Reviews of Jongomero Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
45 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Jongomero Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
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"Beautiful camp, amazing food!"
The food was quite exceptional, we were seriously impressed with it, the chef is a genius!
Lovely pool where we were able to watch elephants and baboons on the opposite bank!
The guiding was good, but not excellent, our guide was very knowledgeable but sometimes seemed reluctant to give us more information about something we had seen. That said, we had some fantastic game drives, it is extraordinarily beautiful around Jongomero and the feeling that you are so far from anyone else and not seeing a single other car was really special.
We were very well looked after here." See all these reviews: 16n in Tanzania
"TRYING TOO HARD - CLINICAL"
Tsetse flies do spoil some of the drives, smoke blows across photos from burning elephant dung, and also affects eyes, especially when you stop. Although they vehicles go off roads, compared to other more central lodges in Ruaha we saw more animals in the Kwahala camp, that may be why the camps are placed there?
Zipped tents - good accommodation -" See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar; 1n in Kenya
"Hotel in the Bush"
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My main reason this time for combining a stay at Jongomero with my favourite camp of all time in Kwihala, was because last October my daughter and I enjoyed an amazing whole day out to the western part of Ruaha in the vicinity of Jongomero and beyond.
The different scenery , varied habitats, plants and wildlife , especially the upper reaches of the Ruaha River ,the miombo woodlands and above all the Makindi Springs area, , convinced me to stay at the only camp in this part of the park.
It was most unfortunate therefore that the long rains had been particularly heavy this year ,such that the very areas I wanted to visit were still unreachable and to cap it all uncontrolled bush fires nearer camp prevented us accessing the roads that were otherwise driveable .
But all of this was clearly out of the control of Jongomero camp.
It is very true that the camp is well run ,if a little formal .The 'tents' are very large and luxurious ,well positioned with hot water available pretty much all the time and the food consistent with city-style fine dining -to the extent of sugar work on the crème caramel -in the bush!
While there was communal dining at lunchtimes,guests dined separately at breakfast and dinner. This limited time to exchange stories and adventures among guests and staff, which for me is an essential safari experience that I missed. . Pre-dinner drinks (not included) were taken in the bar area and not around a convivial fire -such a shame.
As a solo traveller however Chris ,Sam or Theo ensured I had good company at dinner. A nice touch.
When I discovered the first game drive didn't start until 8am instead of 6 or 6.30am, the reason given was that there were not many animals about that early so I didn't pursue the matter ,which I regretted .
While there was opportunity to linger and watch interesting wildlife ,nevertheless the morning game drives were always back by 12 noon on the dot . I knew not to expect the same level of wildlife in this area or so early in the season but even so the game was sparse. However the butterfly ,flowers and birdlife and scenery were really very good .I enjoyed sitting on my veranda before breakfast and watching the sun rise behind my tent and touch and warm the trees on the opposite side of the dry river bed .
My guide Theo ,who I was lucky enough to have to myself on 3 occasions ,proved very responsive and indulged my request to spend time to make a confident identification. Indeed when the game drives proved a little thin and frankly a bit monotonous he was amenable to my suggestion of having a birding session for an hour or so in camp .We sat on a sand bar with binoculars and book, enjoying what flew past and on the look out for elusive green pigeon. We invented a sitting safari to make the most of what was on offer.
On reflection I think that Jongomero would appeal especially to couples or small groups who value the time to spend together in luxury ,as much as, if not more than the wildlife itself ." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania
"Jongomero Camp review"
"Jongomero excellent camp"
"Great location, nice camp and staff"
The camps straddles the line between elegance, luxury and rustic quite well, but it all depends on the perspective. For the more adventurous there is fly camping, which in our opinion and experience was the best part of being there! Best to do at least 2 nights in the fly camp for the best experience.
The couple managing the place, Chris and Sam are very nice, friendly and easy going. The walks we did in conjunction with fly camping were pleasant and informative, covering a nice variety of terrain. One of the highlights for us was our assigned guide for the duration of our stay, Theo who drove us on all game drives. He is a great guy, friendly and knowledgeable, a good judge of character able to relate to his guests in a way most suitable to their personalities and preferences." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania
"Jongomero Camp review"
"Our Favourite!"
The friendliness of all the staff here is very welcoming, the tents are huge, well equipped and with great views and the food is excellent both in quality and variety. Special thanks go to the camp manager's Sam and Chris, particularly for those small touches personalised to us for our honeymoon and also to our guide Theo who was extremely knowledgeable and had a great sense of humour.
Visiting at the beginning of July the camp wasn't quite full and we had the benefit of private safari drives every time which was a nice touch as the managers could have easily chosen to pair up couples into one vehicle." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania
"Jongomero Camp review"
Chris and Sam are AWESOME managers with a wealth of knowledge of every aspect of the area. Our guide, Leonard, made sure we saw EVERY animal possible and most on every game drive we saw something new each time! It was breathtaking and words cannot describe how perfect every aspect was covered. From seeing a family of lions, to the leopard in the Baubab tree, and every other possible creature, it was perfectly amazing!
The camp was 5 star plus in amenities with the staff on standby for our EVERY need, at every moment. Every meal the food was amazing! The setting for every dinner was in a different location which was phenomenal!
Thank you to Expert Africa for making the process for this once in a lifetime trip for my family done with ease and worry free!" See all these reviews: 3n in Tanzania
"Jongomero Camp review"
The managers were always on hand, and our guide was excellent and very knowledgeable about the wildlife. Weather was perfect: cool in the evenings and not too hot in the daytime. Food was excellent." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania
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