Zambia our ride was not there! We did eventually make it to our hotel and it was lovely. The next day we flew up to SLNP. We were met by our driver and taken to Kafunta’s main lodge next to SLNP. It is a “glam” place!! We then transferred to a vehicle to travel further into the bush to our camp, also owned by Kafunta. We were told we needed to change vehicles and about one half hour after we made the change, the vehicle broke down in the bush. Eventually our first vehicle showed up and we continued to the Island Bush camp. No words for it!! It was worth the trip… all of it!!! We were on the river edge filled with hippos! Unfortunately while the guide was showing us our chalet the floor gave out in the bathroom and our friend and the guide almost fell through the floor… the chalets are on stilts!!! No one was hurt and we changed chalets. NOTE. I inspected the framing construction of the chalets and I feel they were substandard. My husband and I did not stand on the same side of the chalet as when we did it swayed!!!

Even with all of the mishaps… it was worth it. The animals were Fantastic. Martin and his staff made the impossible possible. We are not new comers to Africa. This was our 12th trip so when I tell you it is worth a trip to SLNP in Zambia, I mean it!! We spent four days there and then three in Kafunta’s other camp, Three River Camp. Ask for guide David. The best!! Then we spent three nights at the glam camp. Nice, but not the excitement of the animals, guides and rich experiences we had in the other two camps.

I did have a chance to discuss the mishaps with the owner who was blasé about them. A shrug of the shoulder isn’t the result I had expected after paying over $12,000 for three people for 10 days.

My rating of 5 is for the staff who made our experience outstanding. If I had to rate Kafunta they...

Our last stop on our circuit of the three distinct (and all wonderful) Kafunta properties. Island Bush Camp is a remote and wonderful place where you are truly immersed in the marvels of South Luangwa National Park – especially all the hippos! The chalets are comfortable and functional with solar power lights and bucket showers and it’s a gift not to have WiFi (but there is a charging station for phones and cameras). Martin, the camp manager and head guide, really makes IBC special. He is a consummate host, colorful personality and extremely knowledgeable about the area and wildlife. His team is top-notch, especially Emmanuel and Derrick, the bartenders and waiters. Chef “Chilli” and his team are incredible – hard to believe they cook such delicious and varied food on a cast iron stove. A perfect place for those wanting a more authentic bush experience and willing to be flexible if needed (for example, occasionally the camp ran out of popular supplies like ice and Mosi beer and couldn’t be restocked until a half a day or day later.) One highlight here is the walking safari and we especially enjoyed doing the walking transfer from Three Rivers to IBC, which...