Hari - This was my first time in Zambia and SLNP so I cant speak with any level of authority.

In terms of game viewing I wouldnt necessarily say that the game density is any higher or lower than Nsefu sector where the Remote Africa camps are, though I felt birding was better in the Nsefu sector and it definitely has a more remote feel to it. During the 7 nights we spent there we came across another vehicle only once and that was also from Tafika. The Kaingo/Mwamba is rich is Cooksons' Wildebeest which is absent in the Nsefu area but we didnt see any. The hippo hide allows one to get into very close proximity of Hippo (20 feet) which is a definite plus. The elephant hide is also meant to be good, but we didnt go into it due to very windy weather. We did come across numerous vehicles traversing the area near Kaingo - I definitely dont want to be snobbish about sharing sightings, but there was atleast 4 instances where there were atleast 1 and sometimes 2 other vehicles at sightings with a little bit of manouvering to get the best view.

nyama - We unfortunately didnt get a chance to meet Patrick. Went out with Derek once. Mostly out with Innocent.

I havent detailed the specific instances of our experiences with Kaingo here and I am not sure if I should, but I have discussed them with friends who are avid Africa travellers as well and there was a consensus that those shouldnt have happened.

My impression of Ian was that of a more introverted personality, with sometimes strong opinions, and sometimes not as flexible as some clients are used to or are expecting. There were some minor irritations, but since I like such personalities and he also managed the important parts of my stay (bee-eater hide, elephant hide sleep-out) very smoothly, it wasn't a problem for me.

I personally prefer stong personalities, even if they strongly disagree with me to meet spineless ones. Ian wouldnt look us eye-to-eye and speak and I dont like that.

But its really irrelevant to the Kaingo experience so I wouldnt want to let that muddle by opinion of the outfit.

Hi Amol

Here's my email address if you care to discuss what happened : [email protected]

It may help us when we get there.

Cheers
Marc