Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs SG from Cambridge

"Our room was very comfortable and Sam was extremely helpful with maps and direction's to Wallis Bay for our kayaking trip.

We had a lovely dinner at The Tug (pre-booked by email) with a view of the Atlantic.

However, we did not particularly like Swakopmund and after our trip to Walvis Bay, we felt we would have preferred to have stayed there."

"We had an excellent overnight stay here and saw the amazing seal colony, hundreds of cormorants, plus turnstones and white fronted plover. A jackal visited the water hole right outside out balcony in the early morning.

The location is wonderful but the lodge lacks atmosphere. There are few personal touches. It was chilly in the dining room even though there was a nice fire lit in the seating area so take sweaters to wear!

Staff were pleasant."

"We visited Desert Rhino Camp in 2006 and returning to this camp was one of the main reasons for returning to Namibia. Once again we had the best 4 days of our trip here at the camp.

Our guide Herunga was excellent, the trackers, Jasson, Denson and Albertus were fantastic. All the staff were just delightful, joyous and such a pleasure to be with. They are all committed to saving the black rhino and their songs and dancing reflect the passion they have for their wildlife and their country.

We successfully tracked 6 black rhino including 'Speedy' who we first saw in 2006. He seldom visits the area and it was a very special moment to watch and track him."

"Dolomite Camp is in an amazing setting with beautiful rooms overlooking the plains. The reception staff were fairly welcoming on our arrival but then we never saw them again! The shop was never open although we were here for 2 nights. There was one lovely member of staff, Fima Simon, who seemed to be the only serving staff apart from the barman who helped out when he could.

Fima was solely responsible for serving and clearing dinner and drinks in the 2 restaurants each with 20 people, plus managing reception when a guest turned up. It was an impossible task and she could be seen running up the steps with a laden tray in semi- darkness trying to serve all the residents. We later heard from the reception staff at another Etosha camp that before our arrival some of the staff had gone on strike and so all of them had been dismissed, including the manager. They were running the camp, which was full, with the very bare minimum of staff.

No hot breakfast was offered on day 1. On our second night it took over an hour to be served our first course and when the main course arrive all the vegetables were cold.

We visited Oliphantsrus water hole during our stay ay Dolomite and thought that the new hide was excellent. A large bull elephant came in at mid-morning to drink and we had great viewings of hundreds of sand grouse coming to drink and collect water for their young in their chest feathers."

"Our de-luxe waterhole chalet was worth it! We could watch black rhino and elephants coming to drink at the water hole from our bed in the middle of the night! Chalet W33 is probably the only one from which such a good view is possible. The private balcony also gave an excellent view of the waterhole.

The camp was excellent and buffet style meals made it more enjoyable. Drinks are served by the waiters and having a friendly chat with them when you arrive seemed to speed up the service a lot."

"Our basic double room at Halali was very comfortable and quiet. We had to wait until it was ready so we sat in the very unattractive pool area where there was little shade and not much seating.

However, the food at Halali was excellent with a very good chef on hand at breakfast and dinner. Staff were very friendly here too.

The Moringa waterhole viewing was fantastic, but moving around the rocky seating area was very hazardous and a head torch, stout shoes and a good sense of balance are required! We also felt that it should be designated a no smoking area.

After dinner we saw a total of 10 black rhino including 3 females with a calf each.

We were impressed with the facilities at the Etosha National Park camps. All of them have good showers and clean comfortable rooms. The staff respond to respect and kindness and were all friendly and welcoming."

"This was a very comfortable rather luxurious camp but we would have preferred another night in Etosha. This was recommended to us as a bit of luxury after 5 nights at the National Camps, but we liked the Etosha camps, even though they are not so luxurious, and this was an expensive overnight stay.

Again the Namibian staff were very nice, but the camp was a bit 'stuffy' and guests kept to themselves.

The highlight was a baby Oryx which was hiding under our tent platform having been left their by Mum until she could return. It was gone the next day."

"We are very pleased that Expert Africa recommended this to us. We had 2 wonderful days here. The thatched chalets are absolutely fabulous with a separate lounge chalet to relax and enjoy the birds and animals coming to drink at the little pool right outside. The food here was the best we have had in all the camps we have visited. The staff were all really nice and welcoming.

Our guide Daniel was excellent. He and the trackers did a great job finding a big male leopard called Nkozi, 2 pairs of cheetah and a pair of African Wild dog for us to track and watch.

On our evening visit to the hide we saw a family of porcupine, a honey badger and a brown hyena!

It was a bit unclear what activities were included and which were extras. We opted for a night drive on our last evening which we thought was included, but found out later was extra. Not a big problem but the paperwork we had in advance wasn't clear about this.

The stars here are amazing too.

The camp is in huge fenced area where you can walk on your own without the risk of meeting a predator. We were therefore able to walk the Dik Dik trail on our own to watch birds It was good to be out of the vehicle and stretch the legs! On our walk we saw black wildebeest."

"My family had lived in Oyster Bay from 1949 until 1980. I was now returning to Tanzania after 44 years in celebration of my 65th birthday. We chose to stay here because of memories of many happy hours spent on the beach now called Coco beach.

The hotel was a wonderful oasis of peace and calm after the noise and traffic congestion on the drive from the airport. But it was still wonderful to be back in Dar.
One of the staff, Lucas, very kindly walked with us all along Msasani Road behind the hotel for 2 hours to help me to try and find my family's house. The area had changed so much that we never found it.

When the staff learned that I was returning after such a long time, they went to great lengths to find some of the foods and treats which I had enjoyed as a child: vitumbua, samosas, madafu, mkate mimina. The chef also baked me a delicious birthday carrot cake and I was served lobster and kingfish for dinner. Nothing was too much trouble. They were delighted at my attempts to practise my swahili and helped with some words I had forgotten.

Rhys and I enjoyed an early evening walk along the beach and felt perfectly safe. We did not carry any cameras or valuables. All the staff were kind, helpful and welcoming and could not have done more to make our first night in Tanzania so wonderful."

"We chose to come to Udzungwa because we wanted to see an area of Tanzania which was going to be a bit different and we hoped to see some endemic birds and monkeys.

Unfortunately our vehicle was not at the airstrip when we arrived and we had to wait half an hour for it to arrive. They explained that it was due to delays at the entrance gate to Mikumi National Park. It was a 2 hour drive to Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp which might be rather long for some people, but I really enjoyed having the opportunity to see the villages and towns and the local life. You see none of this from the air! Our driver Isaac was a good and careful driver and pointed out anything of interest on the way. Most of the journey was on tarmac, but the rest was on dirt roads and a bit bumpy, but we didn't mind!

We had an afternoon walk in Magombero Forest led by the guide Emanuel together with the Magombero forest warden.

The next morning we hiked through Udzungwa forest up to the Sanje waterfall with the guide Emanuel together with an obligatory park guide. The camp is in a beautiful setting, but there is quite a lot of noise from the road and village. We could see black and white colobus and Udzungwa red colobus from the mess tent. The tent was comfortable and the food good."

"Camp in a beautiful setting by the dried up river, with elephants often close to camp and birds at a drinking dish. Musa is an excellent manager. Molel was a knowledgable guide and keen to stop to look at all wildlife. His knowledge of birds was good and he is keen to develop it further.

The tent was lovely and spacious and very comfortable. We overlooked the dry river bed and could hear lions roaring at night on the other side. Early morning tea and biscuits were always welcome and kept us going until breakfast which was taken in the bush. We had the best bacon and egg sandwiches EVER on smoky toasted bread! We often sat by a beautiful part of the river watching the birds and wildlife coming down to drink. It was stunning.

I especially enjoyed seeing many of the Tanzanian mongoose species here at Ruaha. We also saw a large lion pride and a beautiful male leopard."

"Buffalo herds and concentrations of hippos very impressive. Night drive, walking safari and fly camping all very good. Our guide Paulo was good an knowledgable. The camp askari Francis was kind and helpful at all times and had a great sense of humour. The tent was good, but the large number of zips that needed to be opened and closed to get to the bathroom was tedious.

When we arrived we were not made aware of the fact that the manager was not there as he was ill. A young private guide called Ethan had been drafted in and all he said was that he had been asked to give us a safety briefing. He was at the camp while we were there and he was kind and helpful.

Unfortunately, Shireen fell badly on the first night as the steps down from the mess tent were not well lit. We did have torches, but she missed seeing the drop at the side and bruised her back quite badly.

Hopefully they will now have kerosene lamps at the edges and maybe paint the edges of steps in white as they have done successfully at Greystoke Camp."

"Chimpanzee tracking with guides Butati and Amos was excellent. Boat trips on the lake to see the forest, go fishing and swimming were very enjoyable. Our banda accommodation was very comfortable and had a wonderful open view of the lake through the open front. Not having to bother with zipping up door (because no biting insects or dangerous animals) was very pleasant.

The location of this camp is absolutely stunning. I am so pleased that Liz persuaded us to come here! Everything about the camp was just wonderful, the views over the lake, the beautiful colours of the trees in the forest, the food, the delightful, friendly staff, Big Bird and finally trekking through the forest to find the chimpanzees. We had such an amazing time just watching them. Listening to their stories from the guides added to the whole experience.

It was a very special way to end our trip to Tanzania."

"Chitabe Camp was luxurious and well-run. The camp managers and staff were excellent and the food and facilities very good.

Our guide Phinley was a very good observer and expert at finding leopards and other elusive wildlife. He didn't talk too much (which was good) and what he did say was useful and accurate. He was good on birds as well as large mammals.

The highlights were seeing so many leopards so well (5 individuals on 7 occasions in 3 days) and also seeing a cheetah and lions hunting on several occasions.

It would have been good to have been able to do some walks, but we were only able to do drives. It is difficult to do this when there are several guest groups per guide."

"Saile Tented Camp had simple facilities but they were perfectly comfortable.

The food and service were superb. Mighty is a great cook and Jane is a great waitress.

Dennis was our guide. he was very helpful and able. We were the only guests for two days and the other guests were like-minded on the third day. That meant that Dennis was able to take us for walks in the bush. This was a great way to see more small animals, plants and birds as well as getting close to drinking elephants. The Linyanti swamp is impressively rich in wildlife. Our night drive was great fun and Dennis was excellent at spotting inconcspicuous nightjars.

Highlights were seeing lions with a freshly killed young elephant and seeing so many animals and birds close-up in camp. Elephants walked through the camp to bathe every night and we had fantastic views of many birds, monkeys, baboons and dwarf mongooses right outside our tent.

Our only disappointment was the boat trip in the swamp. We saw very few swamp animals- probably because we did not penetrate far enought into the big water channels. Most of what we saw was gome on the river banks which we saw better from the land."

"The canoe trail was cancelled because of low water but we decided to spend 5 days at Selinda nonetheless. Fortunately we were able to do three sessions of paddling on part of the canoe trail, including an overnight stay at a simple camp in the bush.

Our canoe guide Josh was excellent. We paddled close past three groups of stroppy hippos and Josh kept us safe. The bush camp team led by Dollar cooked us a great campfile meal with lions close by. a highlight was watching lions hunting buffalo from the canoes close up.

Our game drive guide Mots was also very good and found us a leopard and lots of good views of lion, antelope, birds and elephant.

Selinda Camp was very luxurious and the staff were excellent. The managers John and Liz anticipated our every want and were very thorough and kind."

"Our game drive guide Mots was also very good and found use a leopard and lots of good views of lion, antelope, birds and elephant.

Selinda Camp was very luxurious and the staff were excellent. The managers John and Liz anticipated our every want and were very thorough and kind.

We really enjoyed our stay"

"Our travel on to Cape Town went well"