Reviews of Selous Impala Camp
(96%) From 279 travellersThey do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa.
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Selous Impala Camp review
Lovely location with beautiful views over the river from both common areas as well as your private veranda. Well appointed and charmingly decorated "tents" on wooden platforms. The 'family tent' is 2 tents sharing one platform, which worked really well for a family with 2 kids aged 11 and 13.
Wonderful, creative food - enjoyed by both adults and children in our family. Very close to nature: we were awaken by hippos gracing under our platform one morning and by monkeys peering into the tent in the next. The third day there was an elephant gracing in the middle of the lodge!
Very friendly staff an excellent service. It is very nice to have the same driver, guide and waiter throughout the stay. Very flexible in terms of activities - we had our own boat / car the whole time. We had a truly wonderful time with great game drives and boat trips. We saw all the animals that were on our "wish list" except Rhinos and Leopards.
Selous Impala Camp review
The food was amazing - well cooked and presented and served by our personal waiter. My wife is lactose intolerant and although the manager was told about this (by both Expert Africa and us) the message didn't make it through to the kitchen. Several times she was served food she could not eat and it had to go back. But to their credit they always knocked up a superb lactose-free alternative in double-quick time!
Our chalet was right next to the river and gave us a great view of elephants passing by. On our last night we went fly-camping which was a real experience. We had 5 private staff to cater to our every need including heating water for showers and cooking us a three-course meal in our small 'restaurant' by the edge of a lake. The other activities like boat and walking safaris were good, the key interest being that we didn't have to sit in a car for hours each day.
All in all Selous was an incredibly luxurious experience which was only slightly let down by the impression that our days were organised to fit in with the camp schedule rather than what we had planned to do. For example when asked what we wanted to do one evening we opted for a walking safari but were steered towards a game drive as one had already been arranged for another couple.
The other staff were absolutely superb - waiter, guide, tent boy and fly-camping staff.
Perfect first safari experience
Having spent many hours discussing where to spend our honeymoon we finally decided on Impala camp. The moment we met our guide Hussein and driver Omari, we knew we had made the right decision.
Accomodation
Our tent was perfect. We had all the luxuries we could want but also felt part of the bush. Big comfy bed, 24hour electricity, hot water, 2 sinks, flush toilet and plenty of wardrobe space.
Our veranda was a great place to sit and watch the world go by. A particular highlight was watching a small herd of elephants cross the river, all from the comfort of our bed!
Andrea the Hippo was a regular visitor along with the local vervet monkeys who provided a free wake up service.
The Camp
Impala camp has a great layout. The communal areas are big and spacious yet manage to have a cosy feel. The dining area is a great place to eat, with views over the river below. The bar is mainly used before dinner in the evening and is a great place to relax and swap stories with other guests. The pool is a good chillout spot and we mostly had it to ourselves, bar the odd elephant or hippo!.
Staff
The Impala camp staff really made our stay. From the managers to the tent boy, everyone made us feel really welcome.
Our waiter Aban was a joy to speak to and we really enjoyed hearing about his family and trying to learn a few words of swahili.
The two people we spent most of our time with were Hussein and Omari. Getting to know them was possibly the highlight of our trip. We loved hearing their safari stories and found it hard to say goodbye.
Food
We both love our food and neither of us could believe just how good the food at Impala is. From the little biscuits served before breakfast throughto dinner we enjoyed every last mouthful! A particular favourite was the spiced fish pie and possibly the best creme caramel I have ever tasted!
Activities
With this being our first safari we could not compare the density of game to any other reserves or parks.
We managed to see everything we hoped we would, if not one a game drive then roaming through the camp!
The only animal on my list I couldn't tick off was the elusive leopard.
Early morning game drives were a particular highlight, breakfast in the bush is just amazing.
Overall Impala camp is definately the best place we have ever stayed and we really hope to return one day!
Selous Impala Camp review
The camp has a great location, with the tents overlooking the river.
It was good to have the option of boat trips as well as rides.
The surprise sundowner was a lovely touch.
Our main reservation about this camp was the dining arrangements, which we felt then affected the atmosphere and dynamics for the rest of the time. The tables were always set up separately, unless requests were made by guests to sit together. This meant that there was far less interaction between guests and rarely did anyone stay at the bar after dinner. The waiters were extremely helpful and friendly, but it ended up feeling more like a hotel. When compared to the other camps, and the conversation that arose over group dinners and subsequently, we found this camp less personable.
Selous Impala Camp review
again well informed and keen guides, with excellent water and vehicle game viewing.
dining was rather formal with seperate tables for each party, but parties could share if they requested.
Selous Impala camp riverbank safari
This was a bit upmarket from Mdonya. Very well done and lovely tents, well equipped apart from squeaky beds.
The location by the river is wonderful and the place seemed well run. We again had an exceptional guide, Saning'o and similarly the driver, Makubi. The only thing we were not so comfortable with at Impala was private dining. It gave us less chance to mix with other guests (many of whom were saying just the same to us), and, although the waiters were very good, the whole atmosphere was a little 'over fussy'.
On arrival we had been told by Barbara, the manager, that the staff had agreed to sharing of pooled tips, although we could tip personally, as well, if we wanted. We felt that it created difficulties with certain members of staff expecting individual tips, although we did tip a few members of staff individually for what they did for us. In fact, we found the whole tipping procedure at both camps not easy.
Great camp and excellent guides
A wonderful location with its combination of land and water activities, very comfortable accommodation with friendly staff
Read more about the whole safariSelous Impala Camp review
Barbara and her team does a fantastic job in the running of this camp, from the moment we arrived to when we left, every aspect of our requirements were met and Dennis our driver/guide was really good, had a great knowledge of birds and had the eyes of a hawk at spotting animals in the most obscure places.
We had stayed in camps in Botswana and Zambia, this camp rates as one of the best, we felt very relaxed but sad to leave at the end. Thank you everyone at Selous Impala for making our stay so enjoyable.
