Travel reviews by Mr I from Kent
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
4
Excursions taken
0
Some good sightings: not the best destination
Tanzania between 26 Jun 2012 and 6 Jul 2012
"Some very good wildlife sightings and scenery, particularly in Ruaha - a good place for lion, elephant and giraffe. The Mdonya Old River Camp was good, the camps in the Selous less so. The Selous is a reasonable choice for your first safari, particularly if not travelling alone, but I think less suitable for experienced safari goers or those travelling solo. The travelling takes up quite a lot of time and coastal aviation are not that reliable. Overall I would consider Zambia a better destination than Southern Tanzania.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I'm slightly biased (and lucky) in having been to Zambia on safari, which is much more laid bad, good for individuals and where you see similar species. There seems to be a lot more hassle visiting Tanzania - Dar International Airport is one of the worst (worse than Lusaka) and coastal aviation are very unreliable."
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
I'm slightly biased (and lucky) in having been to Zambia on safari, which is much more laid bad, good for individuals and where you see similar species. There seems to be a lot more hassle visiting Tanzania - Dar International Airport is one of the worst (worse than Lusaka) and coastal aviation are very unreliable."
Arranged By Claire Scott
Mdonya Old River Camp
"Good guides and good game viewing"
4 nights
Arrived
27 Jun 2012
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Impala Camp
"Seemed to be designed for honeymooners"
2 nights
Arrived
1 Jul 2012
"Impala camp was easily the least memorable of the three camps I visited. The location was nice, near the river, but the camp was clearly more designed for people who wanted a couple of nights in a National Park as part of a visit to Zanzibar. I thought the dinner arrangement was unsual - rather than the usual communal table each individual/group sat at their own table. It made it less of a memorable experience for someone travelling by themselves.
The game drives were OK but wildlife was not as relaxed at in Ruaha. The boat ride again was OK but involved racing up the river at quite a high speed and getting back to the camp at a specific time."
The game drives were OK but wildlife was not as relaxed at in Ruaha. The boat ride again was OK but involved racing up the river at quite a high speed and getting back to the camp at a specific time."
Average
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Average
Location
Good
Service
Average
Activities
Average
Rooms
Average
Food
Good
Facilities
Average
Feedback response
We were disappointed to read this review of Selous Impala, which usually receives reliably good feedback. We forwarded the comments onto the camp to see if they had any feedback on the issues raised. They too were surprised to read the comments. Selous Impala does operate a separate dining policy, which does mean that the atmosphere is slightly different to its sister camps Lake Manze and Mdonya Old River Camp, who have communal meals. Were sorry we didnt discuss these differences in more detail with this traveller and make him aware of the pros and cons of each camp. That said, the managers did advise us that they joined him for dinner on one evening to give him some company.
This traveller was fortunate enough to have been given a private vehicle which is not the norm at Impala. As a result he was able to do a full day game drive. However, unfortunately game viewing is never guaranteed, and there is always an element of luck involved!
It is unusual for the boat safaris to feel rushed at Impala. When questioned about this the camp thought that perhaps the boat captain was trying to make sure this traveller saw as much wildlife as possible. One point to note, as with the majority of national parks and reserves, is that by law, all safaris at all camps must be completed and all travellers back in camp by sunset it may be that he was rushing for this.
Again were sorry that this traveller didnt find his stay at Impala memorable. Perhaps this was the wrong choice of camp for him.
This traveller was fortunate enough to have been given a private vehicle which is not the norm at Impala. As a result he was able to do a full day game drive. However, unfortunately game viewing is never guaranteed, and there is always an element of luck involved!
It is unusual for the boat safaris to feel rushed at Impala. When questioned about this the camp thought that perhaps the boat captain was trying to make sure this traveller saw as much wildlife as possible. One point to note, as with the majority of national parks and reserves, is that by law, all safaris at all camps must be completed and all travellers back in camp by sunset it may be that he was rushing for this.
Again were sorry that this traveller didnt find his stay at Impala memorable. Perhaps this was the wrong choice of camp for him.
Senior Africa Specialist
Lake Manze Adventure Camp
"Well organised despite being busy"
2 nights
Arrived
3 Jul 2012
"Lake Manze was very well organised with good guides and a reasonable range of activities, although would suggest they consider the idea of day boat trips. There was less flexibility in activities as the camp was very busy, so many of the game drives were 3-4 hours and went to the same areas of the Game Reserve as other camps. The guides were good and many of the sightings were very rewarding, particularly buffalo and wildebeest."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Average
Service
Good
Activities
Average
Rooms
Good
Food
Average
Facilities
Average
Southern Sun Dar
"A very good hotel"
1 night
Arrived
5 Jul 2012
"I thought the Southern Sun was an excellent hotel, one of the best I've stayed in. Good service, large rooms and good food.
The only downside was the location, being quite distant from the aiport."
The only downside was the location, being quite distant from the aiport."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Average
Service
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
The only downside of the game drives were the occassions when cheetah and leopard (to some extent lions as well) were sighted. Some vehicles (most often from other camps) seemed to disturb the natural activity of the animals - for example, we watched the cheetah hunt some impala but the impala were disturbed by a racing vehicle despite our driver telling other vehicles to approach carefully to avoid disturbing the wildlife.
The camp's location was good although it felt a little away from the more habitat diverse part of the National Park. That said some interesting wildlife such as dik-dik and bushbuck as well as a number of raptors could be found near camps. I also heard lion and jackal on a number of nights."