Reviews of Beho Beho Bailey's Banda

"Our stay at Beho Beho toward the end of February started with very warm weather that cooled somewhat and included occasional rain showers and one torrential downpour. The landscape was beautifully green and wildlife sightings, especially birds, were numerous. Our first sighting was a pride of lions, that were resting not far from the runway, just after we flew into the Beho Beho airstrip.

Beho Beho is unlike any safari camp we’ve ever stayed in. It is the former private safari lodge of the Bailey family, who still own it. Beho Beho includes eight stone bandas arranged around a large, central lodge and Bailey’s Banda, a two-bedroom family unit. Because our stay was at the end of the season, all but Bailey’s Banda was closed up for the season, which meant we had the extreme good fortune to stay there. We were the only guests in camp.

Bailey’s Banda offers private accommodations with two bedrooms, a bar, dining room, large living room, kitchen and small swimming pool. We had the spacious upstairs bedroom that looks out over the river below and hillsides beyond.

Buffet lunches were served in the dining room and dinner was in the dining room unless it was out by the pool or in another surprise location. During our stay there were three guides in camp, Heribert, Godlisten and Mike, all are very experienced and have been at Beho Beho for many years. We had a different guide for each game drive, which is how all game drives are organized at Beho Beho. It gave us a chance to get to know each guide and enjoy their unique approach to guiding. All of the guides joined us for a cocktail before dinner and one guide stayed to dine with us.

Our morning began with coffee in our room before heading out on the morning game drive. We had breakfast in the bush. One morning we enjoyed a boating safari and breakfast on Lake Tagalala. On another morning we were guided on a walking safari followed by breakfast in the bush. Just as we finished breakfast a torrential downpour moved in and we headed for Bailey’s Banda. It rained throughout the afternoon, so we spent our time reading and enjoying Bailey’s Banda. During our game drive the next morning it was very interesting to see the swollen rivers from the prior day’s rains. We expected the weather to be unsettled so near the beginning of the rainy season, but it didn’t impact our enjoyment of Beho Beho. Nyerere National Park (formerly Selous Game Reserve) is so beautiful this time of year. Every day was different and our time at Beho Beho went by very quickly.

The highlight of our game sightings were wild dogs, which we saw three times. On the third sighting we followed them for several kilometers but eventually they laid down under some trees for the rest of the morning. Also several lion sightings, countless birds, elephants, giraffe (including a newborn), zebra, impala, wildebeest and large herds of buffalo." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 10n in Rwanda; 8n in Kenya

"Absolutely amazing, we didn't want to leave." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Our three days at Beho Beho Baileys Banda surpassed all expectations. The breathtaking view when we first walked into the lodge was comfortably voted into my family's top 3 memorable experiences of our entire 2 weeks in Tanzania, if not any holiday. The animal sitings were fantastic & the whole team made us feel incredibly welcome throughout our stay, including the hosts, the guides, the cooks & all the other staff who worked so hard to make it all so special.

Having our own space at Bailey's Banda made our time in Beho Beho feel even more personalised & we were very sad to leave." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 6n in Tanzania

"I don't say this lightly but the most amazing place I have ever stayed.

When I walked into the Banda and saw the Banda's interior with the panoramic view across a valley onto the reserve then I immediately knew how good the place is. The Banda itself is so comfortable and perfectly laid out and furnished for a family group. We used the Banda as a central point for a large group who were also in other Bandas which was ideal. Would of course be perfect for a smaller group to.

The service and food in camp were faultless and the team spent huge effort to give us feasts on safari: fine dining in the bush!

The main event were the wildlife drives. There were a huge variety of animals and birds (we saw four of the big five) but the joy was that this was not a box ticking exercise. The guides made the small details as interesting and gave us the same interest that they so obviously had in Selous.

All of the guides and staff felt like old friends by the end of the trip but special mention should go to our hosts Phil and Trisha who somehow made a special place in the Tanzanian bush feel like a home-from-home." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 4n in Kenya

"Simply the best place we have been on safari in east or southern Africa, and we've been to many others.

Very knowledgeable and companionable guides with a strong commitment to conservation, friendly and solicitous staff, delicious meals served in a variety of spectacular locations. A real focus on meeting the different individual needs and interests of members of our party, who ranged in age from 16 to 80." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar