Travel reviews by Mr D & Mrs D from UK
Review Distribution
Total number of trips
1
Countries visited
1
Lodges stayed in
2
Excursions taken
0
My Sep 2015 trip
Tanzania between 26 Sep 2015 and 3 Oct 2015
"Excellent trip. Very well organised safari holiday with some of the best sighting of cats we have ever had.
The parks are quiet and the guides excellent. We particularly enjoyed the adventure camp experience and will definitely do this again. It was also the first time we have flown between parks, it made the trip more expensive but with our limited time it made sense and was a great experience. All our connections worked like clockwork and the overnight international flight helps to maximise time on holiday. What was great was that the day travelling between parks was set up to include two game drives so it didn't feel like a transit day and in fact included two of our most exciting sightings of leopard and lions.
We chose the parks from the excellent reviews we had read on the website. The brochure pictures of wild dogs are perhaps misleading as the local guides said their range is so huge you are unlikely to see them and we are realistic enough to know that these are very difficult to see.
As with our previous holiday with Expert Africa to Namibia we were impressed by how much effort James put into listening to what we wanted and matching us with accommodation and an itinerary that suited us perfectly.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The information booklet that comes with the tickets is very useful.
We discovered that Tsetse flies are attracted to all dark colours, not just black and blue but also green and brown so save your beige and stone coloured clothing for Ruaha!
Having had two excellent trips of very different types with Expert Africa we trust your website so a travellers tips section written by you guys would be very welcome."
The parks are quiet and the guides excellent. We particularly enjoyed the adventure camp experience and will definitely do this again. It was also the first time we have flown between parks, it made the trip more expensive but with our limited time it made sense and was a great experience. All our connections worked like clockwork and the overnight international flight helps to maximise time on holiday. What was great was that the day travelling between parks was set up to include two game drives so it didn't feel like a transit day and in fact included two of our most exciting sightings of leopard and lions.
We chose the parks from the excellent reviews we had read on the website. The brochure pictures of wild dogs are perhaps misleading as the local guides said their range is so huge you are unlikely to see them and we are realistic enough to know that these are very difficult to see.
As with our previous holiday with Expert Africa to Namibia we were impressed by how much effort James put into listening to what we wanted and matching us with accommodation and an itinerary that suited us perfectly.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
The information booklet that comes with the tickets is very useful.
We discovered that Tsetse flies are attracted to all dark colours, not just black and blue but also green and brown so save your beige and stone coloured clothing for Ruaha!
Having had two excellent trips of very different types with Expert Africa we trust your website so a travellers tips section written by you guys would be very welcome."
Lake Manze Adventure Camp
"Great wildlife experience at Lake Manze"
3 nights
Arrived
27 Sep 2015
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Good
Mdonya Old River Camp
"Unbelievable wildlife encounters at Mdonya"
3 nights
Arrived
30 Sep 2015
"We had a great feeling of being part of nature at this camp. Monkeys, Impala, Jackels, elephant,giraffe and lions all roamed through the camp at various times and yet despite being townies we felt very safe. Rebecca and Andreas and their team have created a respectful and relaxed approach to the game which rubs off on the guests making us feel we have had a very special safari experience. We particularly loved the welcome glass of fruit juice offered every time we returned from a drive and evening campfire with lions roaring in the background.
Under the expert care of guide Mowlidi and driver Godson we were privileged to enjoy the most amazing wildlife sightings, usually with no other vehicles in sight. Despite the heat, the majority of our sighting were of active game going about their business and Mowlidi and Godson gave the closest views of animals we have ever had while all the time taking every care to ensure the animals weren't disturbed. It was particularly enjoyable to see how enthusiastic they were about their jobs and Mowlidi is extremely knowledgable. We have never seen so many lions and the thrill of coming across a group of 9 lions preparing to go out hunting will stay with me for a long time, not to mention the huge variety of eagles in the park and two wonderful views of leopards.
Ruaha is vast so you do need to be prepared for long game drives and to cover a big distance. Bush breakfasts and lunches are prepared from the camp and it is a treat to eat a meal in the bush. The Tsetse flies are less of a treat and annoyingly persistent despite repellent of every type. Beige or stone coloured clothing seems to work best as even green or brown attracted them. The tents are similar to Lake Manze and very comfortable. Showering in the open roofed bathroom is fun especially with our resident toad for company in the evenings!
We loved it and will be back."
Under the expert care of guide Mowlidi and driver Godson we were privileged to enjoy the most amazing wildlife sightings, usually with no other vehicles in sight. Despite the heat, the majority of our sighting were of active game going about their business and Mowlidi and Godson gave the closest views of animals we have ever had while all the time taking every care to ensure the animals weren't disturbed. It was particularly enjoyable to see how enthusiastic they were about their jobs and Mowlidi is extremely knowledgable. We have never seen so many lions and the thrill of coming across a group of 9 lions preparing to go out hunting will stay with me for a long time, not to mention the huge variety of eagles in the park and two wonderful views of leopards.
Ruaha is vast so you do need to be prepared for long game drives and to cover a big distance. Bush breakfasts and lunches are prepared from the camp and it is a treat to eat a meal in the bush. The Tsetse flies are less of a treat and annoyingly persistent despite repellent of every type. Beige or stone coloured clothing seems to work best as even green or brown attracted them. The tents are similar to Lake Manze and very comfortable. Showering in the open roofed bathroom is fun especially with our resident toad for company in the evenings!
We loved it and will be back."
Excellent
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location
Excellent
Service
Excellent
Activities
Excellent
Rooms
Excellent
Food
Excellent
Facilities
Excellent
Shaun and Millie are fantastic hosts, ensuring a lovely relaxed atmosphere and personally meeting every vehicle as they return from drives. The tents while described as basic are in fact very comfortable. Of course they are rustic but very clean with spotless and comfortable beds. We slept extremely well....when not disturbed by amazing nocturnal visits by Lagos and his elephant buddies.
In tent number 9 we had a bush view and will probably request one of the tents on the other side of the camp which seemed to have more open lake views next time....and there will definitely be a next time! The lake trip is a must to get fantastically close views of hippos,crocs and a huge variety of water birds.
The reserve offers abundant game but is relatively quiet so there is no 'wacky races' competition to see wildlife."