Travel reviews by Mr I from Northumberland

"Lake Manze was a lovely place to stay, very relaxing with a great variety of things to do. The tents are fitted out well and nicely situated, it’s certainly spine tingling to lie in bed and hear the unearthly sounds of hyenas calling just outside the tent. The game drives were really enjoyable. Great game viewing, particularly in view of the unseasonal rains. All the staff were really helpful and couldn’t do enough to ensure things went smoothly. In particular our guide, Emanuel, and driver, Bacari, did everything they could to ensure that we covered as much ground as possible with great good humour. We spent a really enjoyable 4 nights there and hope to return to try and catch the elusive wild dogs."

"Jongomero, a very different place to Lake Manze both in style and situation. It really is a beautiful camp, the accommodation is first class and the food is just lovely. Again nothing was too much trouble for the staff, everything was done with good humour and great attention to detail. Unfortunately due to the rains, everywhere was very green which made it difficult to see the game but our guide Theo did everything he could to maximise our chances of seeing things. There were wild dog and lion around close by as we could see from the fresh spoor, and from the lion calls during the night, but the very thick vegetation meant it proved too difficult to see them. Again it would be lovely to go back to Jongomero, but I think the area would be much better visited during the dry season ."

"Butiama Beach was a delight and our thanks to you for recommending it to us. It really is a wonderfully relaxing lodge, the perfect place to chill out before returning to real life back in the UK. The whole place is delightful. Very laid back but all kept in good order and runs like clockwork. Maura and Moez were so welcoming and did everything possible to make sure that our stay with them was just perfect. The range of things to do always meant that we had something planned for the days when we didn’t just wanted to be lazy and take things easy, all arranged by Moez who discussed things every evening then made sure whatever you wanted to do happened. The food was great ( as long as you like fish and seafood ), I had read reports of the portions not being large enough but there was certainly plenty as far as we were concerned, all beautifully cooked and presented. We all hope to return in the not too distant future."