We spent two nights in a two-person safari tent with friends in a tent next door. The camp is in a beautiful location with sweeping views, although our tents didn't have views (get tents 34, 35, or 36 for views, or stay in a bungalow, which all seem to have good views). The kitchen was well-equipped and the sleeping tent was comfortable and clean. The monkey trouble I'd read about has been solved; the kitchen is well armored against them with two gated doors and lots of screening between the tent and the roof. We did have hyena visits after dark, as well as a spotted genet. This made the short walk between tents after dinner a little bit exciting. We loved the park and did a guided hike out of Mpila, which was excellent. The park is mountainous and very green (at least in December), with plentiful wildlife and lots of rhinos.

Stayed here a few times now, the latest was in Novermber 2011.

I normally stay in the self-catering guest chalets. The accommodations are ok, nothing special.

The location is great though, nearly always get visited by warthog, buck, vervet monkeys on the lawn.

The camp shop has very little stock and there is no camp restuarant so best to bring all your own supplies.

I understand that places in great locations carry a price premuim but in this case, the national park charges this in the park entrance (park fees). I therefore feel that the accommodation price has gone past its upper limit in terms of value for money.

If one compares it to a normal chalet elsewhere in the country then the price (upwards of USD 100 per night) would seem excessive for what one gets in return (and no breakfast included).

Also note, that the chalets have no keys so its impossible to lock and possessions inside - a bit of an inconvenience to pack all your stuff into your car every time you wanna leave the chalet!

We booking into the 2 sleeper self-catering chalet which comprises of 1 open-plan room which serves as a sleeping, dininging and kitchenette area. There was a shower-en-suite leading off this room. The chalet was basic and clean with a small deck off the front. We enjoyed the daily visits from the wart-hogs and bucks whilst having breakfast. One thing we did not like was that guests were not given keys to the chalets so anyone could enter your chalet if they wanted to (at night we would bolt the chalet from the inside). There were a lot of noisy cleaning staff who use to congregate around the chalets and speak very loudly to one another. So much for enjoying the tranquility of bush life away from the noisy city. We also found the shop staff to be very unfriendly and not helpful at all even though they had nothing to do. However what made up for all of this was the viewing of elephants and lots of rhinos plus other animals such as wild dogs, giraffe etc.. Just a pity that the staff spoilt it for us and we will not return to Mpila camp again nor will our friends who stayed in the tented camp.

We spend three nights in a two bed safari tent at Mpila. I think all tents have en suite facilities as well as a private kitchen which is attached to the raised platform. The game viewing here was almost equivalent in terms of quality to Kruger, and the relatively small size of the park made it easy to get around the park - you could see all the each side of the joint park (Hluhluwe-Umfolozi). Indeed, you had to retrace your driving routes each day due to the small number of roads in the game reserve (again, this is compared to the huge Kruger park). Far fewer people here too, compared to southern Kruger, which was nice.

As other people have noted, there are monkeys, hyenas and wart hogs which visit each night, but we never really had any problems with these visits. All the cupboards and the fridge had locks you could use to make sure the monkeys couldn't steal your food. The kitchen was very well stocked, and had a great fridge and gas stove (with oven!). The units were serviced daily. We had the very last safari tent (#36), which meant we had an amazing view of the landscape from our deck and bathroom. The best sunsets from any shower I've ever had! Plus, while you were showering, you could look for wildlife on the adjeacent hill! The Mpila camp didn't have very much food for sale, so make sure you load up before you enter the park - we did so in St Lucia, which is only an hour or so away from the camp.

This was a great self-catering option, much smaller and more scenic/rustic than the Hilltops Camp. Very relaxing and good value for the self-catering wildlife lover. There are lots of rhino in particular in the park, but we also saw elephants, buffalo, wild dogs, lions, giraffes, hyenas and, of course, lots of impalas.