Reviews of Kwihala Camp

"Really enjoyed this camp - Pietro our guide made it for us... his enthusiam and determination to find us Big Cats was amazing and exhilarating especially with the Itallien driving! And he came out on top with our first hour on game drive seeing lions, cheetahs and a leopard!

The camp itself was really well designed with HUGE tents and lovely social areas.

Evenings were great with pre-drinks around the camp fire followed by group meals with everyone else in the camp which were tasty (some of the meals could have been improved) and nice to chat to everyone." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar

"Kwihala is a really intimate little tented camp where you feel very much like you are getting a real taste of life in the bush. The tents and the main areas are beautifully appointed with co-ordinated linens and pottery.

Pietro is an amazing guide and one morning we saw from our tent a lioness and a cub walk past us. We told Pietro and before we knew it we were tracking the lions in the Land Rover and watching them call to their cubs. It is a memory that we will have forever.

The food at Kwihala is delicious and varied. Eating dinner by candlelight is atmospheric but one evening we ate by moonlight only and it was lovely. We loved our time at Kwihala." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"This was just what we were looking for - back to the wild in an absolute gem of a park. Ensuite facilities were more than adequate, eating out under the stars was magical ,and Pietro and Festo's guiding earns full marks for stamina and enthusiasm.

56 different lions in 4 days (including a few in camp) and plenty of close up encounters with other local wildlfe was full value. The food, whilst relatively simple compared with some other camps, was executed very well.

Going by the guest book we guess this camp is not too well frequented - it deserves more visitors." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"I loved, loved, loved Kwihala Camp. The tents are very unobtrusive, and you do feel like yours is the only tent for miles around (in a good way) and you do feel very immersed in the beauty of the setting. My bed was very comfortable, and the linens were really luxurious. The tent furnishings were just right, and there is 24 hour electricity. Aside from the sink and shower handles looking a little different, the bathroom was functionally equivalent to any other bathroom, so I wouldn't be discouraged from visiting by the bathroom fixtures being of a less permanent variety.

The guiding at Kwihala was superb, among the best I've ever encountered. I happened to be the only guest in the camp for the three nights I was there, and Pietro and Fester both went with me on every drive. I learned so much about the park and the animals, and Pietro also had a lot of useful photography tips. The staff at the camp was terrific, too. I was not feeling well on the first day I was there, and Pietro oversaw what seemed like a very elaborate operation to make sure everything possible was being done to make sure I felt better. I really appreciated how well the camp took care of me. I would love to visit Kwihala again. Great camp, amazing park." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Rwanda; 1n in Kenya

"This is a fantastic small intimate and friendly camp in a wild location (we heard lions roaring every night...very near to the tent!). Pietro and Festo are excellent guides, exceptionally skilled and willing to share their experiences with you. All the staff is extremely efficient and helpful. The food was great, 3 course lunch and dinner were always tasty and light. They catered for vegetarian really well. It was also really fun and friendly as they had their meals with us.

The camp itself is very simple but you have all the conforts that you need.

We were very lucky as we were the only guests during our stay (beginning of the season) and they spoiled us without limits!!
I cannot describe everything as this would become too long, so I am just going to mention that our stay at Kwihala was perfect and we came back with memories that will be remember forever. My personal favourite was sitting in the car watching a herd of elephant foraging and gradually moving closer to us until they were so close I could see the eyelashes of a young female eating a couple of metres from us. We could see the youngster interacting with older ones. Meanwhile Pietro was explaining us the fascinating anatomy, physiology and social behaviour of these wonderful animals. I do not know how long we stayed there but it was mesmerising!! and of course we had to wait for the elephant to decide to leave first!

Another "secret" is that we saw 4 different prides of lions, including one of the most beautiful creatures I have ever seen: a black mane male. I lost count of how many they were. but over 40!! I was not supposed to mention all these figures as now all the guest will arrive with hight expectations....and Pietro told us we were just lucky. I am not sure we were "just" lucky, but I am sure we had excellent guides!

Asante Sana Marafiki!!" See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"This camp is an intimate camp, small, really close to nature and all about the guiding. We stayed for 5 nights and the last 3 we were the ONLY guests. The camp does seem to be moving away from semi-mobile to fixed and seemed to be struggling to identify it's unique selling point.

Entry into the park stated well as we made a stop at another airstrip flying low over a massive group of Hippo's only to find Elephants lining the runway at out airstrip. Now that's a welcome.

Within the Camp we saw birds, Impala, Jackal and 6 Lions calmly walking through whilst we were have dinner - Now I never knew a Lion could sneeze before!?!?! Nominally the guiding is from 06:00 to 11:00 and then 16:00 to 19:00. However, on one days we were out (our choice) at 06:15 and got back to camp at 15:15 and could have gone out again. In fact in over our 5 nights we clocked up about 50hrs of game viewing (not including that in camp!)

We had 2 different guides and always had our own vehicle which allowed us to dictate what we went to see and how long to stay etc. I think it was good swaping guides halfway through as this allowed a different perspective. Both guides were excellent in their own way. On many a day it was several hours before we saw another vehicle and often we ony saw several if we dashed off to a confirmed Lion sighting by another camp. I think an excellent location with good access to all part of the park, both popular and more remote.

Tents were fine and had everything we needed, inc UK 3pin plug (24hr electricity). Bucket showers worked well and a full buckets to yourself seem like luxury. Sleeping with Lions growling on the edge of camp could sometimes be a challenge.

The reason for only giving 4 stars was that for us the food was over the top, being very rich and trying too hard. An example was that the followed specific recipes and adjusted to what was around. So Beef and Ale, became Chicken and Ale, which did not work. Or mixed fruit with custard, but no advance warning to have it without custard. Perhaps a menu written down in the morning would help and reduce waste. Also whilst it was a tented kitchen the Chef would come out in his White Uniform and state the menu. A bit excessive for a tented camp when we were the only guests. Personaly we would have preferred simpler wholesome food.

Service was excellent as you would expect with only 2 guests and one night we had our dinner a short distance from out tent with a guard watching out for Lions!?!

As stated earlier this is an intimate and relax camp, for New Years eve we had a bottle of champagne and in bed early for a 06:00 departure the following day - For us this was perfect. With hindsight, I still believe we chose the best camp for what we were look for.

Go for Location, Guiding, flexibility and risking being a little scard (being so close to wild animals), Ruaha park.
Not good for partying, having a rest or true luxury." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"We choose Kwihala as we were aware it had only 6 tents and excelled at providing rustic luxury! We were looking for a unique safari and certainly found it here. Sean, our fantastic South African guide met us from the plane and provided quite exceptional guiding for the next 4 days. Having had a brief taster of the Safari experience on our journey to the camp we were pleasantly surprised to find ourselves the only couple in camp.

The camp whilst not on top of a hill with sweeping panoramas had more than enough to make it outstanding, the luxury tents were fabulous and you felt much closer to your surroundings as a result. The food was plentiful and varied and we were waited on hand and foot by our very attentive camp staff, George, Rashidi and Mustapha.

We visited in mid November 2009 prior to our arrival there were 4 days of perpetual rain, the first of the short rains. This meant Sean had a job on to find any of the bigger residents of Ruaha but this was made up by a guide who clearly had a great understanding of the ecosytem who could impart that enthusiasm onto his guests.The large mammals were in abundance and watching the pride feed at sunset was apersonal highlight.

The Birdlife was quite incredible and we quickly appreciated the less lime-light hogging species of the park. Perhaps the most profound incident was the second night when the termites came out in abundance (raining quite literally down onto the tent) with a host of scorpions /goliath spiders ready to feast. An entomologist's dream, and though my wife would never claim to be the world's biggest fan of insects she became quite a fan after Sean explained all about their role and individual characteristics.

It was absolutely what we wished for: a luxury safari with the sense of isolation and yet with top guiding. We have both been on safari before and this would convince us to go again." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania

"The camp is located very close to excellent game viewing areas, so we didn't have to travel far to see plenty of animals.
There are only 6 tents at Kwihala which are well spaced out and are beautifully furnished. There was only us and another couple staying at the camp during our stay so it felt very exclusive!!!

The food was excellent - tasty and well cooked, although we did find a couple of the dinners disappointing. We are both vegetarian and found that for 2 out of the 4 dinners we were given the potatos and vegetables that the other guests were having with their meat or fish and nothing else.

Overall we had a very enjoyable stay at Kwihala." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"A true bush camp in a great location, your are not really sure if you are ever going to arrive but when you do it is worth the wait.

There is not waterfront or vast open plains to soak in but the location is fantastic for its isolation among the low scrubland and you are close to all the key viewing areas. This is possibly not a place for your first ever safari, but I was joined by a honeymooning couple who found the expereince engrossing and the camp welcoming. Marios was a great host, we spent hours talking about photography and became firm friends in a matter of days.

A great birding location, but the highlight was the first 17 minutes on an impala lambs life from the point of joining the world to standing and running 17 minutes later - stunning (and all within 300-400m of a dozing male lion).

Highly reccomend this camp it has everything a good bush camp should have." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"This was our favorite probably because of Marius our guide. He was outstanding particularly his knowledge about all things in the bush.

More rustic then Impala in Selous but the accomodation, people and food were all great and there is a real sense of being in the bush. There is little shade so it gets hot during the day time.

The only possible improvement might be in getting to and from the tents at night. Given the number of predetors we spotted it was a bit nerve racking leaving the main tent for our tent. They did provide an escort but there were no Masai petrolling the camp. Still overall this was an amazing few days." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar