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COSMIC RHINO
Posted

Well given some advice here and looking at trip advisor I though the place would be at least ok.

 

Nothing could be further from the truth , I say the place is ok for a break in the country and grading it anything above one and half out of ten is generous.

 

Having booked for a reasonable period , I started counting down after a day or so to the time when I could exit trhe place

 

It is small at 4,500 ha, has few animals, and they are all skitish , the place is nearly all grass as most of the trees and bushes have been cleared .

 

The guide is not particulary well informed, anyone who has any reasonable knowledge of wildlife will find the comment that a few wilderbeeste are on a mini migration silly the first time , and painfull there after. It is nothing on what happens over thousands of km between the Serengeti and the Massai Mara.

 

Personally I was fvery displeased with the guide who asked me multiple times which of your two stone pendants are you leaving behind for me .

 

The elphants are ok , but on the statement it can go 2 to 4 days without seeing them. They are all ex zoo and circus animals plus breeding on site, I am glad that they are in the bush , but it is not the finest elephant experience in Sth Africa. Any other place I have been to has been better. It takes a while to find them, they are not crowded with vehicles and the guide drives of after not that much time at all ,without asking anyone.

 

I acknowlewdge that Anthony Lawrence has done things for wildlife , but better things have been done elsewhere , nearly everyone else at the place spoke in awe of him and said that they had read the books . I looked at them in the shops and put them down as they are mainly his personal story with relatively little on the wildlife

 

There are two unrelated rhino orphans which they hope will later breed , visitors are kept at a reasonable distance as they have in the past been far to close to people , which could compromise future security.

 

Both the guide and the farther did nothing to control a youngish child who was disruptive on both walks and drives.

 

The tented camp is ok, but it is in no way a luxury camp. Having been to luxury camps like Lewa Safari Camp the overall finish and standard is far below luxury. However , the tents are larger than some places . The overall finish and appeal is far below Nthambo Tree Camp.

 

If you want to go anyway beware the vervet monkeys which hang around the camp. On occasions the camp vehicles took passengers from the lodge for the afternoon game drive . Around the collection point there were around 10 vervet monkeys , which could easily create a problems in the lodge rooms.

 

The appeal of the game reserve, walks, wildlife sitings and tented camp on the website and trip adviser is far from reality.

michael-ibk
Posted

Thanks for the warning, and sorry to hear it was such a disappointment to you. Hope you did enjoy the rest of your trip?

COSMIC RHINO
Posted

it was brilliant

 

Also the place has a narrow minded guests. On two seperate occasions the manager asked me to keep to myself and not talk to the other guests . Once when I said I did not like Walt Disney or the Lion King and another time when someone did not like me saying that there was a problem with ivory poaching in most of Africa , and I did not care for rugby league and rock and roll

 

Anyone thinking of going there should know that the last section of the road is in an awefull condition , it is not busy , so at times my transfer driver was using the section of road going in the wrong direction .,y

Posted

CR, I'm sorry to hear that this place was a let down and am happy that the rest of your trip was successful.. I hope that you saw lots of rhino (cosmic, white or black).

Posted

"Both the guide and the farther did nothing to control a youngish child who was disruptive on both walks and drives." Really bad.

 

"Personally I was very displeased with the guide who asked me multiple times which of your two stone pendants are you leaving behind for me ." Astoundingly bad

 

Glad to see this was the exception to the rest of the brilliant trip. It happens.

COSMIC RHINO
Posted

Looks like to me that the place attracts foodies, due to the elaborate stuff on offer at the safari lodge.

 

It could be well that the visitors let their food experience influence their assesment of the wildlife and say that it was a whole lot better than it actually was.

 

The food at the camp is very good and very generous in quantity.

 

Looking at my journal there are even more downers to the place.

 

For a few days in the next tent there were a couple who were speaking so loudly that I could hear every word they said at times. When the man arrived he made some cell phone calls which went on for 30 mins, I could hear all that he said, I do not care for that , and he was proud to say that he was drinking wine before midday.

 

It is one of the worst places I have been in my life.

 

I was the only person who thought of Anthony Lawrence as just having achieved something moderately good for the environment , a realistic assesment, instead of thinking of him as one of it major environmental achievers which is seriously overblown.

 

Also Pungwe Bush Camp could have been better, the rhinos have gone elsewhere and the guide was insensative . On multiple occasions he made a special point that I was travelling alone (I had explained that I was with someone who was making constant suicide threats ) and I was travelling without a cell phone ( well I want to get away from it all, don't wish to contact people when I am away or end up with a high bill).

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