Travel reviews by A & K from London
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
2
Lodges stayed in
5
Excursions taken
0
5 National Parks and a Beach - perfection!
Tanzania and 1 other country between 19 Aug 2014 and 3 Sep 2014
"Overall, our trip was a brilliant experience - getting to see amazing wildlife so close was a truly remarkable experience and one that will never be forgotten.
The highlight was really the private tour through the Central Serengeti were you really do get to see a wider range of landscapes and wildlife - the guide (Elisa Ngonya) and camp (Kati Kati) just acted to amplify this experience.
Our private guide, Elisa Ngonya, was amazing - he was entertaining, knowledgeable and will to tailor each day we spent with him to meet our needs - this included drive over 350km to find Cheetah! He made a massive difference to the experience we had on safari by through the detailed knowledge and understanding he had of the different areas we travelled to. There is no question that without him we would have seen a lot less during our time in the north.
The camps in the south (Lake Manze and Mdonya) were much quieter in terms of jeeps / visitors but still offered great animal viewing as well as different activities (e.g. boat safari / hot springs). The atmosphere in these locations was also more of the old fashioned camps - eating we all the guests, sharing Jeeps which was a nice change from the north.
Pongew was just very peaceful and relaxing and a great way to end our trip.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The only changes to the whole trip that I might have made looking back at it was to maybe to have one less day in either Mdonya or Manze and add that to Zanizbar but that is a very minor change!"
The highlight was really the private tour through the Central Serengeti were you really do get to see a wider range of landscapes and wildlife - the guide (Elisa Ngonya) and camp (Kati Kati) just acted to amplify this experience.
Our private guide, Elisa Ngonya, was amazing - he was entertaining, knowledgeable and will to tailor each day we spent with him to meet our needs - this included drive over 350km to find Cheetah! He made a massive difference to the experience we had on safari by through the detailed knowledge and understanding he had of the different areas we travelled to. There is no question that without him we would have seen a lot less during our time in the north.
The camps in the south (Lake Manze and Mdonya) were much quieter in terms of jeeps / visitors but still offered great animal viewing as well as different activities (e.g. boat safari / hot springs). The atmosphere in these locations was also more of the old fashioned camps - eating we all the guests, sharing Jeeps which was a nice change from the north.
Pongew was just very peaceful and relaxing and a great way to end our trip.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The only changes to the whole trip that I might have made looking back at it was to maybe to have one less day in either Mdonya or Manze and add that to Zanizbar but that is a very minor change!"
Rhino Lodge
"Simple but effective"
2 nights
Arrived
20 Aug 2014
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Kati Kati Camp
"Good Camp, Amazing Setting"
3 nights
Arrived
22 Aug 2014
"The Kati Kati camp is very well maintain and presented. The tents are a very good size with lots of nice touches (the LED light bulbs were very welcome). Everything is built into your tent (loo and drop shower) and you could not ask for more really. The food was of a very high quality (wider range of options every night) and surpassed what we thought we would get based on the fact you are in the middle of the Serengeti.
The best feature of the camp is its location - it is set away from the main road area of the central Serengeti which means there was a lot of animal activities that took place around the camp during the day and night. This really made the stay to be a truly exceptional and very memorial experience.
Of all the places we went to during our trip the Serengeti was the best."
The best feature of the camp is its location - it is set away from the main road area of the central Serengeti which means there was a lot of animal activities that took place around the camp during the day and night. This really made the stay to be a truly exceptional and very memorial experience.
Of all the places we went to during our trip the Serengeti was the best."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Good
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Lake Manze Adventure Camp
"Nice break from traditional safari"
3 nights
Arrived
25 Aug 2014
"Overall the Lake Manze Camp was a pleasant experience. The camp itself was well maintained and looked after and your were made to feel welcome from the moment you arrived.
The tents are a good standard and had running hot water which was a nice surprise. The food offered by the camp was of good quality, if the range was a bit limited.
The one big positive of the camp was the boat trips that were offered - these gave you a very different experience from the traditional jeep safari and let you get very close to a number of animal and birds which is not possible in any other situation. Also a trip to the hot springs as part of the all-day game drive was great fun and a different experience. The other postive was the guides and drives at Manze - Hillary and Zakora
Looking back, I think having only two night (instead of 3) would have been enough in Manze, for no other reason than the animals in the park seemed to be very aware of the jeeps / people to a much greater extent that any other location we went to. This meant it was very common for them to move quickly area from open areas when a jeep arrived or to back off to a safe distance - according to the guides this was due to the hunting that takes place in the south of the park."
The tents are a good standard and had running hot water which was a nice surprise. The food offered by the camp was of good quality, if the range was a bit limited.
The one big positive of the camp was the boat trips that were offered - these gave you a very different experience from the traditional jeep safari and let you get very close to a number of animal and birds which is not possible in any other situation. Also a trip to the hot springs as part of the all-day game drive was great fun and a different experience. The other postive was the guides and drives at Manze - Hillary and Zakora
Looking back, I think having only two night (instead of 3) would have been enough in Manze, for no other reason than the animals in the park seemed to be very aware of the jeeps / people to a much greater extent that any other location we went to. This meant it was very common for them to move quickly area from open areas when a jeep arrived or to back off to a safe distance - according to the guides this was due to the hunting that takes place in the south of the park."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Good
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Mdonya Old River Camp
"Wildlife right on your door step"
3 nights
Arrived
28 Aug 2014
"Very much like its sister camp - Lake Manze - is a very comfortable and well ran camp. All the activities at the camp are well organised with very good drivers and guides. Where there is a slight difference between the two camps is in the animals at the two parks.
At Mdonya, the animals are much more likely to come in / near the camp and on the drives are much less likely to be spoked by the Jeeps due to the nature of this being a national park rather than a game reserve."
At Mdonya, the animals are much more likely to come in / near the camp and on the drives are much less likely to be spoked by the Jeeps due to the nature of this being a national park rather than a game reserve."
Good
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location
Excellent
Service
Good
Activities
Good
Rooms
Good
Food
Good
Facilities
Good
Pongwe Beach Hotel
"Truly idyllic"
3 nights
Arrived
31 Aug 2014
"The Pongwe Beach Hotel was a truly idyllic location - the hotel beach is one of the most impressive I have been to, at low tide you get a picture postcard view.
The rooms are nice and large, look out onto the beach and very very peaceful as the hotel is set away from all the large resorts found on that side of island - you really are secluded but can walk along the beach to Pongwe or cycle to the near by towns / attractions.
The food is modern / western and you get a nice range for breakfast and supper. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and provide honest advice on what to go and do / see."
The rooms are nice and large, look out onto the beach and very very peaceful as the hotel is set away from all the large resorts found on that side of island - you really are secluded but can walk along the beach to Pongwe or cycle to the near by towns / attractions.
The food is modern / western and you get a nice range for breakfast and supper. The staff are very friendly and welcoming and provide honest advice on what to go and do / see."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Good
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
1) Location - on top of the crater means you are in a greater location for an early morning start, we were one of the first cars into the crater and it made a massive difference
2) Setting - has beautiful grounds and the surrounding areas which meant you saw wildlife right outside your room. It is true you are not overlooking the crater but I did not think that this was a massive drawback
3) Personal touches - loved the wood fire stoves in the room, the very friendly staff and owners
4) Food - both breakfast and supper were very good with a range of food offered which set you up for the day ahead.
Overall this is not the most glamorous or fashionable place to stay, but for us that is not what we wanted on this trip. Instead you got the feeling that they cared very much about their guests, the surrounding area and not creating eyesores in this perfect landscape (which cant not be said for a number of the more fashionable / expensive options within the crater)."