In an acacia woodland, in the heart of Ruaha National Park. Mdonya Old River Camp is a sister-property to both Selous Impala and Lake Manze Camp – although it is very like Lake Manze Camp in the Selous in feel and style. Both were designed with a conscious desire to remain simple, and in keeping, with their surroundings. Mdonya makes no apologies for being a fairly simple camp, and seeking safari basics: that is its aim!
The tents at Mdonya Old River Camp are large, walk-in Meru-style tents, and there are 11 of them. Each is very comfortable, with an en-suite bathroom, including a hot shower – yet with none of the frills of a luxury camp. There is no electricity, no fan, and no air-con – but the large veranda has deck chairs and is a great place to sit and listen to the wildlife.
Mdonya's main lounge and dining areas are in 'mess tents', which are decorated simply with flowers and feathers from the bush. There is plenty of space, a shelf of wildlife books, and quiet corners studded with canvas Director's chairs. For charging batteries – there is solar power in the camp's main office.
Safari activities at Mdonya focus largely on game drives in open-topped 4x4 vehicles. Head out in the morning and the afternoon with two of Mdonya's safari guides, who have a good level of knowledge, and know the park like the back of their hands. Game drives here usually go out with two guides, one working as a driver and the more experienced standing up to spot; this maximises your chances of great game sightings, and frees up the guide to chat with you without having to concentrate on the driving. However, usually the driver will be concentrating on the road and may not realize you want to stop for a sighting, so do please ask to stop if something has caught your eye.
To see the broad range of habitats in Ruaha, it is recommended that full day game drives are undertaken.
Walking safaris can also be arranged during your stay at the camp – these are a small supplement of U$10 per person and a U$25 fee for the group and are arranged using a park ranger to escort the group.
Mdonya Old River Camp also has a very small curio shop – under a round thatched roof. Here you will find traditional Tanzanian material, jewelry and a few postcards. It is a very simple shop – but it is run entirely by members of the staff who share out the profits. For that reason alone, to support the enterprise, it is worth buying a necklace or two to take home.
On our last visit, we found the team at Mdonya to be both fun and attentive. They did their best to ensure that every guest enjoyed their stay. The guides were good – and if you have a particular interest then do let them know, and we'd expect them to do their best to take it into account.
Many camps which offer high levels of luxury can feel quite dislocated from their surroundings: Mdonya tries to do the opposite. It aims to be simple – offering a very authentic safari experience. This natural theme is key to the camp's charm and character. Mdonya feels closely connected to its surroundings – and witness the game that walks through the camp to understand that the wildlife feels the same!
Ideal length of stay: Spend at least three nights here to explore the area.
Central facilities: The main areas of Mdonya Old River Camp are simply and sparsely decorated with items from the bush – resulting in a very natural feel. There are two main mess-tents, one of which is for dining the other acts as an informal lounge. Both are open-sided areas with canvas roofs.
The lounge has a number of comfortable sofas and wooden/woven grass sofas and chairs, covered in brightly coloured fabrics. Between these are a few coffee tables dotted with wildlife books and interesting artifacts from the bush. The lounge is not luxurious but it is comfortable.
In front of the lounge is Mdonya's 'bar', or camp fire – a large fire place, surrounded by directors' chairs. Here guests gather in the evenings to have a pre-dinner drink and swap stories of the day.
The dining area is adjacent to the lounge tent – and furnished with a few long wooden tables and directors chairs. Decorations made from feathers, naturally gnarled pieces of wood and dried flowers act as table center-pieces. In the evening, the tables are moved out to a sandy area nearby – so that guests can dine under the stars, by the light of storm lanterns. Though this is weather permitting, Mdonya often do this – and dining under the stars is a wonderful experience.
Directions: Mdonya Old River Camp is situated in the heart of Ruaha National Park. It takes around two and a half hours to fly to Ruaha – and then a further hour or two to drive to Mdonya Old River Camp.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
Usual board basis: Full Board
Food quality: The menu at Mdonya Old River Camp has a mixture of influences reflecting the different cultures in Tanzania – Indian, Mediterranean, Swahili and Arab. Expect pasta, fresh salads, home-baked breads, fish casseroles, stuffed vegetables and plenty to go around.
Breakfast usually consists of fresh bread, pancakes, toast and fruit. There is also a hot breakfast available – with eggs cooked to order.
Lunch is then quite a light meal – with fresh crispy salads and often a pasta dish.
Dinner is then a relaxed affair – rather like a dinner party. Guests all join one table and storm lanterns and candles provide atmospheric lighting. Three tasty courses are served to the table – as is hot fresh bread and there is always plenty to go around.
When we last visited Mdonya Old River Camp, the food was tasty, wholesome and full of flavour. Many dishes were cooked with lots of herbs and spices. The individual dishes themselves were not haute cuisine – there was nothing fancy or technical about any of them – but neither were any badly cooked. It was all simple, plain cooking – and certainly enough to satisfy diners after a long day in the bush.
Dining style: Group Meals
Dining locations: Outdoor Dining
Room service: No
Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included
Drinks included: No – approximately $3 a beer, $20 for a bottle of wine
Special interests
Birdwatching: Ruaha's unique position at the centre of Tanzania, north of Selous but south of most of Tanzania's other parks, gives it an interested cross section of birds; a fascinating park for the bird-watcher.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for birdwatching in Tanzania
Wildlife: You'll find all of the usual big game species in Ruaha, including elephant, large herds of buffalo, giraffe, wildebeest, zebra, lion, leopard, particularly good cheetah and even wild dog. Ruaha also has a few species associated with the parks further north, including Grant's gazelle and lesser kudu; it's an excellent park for wildlife.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for wildlife in Tanzania
Children
Attitude towards children: Mdonya Old River Camp happily welcomes mature children who are aged eight years and over.
Age restrictions: Children must be over the age of eight to stay at Mdonya Old River Camp.
Activities: There are no special services or activities offered for children.
Equipment: There is no special equipment for children.
Generally recommended for children: We would recommend Mdonya for mature children – though parents must note that this is a very wild camp and children are their own responsibility at all times. Also note that there is no pool or activity area to occupy children between game drives.
Central communications
Power supply: Generator
Communications: There is a satellite phone and email for the camp's use – it is accessible in cases of emergency
TV & radio: No
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: There is a medical box in each car and a full first aid kit in camp. Mdonya is linked to the flying-doctors in case of a medical emergency.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: There are two Maasai warriors in the camp to escort guests to and from their rooms at night, in case of wild animals.
Fire safety: There is a fire break outside the camp in case of a bush fire – but there are no extinguishers in the camp.
Extras
Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: Laundry is an extra charge at Mdonya Old River Camp. Items usually cost U$ 1 -2 per item. As is common, underwear cannot be accepted by the laundry team.
Money: Mdonya Old River Camp is not able to offer any form of currency exchange
Accepted payment: Mdonya prefers payment in US dollars and Tanzanian shillings in cash.
Mdonya Old River review
What a magical place! We wanted to get off the beaten track and did so here. Saw almost no one except camp staff for 4 days and spent time in lush and wonderfully wild bush savanah with some very sp...
Ejoyable safari at Mdonya Camp
We enjoyed or stay at Mdonya, and it gave us the experience of the African bush that I had requested. Our guide and driver - Yohanes and Mr Night - were good and very patient, spending a lot of time l...
Mdonya Old River review
A very good and personal service was given by the staff and management in this charming camp along the dry river bed with plenty of game around the tents at daytime and in the night.
Only the tset...
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