Msandile River Lodge — Hotel in Eastern Province

Pros: staff are pleasant, courteous, hospitable – their greatest asset The property is pleasant with shady trees and a riverside setting Its location gives a chance to access the park quickly rather than having to go the main gate. Packed meals had plenty of food and it was generally nice – except for the last packed breakfast we had they accommodated us for an extra night when needed

Cons: When we arrived the main generator had failed. So no room lights for 2 days. If you are new to the lodge,its more than inconvenient. We felt disoriented. We were given one small globe torch to use in the room. We could not unpack our bags; if one person went to the bathroom the other sat in the dark! We have been in Africa many times and understand some of the challenges here but customer care need not be compromised.

We had no hot shower for 6 of our 7 days there.

The vehicles are in dire condition! One day our car had clutch problems so we needed to get back to camp early from an all-day drive to top up with brake fluid (so we were told). On the way we found another camp car with a puncture, a dud spare tyre, no jack, no wheel spanner! We gave them our spare tyre and jack but we also had no wheel spanner. We ended up with a lengthy delay while this was all sorted out.

On another all- day drive, our car couldn’t get into gear, and we were stuck for 3 hours. This car had just come back 2 days ago from maintenance at a workshop! Where 5 bolts should be in place for one wheel, there was 1 and that had failed!!! On the same day another vehicle got stuck and was stranded for 3-4 hours!

There is no radio or it does not work in the cars, communications are done by guides' phones - if there is signal in the area.

The morning routine was very disorganised and chaotic for most of our stay. We should be able to start a safari at 6am – when the temperature and light, as well as animal movements are ideal. However, we left at 6.45 for our first drive. Another day's delay was for vehicle keys left behind for one car. Another day, no diesel was ready that morning.

On our second all day drive things were awful, the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. We'd agreed the previous to take a spotlight on all day drive just the previous day but it wasn't there, we had to remind them of it!

We had George guiding us and this is feedback related to him: poor comms from the guide to us, we need to know what's going on eg after he talks to other drivers. The guide should gauge clients’ needs and interests. He did not ask on first drive about our interests, we told him. There was no focus on those species from him. We had be careful what we said and how, to try to avoid irritation for him! He talked to us in unacceptable way re wanting to see a leopard for days but then we were keen to leave it, but that was for a sighting of wild dogs!! Relying on news from others too much. He had run out of Zamtel airtime! This is not a customer's problem!! no driving at any consistent speed - sometimes very slow, other times so fast. No looking side to side. Guide should be customer focused. There was no building rapport with us, feign interest if you have to! Sullen and arrogant demeanour. Unable to take feedback

Overall we think Msandile has potential to be very good. It is at the budget end of the valley’s offerings and this was one reason we chose it. We did not expect the luxuries of some lodges. However, safari vehicles and good guides are essential to a...

We do not believe you can choose a better location to stay than Msandile when in South Luangwa. Frank and Sabine are faultless, professional hosts that ensure every detail of your stay is wonderful. Unfortunately, we were unable to stay at their place for our entire trip due to the river being the highest its been in 20 years and the lodge, like almost all others in the area experienced unpredicted and unprecedented flooding. Frank and Sabine worked tirelessly to house every single guest in another lodge to ensure that those who booked flights (like us) did not get cancelled. Many other guests from other lodges were simply turned away wasting money and time. Frank and sabine then proceeded to pick us up from the airport, take us to the other lodge, provide us with game drives through their incredible experienced guide, Isaac and ensured our comfort and happiness every step of the way - even in another lodge. Isaac was awesome, and we saw incredible game including a pack of wild dogs doing a kill and a leopard... Our lodge we were moved into didn't provide regular access to water so Frank and Sabine bought us 12L of bottled water. On Easter Sunday they put together a Bush treat with Easter eggs ect to have on the game drive for all their guests and on the last day when the water level dropped they offered for us to go for lunch and spend the day at their place after the morning game drive. The lodge is beautiful- modern, contemporary African design with really amazing touches that make the place feel special. We were offered wellies in our sizes to traverse the property and able to use the plunge pool which was private and refreshing overlooking the river. The staff were all friendly and helpful and lunch was nothing short of fresh and delicious. Despite a giant flood - Frank and Sabine moved mountains to help us and make sure our flights were not wasted and for this we are beyond grateful. If this is what they can do when the property is flooded and surrounded by mud - just imagine what they can do in better weather conditions. Don't pick anywhere...

Run by Kiboko Safaris, we had a fabulous stay at this lodge. It is far from the main gate, so the drive from the main road (turning off before you get to Mfuwe) is quite far and certainly needs a good 4x4, but we saw elephants before even getting to Msandile. The main lodge areas is spacious and well designed. The pool is a good size and some lovely sitting areas around it. There was plenty to see from the lodge including elephants crossing the Luangwa river just in front. The en suite tent was very comfortable and clean with a spacious clean bathroom and two (indoor and outdoor) excelllent showers with plenty of hot water. The food is good - it’s not fine dining but it’s tasty and plentiful. The staff are very attentive and helpful - particularly credit to the housekeeping team who beautifully prepared our tent and clearly we’re passing about providing a lovely experience.

Being far from the main gate, entry into the park was by way of a boat crossing each day. This was $15 per boat per round trip, which we were able to share the cost with another couple, so it’s not a big expense but something extra to budget for. Our guide was good and keen to find the wildlife we were keen to see. The drives were long and maxed out the experience as much as possible.

Overall, we had a great stay. It’s very good value for money. It’s not high end dining and the tents may not be quite as luxurious as the top places (but still v comfortable and perfectly adequate, particularly when you barely spend any time in your tent anyway), but everything else is comparable with places we have stayed elsewhere for double the price.

Our only gripe was having to calculate and hand over all the money for boat trips and park entry shortly after arriving - it just felt a bit commercial/impersonal having to count out cash shortly after a long drive from Lilongwe - but I guess necessary. It would be preferable from a guest/visitor perspective to know what you need to pay at the start, but then pay it all at the end (ideally by card or DPO online payment), rather than having to...