Reviews of Sand Rivers Camp

"We liked the camp a lot. It has a nice view on the river and the terrace is always a good place to meet someone. The staff was very nice and the food good (not as good as in Ikukka Lodge).
The rooms are in an open banda. You can hear the noise of the hippos at night. The interior isn't luxurios, but you have everything you need." See all these reviews: 21n in Tanzania

"Sand Rivers was fantastic. The camp is beautiful and the staff made us feel very welcome. The fly camping experience was phenomenal! We were particularly impressed with our guiding by Hamza and Hussein. The variety of activities available was also brilliant - we really enjoyed the boat trips and walking safaris, in addition to the game drives. We also enjoyed how remote the camp was - we rarely saw another car in the 5 days we were there. And the food was notably excellent." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"What a very special place. The entire staff came out and greeted us with a song and ice cool drinks to welcome us in the driveway as we arrived to camp on our first day. Nice touch!

The guiding was excellent. Haamza (sp?), our guide, took us on a boat safari and 2 safari walks. We learned about everything from spear grass, termites and millipedes to Hippos and Bao Bab trees and the roles they play in the ecosystem. Haamza also helped us a lot with our birding as well. Some very large crocodiles in the Rufigi. We saw a Black Mamba near the Beho Beho air strip as we were leaving Sand Rivers.

I loved this part of the Rufiji river and the camp sits right on it. It felt very wild and alive here. Some of the best pictures I took during the whole trip were from when we stayed here.

We made new friends with some of the staff and they were great. Thank you to Sara, Reggie and Good Luck for taking such good care of us. The rooms were luxurious and the food was Over the Top First Class." See all these reviews: 20n in Tanzania

"Sand Rivers was a great choice for our honeymoon. The rooms are just wonderful - we enjoyed the honeymoon suite (room no. 2): The room was open and breezy with a great view from the hill over the landscape and river. Not to forget the pool, which was cool and refreshing after the safari activities. Also the food was fantastic, prepared by Bernadetta with a lot of love and passion (her carrot baclava is particularly famous). We loved our bush breakfasts with the homemade cereals and fresh fruit, which we enjoyed on the game drives or during the boat safari on the river.

Wildlife was great, even though our trip was during the green season. We saw wilddog three times and even while hunting.

The highlight of our stay definitely was the fly camping, which was truly fantastic. The location at lake Tagalala is so beautiful and you can listen to the sound of the hippos in the lake while having a 5star dinner and after that sitting at the camp fire. We would have loved to stay longer to do more fly camping!

Nick and Jana are great managers, and we enjoyed their company and had very meaningful and interesting conversations with them over dinner. We felt so well taken care of by all of the staff!

Our guides Godfrey and Simba are very experienced and knowledgeable, we had a great time with them on safari!

And - last but not least - we felt very privileged to be the only guests at the lodge during our entire stay and to have this wonderful place and wilderness all to ourselves." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"They did a great job, very good staff but we could have hiked more and further on our walks." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar

"4 nights at sand Rivers, different again to the others, but equally as good." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"Nice people, unbeatable location.

Bedroom was spacious and camp-like with relatively basic features but who cares when you are out in the middle of the park with stunning views." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Fantastic camp, immaculately managed by Michelle.

The location and rooms were stunning and the food was wonderful.

All the staff were very friendly and we had an excellent guide in Ernest." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"After our wonderful experience at Kigelia, we headed to Sand Rivers for the remainder of our trip. Combining Kigelia and Sand Rivers was a perfect combination because Sand Rivers offers different types of activities such as boat safaris, fishing, along with game drives. We were fortunate to stay in 2 suites that had private plunge pools. The rooms were gorgeous with fabulous views. Our son and daughter (15 and 12) thought these accommodations were 5 stars and the fanciest place they've ever stayed! Sand Rivers overlooks the river with tons of hippos and crocodiles. The hippos were fascinating creatures that watched us as we fished on the banks of the river. There were other small animal sightings around camp, including monkeys, civets, and a bush baby.

We saw similar animals on game drives in Selous including elephants, giraffes, lions, and many birds. And a few hyenas that were taking naps on the road. The terrain in Selous is very different from Ruaha, so the two safari locations provided contrast. Dayo, our guide, was so knowledgeable about Selous (his father was a Selous ranger and now he is a guide) and had an eye, especially for birds. He brings a well-used Birds of East Africa book with him on game drives but didn't need it most of the time as he was like a walking bird encyclopedia. He was a fantastic fisherman (we went fishing twice) and helped each of us catch at least one fish, which the chefs cooked up as an appetizer for dinner.

The food at Sand Rivers was just as wonderful as Kigelia. The vibe is a little different as this is a larger camp with a more permanent structure. Eric, the camp manager while Michelle was on holiday, was gracious and so interesting to have dinner with. The staff were all very friendly and provided great service to guests. We also had a great fly-camping experience that I will review separately. We overall loved Sand Rivers and really enjoyed the combination of the 2 Nomad properties." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"The location of Sand Rivers Camp is at a fantastic bend in the Rufiji river - and there is more to see than hippos although it is great to see them in this big river compared to shallower locations.

We visited mid-July 2019. Our guide Ernest was fantastic in his ability to spot wildlife and flora as well as his knowledge base. Our first 1/2 day guide (not Ernest) was not to our liking and the managers immediately accommodated our request for a change.

Would highly recommend this camp!" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar