Reviews of Lake Manze Adventure Camp
(93%) From 191 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Lake Manze - January 2018
Good location, with great game viewing close at hand. The camp is good; tents are simple and comfortable, communal areas very good; all very well hosted by Shaun and Millie. Food was good, and they catered well for my specialised requirements. Very good value. With hindsight I wish I had stayed for 4 nights rather than 3.
January was quite wet, and some of the vehicles struggled in muddy conditions. I suspect that they could do with a little more investment. Boat safaris are good, with excellent bird life.
The local airstrip can't be used in very wet conditions and the road in can be blocked, necessitating a transfer by small boat, which can feel uncomfortable.
Lake Manze Adventure Camp review
Game drives and guide Kalisti and guide/driver Daniel (who looked after us extremely well) were excellent - lots of game in the camp area - better on this occasion than other areas in the Selous.
We loved the bush breakfasts and early morning game drives. Our hosts Sean and Millie went beyond the call of duty to welcome us and to make our stay memorable.
The tent would have been more comfortable if the bathroom/toilet had been included in the zipped zone - difficult to avoid insects getting in when the bathroom is in use, particularly at night.
Second Visit - Just as Good
This was our second visit to Lake Manze and we loved it just as much as our first. We stayed in December for 4 nights. We had Ally and Kalisti as our driver and guide. Ally is a very experienced driver and also great at spotting wildlife, especially the birds. Kalisti is younger and very enthusiastic. Both were great company and keen to make sure we had a brilliant time.
We shared some of our game drives with a couple we had met in Ruaha and the rest of the time it was just us. We also did a boat safari with Abdullah which was also great, that man knows all about everything on the lake. We spent most of days doing full day game drives, leaving either before or after breakfast and not returning until gone 6pm. The guys picked some wonderful locations on the lake shores for us to eat breakfast and lunch. Game viewing was great including lions and elephants really close up, hippos, wildebeest, antelope, crocodiles, kudu, hyaena, lots of warthog families with babies, zebra, giraffe etc and loads of birds. It was all great.
It was lovely to catch up with Millie and Shaun, the camp managers who are always on hand to make sure everyone is happy and to help plan each day. It was good to catch up over dinner each evening. As before the tents were great and so was the food and all the staff in the camp were very friendly.
It was a great stay and we hope to return soon.
Lake Manze Adventure Camp review
We had an amazing four nights at Lake Manze – the camp itself is in a really beautiful spot on the lake and we saw some incredible wildlife from the comfort of the terrace in front of our tent – elephants, moneys, impala, hippos… its something extra special to be able to watch them with a beer in hand!
The tents are spacious, comfortable and very clean, and the solar-powered fan was a bonus as the Selous is quite humid. Food in the camp was very very good – I would say it was the best we had in Tanzania, I looked forward to every meal!
Our guides Abdallah and Zac, and driver Ally were absolutely fantastic – they are experts in the wildlife of the Selous and very passionate about their work. The game viewing was brilliant – we were lucky enough to see the wild dogs, fighting wildebeest, a lioness with a warthog kill – we saw plenty of animal behaviour which was really special. We both left the Selous with a new-found love of birds too – special thanks to Abdallah for his exceptional boat-driving skills for getting us so close!
If you want a masterclass in hospitality, visit Lake Manze – Shaun and Milli are fantastic hosts who go above and beyond in every aspect of their work. I was sad to leave as I felt like I was leaving new friends! Thanks to everyone at Lake Manze (wildlife included!) for making our trip extra special – I hope we can return one day.
Lake Manze experience
The accommodation was v like Mdonya although there was a fan in the tent to help combat the humidity and heat.
We were lucky to have an experienced private guide - Joseph and driver Abuu. We saw fantastic wildlife including a fabulous hour+ with a pack of 24 wild dogs which had not been seen in the area for 2 years.
The staff were good fun and friendly, led by Shaun and Millie who are great hosts. The food was good and plentiful with much variety.
The Selous GR is a great contrast to Ruaha - v green and lush. We enjoyed the boating as well as the game drives.
Amazing animal sightings, up close, no crowds
We met our guide and driver at the air strip on arrival and started are first game drive as we headed to the camp! After receiving a warm reception at the camp, receiving assistance with our luggage from the Masai guides, we arrived at our wonderful tent! It was perfect after the beds were converted from a double into 2 singles. We had everything we needed, it was spotless, the beds and linens were comfortable and it almost felt like we weren't camping.
We meet with the camp manager shortly after arrival for review of the camp layout, safety rules, plans for the evening and the following day. We ended up going out on a boat safari and enjoyed the company of another guest and our guide. I trained but we hardly noticed we were so excited with the abundant birdlife, crocs and hippos.
Every day was packed full with incredible game drives, amazing knowledgeable guides, delicious meals and enjoyable social time before dinner with our guests. We appreciated the safety provided by the Masai in the early morning and evening. The game drives were fabulous with wonderful communication between the guides in other vehicles as to sightings, never a line up of vehicles waiting to see the animals and a wealth of knowledge shared by the guides about plants, trees, birds, insects, the animals and their behaviour.
We were a bit confused with the tipping as to the rates suggested were for each of us or the both of us travelling together. we thought we had it right but were led to believe at the second camp that we had tipped double what was recommended as a guide. We were both so pleased with our guides that it really was worthwhile.
A great start to our safari experience
We had a fantastic time at Lake Manze Adventure Camp from the moment we touched down on the local airstrip. On our drive to the camp we saw so much wildlife we didn't think there would be much left to see over the rest of our trip! The camp itself was great with tasty food and staff who would do everything they could to make the stay a special one. The tents are spaced well apart with great views of the lake - watching the elephants walking past first thing in the morning was a pretty special sight to wake up to.
We particularly enjoyed the boat safari and couldn't fault the enthusiasm of our guide on our game drives or the experience of our driver. There were a couple of occasions where we felt there were too many cars in one place (albeit nothing like what we have been told is the case in the Northern parks) but overall the ability to drive for 1-2 hours without seeing any other vehicles was pretty special.
Amazing location with great people
Respect for the environment and high quality of the guides were the highlights of this place, along with its unbeatable location by Lake Manze. It was amazing to hear the hippos troop by our tent at 3 in the morning on their way to the lake each day!
The room was much more comfortable than we expected - lovely and surprisingly luxurious. Food was very good, staff were great, and we were lucky enough to meet Malcolm Ryen which was a great treat - his knowledge of the region and his understanding of the environmental challenges was outstanding, and having dinner with him was an experience we will be talking about for some time.
We are making a donation to PAMS as a result of our conversation.
Lake Manze is a smart efficiently run camp
Lake Manze adventure Camp is a smart well run safari camp which endeavours to provide the best safari experience tailored to each group of guests.
The staff were, without exception, well trained and keen to help. The tent, made up for 3 people in our group was well serviced with lamps, candles, mosquito repellent and other necessities.
Each evening, the activities were chosen from a good selection of options. We took part in boat, walking and land rover safaris as well as a fishing trip. The majority of activities were included in the price of the camp reservation.
The guides and drivers were all keen to facilitate the best experience for us.
Lake Manze Camp
Amazing place. Staff were accommodating and the guides were experienced naturalists with a passion for wildlife. Food was delicious and tents were extremely clean and spacious.
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