This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Learn more

Skip to main content

Talk to an expert 1-800-242-2434 Lines open now

User menu
Udzungwa Forest Camp
Udzungwa Forest Camp
Udzungwa Forest Camp
Udzungwa Forest Camp
Udzungwa Forest Camp

Udzungwa Forest Camp


7°50’6.3"S 36°53’23.1"E

Reviews of Udzungwa Forest Camp

Wildlife sightings and reviews

6 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Udzungwa Forest Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Feb-2020, 2 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Udzungwa Forest Camp.
Lion

50% success

Leopard

0% success

Cheetah

0% success

Wild dog

0% success

Buffalo

50% success

Elephant

50% success

Giraffe

50% success

Zebra

50% success

Aardvark

0% success

Eland

0% success

Hippo

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Sable antelope

0% success

Spotted Hyena

0% success

Wildebeest

0% success

Showing 1-6 of 6
Duration
Arrival date
Mrs K & 5
Maryland

"Udzungwa Forest Camp review"

2 nights Arrived 13 Aug 2022
"We were the only guests in this camp, which meant we were spoiled! The drive was somewhat longer than usual due to major construction on the roads, but it was worth the trip! We wished we could have added another night as one full day was not enough.

The tents were basic but having solar electricity was nice. We were able to charge electronics in our room. The staff moved the wifi to the dining area in the evening and we appreciated being able to check emails and texts after a week without it. The food was the best of any camps we stayed out. We were really impressed.

We enjoyed our morning hike to the waterfall with a knowledgeable guide. It was great to walk after days of sitting in safari vehicles. The monkey forest was an adventure. The monkeys were fun to watch leaping from tree to tree. We wished we had more time to do a bird walk and other activities. Because of the road construction, we opted to leave early in the morning and do a game drive in Mikumi so as to be sure we made our flight." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Zebra

Multiple sightings

M&A
Austria

"Great hiking and birding in the Udzungwas"

3 nights Arrived 9 Feb 2020
"A very pleasant surprise,much better than expected. Tents were airy and spacious. Food was fantastic, by far the best of all four camps we visited. A very creative chef there, delicious sauces especially. Enjoyed sitting in the garden and watching the Colobus monkeys and Hornbills.

We did the hike up to the Sanjay Falls. Exhausting, but so much worth it. Views from up there were a highlight. Saw a Green Mamba, and to our delight also had really good sightings of the Sanjay Created Mangabeys. There's a fantastic birding guide in camp (Manuel, also the head waiter), and he helped us find a lot of specialties. He was with us for the hike and almost for another full day, and they charged a ridiculously low amount for that (about USD 60 IIRC), so we made up for that with tipping him adequate for his fabulous work.

Really loved the Udzungwas, a very different place and a nice change from more conventional safari." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs P
Cambridge

"One night at Udzungwa"

1 night Arrived 7 Feb 2015
"We enjoyed our one night at Udzungwa although we had underestimated some distances and time taken to travel on some rough roads. Our own fault but it did mean we weren't there for very long.

We were hoping to see colobus monkeys and the Honda Honda hornbills but we only managed brief glimpses of both. The tents were comfortable and looked fairly new. The outside shower rooms were good except there was a problem with the water supply when we were there and only cold water for the morning shower!

The staff were very friendly and tried to meet our various requests as best they could" See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 6n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Average
Ms K
C London

"Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp review"

1 night Arrived 18 Dec 2014
"I was going to give an 'Average' rating to the Camp until I remembered the issue with the bathrooms and privacy, as it is unfortunately it's 'Poor'.

It didn't start off well, the Manager of Hondo Hondo (another name for Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp) forgot to arrange my transfer pick up in the morning so I waited 50 minutes in the heat outside Mikumi National Park. I asked the driver the reason for the delay, he said he had been only told of the pick up that morning and drove as quickly as he could (made sense, since he lives in Mikumi which is approximately 40 minutes away). The Manager said it was due to traffic... Um... Nope.

Then it got worse, I got to the Camp and was showed to my tent. It's one of those heavy canvass ones with small windows on each side, no windows in the back except heavy canvass and some small windows at the front. As a result, there was no breeze, it was uncomfortably hot at night and the mattress and the pillows stank of dampness from sweaty guests and humidity. Nice...

There was also a wiring issue and the lights didn't go off at night fully but remained slightly illuminated. As there was little privacy in the way the tents were arranged and I had to keep the window flaps open, I felt very exposed since anyone could see inside the tent. Not a great experience. When I mentioned this to the manager, he just shrugged his shoulders and smiled saying they were working on it.

I think the bathrooms were meant to be a good addition but again there was no privacy as they weren't fully attached to the tent, there was a gap on either side where the wooden structure of the bathroom was supposed to meet the tent. The result was that people could see in, especially with the light on at night. The bathroom 'wall' consisted of thin pieces of wood tied together but these had gaps between them so with the light on, you had no privacy.

As the lights couldn't be switched off in the tent fully and there were too many gaps in the bathroom, I had to switch the light off there while showering and dressing in the pitch dark so that people couldn't see me.

The food was decent though I think USD 12 for a big ball of spaghetti bolognese is too much, especially when it's mainly pasta.

The activity list was extensive though one with a guided walk through a forest with elephants and buffalo without an armed ranger I deemed too dangerous and opted to make it a cycle trip instead.

Apparently this place is owned by two couples that live in Dar es Salaam. The neglect of the place from a Management point of view is obvious. I would never recommend it to anyone.

I was told that Expert Africa had never stayed at this place so I understood when booking that they couldn't personally recommend it. I think it needs to come with a warning, perhaps suitable for independent camping when you have your own gear and just use the restaurant. The food is decent enough." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Poor

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Average
Activities:
Average
Rooms:
Poor
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Poor
Mr & Mrs SG
Cambridge

"Udzungwa Forest Tented Camp"

2 nights Arrived 6 Sep 2014
"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." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good

Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs D
Mansfield

"Excellent in every way."

3 nights Arrived 12 Nov 2013
"Every thing about Hondo Hondo was great. The food was the best of the trip. There was always someone around when you needed them. The setting is beautiful. The scenery travelling to, and from there to Selous, was lovely. The walks to the waterfalls,and round the shambas were a pleasure.

The only thing guests really need to know is that if you want to do the boat trip on the Kilombero river you need to have enough shillings, as you can't pay in dollars. With haggling, and depending how busy the fishermen are, this seems to range from 60,000-100,000TSh. luckily we had changed a bit of money at Nairobi airport, so could cover it." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 1-6 of 6
83%
6 reviews of Udzungwa Forest Camp by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
3
2
0
1
0
Filter by month

Holiday styles & special interests in Tanzania

From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Tanzania.


Beach holidays

Beach holidays

Discover Africa's coast and tropical islands.

Birdwatching

Birdwatching

Diverse habitats, discreet hides and superb guiding.

Cultural experiences

Cultural experiences

Get an insight into Africa's cultures and history.

Diving & snorkelling

Diving & snorkelling

Find captivating marine life beneath the waves

Family holidays

Family holidays

Hand-picked camps for an incredible family safari.

Honeymoons

Honeymoons

Romantic safaris and castaway island retreats.

Luxury

Luxury

First-class service, scenic vistas and unparalleled comfort await you during these carefully selected luxury holidays. 

Photography holidays

Photography holidays

Great holidays to suit the keen photographer.

Private villas & houses

Private villas & houses

Enjoy Africa with just your friends & family

Riding holidays

Riding holidays

Explore Africa's wilderness on horseback.

Solo Travel

Solo Travel

Trip ideas ideally suited for a solo traveller.

Walking

Walking

Explore Africa's most scenic trails on foot.

Walking safaris

Walking safaris

Explore Africa's untouched wildernesses on foot.

Wellbeing

Wellbeing

Wellness escapes in stunning locations

Wildlife safaris

Wildlife safaris

These trips include hard-hitting game and fascinatingly elusive species alike, as well as superb guiding and a variety of diverse ecosystems.

Other lodges in Mikumi & Udzungwa Mountains

Alternative places to stay in this same area.


Stanley's Kopje

Stanley's Kopje

Stanley's Kopje is one of the best located camps in Mikumi National Park, and offers stunning views.


70% (6 reviews)
Vuma Hills

Vuma Hills

A 15-minute drive from the Mikumi National Park gate, Vuma Hills is in a peaceful location, high up in the hills overlooking the park.


70% (2 reviews)

Login to Expert Africa

Sign in with password

Sign in with email link


New to Expert Africa? Create an account

Forgotten your details?

It's free & quick to set up

  • Save your wish-list
  • Send us an enquiry
  • Pay online for your trip
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
  • Give us feedback on your trip
  • Full site benefits of the site

Need some help? Talk to our team

Africa