Reviews of Sand Rivers Camp

"A high end luxury camp which for levels of service and accommodation (I stayed in a suite which was fabulous) can not be faulted. However I go to Africa for the wildlife and I'm afraid I found this disappointing. I don't know whether this was typical of this time of year (mid Sept) and where the camp was sited but I ended up agreeing with the guide that our drives should be centred on the lakes and we would birdwatch. (He supplied me with a bird book for my length of stay which was very welcome and I added about 10 new birds to my rather long list of birds I have already seen.)

However mammal sightings were relatively rare and the animals were considerably more skittish than at other places I have been (I am a seasoned safari goer).

The river trip to Stieglers Gorge was also eventful as the water level was dropping considerably and we hit a hippo - I decided to stay on dry land after that!

The camp managers Chloe and Mark were lovely and made me feel very welcome. However unlike other camps the guides do not sit for mealtimes and the bonhomie around the bar in the evening felt rather like "us and them". I stayed for 5 nights (1 night fly-camping) and overall this felt like 2 nights too many here." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"As previously stated [Ed: see below]" See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"Mike and Carol were marvellous hosts. Welcoming and amenable. Really good.

All the staff were very helpful and charming." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"The camp
Stunning setting by the wide beautiful river. Our room was outstanding, huge comfy bed , fantastic bedroom, sitting area overlooking the vally and river seeing the hippo and crocs below and the birds in your garden. All open sided, but plenty of privacy and protection. You really felt part of the wild. High soaring ceiling with old wooden beams like some ancient open sided barn surrounded by a 7 foot wall at the back. Cool at night , plus efficient fan for days.The public area was right by the river again open sided to the river, comfortable sofa and chairs a generous open, help yourself bar, plenty of places to sit and relax, pretty pool round the corner again by the river.

Food
lovely breakfasts and lunches, dinners a bit disappointing ( meat was a bit tough or tastless, particularly given the heat) but the baking was out standing, delicious cakes, bread and biscuits. As it seems everywhere on Safari the purpose of the cook seemed to be to feed you up when it came to his pastry. lovely.

Wildlife
Not as much as Ruaha, but there is an outstanding variety of ways of seeing it. The river trip in the morning up to the gorge resulted in all the major animal sightings including a baby panther ina narrow cave above the river. hoW the massai guide saw it I cannot imagine it was thrilling. Birds were everywhere, beeeaters, weavers in every colour masses of raptors and loads more on every drive.
Make sure you do the trip to the hot springs. Travel past lovely lakes full of spoonbills and storks, impala and baboons on the shore, hippos and crocs snoozing nearby.
The springs are yours alone to enjoy and the guides go out of their way to help you change discreetly and look after you getting in and out, its a heavenly experience and i would have stayed in the final pool all morning if allowed, it was like a film set.
We went walking which was exciting and learnt masses from our guide Peter who was a joy throughout our stay. We'd discuss what to do at tea each day and again review our time over drinks before dinner.

Company
12 others here most of the time so although on your own during the day( maybe with one other couple) at meal times, especially dinner where you eat all together at various locations by the river there is plenty of chatter and opportunity for socialising with a great mix of people, simillarly fasinated by safari but interesting stories and lives too, a great mix
Could easily have stayed here a week.

Staff
Excellent guides very knowledgable, support lovely and helpful, new managers charming and friendly and clearly respected by the guides.
We had a perfect time and can imagine returning" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar

"We stayed in Suite 3, which used to be called the Rhino House, and it is absolutely superb. Sited a the far end of the camp, it's quite a walk but it really is worth it: we felt as if we were in our own private little corner of Africa.

Without exception, the camp staff were wonderful -very hospitable, friendly and helpful. Mike and Carol , the managers are new in post, this being their first month at Sand Rivers, but they were excellent hosts. Having been to Sand Rivers previously, our expectations were high and were exceeded: it felt more like a sharing the camp with friends than being "guests".

Our guide, Iyan, was superb, as was the variety of game that we saw, the highlight being wild dogs (fantastic!). Our time with Iyan was shared with other experienced "Africa hands" and he really listened to what we were interested in and tailored the game drives to the best opportunities for the things we wanted to see.

Going back to a camp we have previously enjoyed is always a risk: we know that teams change and the question is always "will it be as good as it was before?". In the case of Sand Rivers, the answer emphatically not just yes, but even better against a standard that was already exceptional." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania

"We arrived with some other Expert Africa customers and were paired with them during our stay although we had very little in common. This would not have been a problem if the guide had decided on each days activities but he tended to ask the guests and as one of the other couple was significantly incapacitated we tended to go along with their suggestions.

Game was plentiful but it was difficult to get close as the animals were extremely skittish which we were told may have been caused by an increase in poaching." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 6n in Tanzania

"See previous [Ed: These travellers had two separate stays at Sand Rivers, either side of a 2-night fly-camp. See below for their comments on the camp.]]" See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania; 1n in Kenya

"A good balance with Beho Beho with different
terrain and the river bringing a new dimension .
Highlight was two nights fly camping.
Great service and friendly people ; charming new managers
who are working hard to make their mark .
Dedicated guide for the whole stay provided
a tailored programme . Good game viewing
especially lion ." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania; 1n in Kenya

"After the overnight flight from the UK and a short flight out into the Selous, we received a warm welcome at Sand Rivers.

The camp is perched on the bank of the Rufiji River in a beautiful setting. We enjoyed an evening drive and a "sundowner" whilst watching a young elephant grazing peacefully amongst lush vegetation.

A good dinner and an early night in readiness for the walking safari to follow." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania

"The accommodation at Sand Rivers has to be seen to be believed. The location looking out over the meandering Rufiji River is to die for.

As well as landrover and river safaris we did walking safaris with our children which just took an already brilliant experience to another level. Given where we were the food was frankly amazing. And as for our hosts Claus and Jill .......... I can't praise them enough, two wonderful, charming, knowledgable, delightful people.

Finally, at first I was not at all sure about the communal eating arrangements at dinner but it is the only way to do it!" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar