Reviews of Selous Impala Camp
(96%) From 176 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Selous Impala Camp review
Guides were excellent and a great variety of activities - Vehicle, boat and walking safaris available.
Read more about the whole safariUp market, with all that implies
This is a very nice camp, with great facilities and food, appropriate for up-market (versus budget) travellers.
The opportunity for boat safaris on the river was a real highlight, with great views of animals and birds, plus sundowners on the shore. The camp draws lots of UK honeymooners on their way to/from Zanzibar, which to me was neither a positive or a negative.
Easily the best food of the 4 camps I visited in S. Tanzania.
Good, capable guiding and an excellent, friendly staff.
Selous Impala Camp review
- Cannot praise this camp highly enough!!!!!!
- Accommodation was amazing (we had Tent 1) and I would go back tomorrow which, considering I've never camped and have always flatly refused to go on a camping holiday, is a huge achievement on their part!
- Staff could not do enough to help and were very attentive.
- Food was delicious and beautifully presented.
- Game Driver (Mpogo) was fabulous at finding interesting things for us to see.
Loved it, loved it, loved it...
Selous Impala Camp review
Selous, being the second camp we visited had a hard act to follow as we loved Mdonya. Being located on the river added much to the available wildlife and so quickly became a whole new experience. The wildlife was prolific and our guide, Mpogo was exceptional at finding everything. He knew the reserve like the back of his hand and we had an adventure every day.
The boat safaries were really fun too and provided wonderful viewing of both land and water animals as well as many birds. The walking safari was also very enjoyable as there were many small things that go unnoticed during drives. Again, Mpogo and our ranger, Thomas, were both very knowledgable.
The tented accomodation at Selous was amazingly beautiful. Every meal was delicious and beautifully presented.Our server, Uroban,was most gracious. There was never a concern about quality. Fresh bottled water was provided everyday, and morning coffee delivered to our tent.
It was very hot in Selous (42C mid February) so the camp pool was a welcome reprive from the heat.
The camp hosts, Andreas and Lorenzo, were always available for information or to just chat. Very nice. We felt valued as guests.
More show than substance.
Very well appointed camp, tents & facilities. Guiding & service also good. Staff service at times seemed forced rather that genuine.
Food bland, but presented & served with much panache. Overall the place a little `stuffy` for our taste.
Better game viewing from Lake Manze.
Like Lake Manze Camp, boats would benefit from 4 stroke motors & prepaid drink option would be good.
Enjoyed Andrea`s knowledge & fireside chats on the constellations.
The `bush breakfast` was a nice option.
Great safari at Impala camp
We stayed at Impala for 4 nights following 2 nights at Lake Manze. We had an amazing time, seeing plenty of game, including leopard and wild dogs. WE had our own driver/guide Dennis who was very knowledgeable and could often, to our amazement, track down a particular animal we wanted to see. Every evening we were able to choose what activities to do the next day, river safaris, walking or game drives, which meant if you were tired of bumping around in the truck you could have a nice relaxing ride along the river.
One evening we were returning from a boat safari upriver and on the way we stopped to find chairs with sundowners and canapes laid out for us overlooking the river. A lovely touch.
However, we went on another boat trip downriver, where we understood we would pass some villages. To our surprise we disembarked and were led to a village and taken to the local school where our guide insisted we met the headmaster. Although we gently protested, we did not want to offend anyone so we went along, and then had to think of some questions to ask him. We also noticed a clearly marked donations box on the wall - luckily we had a bit of cash on us which we happily donated, but we would like to have been forewarned of this 'side trip' which, although interesting, was completely unexpected and not necessarily what we wanted.
Accommodation was comfortable and we were glad the tent was raised on a platform when we heard the hippo wandering past at night! It was lovely relaxing on our veranda after lunch watching the birds. Food was good and our own waiter David was excellent. At night the tables were placed separately in various locations around the main area which was very romantic but if you are of a sociable nature it was not so friendly.
The camp seemed very well run and the safaris well organised.
Selous Impala Camp review
The riverside location here made for excellent boating safaris which we very much enjoyed. We found the morning game drives to be quite arduous and their long duration left little time to enjoy other facilities (i.e. pool) before lunch. However, guiding and driving were excellent and although game was somewhat sparse we recorded over 100 bird varieties during our three day stay.
We were disappointed that drinks were not made available before early morning game drives unless one required them with an early morning call. We found the camp policy of individual tables at mealtimes most unsatisfactory as in our opinion and experience communal mealtimes are some of the most enjoyable experiences in bush camps when everybody has the opportunity to discuss their day with other guests and hosts.
Overall, we were somewhat disappointed with our experience of this camp as, although the staff were friendly and helpful, we felt somewhat pressurised and short of time to relax.
Selous Impala Camp review
We enjoyed the activities especially the water safari, which, according to the site manager, is unique to this area. The guides are knowledgeable and polite. We had a welcome party with snacks and champagne on the first day; sit-down breakfast at around 9:30 during our safari. All meals were cooked and well served.
The water safaris to the bird island; offered great opportunities for taking bird pictures although, in retrospect I feel guilty in disturbing the birds. I hope this activity does not agitate the birds in any harmful way.
My daughter and I arrived the camp with a couple also clients of Expert Africa. I believe the camp assumed that the four of us travelled together and therefore put us together everyday. I think we were good company to each other but it would be a good idea for them to consult us before hand. We did choose a different activity on the last afternoon, and it made me feel a bit special.
My daughter and I shared a family tent, i.e., two separated tents connected by a raised platform. On arrival, the people who carried our luggage to the tents had no idea of the difference between the two tents, so my daughter and I pick our own randomly. I would imagine one should be labelled as a parent tent and the other children.
The tents are well constructed and very sturdy sitting on a raised platform. They are well covered with screens to prevent insects from coming in. The entrances to the tents are equipped with a long vertical zipper in the middle and Velcro strips on the bottom. The zippers work well but the Velcro strips do not fasten too well so a few insects do come into the tents.
One major defect with my daughter's tent: the top of the toilet and bathroom area is not covered. Since we had to wake up around 5:30 AM and retire to the tent after 10 PM, using the toilet or shower would mean turning on the lights. In the forest, insects love light. With the lights turn on, insects swarmed the area, so using the toilet and shower was totally out of the question. My daughter ended up using my facility instead. They should have prepared the area ahead of time for our convenience and enjoyment.
Unforgetable safari at Impala Camp
We were both very impressed with the accommodation, food, service and above all the quality of the water and game drives were superb.
Of particular note was the quality of the guide. We were very fortunate to have had the services of Gerrard to ourselves for three days.
We have always believed that acting responsibly is the only way to approach tourism and we're one of
the few companies to hold AITO's original coveted 5-star status for responsible tourism. It's a lead
that others are now following.
