Mutinondo Wilderness Camp | Established Campground

March 14th, 2024 by twoleolandy.africa

Absolutely the best place to camp in peaceful surroundings. Stayed on way up to TZN and again on way down. Fabulous sunset drinks at lodge with honesty bar, good dinner if u want it. Swim in rivers, walk for miles, birds , trees, plants , butterflies, mushrooms all catalogued. Been sold to new owners who are conservationists. Should continue to be outstanding. Green season 20% reduction appreciated.

December 31st, 2023 by bonsaichills

What a great place to stop - perfect for those wanting to hike, run, swim, paddle board and simply enjoy nature. We stayed at campsite 9 which has a great view and lots of covered space. A recently built structure with a roof terrace and fire pit under cover. Perfect for those using ground tents when raining. Drop toilets were clean and hot shower too. Firewood available. Must take your rubbish with you when leaving unless it can be composted.

November 14th, 2023 by Juudt

Amazing place, highly recommended! Beautiful hiking trails which you can also run Camping site was lovely with a hot shower and a view! Food is also delicious

November 14th, 2023 by ivoenmischa

If you want to hike/run, this is the place to be. Lots of great paths, amazing views, nice waterfalls, great signposts.
Camping also great: decent roof on the camp spot with braai area and camping table. Good warm showers. Both sinks and dish washing area. All outdoors. Long drop toilets. $20pp, kids halve price. No airtel reception, WiFi at reception.

September 21st, 2023 by Michael and Astrid

Lovely place to stay and relax for a few days. Hiking is a must, beautiful nice hills to climb, all 10 if you want! Can’t get lost with all the nice signs there . Do a canoe trip or just admire the nice falls.
Bar with nice sunset.

August 31st, 2023 by MissR

It's always wonderful to be there. The waterfalls and the nature there are simply wonderful. It is rarely possible for lions and cheetahs to roam around there, but the lodge keeps an eye on them and if tracks are spotted, you can walk through the area free of charge with an armed guide.
The owner will inform guests if predators are seen or heard and staff will be trained to keep an eye out for such clues to ensure guest safety at all times.

July 6th, 2023 by mlperkins1980

Beautiful camp, hot showers, long drop loos, honesty bar and great views all around. Some wifi in reception area, plenty of fire wood available. Since lion and cheetah could be heard (and prints seen) we chose not to hike! $20pppn Definitely recommend ended.

June 30th, 2023 by Gangsta_mobile

What an incredible location! Initially we were a bit concerned about the camping rates of $20pp. But if you consider the hiking trails and beautiful scenery, the price is well worth it. After days of driving it was great to be able to stretch out legs and get some exercise. Trails are exceptionally well marked and cleared. They host a trail running and mountain biking event annually. We hiked up Kite Rock, Koloko, Little Myense and then Myense. Really interesting scenery with big granite domes. We then did the river walk past the 3 small waterfalls and down to paradise pools. The water is amazing to drink and you can safely swim. The canoes at the first waterfall are nice to use to paddle upstream. Spectacular scenery! There are also 2 beautifully located rocking chairs at Harry's bar (honesty bar near reception) to gaze over the scenery and enjoy a Mosi or two. Mike was a lovely host. Worth every $.

February 26th, 2023 by trudie.bosman

Absolutely beautiful! Lots of hiking to be done. My dog loved every moment, just not allowed at main reception area as there are other dogs, but camp area isnt a problem. Showers with warm water, decent long drops. Roof over tent with fireplace, braai area and picnic tables. We ate at lodge and food was superb. Lari and her team is so friendly and helpful

September 15th, 2022 by nickianddave

This is one of the most spectacular places in Zambia. Mike the owner and his staff were so lovely and kind to us, offering lots of useful information and advice and so welcoming. The campsite is great, large private pitches with tables and benches under your own bomo and fire and brain to cook on. The long drop toilets were throne like with a fab view and very clean and the showers (a choice of donkey boiler heated or solar) were huge with good strength and hot hot water. Separate basin area with mirrors and also kitchen sinks and laundry sink with hot water. However the best bit is the setting.....a true wilderness of bushland stretching as far as the eye can see....60kms of hiking and biking trails and the famous 10 mutinondo hills. We climbed all 10 hills in 3 days easily following the brilliantly marked trails and each peak outdid the one before for views! we loved the challenge of the hiking and even better was the using into ice cold pools and waterfalls along the way. We stayed 5 nights and didn't want to leave.....hopefully we will be back one day to do the hills all overr again. 20USD pppn. WiFi for WhatsApp at reception and airtel reception on top of the hills. Highly recommend here.

August 3rd, 2022 by info

Absolutely loved the place and its owner Lari. Really, the below comments did not do her justice.
Both lodge and camp are worth staying at.

July 18th, 2022 by ruitermijke

We would recommend staying here! It is a very nice place for hiking and cycling enthusiasts. Beautiful surroundings in the area and no dangerous animals, perfect. SUP and canoes are available, for free. River is beautiful!

You can eat breakfast, lunch (12 dollar) and dinner (17 dollar) at the lodge. There's an honesty bar. Campsite is in the bush, hot shower, there's place to wash and do the dishes. You have to take your trash back with you.

Definitely hike to Mayense, beautiful view. And the paradise pools are a very nice place to cool off:-)

July 10th, 2022 by catch-the-wind.com

Just to say Big Rigs are NOT WELCOME here. The owner regularly posts on FB complaining about big rigs and the damage they cause at her property.

Just to be clear - the place is wonderful and Lari is a lovely person. Just DO NOT enter in a Big Rig.

(We were stuck in the mud for five days here)

June 29th, 2022 by seebauer.mike

Stay away from this place if you have a big rig. The owner does obviously not like this cars in the wilderness. We parked in the wild for one night. Although some of the employees from the campsite saw us in the evening already (as they told us next morning) they didn’t say a word to us that we are on privat property already. They obviously intentionally used this opportunity as a trap to scam us. Early the next morning we have been asked to pay for the camping fee.
The owner was very arrogant and unfriendly to us and was not open to listen to any of our arguments.

May 14th, 2022 by ernst.bair

A absolut special area with the granit pics, river and waterfalls.
Lari and here team prepare and mark more then 100km of the best hiking and biking trails we have seen in the whole soutern afrika. The swimming in the pools and canoe tour after hiking was very peaceful and complete the stay here.
Perfekt for unguided tours in this great wilderness.

May 3rd, 2022 by Instagram: @savannatales

Coming from Kundalila Falls where we paid 15 USD pp just to visit the falls and camp without facilities apart from a toilet, paying 20 USD pp here is really worthy as it's a proper campsite with excellent facilities! Plus, being able to do unguided hikes in very well marked trails was really rare in our 8 years traveling through Southern and East Africa. The waterfalls must be amazing to refresh in summer. As for the cold weather nowadays it was perfect to hike around. For amazing views you do have to hike up to the pics otherwise most trails are inside the woodlands. The short canoon trip was wonderfully peaceful. No MTN internet signal in the whole area but there's free wifi at reception which is slow but good enough for sending WhatsApp messages.

April 26th, 2022 by MyBeastAndI

An amazing oasis of forest, granite rocks and waterfalls. Campsite 8 by far has the best views and so costs $25 pppn. Water was not working here due to some pressure problems and solar shower also. Donkey showers were very warm. We arrived 2 days before a big cycling event so owner did not seem to be in a good space and did not really welcome us as she was out walking her dogs😭. We saw her on the 2nd day and she did not take lightly to our complaint re no water. Actually said we can leave and not pay as she did not want angry people(which we were not). We stayed our planned 2 nights and she only charged us for 1 at $20pppn. William was very sweet and apologetic. We had a great walk to the 3 waterfalls and even used the stand up boards(free) so all in all we had a great time. No matter the owner having a bad day I would really recommend the place for all that it offers.

February 19th, 2022 by overlandingafrica.com

Beautiful campsites with new/clean ablutions.
Nice restaurant and bar with great views. Food is excellent, also for vegetarians.
Lots of activities in this isolated paradise. We were hiking, running, swimming and collecting mushrooms.
Owner and staff are very friendly.
We can recommend this place very much.

February 18th, 2022 by ytierie

As described. You can ask for a donkey fire when the solar panels are lacking sun light.
Beautifully area. Lots of rain so we got a discount on one of the cottages. The excluded campsite was closed due to the rains. Staff is a little shy…

February 13th, 2022 by pam.brand57

Had a simply wonderful couple of days at this beautiful spot. The walks were amazing. Loved the campsite and Lari the owner was a very friendly and interesting woman.

January 6th, 2022 by narsch safaris

The main camping area lies in quite a small area in the forest. Although the individual sites are not right beside each other it still lacks privacy: you will see and hear your neighbours, no "wilderness feeling" here. For us, privacy means more than your own sitting area and fireplace.
The only exception is Nsaka Campsite (#8) which is also the only one with a view. As this seems well known do book it in advance!

December 15th, 2021 by Escapethehague_overlanding

A bit of a drive (25km off the main road), but a beautiful area to spend a couple of days. Camp sites are spacious, sheltered and have a braai (and free firewood). Long drop toilets are clean and solar shower was warm when we were there. 20 dollar sounds expensive but well worth the money if you make full use of the possibilities there. 25% are park fees, so price is actually not too bad

November 28th, 2021 by randomdriftproject

I was the only guest. No Wi-Fi, and no cell reception unless you climb one of the little hills. No hot water. Wanted $25 for the ’nice’ spot. Can’t understand why not all spots had views. Guys very nonchalant. Pretty mundane hiking trails. I was hoping for something more wild. A bit overrated.

August 18th, 2021 by wrangy_ontour

As described below.
Nothing to add. thanks

July 15th, 2021 by budgetbirders.com

20USD per person per night may seem expensive for camping (even though the campground is very nice). But it's important to remember this is a reserve and $20 gets you access to over 50k of trails, various swimming holes, and use of SUP, kayak, or canoe. When viewed from this lens it is well worth the price!
Very nice miombo habitat and views are amazing. We really liked this place.
FYI: solar heated shower does work well but takes a really long time for the water to become hot.

June 29th, 2021 by frank.daubenton

We thoroughly enjoyed this place. The forest, river and iselbergs are stunning. The campsite was not busy. Each site is very private and there are central long drop toilets and showers. We didn't have any warm water on the first night but this was resolved and we had piping hot showers on the second night. We would highly recommend visiting here!

June 14th, 2021 by joshuasteinberg91

Amazing campsite, restaurant and bar with stunning views of the surrounding Ladscape. Beautilful hiking, swimming and kajaking.

We felt more than welcome. With motorbikes we could explore the surrounding landscape, could chose the campsite and Lari gave us a really good discount on the usual price.

Hot water, tee, firewood, kajaking was for free, drinks where really cheap. Softdrinks, Water, beer, whiskey, wine, good coffee, everything you possibly need was available.

Lunch, dinner and especially the breakfast where really good.

March 29th, 2021 by chrisadams485

Great couple nights here. Unbelievable scenery that is very unique. Beautiful hiking.

Campsites are great. In the forest so don’t have a view but very peaceful and wood is supplied. $20 per person.

January 17th, 2021 by untouracinq.com

Very disappointed. we were asked 70$/night (we have 3 kids). no negotiation posible (even for being self contained, or rainy season, 3 kids under 10...). I especially didn't like the way she ironised on overlander driving fancy trucks (which by the way is not our case) and not willing to pay for camping... we asked the price for a day visit, but she didn't give it to us, making it clear she didn't want people sleeping around. definitely big rigs (which is not out case!) not welcome, seems they damage the ground, have trouble finding a flat space and then complain about their shower not working...
we didn't stay.

December 25th, 2020 by Dutchtroopytravellers

We arrived late, just before Christmas without prior booking. We were assigned the special campsite with impressive Outlook over the surrounding Forrest and hills. Nice to hear the resident hyena’s singing in the night. We liked the hospitality of the owners/managers and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. Toilets (longdrop) are clean and showers are clean and hot. Lot’s of hikes possible and so is swimming in the river.

Beware; the owners are dedicated wildlife-lovers but (unfortunately) have bad experiences with big rigs destroying the fragile ecosystem and wildcampers along the road to Mutinondo. Most of the road is property of Mutinondo and/ or the surrounding community and you need permission to stay. The road is not suitable for big rigs (low hanging trees) nor is the campsite ((narrow access and low hanging trees). It is perfectly fine for tents and cars with rooftoptents. Banda’s available ( we did not try)
The price might be a a hurdle for some (20 usdlr a person) but maybe you need to keep in mind that your are contributing to maintaining a unique ecosystem in the middel of nowhere
Recommended

October 20th, 2020 by tracksaroundtheworld.de

We have also different experiences here. First of all, we have a big rig (18 t, 3.85 height; 2.50 width). So the way getting there is a bit exhausting, but doable in dry season. The owner was unfriendly and we realized quickly, that big rigs are not welcome here. According to the owner, they destroy the grass and the rocks. The campside itself is not really suitable for big rigs and it is a bit neglected. But we were not in the abolutions. So we decided to stand outside. The hike and the landscape however was really stunning. Our advice for big rigs: Spend the night in one of the possibilities near the road, outside the Camp, and do a day visit.

April 27th, 2020 by jcgvdb

Beautiful place and no one there during Corona times. We contacted Lari before and we could stay at the campsite, very friendly and helpful.

February 15th, 2020 by wenn-nicht-jetzt.com

Mayense Campsite is a very peaceful place. The earth road is 25 km also good in rainy season. If you like hiking don’t miss it. All Oberländer need is here!

February 6th, 2020 by theadventureethos.com

If you enjoy hiking and being in the forest- this is a must visit if you are in the area! One of the most wonderful campsites we have stayed at throughout our whole 9 month trip.

Campsites are private, located in the miombo woodlands, each with a braai stand and firewood included. Most of the campsites also have a banda for shelter.

Spotless ablutions and wash-up area. Hot water available from the afternoon onwards. In the morning, on request. The pit toilets are very clean/well maintained and come with a beautiful view onto the forest!

There is an honesty bar, meals available on request and 50kms of maintained trails all free to use/unguided. Map provided. The owner Mike is lovely, and will happily join you for a drink at the bar and share his wealth of knowledge on the area. Highly recommend this little gem.

16pppn as of Feb 2020

January 15th, 2020 by troopyblog.wordpress.com

Worthwhile to drive there and stay a couple of days. Nice walks, drinkable tab water and swim in the river. Quiet and beautiful area.

New pricing on the way. For now 16pppn off season weekdays. 20pppn off season weekends.

December 1st, 2019 by vdbk

Beautiful, well and fully equipped, easy access, wonderful hiking tracks
Easily stay 2-3 nights
Wifi included at the lodge which is 5 min walk from the camping
Nice showers with plenty of hooks, space and a bench; great ablution; great covered cooking space at private spots

October 4th, 2019 by Golandy

Nice place.
Update on the price:
16 usd pp to enter and camp in high season (jun-dec), 12 usd pp to enter camp in low season (jan-may)

September 5th, 2019 by followingtheflow.nl

Really worth to do a hike here. Very dog friendly although you have to be aware there can be snakes. We had the whole area to ourselves. Payed 100k pp for a day visit. In low season (starting around septmber) the price including camping is 12USD pp. High season is 16USD pp. Highly recommended.

August 16th, 2019 by SafariToGo.de

We couldn't find it!
May be it exists no more.

June 30th, 2019 by roxyandtommyontheroad.com

This place is in wrong location - it is located at -12.45271, 31.29117

June 30th, 2019 by roxyandtommyontheroad.com

This place is in wrong location - it is located at -12.45271, 31.29117

June 25th, 2019 by SafariNdefu2019

Fantastic spot - $16pppn, kids under 14 half price. Includes hiking and canoes. Honesty bar, hot showers, spacious campsites, amazing views, great hiking and swimming in the river. Highly recommended.

June 17th, 2019 by squarerob

Really beautiful wilderness area with a well maintained campsite. Worth paying the money if you like hiking or the other activities. Well sign posted trails (maps.me has most too) and plenty of waterfalls and alien landscapes.

Owners were really nice, seemingly a british family who spoke to us about our trip, offered advice and were generally very hospitable.

Looks like they are further improving the campsite with new buildings. Highly recommend a trip here for a day or two out the car!

Paid 360KW for 2.

May 29th, 2019 by meravnewman

we paid 12 US$ with no negotiation, beautiful place

March 19th, 2019 by fernwehafrica

Yes it’s expensive! $15 pppn ($5 camping $10 conservation fee) however there are waterfalls and rivers to swim in, amazing treks and rock art etc. All possible to do for free and unguided (they give you a map) when you consider seeing and doing most things include entry fees, guides and tips - if you use this place wisely you can explore until you hearts content all for $15 per day per person, good value. Campsite it well maintained and you have free firewood! Hot showers and potable water. It’s wild, at night we heard the resident hyenas very close by! Owners are very friendly and very interesting! In all I was not sure what to expect if this camp but after two days I would highly recommend you visit here! Enjoy!

March 12th, 2019 by oehrleins

Same experience as Wildman4x4! Should be a great place but not with this rather brisk and unfriendly manager!

March 2nd, 2019 by www.toitvagabondetmoi.com

very good place to go for walks. it's à private reserve where we see a lot of birds and waterfalls . the owners are friendly . the campsite is rustic but clean.

February 24th, 2019 by Wildman4x4

My experience at this camp was different from other reports. Maybe i caught the manager (ex Pretoria) off guard. The rates 16$ PPPN. Then i started asking him about the area, the coffee on the table, the honey on display, the campsites. All the manager could offer me in return was go and look at the camp sites and enjoy you're day. I totally missed what was offered $32 for a night. We did not stay.

February 17th, 2019 by lukas-steiner.com

Lovely campsite with breathtaking nature all around. You can do beautiful hikes and swim all day long in the river, totally go here I highly enjoyed my stay. Bring your own food, 3 course dinner is at 25$. Warm water all afternoon/evening long, on request even in the moring. Made special price for cyclists: 15$ per night. Totally fair price for what nature offers you here, you will have a great time! Enjoy the swims!

February 15th, 2019 by wollert

A wonderful and remote place. You should take your time wandering in a wild nature. Two waterfalls, one only 600m away from camp.
Nice restaurant like at home in family.Chalets and
seven Campgrounds in the forest
Airstrip. 16US$ppn

April 15th, 2018 by UniMog

Track from the main road is a monotonously boring 25km of 2 spoor mud through miombo woodland. In good condition even after the long rainy season this year. For big rigs the trees overhang a little but we passed with no problems at all (3.4m high, 2.3m wide).
The scenery only changes about 500m from camp. However the change is definitely worth the drive - spectacular whalebacks with rivers between.
Best to walk tracks to individual campsites before engaging - sites 7&8 have clearance, 3&4 are "tight"!
Hot water provided all day. Apparently the water is potable (clean river water).

November 1st, 2017 by joachim

price is actually 10us $ conservation fee plus 10us $ camping

September 18th, 2017 by LovelyAfrica

It's a stunning place! Beautiful campsite, very friendly stuff. We did a wonderful hike to the Mayense. They have a good map for the hiking paths. Wifi at reception was good.

September 10th, 2017 by Bryan Jones

Great spot about 25 kms down generally good gravel road off Gt North Rd. Peaceful, good donkey heated bush showers, no electricity on sites but possible to charge phones etc at reception. Slow wifi, honesty bar, restaurant and lots of hiking trails, river and great views. Some wildlife distant from camp at night.

June 10th, 2017 by Giraffe13

Amazing campsite under a lot of trees in a lovely surrounding. Spacious spots with Braaistand and firewood for free. No electricity. Very clean long drop toilets and hot donkey showers. Stunning view from the bar. You can hike in this area. Very friendly owners. Totally worth to spend a couple of days.

April 2nd, 2017 by hugmin42

Beautiful surroundings. Wifi at reception. Lovely hiking trails.

February 10th, 2017 by chasibgblueskies

beautiful area but very over priced. now $20 ppn (20% discount in low season makes it $16). Nice bar area, nice camp sites with lots of space, and good for walks.

January 2nd, 2017 by Maggie in Africa

Nice campsite. Appreciated the fire wood and space. Area nice for short hikes. But overpriced...

May 10th, 2016 by wuestenwuerfel

It is a nice campsite with clean facilities and shade under the trees. 15 US $ pp and night which we found quiet expensive. You can get dinner for 25 US $pp .
The area is beautiful for small hikes.

November 22nd, 2015 by alles-selbst-erlebt

Beautiful campsite in the woods, open-air kitchen, wonderful walks/ hikes around. T4A coordinates are wrong! Follow OSM resp. sign to reception. 11 USD pppn

September 25th, 2013 by kapp2cape-blog.net

Lovely campsite 25km off the main road. Spaced out sites with braai and wood. Central ablution facilities with lovely showers and plenty of space. Honesty bar and meals available. Lots of activities. *WF available at the restaurant.

Cost:ZKW80