I was here on a brief one-night, pit stop stay. This camp is considered a solid, mid market option, although they certainly have different levels of accommodations so you can go up and down as your wallet allows.
It is very comfortable, and the pool area is quite amazing and I said this even as a non-pool person. There are lots of bush bucks wandering around the property. The tents look out to the river. Hippo gruntings provide the lullaby.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to do a review. As you say, there are many different accommodation options for people to choose from which makes us a favourite place for many different types of traveller. Our a la carte restaurant with its extensive and changing menus also allows total flexibility of what and when to eat, which suits so many of the modern day safari goers.
Sorry you didnt stay longer but hope that this little taster will be enough to get you back for longer next time.
All the best and thanks again for the review
Adrian
Just spent five days with Flatdogs Camp, for the second time after my first visit in 2017. Very happy to see that Jess, Adrian and Paolo were still around, entertaining, helpful and hospitable as always.
The addition of the new pool area is perfect. It's so good that I skipped game drives so I could fully relax in camp, especially when we encountered 43 degrees heat. The camp is an awesome place to unwind and just chill. The restaurant has so much variety, you have to stay for a long time to finish the whole menu.
You regularly see elephants, pukus, impalas, baboons, bushbucks roaming through camp, occasionally also buffalos and hippos. Great safety measures are in place that everyone can happily coexist.
Jess and Adrian perfectly organised my Covid Test which can be taken in the camp. You get the result back and it just took 3 hours. So this is helpful, so that stop-overs in Lusaka just for the purpose of a Covid-Test are not needed. They print the test out for you, the QR code can be scanned with your mobile phone when applying for the GlobalHaven certificate (which nobody wanted to see at the airport anyway). The CoVID certificate was accepted in South Africa, so it's all reliable.
The Game Drives were nice, the other travelers I was mixed with were a good fit. We actually had a lot of fun. Sightings wise, was a lucky week that the 21 wild dogs I have seen at Puku Ridge earlier moved on to the Mfuwe Lodge area and we could see them in two more game drives. Sightings of leopards and lions was less often than I experienced in 2017 (which was Aug/Sep), probably due to the heat. Still, we had some cool moments with leopards as well.
It's good to see Zambia getting the international tourists back. CoVID safety measures are in place so everyone can feel comfortable.
Till the next time!
Hi Timo,
Thanks very much for the lovely review. It was great to have you back and we are pleased you liked the new pool area which we think has created a very nice space for people to relax in between safaris, or like yourself, instead of. The beauty of us leaving Flatdogs so natural is that we get so many animals who see this place as home. So to sped the odd morning enjoying a safari but not having to go anywhere is a great option.
We have continued to develop our local chefs, who use as much local produce as possible and feel that our a la carte restaurant is adding more and more value to our guests when they stay here. Many of our return guests mention the food and the relaxed dining atmosphere as one of the reasons they return to Flatdogs for their safaris (along with our amazing guides of course!)
Our wild dog population which was impressive has been bolstered this year with 11 packs denning in the south Luangwa area, and a recorded 94 pups being born. So sightings of the painted wolves are at an all time high, so we are pleased your saw them.
And thanks for mentioning the new COVID testing we have available in camp with results in 3-4 hours, which has taken a lot of the stress and inconvenience out of having to have a test before heading back to your home countries!
Great to see you again and hope you will make it back here one day.
Thanks again for the review and all the best in your quarantine!
Adrian
Flatdogs is the laid-back jewel of the South Luangwa. Perfectly located right on the banks of the Luangwa River, and famously known for it's top-notch dining , it is our go-to camp to stay when we need to stay in Mfuwe but have convenient access to the national park. What's more, it is one of the best places in the entire area to be near elephants! On our most recent trip this past August, while we were in the gorgeously renovated pool chatting with some first time-in-Africa-fellow-American guests, a herd of elephant came thru the camp and chomped on trees right in front of us.
The chalets and tents are great. The showers have great water pressure and nice natural soap/shampoo amenities. Aidy, Jess, Paolo and the rest of the team constantly invest in improvements in the camp and it just gets better and better. They are longtime members of the local community and highly invested in conservation in the Mfuwe area. The game drives are also top notch, with guides who know where the wildlife is, and the little details about animals that keep you intrigued the whole time.
Leading group safaris for Dazzle Africa, we are so appreciative to have Flatdogs as a place to stay in the Luangwa, as our guests always give it rave reviews. We can't recommend it more highly.
Dear Mike,
Thanks very much for the great review. We are pleased you liked the new developments and the food was as good as always. Even during these tough times of COVID we have realised that investing in our assets is key (not least our fantastic staff who we have kept on salary for the whole time, making sure we still offer great service to guests whilst making sure they are all looked after ).
We want to make sure we are in the best position possible to give guests the experience of a lifetime when people can start travelling again. I think this year we have had more elephants in camp than people. Which is fantastic, but doesnt pay the bills!!! So to see reviews like this from guests who have travelled internationally, despite some of the inconveniences, really helps to give confidence to people who are still deciding whether to travel or not.
Thanks to you and to Dazzle Africa for supporting us, and for the great work you do in communities and conservation as well. We hope to see you again soon
All the best
Ade
Simply the best safari camp we stayed in whether in either Zambia or Kenya!! The managers, Jessie and Ade are the ultimate hosts....kind, friendly, witty, funny, and providing the best African experience you can possibly imagine. They have elephants, impala, pukus, and many more animals that frequently roam through the camp as well as many hippos in the Luangwa river that the camp borders. The food menu is as gourmet as the finest restaurant, with a myriad of choices, all delicious! Their culinary expertise has developed such a reputation that guests at other camps even come to dine here. Our game guide/driver, Yotam, was and is, unequivocally, the best guide in the area. He is an encyclopedia of knowledge of everything in the park...plants, birds, animals, and where to find them. We saw everything possible: leopard, wild dogs, lions, hippos, elephants, giraffe, buffalo, and on and on. Fantastic experience!! The tents were glamping at its best. This is the place to come, bar none, if you go anywhere in Africa. Thanks to all the staff and we hope to see you again soon, Jess and Ade!!! You made our honeymoon better than we could have imagined! All our best to you.....Larry & Patti
Dear Larry & Patti,
It was really great to meet you after years of Jess & you planning your trip. Well done for getting yourselves to Zambia during these difficult times. It shows that actually it is fairly easy and once you are here the outside living and space we have here (along with the almost non existent COVID) means it is one of the safest vacations you could possibly take. Not to mention the MOST AMAZING!
We love that you had such a fantastic time with us and not only had an incredible wildlife experience (we were pretty jealous every time you came back from safari with your new tales!) but that the food, people and the general atmosphere in camp left you wanting to come back again.
Thank you for the glowing review and for telling everyone this is the place to come. We hope everyone takes your advice! We wish you all the best in married life and thank you for choosing to spend your honeymoon with us here.
All the best
Ade and Jess
Flatdogs in a unique place that offers different amenities that other camps do not and they do so at a price point that is less than some of the higher end luxury camps. They have an al a cart menu at their restaurant that offers a variety of foods meeting every dietary restriction. They have a wonderful pool down by the river that is a great spot to hang in the afternoon in between game drives. Of course the wildlife is fantastic and our guide Geoffrey was superb. But perhaps our favorite part of our visit were the people. Adrian and Jess, along with Paolo, are wonderful hosts who make a huge effort to connect with the guests. We had great conversations with them about local conservation efforts and the future of the country under the new presidency. I highly recommend you add Flatdogs to your itinerary when planning your visit to South Luangwa. They offer a different kind of experience that you won't find at our other camps and the price is right.
Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone, we are delighted that you loved the camp and that our style of doing things suited you so well! Geoffrey is an incredible guide who loves sharing his encyclopedic knowledge with our guests! We really hope we might see you back here again one day!
