Croc Valley Camp

We had a very good safari with Croc Valley, even though our guide gave little commentary and hardly interacted with us. He did work hard, driving very fast to find some great animal sightings. We booked just one drive, and learned that the minimum group size has gone up from the website’s stated two people to three. Luckily a large group was staying there, otherwise we might have had to pay more. The location is fantastic, and despite a few snags we enjoyed the stay enough that we’d go back. I hope this is useful to budget travelers without a vehicle. Our covered campsite was great, with plenty of bathrooms, comfortable common areas, and a sparkling clean, inviting pool. It looked like both the pool and bathrooms had been cleaned up since some earlier reviews. The camping area is screened, though monkeys and lots of insects still get in. It might offer a psychological barrier against the very unlikely possibility of a hippo attacking a tent. We tried walking from the nearby town, which I wouldn’t recommend. Potentially dangerous animals are in the jungle on the way to the lodge, and parts of the road flood in the wet season. There was an elephant attack that killed two tourists the year before, so take a cab and include the cost in your plans. The website said we could pay by card, but the lodge couldn’t take credit cards, which was frustrating. Manager Thomas helped me get to town for an ATM, but there’s only one machine and it was considerably more expensive than other options we found in Zambia. Thomas was also very helpful in arranging a lift out with some park rangers instead of paying the 100zk cab fare to the main road, though you shouldn’t count on that. Food seemed expensive, so we brought groceries and made simple cold meals in the self-catering kitchen. It wasn’t clear what it cost to rent utensils or use pots, pans, or the stove, so we avoided those. The kitchen was bare and neglected, with basically a tap and countertop, but it was a safe place to keep food away from monkeys.

The camp sits in a lovely spot beside the river, where you can watch crocodiles on the sandbanks, hippos in their pods, and elephants crossing. It’s a great base for South Luangwa National Park. Guide quality on the game drives varies. Most have been enthusiastic, knowledgeable, and interactive, but once in a while I’ve had one who seemed bored, uninterested, and gave only one-word answers. A guide can make or break a drive, and at these prices you’re entitled to ask for decent service, tip accordingly, or request a different guide for the next drive. I can’t recommend the place highly enough.

Herbert gave us a lovely welcome and showed us around the campsite. We were lucky to get riverside spot number 4, where we watched the sunrise and animals passing by. One morning elephants even came into the camp. The location is great, close to South Luangwa NP, and there’s a restaurant, bar, pool, giant chess, and hammocks. At the campsite, our spot had plenty of shade, a covered bench and table meant to keep monkeys out, a fire pit with wood available for an extra charge, and a power outlet that only works at night. The monkey protection wasn’t foolproof, and they can still get in. Staff even light the fire for you. Two things let the place down for us. A family went on an early game drive and left two children under three with a staff member. Both were very distressed, especially the baby, who screamed for hours from 5 a.m. That wasn’t the staff’s fault, but perhaps the campsite should have a policy about very young children or leaving little ones behind. Also, the ablution blocks need a proper clean and renovation. We had no hot water during our stay, one toilet was overflowing, and another was broken. They were painting while we were there, but the facilities need more than paint.

The staff at reception, the bar, and security were amazing, always kind, helpful, and professional. I also appreciated that each camping spot has its own roofed sitting area, and the restaurant food was fairly priced, around 120-180 for most dishes, with some vegetarian choices. Preordered food arrived on time, which surprised me since it was the first place during my seven weeks in Africa where that happened. Drinks, though, cost more than elsewhere. The bathrooms were in really bad shape, the shared kitchen was filthy, and we couldn’t find any utensils. The website says they pick you up at the bus station, but they told us to order a taxi. The pool was completely green and I didn’t feel safe getting in. The game drives were the worst safari experience I’ve had so far. I did two, one in the morning and one at night, after staying two days in my own tent. I’ve done drives in a few other African parks too. I knew it was rainy season and didn’t expect lots of animals, so that wasn’t the problem. The guide acted more like a driver than a spotter. It felt like we and the other guests had to find the animals ourselves, while he just stopped and named things like “zebra” or “lion,” with almost no extra information. When we asked questions, he said, “It’s hard to tell.” He also ignored many birds, and we had two rather long breaks that felt like wasted time. The night drive was similar, with the spotter saying absolutely nothing the whole way. We kept going around a small loop, passing the same places several times, and it was the first time I’d had guides who didn’t communicate with each other. I left the car disappointed and felt I’d wasted my money on the drives. I don’t recommend it.