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Traveller reviews

Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs R from California

Review Distribution

Excellent
Good
Average
Poor
Terrible

Total number of trips

2

Countries visited

5

Lodges stayed in

13

Excursions taken

8

My Jul 2023 trip

Tanzania and 1 other country between 15 Jul 2023 and 2 Aug 2023

Trip rating: Excellent
"Wonderful."

Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe


Airport Planet Lodge

Airport Planet Lodge

"Airport Planet Lodge review"

1 night Arrived 15 Jul 2023
"Excellent airport hotel, esp if arriving late."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Image alt

Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge (Not currently featured by Expert Africa)

"Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 16 Jul 2023
"Nice rooms, nice grounds, good food. Colobus monkeys running around."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Safari in Arusha National Park

Safari in Arusha National Park

"Safari in Arusha National Park review"

17 Jul 2023 • All-day excursion

A good intro to the wildlife. Zebra, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, giraffe, waterbuck, flamingos. Canoes in Little Momella Lake - relaxing, but didn't see much.
Good
Oliver's Camp

Oliver's Camp

"Oliver's Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 18 Jul 2023
"Great camp. They need a golf cart to get the less-than-mobile tourists between the cabins and the main building. But what a location! And such nice people."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Escarpment Luxury Lodge

Escarpment Luxury Lodge

"Escarpment Luxury Lodge review"

1 night Arrived 20 Jul 2023
"Lovely Lodge - sunsets, sunrise, and Milky Way."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Good
Lake Manyara Safari

Lake Manyara Safari

"Lake Manyara Safari review"

20 Jul 2023 • All-day excursion

The flamingos are all gone now; the tree-climbing lions can be seen elsewhere, and we saw nothing new. Better to have another day in Tarangire.
Lake Manyara Treetop Walkway

Lake Manyara Treetop Walkway

"Lake Manyara Treetop Walkway review"

20 Jul 2023 • All-day excursion

Kids ran round it in 30 mins. Nothing to be seen from up there. Pretty much a waste of time.
Average
The Highlands

The Highlands

"The Highlands review"

3 nights Arrived 21 Jul 2023
"The domes are fun. BUT they are too hot when the sun shines (one door, no windows), and they are far too cold at night. We could have asked for the fire to be re-lit at 2am, but who wants people doing that when you are trying to sleep. They need to provide electric blankets for all -easy fix. (Also, they need photochromatic glass, and insulated glass, which is harder).

And the road to the action in Ngorongoro is long and painful, meaning earlier starts in the morning."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Poor
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Mto Wa Mbu Village Walk

Mto Wa Mbu Village Walk

"Mto Wa Mbu Village Walk review"

21 Jul 2023 • Morning excursion

Interesting, but just a little uncomfortable in such a poor place, when your words have to be interpreted by the guide.
Average
Safari in Ngorongoro Crater

Safari in Ngorongoro Crater

"Safari in Ngorongoro Crater review"

22 Jul 2023 • All-day excursion

Lions. Many many lions. Cheetahs. Hippos, elephants, one rhino (far away), hyenas, buffalo, wildebeests, flamingos. You name it. They have it. (Except pangolins).
Excellent
Maasai Village Visit

Maasai Village Visit

"Maasai Village Visit review"

23 Jul 2023 • Afternoon excursion

See under Village Walk
[Ed: “Interesting, but just a little uncomfortable in such a poor place, when your words have to be interpreted by the guide.”]
Average
Alex Walker's Serian Serengeti

Alex Walker's Serian Serengeti

"Alex Walker's Serian Serengeti review"

4 nights Arrived 24 Jul 2023
"We thought it was maybe a little primitive for us - no hot water, bucket showers. But it turned out well. (apparently they're building a non-mobile lodge, opening soon??) Because the beasts were walking around the tents all night. And what a location."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Average
Facilities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Bishop's House

Bishop's House

"Bishop's House review"

1 night Arrived 28 Jul 2023
"Wonderful place. First place we'd ever had our shoes washed for us!"
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Virunga Lodge

Virunga Lodge

"Virunga Lodge review"

2 nights Arrived 29 Jul 2023
"The place is at the top of a mountain over the second worst road (ie, dirt track) ever seen. Great view over a lake, if not hazy. BUT it's a long way to the gorillas, and that means having to get up an hour earlier from the already plenty early start. Bishops is so much more convenient.

The people there are so nice, though."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average

Location
Poor
Service
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Golden Monkey Trekking

Golden Monkey Trekking

"Golden Monkey Trekking review"

29 Jul 2023 • Morning excursion

saw monkeys!
Gorilla Trekking Safari

Gorilla Trekking Safari

"Gorilla Trekking Safari review"

30 Jul 2023 • Morning excursion

indescribable. Beyond excellent.
Excellent
Kigali Serena Hotel

Kigali Serena Hotel

"Kigali Serena Hotel review"

1 night Arrived 31 Jul 2023
"Big modern hotel, could be in any city in the world."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Rooms
Good

My Nov 2013 trip

Botswana and 2 other countries between 25 Nov 2013 and 5 Dec 2013

Trip rating: Excellent
"Saskia planned the trip, and Maruska took over at the end.

Nicely planned - a good mix of camps, wildlife, and land/river.
it was a bit of a surprise to discover how dry Tubu was in November. I was more expecting hippos outside than a dry waterhole.

I'd do it all again tomorrow."

Arranged By Maruska AdyeRowe


Victoria Falls Hotel

Victoria Falls Hotel

"Victoraa Falls Hotel"

2 nights Arrived 25 Nov 2013
"Best hotel I've ever stayed at, ever. Ever. Service was impeccable, hotel is wonderful, food was great. Loved every minute."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Chobe Princesses

Chobe Princesses

"Ichobezi houseboats"

2 nights Arrived 27 Nov 2013
"To look out of your bedroom and see swimming elephants and a resident hippo! Very relaxing on the boat. The houseboat moves maybe daily; the tours are all on smaller power boats. And you get a totally different outlook than you do from a land rover.

This was the only place we met bugs - non-biting (probably flying termites), and swarming around the lights in the evening, but still annoying.
Crew was great.

We went in Nov; it was quite hot outside, and *very* hot in the bedroom (there is a fan, which accomplishes little). There is no A/C! I'd be concerned about doing this in the heat of the summer, but in the cool, it is wonderful."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
DumaTau Camp

DumaTau Camp

"Duma Tau"

3 nights Arrived 29 Nov 2013
"Wonderful place. Service great; food (way too) plentiful; land rover trips excellent.

Having said that (and it's in no way Expert's or Duma Tau's or Wilderness's fault): we tired of the earliness of the safaris. The early safari and then siesta might work for those who can snooze during siesta. I can't. And I need my beauty sleep:) And to be honest, I'd rather go out at 8 (and miss the early animal activity which I know exists) than at 6. At least optionally.

Also I discovered that Wilderness is heavily into eco-, with solar and all the rest. Very good stuff, and it ought to be promoted (by them and you) more than it is."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Little Tubu

Little Tubu

"Little Tubu"

3 nights Arrived 2 Dec 2013
"Our favourite! The choir. The people in the camp - who became our friends. The candle-lit dinner (not asked for or expected). Bee the bagpiping tracker. Just fantastic."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent

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