Reviews of Impala Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
278 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Impala Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
100% success
7% success
57% success
100% success
100% success
94% success
94% success
93% success
93% success
88% success
67% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
"Absolutely perfect!"
All the camp team were superfriendly and welcoming and we had complete confidence and trust in the complete team. Each morning we were woken by a tea tray arriving at our tent with a gentle wake up call. For each drive/ boat trip we were waved off and welcomed back by the team, with cold towels waiting as a refresher on our return. The Masia were always ready to escort us around the camp and we felt safe in their hands.
Gody, our dedicated guide had a great eye and was great company, ensuring the plans for each day were slightly different to give us the greatest chance of different wildlife. 2 of our 3 full days we had full days drives with a 0630 start and a perfect location sought for breakfast (and lunch) in the bush. A truly memerable experience! At the end of our last drive we were in for a special treat in a fantastic location watching the sun go down.
The tents were spacious and had everything needed - no need to take shampoo, conditioner or shower gel.
The same day laundry service being included was a great additional treat we did not expect...and meant we packed way too many clothes! There are also 2 different types of family tents available (2 individual tents on the same platform and a massive tent with part partition and 2 bathroom areas) but we did not stay in these.
The food was fantastic and plentiful, whether in the restaurant or eating in the bush.
I would not hesitate to recommend!" See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Impala Camp review"
It seemed to have a feel to us of struggling to survive and was cutting corners in order to do so.
New Years Eve was another case in point of very poor management. There was a group of Tanzanians in to celebrate and a BBQ was set up for them (& us) and then after dinner (which was not very appetising) there was music and singing. We decided not to participate in this as we were going to be up at about 5.00am for a game drive and so went to bed.
Despite the fact that the camp was no where near full, this was all set up right outside our tent when it could so easily have been located elsewhere within the camp.
Additionally we were never asked if we wanted to have the BBQ in the first place." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania
Elephant
8 sightings
Giraffe
8 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Lion
1 sighting
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Wild dog
1 sighting
Wildebeest
1 sighting
"Impala Camp review"
But it is the people that make it. Each and every staff member is full of smiles and dedicated to making you feel at home, and making your holiday perfect in every way.
Dennis, our guide, has over 20 years experience, with the keenest "bush eye", and eager to impart his incredible knowledge of flora and fauna. He is also an incredibly kind and thoughtful person, always ready to go the extra mile. We were oftenlate back because he had found something exciting again !
Every day I thought "this can never be topped, and everyday it was.
Victor, our waiter. -. another really kind, special person. Patiently trying to teach me Swahili whilst explaining all the delicious dishes. He too is very informed about all the surrounding nature.
Faisal the boat captain, again a kindly soul, and knowledgeable about the watery goings on. The boat ride gives another dimension to the safari. The river is teeming with hippo and crocs, plus many, many birds.
Joy, our Masai responsible for escorting you to and from the tent, is also a delight. (This is necessary because it is an open camp; hippo, hyena, warthog, elephants and many more will pass through). He is always smiling, but can hear/see things that we never would.
The chef is truly amazing. Every meal was delicious and everything home made, including the passion fruit marmalade served at the bush breakfasts, and bar snacks.
The tents are spotless, and laundry left in the morning was back that evening. The bed was so comfortable and the shower worked perfectly.
I cannot wait to return, and will do so as soon as the piggy bank is feeling better.
(We also met the new co-owner who seems a thoroughly nice guy, and very appreciative of his staff)." See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania
Buffalo
10 sightings
Eland
4 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Lion
3 sightings
Spotted Hyena
4 sightings
Wildebeest
10 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Excellent food and service - and Wild Dogs!"
The food was excellent, the service very friendly and accommodating. The camp is right next to the river, and full of wildlife. Boat safari is very convenient and special too.
A winner all around!!!" See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania
Buffalo
4 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Lion
2 sightings
Wild dog
3 sightings
Wildebeest
2 sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Just our sort of place"
All of the staff were so friendly and couldn't do enough to help us. Our guide Dennis, was great and managed to find us wild dogs on three occasions as well as mating lions and a dung beetle! The wildlife sightings in our three days were very good and included a wide variety of animals along with many birds, which we are particularly interested in.
We very much enjoyed mixing land and river safaris. A major plus was that we were on our own with Dennis for all of our safaris which we were not expecting. The camp seems to do this as standard which could be an important factor when choosing which camp to stay in.
Our tent was perfect. It felt very much part of the surroundings, not too plush, but extremely comfortable with everything that we needed. I loved waking up during the night to hear an animal munching away on the vegetation just on the other side of the canvas.
The food was of a good standard with large portions and plenty of variety over our stay. A choice is available for dinner which had to be chosen at lunch time. The restaurant is well run and the waiting staff especially friendly.
We did make use of the very nice swimming pool which is an added bonus to the camp.
We would not hesitate to recommend this camp and would happily return there ourselves." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar
Buffalo
2 sightings
Elephant
10 sightings
Giraffe
10 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Lion
3 sightings
Spotted Hyena
2 sightings
Wild dog
3 sightings
Zebra
8 sightings
"Excellent Camp and People"
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Wild dog
Multiple sightings
Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Great camp, room very good, only guest twice"
Room and public areas were excellent, staff attentive but discrete, didn’t use pool but it didn’t look too inviting
Food very good and variety with some local ingredients
Staff and guides were all brilliant and made an effort to compensate for lack of other guests
Chose Selous because of proximity to water and water disappointed. Boat safari great
I would go again" See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Leopard
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Perfect base in the Selous"
We were lucky to see lots of interesting and amusing interaction between species. Our guide Ezra was brilliant. The camp itself is very well run by the management team of Beatrice and David.
ALL the staff were attentive and friendly - all such lovely people.
Although booked into a twin tent, the Manager kindly gave us separate tents as the camp was not full - I was so happy !!" See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania
Buffalo
Multiple sightings
Eland
Multiple sightings
Elephant
Multiple sightings
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Lion
Multiple sightings
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Wild dog
Multiple sightings
Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
"Selous Impala Camp Review"
We had a boat trip the first afternoon and met Ezra in the bar before supper to discuss the next day. We were woken at 6am with coffee and cake and began our morning drive at 6.30am. Our first safari, we were so excited. Another boat trip in the afternoon and back for a delicious supper. We had our own waiter for every meal and suppers were sometimes on the veranda of the restaurant and sometimes in a secluded spot with a bonfire to give us light. For the last two days we opted for a full day excursion so had breakfast and lunch in the bush - with a table and chairs! The most memorable lunch was by a lake, under a tree for shade, watching hundreds of large birds wading and catching fish - herons, pelicans, spoonbills, marabou storks to name a few. Ezra was an amazing guide and could answer any questions we threw at him.
At the camp we were allotted our own Masai to walk us wherever we wanted to go. This was because the camp was unfenced so open for animals as well as people. We had to call "Jambo Masai" when we wanted to leave the tent and he would appear and escort us to wherever we needed to go and wait until we were ready to return. He was very discreet. The camp had a swimming pool which was a treat after a whole day out in the bush.
The staff were all so friendly and obviously worked well as a team." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar
Buffalo
6 sightings
Eland
1 sighting
Elephant
4 sightings
Giraffe
6 sightings
Hippo
10 sightings
Lion
4 sightings
Spotted Hyena
1 sighting
Wildebeest
2 sightings
Zebra
10 sightings
"Really a hotel with game drives attached"
More creature comfort than Mdonya with some very good staff - but lacking any obvious enthusiasm for safari/wildlife. Camp management was very low profile and not confident in dealing with europeans.
Our tent (No 1) was very comfortable but was a long walk. It benefitted from animals coming past to the river. If you want this, ask for tent 1-3. The Masai who escorted us was lovely.
Food and service were generally very good, with bush-babies and weaver birds coming to the table (may not suit everyone). We contracted Tanzanian Tummy during our visit which we're still recovering from. Camp management unfortunately put us in a dark secluded spot for dinner one night and my wife got dozens of horse-fly-looking bites, several became infected. We didnt want to eat there and now wish we'd refused.
Very few other guests - really felt a bit lonely. A constant succession of one-night visits by travel reps "doing research". Shame none of them asked guests for feedback - even if they travelled with their company. Very annoying to see what we were paying for and glad Expert Africa were not amongst them.
Guides were knowledgeable but more interested in charging about in the Land Cruiser. This gave our worst safari ride ever and tended to chase animals away. Complained to management and it improved but felt that driver/guide was sulking a bit and was finding it hard to locate anything new to show us after 3 days. Boat safari really worthwhile and bee-eater colony was very special.
All in all, a bit disappointing compared to Mdonya Old River Camp in Ruaha, but perhaps OK if you wanted a light safari experience" See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania
"Africa Specialist"
Buffalo
1 sighting
Eland
1 sighting
Elephant
1 sighting
Giraffe
Multiple sightings
Hippo
Multiple sightings
Lion
1 sighting
Spotted Hyena
Multiple sightings
Wild dog
1 sighting
Wildebeest
Multiple sightings
Zebra
Multiple sightings
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