My wife and I stayed at Tena Tena Camp for three nights june 06th – 09th 2010.

The camp is located at a beautiful spot along the Luangwa River. It offers perfect accomodation in maybe the best - because most authentic – tents we’ve ever seen. Big tents with zippers instead of door frames like most other tents have with an extra dressing room and an outdoor bathroom with separated areas for flush-toilet, sink and shower.

The tents offer king-size beds and a big terrace with very comfortable chairs and a view over a water covered area that gives some good entertainement at night. We had a Hippo right before our tent eating there night for night. Loud but we loved it.

You can’t see the river from the tents because they are built with the back to it. But from the bar you have perfect river views and they have very comfortable and lots of chairs there. A good place with very friendly staff.

At all the service at Tena Tena was perfect and all the staff was absolute fantastic people. Let me name just two of them here: Our guide Nyambe who has such a great knowledge and Lucy who just started working there to take care for the guests. She would make the sun shine on a rainy day.

Food comes four times a day and was always very good. Early breakfast started at 06.00 am with toast, cereals and porridge as a starter for the morning game drive. At noon they served lunch with 2 courses warm/cold and salads/vegetables, fresh bread … High tea came with tasty cakes. Dinner was served in different styles. One night we had a so called Mongolian Barbecue (very tasty) sitting around the fire place and on the other days dinner was served at the plate on the platform at the lagoon. Always good with starters and something sweet for desert. At the day we arrived they had a late arrival lunch prepared for us.

But what counts for a safari holiday is not only the accomodation but game driving.

We where lucky ones right from the start. On the transfer from Mfuwe airport to Tena Tena we had our first leopard sighting close to the camp even before we arrived there. That was great. And we saw that leopard three times that day. Unfortunately we did not see any big cat and no lions during the next days. But we had lots of Hippos (of course), Giraffes, Buffalos, Elephants Jackals, Hyenas and many other animals with good interacting.
The only thing that really disappointed us was the fact that there is hunting just across the river and that you can hear the gunshots during the game drives. Sad feelings coming up in moments like that. And as Nyambe our guide told us that the gunshots are the reason that the lions walk more and more out of this area. They walk away from the danger that they feel instinctively. But Robin Pope Safari as the owner of the camp is not to blame for the hunting.

Tena Tena is a great camp for a perfect stay in a fantastic landscape with lots of game around.

I had just turned 18 when my parents took me and my brother on safari with them. It was a once in a lifetime treat for my mum's 50th and I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to go with them to such a brilliant place. It is so well hidden within the trees, it is a fantastic setting which I'll never forget. First we went to nsefu camp, which was also exceptional, then onto Tena Tena. I've never seen anything like it. I loved the tents and the night drives were especially good! Seeing a hyaena consume a puku, and a group of lions eat a warthog was amazing. and I had been hoping to see a leopard all week, and on the very last night we found one!
The best aspect about this safari was how quiet it was, it was literally maybe our truck and one other truck in the same vicinity at any time, not 10 trucks following one lion as is often found in Kenya. The guides are also lovely people. One name will always stick in my head - Kiki. Such a funny guy, scared my dad half to death taking us within 5 or so metres of elephants and lions. I love the open air bathrooms at Tena Tena too. You can stand showering as well as pop your head over the wall to watch the impala/elephants/warthogs pass by. The visit to a school is also of valuable experience. We then flew to Club Makokola in Malawi afterwards, but in all honesty, it was nothing compared to Tena Tena. I will certainly be returning here in future, on a honeymoon would be perfect.

We had an extremely enjoyable stay at Tena Tena and were looked after very well by Emma and the rest of the staff. Lovely tents with nice views over the lagoon. We watched warthogs, baboons and water birds from our porch between game drives. Enjoyable game drives with Nyambe, our excellent guide, although very quiet on the preditor front (but that's the ups & downs of safari). We had a very pleasant & informative walking safari one morning. Other highlights were the visit by boat to see the Carmine bee eater colony, a brilliant night view of a honey badger catching an eel and finally getting to see a Pel's fishing owl!

Tena Tena is one of the best experiences ever!! If you love the bush and would like to have a fantastic safari, this place is a must. The tents are great, food is incredible (it can compete with any restaurant in Cape Town) and the park is as safari should be, as unspoiled as possible.

I was born in Malawi and my parents always talked about Zambia and Malawi and esspecially Luangwa. For my honeymoon this was a must.

I would go to Tena Tena (and the other Robin Pope facilities) anytime if I could afford it!!!