Reviews of Impala Camp

"Rooms were very practical. Efficient system to look after us including keeping the same excellent guide (dennis) throughout the stay.

Dennis new we wanted to see african dogs and leopards and he did not dissapoint us. Dennis's knowledge of the area and game made our stay brilliant.

The staff and food at the camp was good and nothing was too much trouble. Last night evening meal in the bush is an excellent idea." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"We met with our guide Hussein and driver Ally at the airstrip and had our first game drive on the way to camp was a perfect start to our trip.
Hussain & Ali were a lot of fun and their bush knowledge was exceptional. We remained with them for most of our game viewing during our stay at Impala which gave our stay the personal touch.

We relaxed on a boat safari after our long journey to camp from the U.K. This was a great opportunity to see many different birds & animals up close. The sundowner on the return to camp was a lovely surprise

Mealtimes at Impala were very relaxed with exceptional food. We could not believe we had our own personal waiter called Idi who made mealtimes fun and educational at the same time with free KiSwahili lessons thrown in. The added incentive of having no dinner and being thrown to the crocodiles in the river below if we didn't learn our words meant we learnt very quickly!

The camp is a very relaxed and beautiful place where you can watch the river go by with many chances to see big game up close. Behind this is a very well run team who work extremely hard to make your stay as perfect as possible. Nothing seems too much trouble for them. In particular both Barbara and Matteo are really easy to get along with and this reflects in the camps whole atmosphere.

The look on our guide Hussein's face when we said we'd most like to see the hunting dogs was a picture as he'd already set himself on finding us a Leopard before we left which wasn't going to be an easy task in itself but he came up trumps and found us both!!" See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"Highlight of the holiday" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"We would have to try very hard to find any criticism of Selous Impala Camp. From our greeting at the nearby airstrip (and the following boat 'transfer' to the camp) to the time we bade our sad farewells five days later, we were given the warmest of welcomes and the friendlies of high standard service. The staff at Impala camp really impress and contributed greatly to a wonderful safari experience.

Matteo the manager deserves special mention for is personal, relaxed but very friendly and helpful interaction, as well as running a great place so well. Our tented rooms were very comfortable and tasteful, the food consistently excellent (in presentation as well as taste and quality) and facilities such as books to browse at our convenience and a free laundry service were much appreciated.

And then there are the safari activities which we found overall to be really first rate. Game Drives (sometimes with 'Bush Breakfasts'), Boat Safaris, and Fishing trips were highly interesting, professionally conducted and really wonderful experiences. By the end of our second game drive and first boat safari we had seen more than we would have dreamed of, yet the expertise of the guides ensured that we continued to be surprised and excited throughout all trips. This is our first safari experience, but it feels that one doesn't do badly by seeing in just a few days 4 of the 'big five', baboons, other primates, a vast array of beautiful birds, zebra, wilderbeast, crocodiles, elephants and countless hippo, giraffe and impala - overall dozens of species.

If we had one disappointment it would probably be the fly-camping, simply because we didn't feel that the experience made up for the relative lack of the fine creature comforts of the main camp. But that is not to say that it wasn't well organised and guided: our dedicated catering staff rustled up the typical high Impala quality for our remote bush dinner there too.

In a nutshell, we would unhesitatingly give the Selous Impala Camp our strongest possible recommendation and we were very sad indeed when our 5 days in its capable hands came to an end." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"We loved this camp. Everything was so personal, from the moment we arrived we were made to feel very special (e.g. Champagne sunset and honeymoon note).

As we had to pack so light we really liked the fact that there was a complementary washing service. It was also great that we had the same guides for the 4 days that we were there. The only negative things we would say is that although the staff were wonderful we felt that they had been drilled with what to say to guests and didn't seem as happy as the staff at the lake Manze camp (maybe a little repressed?)

The guides were great and completely went out of their way to ensure that we got to see the animals that we wanted to see. Something to note is that there was a $15/pp charge for fishing at this camp (unlike the lake Manze camp), however this was a very enjoyable activity." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"From the moment we were greeted at the airstrip by Mtolo with chilled fruit juice and moist flannels we were treated like royalty. Every member of the Impala team, be it guides, drivers, waiters or the Masai could not do enough to make our trip everything that we hoped it would be. The quality of the accommodation, service, food and safaris was simply exceptional.

We saw more animals and wildlife than we hoped would be possible and much more closely than we had expected. Our wildlife experiences, by truck, boat or foot were unforgettable not only because of what we saw in relative isolation but also becuase of the helpful, considerate and hugely informed way in which we were guided.

Selous Impala Camp is a very special place in an unforgettable location." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania

"We very much enjoyed our time at Selous Impala. It is located in a lovely position overlooking the river. The accommodation was comfortable and the food good. All the staff were friendly and efficient.

We had our own vehicle ( there were 3 of us ) with driver and guide , both of whom were friendly and a pleasure to be with. We had good game viewing - lions, wild dog , elephant . The guide was very knowledgable . It was also good to have the river trips available. We did 2 of these, one of which was a fishing trip where ( somehow ) we managed to catch a rather large catfish from a sandbank in the middle of the river, which 5 minutes before had been occupied by a couple of very large crocodiles. As well as close encounters with a lot of large crocodiles, there was excellent bird life to see, and hippos and elephant both on the banks and in the water.

We also enjoyed the scenery of the Selous with its combination of bush and water." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar

"This is an amazing place. Not sure if it's because we found Manze to be not the most relaxing of places, but from the moment we got to Impala we were like 'wow, the honeyoon starts now'. On arrival we were greeted with cooling towels, fresh juice and a very friendly if not a little bit cheesy Italian called Mateo, he sat us down explained everything about the camp, what was on offer and was very accomodating to our needs.

We went on game drives, caught fish in the mighty Rufigi and had morning bush walks and breakfasts. Everything was very well organised, tailored to your needs and nothing was too much trouble. You even got a morning wake up call with tea and fruit brought to your tent.

The food was great both at the camp and on the bush drives.

The staff were excellent, good banter was had with all the lads. The place has a really good atmosphere and alot of that is down to all the staff getting along. Our guide Macomba was excellent, very friendly, spoke perfect English, taught us Swahali and was very knowledgeable. We can't speak highly enough about him.

The perfect honeymoon location with a beautiful and peaceful setting on the mighty Rufigi river which we did not want to leave." See all these reviews: 9n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"An absolutely wonderful camp, everything about it was perfect. The tents are very spacious and well equipped. Food and service is second to none and being an open camp makes walking to dinner an exciting adventure as you never know what your going to bump into, but the masaai to keep you safe reassures you.

Would highly recommend the day fly camping, camping 200 meters away from a pride of lions is quite an experience!

Guides and drivers were very knowledgeable and helpful. Having the option of driving, river or walking safaris was brilliant as it mixes your day up and stops the drives being very similar. My only regret is not taking advantage of the fishing, but i'll save that till next time." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania

"Very well run camp on a beautiful bend in the Rufuji River. We were very fortunate with the game - wild dogs during the "airport transfer" were just the start - and the guiding was of a very high standard.

Spacious tents right on the river bank with plenty of elephant and giraffe visits - there is nothing like an elephant bull coming out of the bushes to get the adrenaline going when walking to lunch. Participating in one of the great boat trips in the afternoon then did its part in calming down again - note also the effort being put in to set up a great place for the sundowner on the river bank.

Speaking of food, the Italian management certainly shines through with the food - excellent 4-course meals are certainly not the worst possible way to end a day.

Only one surprise independent of the camp - a lot of the game, especially antelopes, zebra and giraffe, are very skittish in the Selous. Fortunately the same cannot be said of the lions, hippos, crocs, etc..." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania