Reviews of Mwagusi Safari Camp

"This was a return trip for us as we had visited Mwagusi some 15 years ago. When the owner realised this, he arranged for us to have the same guide that we had had on our previous visit which was a nice touch.

We had a very enjoyable 3 night stay with excellent guiding yielding several lion sightings, including a mating pair, a leopard and roan antelope. We also did a night drive and Mwagusi is one of very few camps in Ruaha able to offer this facility.

Mwagusi is one of the pioneer camps in Ruaha and is in a prime location for wildlife. The accommodation is spacious and comfortable. The food was good and the dinners at different settings in the dried-up river bed around the fire and under the stars were magical. The owner joined us for the communal dinners and has many interesting stories to tell." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"Mwagusi was the last camp we stayed at and it was the best experience we had out of all the camps we stayed at, and it was all because of the people that worked there.

Our guide Baldon was a top notch guide. He could easily spot things far in the distance. We did a night game drive here and saw an aardwolf. His knowledge and information he had to share with us was beyond belief. Gaspar was a safe driver and had a great sense of humor. The dinners down on the river bed with everyone else at the same table was a nice experience and a great way to meet new people that all had similar interests to ours.

Since Mwagusi was our last camp before heading back to Dar, we needed to make arrangements to get a Covid 19 PCR test so we would be in that 72 hour time frame for travelling. Trudie, the manager at Mwagusi, made sure that happened for us by making the arrangements with the doctor from Iringa to meet us halfway in a little village named Tunda just down the road a ways form the main gate of Ruaha NP. It was a fun diversion from the game drives to have Baldon and Gaspar drive us to the village to have our PCR tests done. They also helped us with a little shopping too while we were in town. It was fun and I think they had fun too.

Trudie, Baldon and Gaspar put in extra effort to help us out, and for that we are grateful." See all these reviews: 20n in Tanzania

"Fantastic, very comfortable banda with a view on the dry Mwagusi river bed where velvet monkeys and impalas scurried along . In the morning the sight of the red orange sun rising behind the baobab trees was stunning.

The manager was very friendly and helpful.

Our guide was really excellent not only in giving us all sort of information about the animals and their relationship with each other and the the plants but with his trying hard to make us see a leopard, which we eventually saw, quite unexpectedly on our way to the airstrip. The driver was equally excellent. A truly strong emotion." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"The whole experience and camp was outstanding

Chris and Judie made me most welcome despite the camp being very quiet. We ate together at night around the camp fire and I felt very privileged

The room was fantastic, well located below a baboon nesting tree, cool, very clean and relaxing, only problem was having enough down time to enjoy it fully.

Bladon my guide was great, very knowledgeable about the wildlife, birds, flora and fauna and we saw everything I wanted to see excluding the elusive cheetah and black rhino. I would return here again

Only draw back to drives was that you couldn’t go off track but I understand why. Bladon also gave me a night sky Southern Hemisphere lesson" See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"We’re so accommodating to me... guides were excellent... only guests in camp on Valentines Day - made us a special private meal in a special place.... my favorite ( Michael) camp...." See all these reviews: 18n in Namibia; 16n in Tanzania; 10n in Botswana; 1n in Kenya

"We enjoyed suppers in the dry riverbed meeting and sitting with other guests round a big bonfire. We missed planning the next day each evening with our guide as we had at Impala Camp and it was never suggested to us that we could do a whole days drive with breakfast and lunch out.

We got the impression that several of the workers were not happy with the tipping system as they only got their share every year. This put us in an awkward position. We feel the Guide, who spends hours each day with us, should be tipped separately, and the others should receive their share of the general tip at regular intervals.

It was wonderful to have the free laundry service and our houseboy, Kuno, tidied up beautifully each day.

We saw numerous sightings of animals including a beautiful female leopard asleep in a tree. Our guide spotted lizards or small birds as easily as elephants or giraffes!" See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"The camp is rather sprawling and a little confusing initially but once we moved into our Banda (chalet) we felt at home. Situated next to the Mwagusi river, each banda has an open balcony overlooking the riverbed below where giraffe, elephants, impala, baboons etc stroll by, giving it an intimate and immersive feel.

We really enjoyed our time here and we were very fortunate that Jimmy was our guide throughout our stay. His intimate knowledge of the bush and the wildlife at Ruaha made a huge contribution to our overall very positive experience in this exceptional wild and remote area." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"Upon your arrival, Mwagusi Camp has a special feel to it. We especially loved our huge banda with its thatched roof and local stone and timber fittings. I guess this unique feel is a reflection of its owner Chris Fox. Luckily we learnt more of the history of the camp from Chris himself during the day he spent with us.

Trudy, the camp manager had the personal touch that made us feel welcome from the minute we arrived - even took care of my wife on the afternoon she stayed back from our drive with a headache. All other staff were helpful to the point where on our last night we needed to be escorted back to our banda via a roundabout route when a bull elephant had blocked our normal path.

Our personal guide, Geoffrey, worked hard every day to find the animals we most wanted to encounter. He did manage to find the kill site where a leopard had disembowelled an impala, but not the leopard. I guess it saw us !" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"We loved this camp. We enjoyed the group dining and our group safari drives. Alex, the manager made us extremely welcome. In fact all her staff were great. The food was excellent. The chefs presenting the buffet seemed proud of their dishes. Our tented camp overlooking a dry river bed was very attractive and we loved the large verandah where we could retire to and our drives.

Our guide and driver were knowledgeable and good company.

Better lighting for reading in bed would be ideal, but we appreciate that camps in the bush are not known for great lighting and we did have our head torches." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"I chose Mwagusi as I wanted a more back to basics experience but without sacrificing too many creature comforts, and it met my expectations. The setting of the property is superb and you can sit on your own personal verandah watching whatever wildlife passes by (or in the case of baboons, through, your banda). There are no fences so I was not too suprised to hear an elephant outside my bedroom, and to be woken by the roar of a lion. Food is good, particularly given it is cooked over wood, and plentiful. The staff work as a team and have a great sense of humour. The attention of the management and their hospitality (particularly for me as a solo traveller) was excellent.

The highlight of my stay was seeing so many elephants, including a number of newborns. Given that elephants can be rather touchy when protecting their young, my guide was very skilled in judging how to manage our encounters so that we could get close to these animals in safety.

Personally I have to confess I found the situation a little too basic for me, which is not a criticism of Mwagusi as that is what they are offering. I chose to go in the hot season and I found the lack of a fan in the room made it a bit difficult to sleep - as largely only solar energy is used appliances beyond a electric light are not possible. I imagine this would not be a problem in other seasons . Given the quantity of biting insects at this time of year I was glad that the mesh sides of the tent kept them at bay.

Perhaps not my business but I was concerned about a couple of staff issues. Unlike any other camp I have stayed, the staff are required to be away from their families for extended periods. Tips are entirely communal and disbursed once a year - I prefer to reward my guide/driver personally and make a communal tip to the other staff." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania