Croc Valley Camp
Mfuwe Eastern, South Luangwa National Park 0000 Zambia
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4.7
Cleanliness
4.1
Service
4.3
Value
4.4
Set on the banks of the Luangwa River overlooking the South Luangwa National Park nestled under shady Mahogany trees lies the picturesque Croc Valley Camp. “Your camp with personality” We offer a variety of varied accommodation to suit everyone’s pocket, from self contained chalets on platforms, luxury en-suite tents on the river bank , ten dollar per night backpacker/dorm rooms, Family House to the campsite with thatched lapa's, electrical points and water outlets all on lush green lawns. All tastefully segregated but still part of the overall experience.Our chalets are completely environmentally friendly and in order to experience the nomadic night wonders at eye level our chalets are raised on platforms providing a fantastic safe viewpoint from which to see the wildlife that wanders through the camp. Throughout your stay, our chef's can provide delicious meals and snacks from original recipes using fresh ingredients for your meticulously prepared meals and for those that wish to self-cater or camp, full kitchen facilities are provided. Our campsite is well catered for campers and overland trucks with parking areas, fire places, power points, hot showers and ablutions.Between safaris, in the midday heat, our hippo friendly swimming pool provides the perfect place to relax and cool off. Hammocks are also scattered around the camp over-seeing the river and the swimming pool. The bar is always open and serves ice cold drinks throughout the day, whether you prefer to relax by the pool, catch up through our FREE WiFi , in a hammock or catch up with the news on our satellite TV.
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I visited Croc Valley with two friend and it was the highlight of our 6 months of travelling. The service throughout our whole time there was amazing and each member of staff went above and beyond what was needed. All of our game drives were excellent and we were lucky enough to see 4 of the big 5, big shout out to Bernard for making this happen! Each meal was delicious and we were never left hungry, Philimon was an excellent waiter the whole time. Finally a big shout out to Herbert who helped us organise the next stage of our travels when we were stuck with where to go. I will be going back, even if just to hear the hippos eating next to your tent at night!
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Traveled with friends
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
+1
The lodge is outside the NP but very close to the gate.We needed 2 family chalets for the four of us.Each chalets have fully furnished kitchen and beds to accomodate 3 adults.There is a huge fan too to help beat the October heat.The chalets face an open glassland and sitting in the cosy veradah one can see the elephant troop marching by,the buffaloes munching as they move to the river,the pukus and kudus all day long and ofcourse the notorious monkeys.Such a treat to watch the babies playing with each other and their moms. The resturant serves all three meals and the food quality is good.Yes,the furniture,the famous chess set ,the hammock are all worn out and need replacing but then covid has been hard to all of us .So if more local tourist come better the chance for renovations.The location of the restutant is amazing.Facing the mighty Luangwa,one is in for treat.Hippos roam about,elephats come to quench their thirst,crocdiles float by and numerous bird fly by. For the last night we were moved to the accomodation which is meant for backpackers.It was near the kitchen but surprisingly had AC.Not very comfortable to sleep in a place full of beds,bunk beds,queen bed but we managed for that single night. The workers are quite polite.Herbert was very helpful and answered all my queries. The lodge also organised the walking safari and game drive for us which as other reviewers point out is the best!…
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Date of stay: October 2021
Value
Rooms
Service
Helpful
+1
Croc Valley is aptly named, as we have never seen so many and so large crocs, all in one place. Don't worry, the river bank is very high and the crocs don't come and try to visit. There is power in each campsite and a few lights which worked all the time. There is also a small central kitchen, with freezers, fridges and stoves, if you need to use them, but it is about 200 m from the camps. The campsites are quite small and very near the bar. Thankfully there were few customers, but it is likely to be quite loud if there are lots of guests, or backpackers. The showers were OK, but often turn to a dribble if more than one person uses them. The other issue was the monkeys, which are quite prolific and you cant leave anything out in the campsite, otherwise it will be eaten or just chewed up. Overall the place was OK, but a bit run down. COVID has probably affected their income stream, but there are nicer campsite around at similar prices.…
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Date of stay: May 2021
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Room Tip: Buy firewood from traders on bicyles directly, otherwise prices are very high both from the camp...
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If you are looking for great food, bar, staff, and safari experience, then Croc Valley is the place for you. With different types of accommodations, this will give you choices on how you want to live on your stay. The safari's experiences are great and I highly recommend doing a combo of night and morning safaris. A guide to use there is Banard as I have used him three times and he is a very experienced guide and has great knowledge. Herbert the manager will help you in any way you can and is extremely friendly. Do not hesitate to stay here if you come to South Luangwa
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Date of stay: April 2021
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Room Tip: River Front Tents
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Croc Valley Camp is a great camp for anyone who wants to have the real experience of the Luangwa Valley. There is every kind of accommodation from camping to eco tents to self catering chalets to air conditioned luxury. Food is plentiful and good. You can pick and choose what you want to do rather than having to follow a set schedule. The owners and staff are lovely and interesting - and you'll meet many locals if you go to the bar for sundowners. All in all a magical place. Highly recommend.
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Date of stay: April 2020
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Room Tip: Chalets are the most private. Rooms with shared bath are nice and have a/c and the bathrooms are...
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Response from Charl Beukes, Owner at Croc Valley Camp
Responded Apr 4, 2021
Thank you very much SherriTom for your wonderful comments. Hope to see you back very soon !!
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Croc valley was a nice place to stay for our budget. We had it mostly to ourselves due to the season and covid 19. However, 1800 kwacha was taken from my private room. There was a safe in the room which I did not use however I have never used safes during my year in Zambia and not experienced this before in any accommodation. The staff we were slow and unhelpful when this was flagged on our last day. We had a flight to catch and the manager made us wait in reception for 2.5 hours without any information, which resulted in us rushing to the airport and not visiting the local shops as planned. The manager was quite defensive and put the entire blame on me and even managed to make me feel guilty for being stolen from in his premise. He instructed me the only way to help the situation was to raise a police report. To do this you had to be in the area and due to the delay waiting for him there was no time to do so. He said he would be in touch via email to assist this and he never was. His tone and lack of a good will gesture for even 10% off the bar tab for the time wasted and the theft was really disappointing and I would not recommend staying there, despite the pleasant experience beforehand.…
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Date of stay: January 2021Trip type: Traveled with friends
Helpful
Response from Charl Beukes, Owner at Croc Valley Camp
Responded Feb 28, 2021
Amazing that we are blamed for someone's stupidity and give a 1 score when everywhere even on the Mirror in rooms are signs LOCK UP YOUR VALUABLES Even on briefings Guests are asked to lock up valuables and that we have a safe upstairs that we can lock things up if necessary When I spoke to her and asked why it was not locked up she said I never lock up anything. There reason we have spent a lot of money to fit safes is to protect the clients belongings. I was asked what can I do about it and I said the only thing is to inform the police. I was then asked what would happen to the ladies cleaning the rooms and I said they would be interrogated, which they were not happy with so I asked them what do you expect me to do and I was told discount the bar bill . I replied I am sorry but this was not our fault you did not follow our instructions. We concluded that they would write a report send it to us and I would try must best to report this to the Police not knowing if they would accept a hand written report. No report came
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I spent 2 great nights at this camp! Great spot in the jungle of South Luangwa National Park! Very good quality of food and very well prepared.. the stuff was helpful... If I ever return to Mfuwe I will definitely stay at croc valley camp again.
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Date of stay: December 2020Trip type: Traveled solo
Helpful
Response from Charl Beukes, Owner at Croc Valley Camp
Responded Feb 24, 2021
Thank you very much for the kind remarks especially during these hard times. We hope we can welcome you back soon !!
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+1
After 10 years of visiting Southern Africa (Botswana, Zimbabwe, Southern Africa and Namibia) we decided to explore South Luangwa NP because it is known as the best park for leopard sightings. We wanted to take our time, to know park better, to feel its spirit and booked 10 nights in September 2020. The camp is rather big and busy. It has self-catering chalets, air-conditioned tents, rooms and camping place with a river view. We decided for that busy camp because we wanted to get more information about the park which we supposed to get from guests but due to the Covid-19 pandemic there were almost no guests in the camp. We booked the self-catering chalet a year in advance via booking.com without paying any deposit. The price was more than reasonable and in a case of cancelation we wouldn’t loose any money. Booking.com didn’t charge us at all and we paid cash on place. You can book it also on web-site of Croc-Valley Camp. The camp looks perhaps old and tired, but it is a kind of property that will survive (hopefully) Covid- pandemic. It has something for every kind of guest except some who need luxury. You can book air-conditioned (very nice) tent on the all-inclusive basis or accommodation on a self-catering basis and buy activities as you wish. I loved our self-catering chalet! It was build on a wooden platform and had everything we needed. In the kitchen we had: electrical stove, toaster, microwave, filter-coffee machine, boiler for tea water, fridge with the freezer and safe. And everything was working!! Except the safe. There were, of course, plates, pots, pans and cutlery. Outside was a Barbecue - place. A huge ventilator was standing in the room and there was also a celling fan. We put together two of three available beds, and the stuff made a king-bed of it without us even asking. I must note here that housekeeping ladies were just fantastic! Every day our dishes were washed, bed made, floor and sanitary were cleaned. The bed was really very comfortable! Perhaps better than mine at home. The shower was separated from WC and washbasin with a wall but water was seeping through it to the WC area. But who cares? As I said the chalet was not luxury and was old and for a price we paid it didn’t bother me at all. It was not much water going through. I just cannot put something at the wall without getting wet by extensive showering of two people. The shower worked excellently and that was a main point! Didn’t you have an experience with expensive lodges where you paid $800ppn and shower didn’t work properly? I had experience where we didn’t have ANY water for two days! Sometime ago we stopped to book expensive lodges because they often didn’t deliver what one could have expected for the price and at the end the basic functionality is more important than a pretended luxury. Yes, the accommodation was tired, but I really fell in love with it! It was like an old friend I know for ages. After 10 nights at Croc Valley, we were staying in Nsefu sector for three nights and had two nights after that without any bookings. We came back to Croc Valley for those two spare-nights! It was like coming home! The only missing was chairs. There was a high bar-table which separated kitchen from the room and actually we were happy to stand there and work on our computers because we were sitting all the day anyway! Additionally we took our chairs from the (fully equipped) car to sit when taking meals. Sometimes we prepared our food ourselves and other days we visited camp’s restaurant. That is also what we like a lot: to eat when we want, to decide ourselves. I had a feeling that restaurant was always open. At least we got meal every time we visited it. In the evening after a game drive they always asked us if we want to eat something. What a care!! But we don’t eat so late. (And don’t need to pay for dinner like we do in lodges with all-inclusive…) The food in a restaurant was prepared good but not outstanding. We ate steaks or burgers with greek-salad. After a few days we ate all feta-cheese, but the stuff was very creative and substituted it with mozzarella. I don’t think that it is a logistic problem. Note, that we were during Covid-19 there. We were the only international guests in the camp. Sometimes there were some resident-guests. There was no need for them to make a big food shopping. The biggest attraction of the camp is its swimming pool. It is big, clean and good maintained. It is so big that you can really have a good swimming hour in it! In the evening it is lighted so, you can again have a sport-hour. Opposite the pool is a Gym and the equipment was working there. We organised a few days of game drives and booked always a morning, and an evening game drives the same day. Our guide was Simon. We explicitly asked for him because I read about him in Trip Advisor. His last drive was in February 2020 (we were in September 2020). Simon was just incredible! It again shows that quality of a guide doesn’t depend on a lodge category. I noticed rather other tendency: cheaper camps have often better guides. Why? The answer is simple. At the beginning the guides working in remote lodges and stay there for months. After some years they have it enough, want to be closer to the family and look for the camps closer to villages. And those camps are like Croc Valley, they are situated outside the park, between the village and the gate. Those guides often already have a long-year carrier and are excellent in spotting animals. So was Simon. He was the first who spotted lions, leopards... And called a guide from Bush Company to come. There were no many game-drive vehicles at the beginning of September: a car from Thornicroft Lodge, from Chinzombo and a few cars with local people from the neighbouring villages. Project Luangwa and Carnivore Project was organising game drives for locals to show the value of wildlife. I found it excellent! Later Bush Company (Mfuwe lodge) was driving with a few vehicles, Mopani Lodge and Marula Lodge. The breakfast and snacks on game drives were always very good, but we preferred to use a good light for photography and often skipped breaks. We were always alone in the car. There were other guests at the end of our stay, a family, and they got their own car as well. The morning game-drives started at 6:00 (05:55) and ended at about 10:15. The evening game-drives started at 16:00 (once we arranged at 15:30) and ended at about 20:00-20:15. The gate is 5-7mins from the camp. The camp is situated between Luangwa river and small lake and our chalets was often visited by elephants, giraffes, hippos, pukus and resident bushbucks. Baboons and monkeys were always there waiting to break into the chalet and steal the food. Once I heard an alarm-call and went out of the chalet to see what happened. A stuff-member was rushing by with a stick in the hand. „A lion is here,“ he explained. Despite a village vicinity and a lot of noise, there are also leopards and hyenas who are visiting camps. We met them on the Luangwa bridge. They were crossing to the village. „Oh..! Lions and leopards are people-friends!“ said Simon once. I will be back to Croc Valley.…
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Date of stay: September 2020
Value
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Response from Charl Beukes, Owner at Croc Valley Camp
Responded Feb 24, 2021
Thank you very much for an excellent review !! We are trying hard during these trying time to keep the camp maintained but with little income the emphasis has been to keep all our staff employees and thus feeding their families fed. Once again thanks again and welcome HOME when you come again!!
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My boyfriend and I just spent the weekend at Croc Valley, and we were very pleased with our stay. When we arrived we were greeted with a warm welcome by staff, and showed to our accommodation - River Tent #1. The all inclusive package is definitely the way to go - lodging, game drives, and food. All of the meals were delicious! I have visited South Luangwa National Park many times over the last few years. Our game driver, Bernard, was very impressive. He was knowledgeable about the animals and the park, and willing to answer any question we had. He asked before we started if there were specific animals we wanted to see, and did his best to make sure we saw them. The atmosphere at the lodge is definitely one of fun and relaxation. Everyone is friendly, there is a great pool and many seating areas along the river to relax and site see. I highly recommend to anyone traveling in the area looking for somewhere to stay.…
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Date of stay: July 2020
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Response from Charl Beukes, Owner at Croc Valley Camp
Responded Feb 24, 2021
Thank you very much for the great review !!
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South Luangwa was the highlight of our holiday! We had the most amazing sightings (wild dogs, lions, leopards, birds and that is not all!) in the Emerald season, early Jan. The 6 campsites are located right at the river, under a shelter, which was a total blessing. Amazing pool in the camp. It is unique to be able to self cater (camping) while also having the luxury of a bar, restaurant and a pool. Never had that before, so it felt like a five star hotel. We were the only ones camping. Game drives and park entrance fees are more expensive than in other countries like SA, Bots and Malawi, but I cannot compare with prices in Zam. The chef made some delicious cookies for the morning game drive. We went on a self drive once, but it was very clear that guides driving around are not too happy with you doing that. We did not see anyone else do it. Some small improvement could very easily be made in the camp: cleaning of the communal kitchen, cleaning the restaurant tables, tightening the safari vehicle’s wheel nuts (and perhaps adding a few ;)), cleaning cigarette butts from the vehicle.. We struggled with the monkeys, who would (especially when camp staff was out of sight) get in the car, even if you are standing in front of it, they just charge you and then go for it. Not sure what you can do about it... All in all I have had the most wonderful camping experience and we will definitely come back. …
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Traveled as a couple
1 Helpful vote
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ALSO KNOWN AS
croc valley camp hotel south luangwa national park
LOCATION
ZambiaSouth Luangwa National Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
7
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Claim Your Listing Frequently Asked Questions about Croc Valley Camp
Which popular attractions are close to Croc Valley Camp?
Nearby attractions include Mulberry Mongoose (3.4 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at Croc Valley Camp?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include a pool, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge.
What food & drink options are available at Croc Valley Camp?
Guests can enjoy an on-site restaurant, a lounge, and barbeque facilities during their stay.
Are there opportunities to exercise at Croc Valley Camp?
Yes, guests have access to a pool during their stay.
Does Croc Valley Camp have any great views?
Yes, guests often enjoy the river view available here.