Mopani Safari Lodge — Hotel in Eastern Province

Just returned home after a 2 12 week stay in Zambia with a large family group of 15, 6 days were spent at Mopani Safari Lodge. First impressions were what a nice well kept site it was. The staff were absolutely great...A welcome from the manager, Borniface, whose main concern seemed to be that everyone was kept happy. Food was plentiful, and varied....I'm a fussy meat eater, and there was always something to suit me. We had one vegan, and one lactose intolerant member of our group, and the chef and his staff were always able to cater for those needs as well. We were lucky to have 'Brian' who I think was actually 'Bran' as our safari guide. He is an exceptional off road driver, who we always felt very safe with, and his knowledge of plants, trees, and all the creatures that we encountered was absolutely amazing...always having an answer to our many questions. He took us closer to 'nature' than we could have possibly imagined He is the most qualified guide in this safari lodge, but half of our group had Robert as their guide, and insisted that he was just as good and knowledgeable. The safari vehicles were virtually new....Toyota Landcrisers, that gave a good ride, even on the roughest terrain that Bran took us over. All of the staff without exception were lovely people, and every possible need was met. Downsides? Very few. One thing missing was alcohol....I believe the lodge owner is of the Muslim faith, so 'public' drinking is not allowed, although there is no issue with taking alcoholic drinks on site, and having them in the privacy of your lodge. in reality, even though I like a beer or two, the safari schedule is so busy, there is little time for evening socialising....returning from the evening safari, it's evening meal time, then virtually straight to bed to be ready for an early morning call at 05.15 for the morning safari. There were other extra surprises....evening lakeside meals....a traditional Zambian theatre group show....we had no idea that these extras were going to be provided. If you are ever considering a safari experience, you won't be disappointed by...

We arrived at the lodge and were greeted by Borniface, the lodge manager. He was extremely welcoming and showed us around the lodge and rooms. We were also served a delicious welcome drink. All the staff at Mopani are very helpful and go out of their way to make you feel as comfortable as possible. We stayed in the lagoon facing rooms, and i must say they are spectacular! Beautiful, clean and spacious, and you can see many animals come to the lagoon to drink water. Such an amazing sight, just sitting from your room and viewing the animals, meters away from the room veranda. We saw elephants, kudu, impalas, baboons, warthogs, girrafes and were also lucky enough to spot a lioness feeding on a buffalo at the lagoon!

We went for 3 game drives and a walking safari with our highly knowledgeable guide Mr Brian. He gave us a brief history about the park, animals and flora and fauna indigenous to south luangwa. Highlights of our game drive was when we requested Mr Brian to see the Carmine bee eater birds. He went out of his way to show us the birds. Fabulous sighting! He knew exactly how to navigate the park and we sighted lions twice on the game drives. We were also lucky to spot the endangered African wilddogs. Such a rare sighting!

Coming on to the food, it was prepared freshly keeping in mind any dietary restrictions we mentioned. Hats off to the chef for preparing such delicious food everyday. I always looked forward to lunch and dinner as the food was just amazing! Some snacks were also provided during the game drive, where we would stop inside the park at a safe location and eat with views of the beautiful trees and birds.

On the whole, i really had exceptional experience at mopani and it is luxury at its best! Affordable and great for Bush and Safari lovers! Will definitely visit...

We arrived at the lodge and were greeted by Borniface, the lodge manager. He was extremely welcoming and showed us around the lodge and rooms. We were also served a delicious welcome drink. All the staff at Mopani are very helpful and go out of their way to make you feel as comfortable as possible.|We stayed in the lagoon facing rooms, and i must say they are spectacular! Beautiful, clean and spacious, and you can see many animals come to the lagoon to drink water. Such an amazing sight, just sitting from your room and viewing the animals, meters away from the room veranda.|We saw elephants, kudu, impalas, baboons, warthogs, girrafes and were also lucky enough to spot a lioness feeding on a buffalo at the lagoon!||We went for 3 game drives and a walking safari with our highly knowledgeable guide Mr Brian. He gave us a brief history about the park, animals and flora and fauna indigenous to south luangwa.|Highlights of our game drive was when we requested Mr Brian to see the Carmine bee eater birds. He went out of his way to show us the birds. Fabulous sighting! He knew exactly how to navigate the park and we sighted lions twice on the game drives. We were also lucky to spot the endangered African wilddogs. Such a rare sighting!||Coming on to the food, it was prepared freshly keeping in mind any dietary restrictions we mentioned. Hats off to the chef for preparing such delicious food everyday. I always looked forward to lunch and dinner as the food was just amazing!|Some snacks were also provided during the game drive, where we would stop inside the park at a safe location and eat with views of the beautiful trees and birds.||On the whole, i really had exceptional experience at mopani and it is luxury at its best! Affordable and great for Bush and Safari lovers!|Will definitely visit...