Reviews of Impala Camp

"Our first comment here has to be the wonderful food, and the way it was served. Our particular compliments must go to the chef - he even wrote a recipe down for us!

Chloe led a very friendly and efficient team, and again she was always on hand to organise every thing we wanted to do. The tents were very comfortable, with all mod cons. Giraffe were frequent visitors around the tents, but we always felt safe with the Masai ascari escorts.

As well as very good game drives, especially with Dennis, we had 2 boat safaris, which brought us into close contact with the bird life along the river, fish eagles being a particularly impressive sight. Lots of crocs and hippos too." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"What a wonderful experience we had here - and we stayed longer than most - 6 nights - the guides so knowledgable about the animals - birds - plants - you name it. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The camp manager Chloe has a great relationship with her staff and the general feeling is of a happy, well run establishment. Nothing was too much trouble and they attended to every detail. Chloe was there to greet each returning jeep or boat or walking party.

We were a family party of 7 with grown up children - we were alloted guides, drivers and waiters for the time we were there which meant we got to know them and they us and helped us understand the country and the people a little more.


One of our party had dietary needs which were discussed and the menu adjusted accordingly. The food was superb and presented beautifully.
Eating breakfast and lunch in the bush is just the best feeling ever!

Every day was exciting and the being able to choose between game drives - boat safari's and bush walks meant that we could enjoy and experience all aspects of the wildlife and the area. It was exilerating being so close to the animals and observing them. Tracking the leopard and finally finding her was just wonderful and then being able to just sit and watch her quietly before any other jeeps arrrived. Waking up each morning to the loud and musical dawn chorus - watching an elephant in the night outside the tent - coming back from dinner to the welcome of the bush baby. It all added to the magic and the fun.

I would strongly recommend the Impala Camp for anyone considering a safari." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"We had a wonderful time at Selous Impala camp and felt it made an excellent contrast to Mdonya camp in the Ruaha. The river offers another dimension to a safari and we could not have had a better guide than Gerard whose knowledge about the wildlife on the river in particular is outstanding. Our driver and guide Dennis who took us on our bush safari was also very knowledgeable. The camp is very well run by Chloe and her team and is in such a beautiful position that it all adds up to make for a wonderful experience, we loved every minute of it. Our waiter David looked after us very well in the restaurant and made us feel very at home and the food was extremely good. We would recommend this camp to anyone planning a safari. We liked having half day safaris with a rest in the afternoon and found this an ideal arrangement." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar

"lovely and contrast to Mgwasi" See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania

"What can we say! From the welcome at Mtemere airstrip with cold apple juice, to the game drive between the airstrip and the camp on our first morning, the exceptional and abundant food served during our whole stay, the superb service and attention to detail from Chloe, Mara and all the team on camp, the widely knowledgable and amenable guides who showed us two prides of lions, a leopard, countless elephant, giraffe, hippos, zebra, wildebeest etc and the beautiful birdlife on display and were always happy to stop or reposition for that great photo, the bushbabies outside our tent all night every night (tent no. 6!) and the elephant that paid us an early visit on the first morning we woke up in camp when he climbed out of the river right in front of our tent, the candlelit dinner for two under the stars with complimentary bubbly provided for honeymooners and the relaxed nature of the whole visit we came away with a sense of expectations exceeded on all counts!" See all these reviews: 4n in Zanzibar; 3n in Tanzania

"Impala Camp had a great setting, food and tents, however what made this camp stand out were our guide, Ezra, and driver, Raja, who gave us memories we'll never forget. We were lucky enough to drop straight in on a lion kill fresh off the aeroplane, and from then the excitement never really stopped! From Raja's hawk eyes spotting leopard kill up in a tree who we then caught a glimpse of, to running back to the vehicle from bush toilet when wild dogs turned up unexpectedly!

But the smaller things we experienced with these both were really special too, such as hopping out the vehicle to eat marula fruit, watching the lion ant take his prey and learning all about the whistling acacia, we had such fun, and a really personal experience.

It was also really good to get a different perspective on boat safari, seeing all the hippo and crocs, and birdlfe around the lakes.

Overall Impala was an amazing first experience to safari." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"From the moment we arrived at Selous Impala Camp, we were looked after like Royalty! I've never felt so spoiled and cared for at a resort. The staff were warm and welcoming and helpful. Nothing was too much trouble. The accommodation - our tent - was fabulous! Really luxurious and yet natural and in keeping with the whole safari experience - all mod cons catered for.

The layout of the camp was fantastic. It felt very natural and we really felt like we were in the middle of the bush! The restaurant and bar areas were beautiful - the decoration and layout were stunning as was the location, overlooking the Rufiji River - absolutely beautiful. The food was amazing - such choice and variety - a very talented chef indeed! Staff members were friendly, knowledgable and very professional.

Just an absolutely wonderful experience in every possible way! We would not hesitate to recommend Selous Impala Camp to anyone!" See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania

"See earlier comments

[ Ed: see the review below! These travellers stayed at Selous Impala Camp twice, taking a short one-night fly-camping expedition during the intervening time. ]" See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Same as before! Brilliant..." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Relative to Lake Manze camp where we started our trip, Selous Impala was rather more luxurious and less informal. This made it feel like we had started our trip all over again! The terrain local to Impala is more bush than scrub and so it affords a different set of game viewing, less zebra and impala, more elephants.

On one occasion we stopped to look back at an elephant emerging from the trees only to find that a herd of over 20 emerged and passed the Jeep on both sides and on into the distance, an awe inspiring sight. Leopards proved elusive for us despite Mpogo's best efforts but that did not detract from the overall excellent quantity of game viewing available.

Impala Camp encourages guests to leave camp early after a cup of tea in their tent and then break their morning drive with a bush breakfast. This seemed a very good system for optimum game viewing. We would then return after midday for a three course lunch and some close encounters with animals! Even during the middle of the day Impala has semi-resident and visiting large game.

The nature of the camp, with tents placed discreetly among the bush, means that you need to be vigilant at all times when walking without a Masai. Elephants are surprisingly quiet when not demolishing trees and although the Masai generally knew when Tempo where in camp, animals often crossed the river and came up into camp unnoticed. Thrilling and sometimes the cause of a delay to supper.

The family accommodation at Impala, two tents sharing a raised platform was ideal and the location, overlooking a sandy 'beach' where animals would leave the river was superb. Meals were served at you own table, in the dining area which overlooked the river, allowing you to continue watching game as you ate. At night the tables were moved out on to the deck under the stars.

A variation, if you feel you've done enough game viewing, is to go fishing on the river. It is a nice relaxing way to spend the morning and with simple rods and lines we caught two impressive fish without too much trouble.

All in all a fabulous 4 days." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania