Reviews of Ikuka Safari Camp

"The camp location was excellent, great vistas over the bush in the valley below. The accommodation was excellent. Loved the hot water bottles in the bed a night! All the staff were great and dining excellent. We were given the opportunity to dine just as a couple (which we did at lunch time) but everyone agreed to eat together in the evening which meant we could all share our experiences of the day.

At this camp we had our own driver/guide for all the four days. He was excellent, full of useful knowledge and tried really hard to proved sightings of all sorts of animals and birds, often going off the main routes and into the bush to follow fresh lion tracks or animal calls. With other camps in the area, guides did call each other when they spotted an animal. So when a pride of lions was found lunching on an Impala, our guide was able to take us there.

Likewise, when a leopard was spotted, our guide changed plans and headed off in that direction and we were lucky to have the leopard walk right by our vehicle. This is not to give the impression there were lots of vehicles converging at these spots all at once, there weren't. For most of the time we never encountered anyone else, so enjoyed the landscape and animal sightings in isolation and peace. Breakfasts and sundowners out in the wild were a great start and end to the day.

Loved every minute!" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"By contrast we simply cannot speak highly enough of Ikuka; it was simply fabulous in every respect from start to finish - care, friendliness, expertise, pride in the camp, and the facilities that were provided.

This was almost certainly the best camp we have ever been in on safari. The managers, Tommy and Chevy, could not have done more to make our stay completely unforgettable. Everything was thought through in order to make the stay memorable. They and the staff were always there to see us off and to welcome us back, hot water bottles, hand warmers, water, drinks all provided as a matter of course.

Our guide Festo, equally, was fantastic both as a really knowledgeable and professional guide and also great company when out on game drives." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"I was more than a little disappointed by Ikuka. The camp is lovely as were the manager and camp staff and the food excellent.

The vehicle that I was in broke down 3 times, once in the morning when it didnt really impact on the drive. It was apparently repaired over lunch only to break down again twice in the afternoon. This did have a considerable impact on the afternoons drive and it also affected other guests as their vehicle was sent to push start my stricken vehicle. This was poor, the camp apologised for this.

The other problem I had was with my guide, Mashaka. I made it very clear that I did not want to be at a sighting with many other vehicles and that I was quite happy to see the small things as a consequence of this. This is not what a happened, he was also constantly on his phone, radio, text messages etc I am sure this was to other guides in the park finding where to go, there was a leopard sighting that we drove quite a distance to see and there were 10 vehicles already there jostling for position. This is not my idea of a good safari. I am sure he was knowlegable but he repeated the same facts to me everytime about any animal. I did not learn anything!

My biggest gripe with him was on my penultimate drive. We spotted a leopard on the ground, rather than putting the vehicle in a good place for me to see the leopard, he called and radioed other guides to tell them, this went for some 4 to 5 minutes with me asking several times to stop and to move the vehicle. He eventually did this and put me in a good position to see and photography the leopard.

Then almost immediately the other vehicles started arriving and he moved so I no longer had a sighting. I did express my great displeasure at this. I am an experienced safari goer and have never had a guide behave in this way, they have always ensured that I have the best possible view first, and after a short while ask if it is OK to call the sight in to others. I did not feel I was this guides priorty, the other guides where. I was so insenced by this that on return to camp I spoke to the manager, who apologised and agreed this was not how he should have behaved.

The above has left me with a very negative view of Ikuka." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"Ikuka is a beautiful and well appointed camp set high on an escarpment with wonderful views down to the Mwagusi river and across the park. The managers and all the rest of the in-camp staff were extremely welcoming and capable. The food was exceptional and the communal dinners were great fun.

We spent four nights at Ikuka and we had an excellent time. The standard of guiding is generally very good and we saw plently of animals including lions several times and three leopard sightings.

The best of the latter being on our last morning, en route to the airport, which our guide personally tracked down having noticed footprints on the road." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"WoW…way above our expectation.

Wonderfull everything !" See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"That was the best camp on our journey. They have very good staff. Everyone was very friendly. In the morning the managers always say goodbye when you were leaving. They also waited for you by coming back and asked you about your day.
The rooms were very big and every room has a nice view from the top of the hill.
The decoration of the camp is marvellous.
The food was excellent. We didn't expect such a good chief in that camp. Every meal was really great and very nice decorated on the plate.
We loved the big common table." See all these reviews: 21n in Tanzania

"Ikuka is spectacular. Its location overlooking the park is wonderful. We stayed in Hondo Hondo, which was breathtakingly beautiful. The attention to detail in the service was excellent, including things like hot water bottles provided on morning drives. The staff made our honeymoon so memorable in lots of ways, but especially with a last night candlelit dinner under the stars. The game in Ruaha is brilliant, and our guide, Mashaka, did a fantastic job." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"Ikuka was unbelievably luxurious and a beautiful lodge. Couldn't fault. Stunning location with incredible views from private tent. Hosts Shevie, Tom and Mark were very attentive and welcoming.

Mark was an excellent guide for our walking safari- took the time to explain about insects, tracks and animals. Very knowledgeable and interesting.

We felt that the hosts had really thought about the guest experience and making sure we were comfortable throughout. Went the extra mile with 'romantic' gestures- two special private dinners, bottle of fizz etc.

Itinerary was well thought out with early starts and time in the pm to relax before evening drive. Breakfast and sundowners in the bush were a really nice touch!

Food was fantastic- beautiful presentation, great flavours, well-accommodated for as vegetarians and plentiful.

Not a criticism as such, but sometimes we felt a little overwhelmed by the degree of attentiveness and intensity of the hosts, e.g. group greeting and questions after each game drive sometimes felt a bit unnecessary after a long day." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"From the moment we were greeted at the airport we felt like we had won the lottery! Our guide did whatever paperwork was required whilst we made ourselves comfy with our chilled water bottles and biscuits! We couldn’t believe the animals we saw on our way from the airport to our lodge, our guide (Luca) took time to explain things along our journey so it felt like we were straight into it! It took about an hour to get to Ikuku but our arrival was lovely, Tommy and the staff were lined up waving to greet us with a drink and cool towel at the ready, it felt so nice to be met with such friendly smiling faces all waving.

Our lodge Ikuka was simply perfect, all the details in the room were beautiful, from the beaded lion on the table upstairs and a hippo stool to large tassels on the curtains and telescope waiting for us to view the night sky! The construction was interesting with sparkly granite stones packing out the walls for privacy. It was all absolutely beautiful and the view spectacular.

The bed was huge and it was so thoughtful of the staff to provide hot water bottles in the evening to take the chill off, although it was breezy in the evening, it really wasn’t cold.

The food was really tasty and colourful and left us feeling full, but not uncomfortable and seemed to be healthy whilst also being a feast for the eyes (presentation was beautiful), we enjoyed the feeling that the only decision we needed to make was what drink we wanted. Although you could choose to dine alone in your room, we enjoyed the camaraderie of dining together as a group in the evening comparing animal sightings from the day.

We did have our lunch one afternoon on our own so that we could enjoy the view and facilities in our own lodge as it was nice to not rush around and although we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfasts whilst out on our treks, we also enjoyed watching the sun come up from our bed and a leisurely breakfast on our last morning.

The staff could not have been more helpful or friendly.

Our guide Habibu was just amazing. He was so considerate of both the animals and us that we felt very honoured, his knowledge of animals and the birds was outstanding. Habibu took care to take us to places where we would see the animals that we had mentioned, and we loved seeing the hippos and crocodiles at The Hidden lake. We didn’t pay extra for a private guide but by chance seemed to get one most mornings, however even when we went out in a group we were lucky to be with other couples who enhanced our trip. Sunset drinks and nibbles were enjoyable with others.

Overall, our experience was amazing, obviously you go out on the safari drives, twice a day, unfortunately you need to drive out to make the most of your visit because of the height of the lodge, but this gave spectacular views, so we were happy, although this might not suit everyone." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Ikuka is located at a hilltop in the vast national park of Ruaha. The views are breathtaking and all the staff do really give you the feeling you are more than welcome.

We were very lucky to have the whole camp available for ourselves during our stay of four nights, a private safari experience for free! Thanks to Covid, but actually we didn't understand because going to Tanzania and filling in the forms, complying to a PCR-test and all the rest turned out to be very easy! So go now before the rest of the world finds out...

Anyway, life in the camp and the safari drives turned out to be more than excellent. We were very very lucky to be the first in almost a year to spot a whole pack of around 30 wild dogs! Including very young ones. It is estimated that only 2500 wild dogs may still exist in the world so everybody was really excited about this. But also the leopard we saw from close distance lying in the tree and the many other big and small animals we will not easy forget!" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar