Reviews of Ikuka Safari Camp

"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

"The camp accommodations are absolutely luxurious and the food was excellent. We enjoyed our guide very much and the service and hostess were wonderful.

The only downside to this camp is its location. Although in some ways the location is fantastic (sunrise over the plains from an elevated position), you are on a high escarpment. It's a long 20-minute drive just to get off the escarpment and into the game area - and that 20 minute drive is repeated 4 times a day." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"What can we say about Ikuka?

It was one of the best experiences in our life. Ikuka was better than any dream.

The staff was friendly and helpful. Our guide, Festo, was the best guide that we could ever had. The food at the camp is better than a lot of five starts hotel restaurants.

Everything is perfect at Ikuka. I can remeber any hotel/lodge in the world with a service as good as at Ikuka.

Congratulations to Mark, Jack and Lilly." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"Ikuka is an excellent camp in a great location – the views are wonderful. When we visited in early November, there had been very little rain – a big (and good) contrast from the Selous where we had come from. Ruaha was hot and dry, but thankfully with few mosquitoes and Tsetse flies. Our request for a room away from the central area was granted with room 6 – the 200m walk was our only exercise during our 4 nights at Ikuka, and was very welcome. Festo, our guide for the 4 days, is truly exceptional. His knowledge of animals, birds, flora and insects is first class, and he is a funny guy so it made for a great few days. Thanks to Festo and his attention to detail – for example positioning the jeep in just the right place to view/photograph animals and birds in the best light. We saw our first ever Leopard, Ostrich and Serval Cat. Elephant and Giraffe were especially plentiful, and we had a number of Lion sightings – all of them up close.

The Camp is beautiful very well appointed – not that we spent much time there other than to eat and sleep! Dinner was a communal affair which we really enjoyed and the food was excellent.

Ikuka really go the extra mile to ensure you have a great stay. On our departure day the zip on my travel bag broke. Jake kindly organised for a the camp tailor to fit a new zip. Thanks both! Also, since our flight was not until 1pm, we were able to go on the morning game drive, and were met at noon by Luca and taken to the air strip via a few animal sightings, complete with a packed lunch for the flight.

Many thanks to Mark, Jake, Lillie and all the wonderful staff at Ikuka – we had a fantastic time. Anyone planning a trip to Ruaha would do well to put Ikuka at the top of their list.

Our only suggestion would be to put WIFI in the rooms – perhaps at the expense of the current WIFI in the communal area only…… just to encourage conversation over working on phones/computers in the communal areas." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar