Travel reviews by R&K from Castle Rock CO

"We had an awesome 4 days at Duba Explorers!

We were there mid-April. It had been a wet rainy season and the grass still high, the channels just starting to fill. This is a beautiful time of year to go. Each morning we rode a skiff from the lodge upchannel for 5-10 minutes to a glowing red-orange sunrise reflected off the water to our waiting Land Cruiser.

Our first day we saw a leopard with her kill from the day before, her two cubs, and the local lion coalition come and take her kill away (new mom, the kill was on a fallen dead tree). Every day new prey and predators were shown us by our expert, learned,funny guide Foster as we learned more and more about the ecosystem of the Okavanga.

The food was the best of the places we visited; they alternated a communal dinner buffet with private a la carte dining. The location on a smaller channel is gorgeous and we were serenaded by hippos and baboons each night.

We had the option of a mokoro ride but chose not to because the rides to and from camp to the LandCruisers was so beautiful.

The conservation efforts of Great Plains and their Foundation are excellent.

We were often alone in our sightings, or with 1-2 other vehicles all treating the others with respect for the wildlife and for each other."

"The San Bushman walk was unique, educational, and inspiring. I wish I had a recording of the number of uses various shrubs and roots could be put to!

Beyond that our experience was dampened by the tall grasses resulting from a very wet rainy season (we were there mid-April after the rains but before it dries out), which in combination with the dense thickets made game viewing limited and the landscape uniform. In the dry season the 9 waterholes on the concession will bring game. We only saw 1 lion and 1 kudu at the one in front of the lodge so would not go back unless in the dry season. There are a number of white rhino on the concession; we saw Archie the dominant male.

The facilities are great and the recent installation of a water purification system allowing drinking water from the faucets is a welcome aspect.

Dining was always communal and began with songs from the staff - a fun way to start the evening!"

"Kwara camp operates the game drives with a tracker and a driver/guide. This definitely improved the overall game viewing and made it possible to track and then keep up with a pack of wild dogs across the savannah as they chased and eventually killed an impala. Overall the wildlife viewing was superb and probably the most prolific of the 3 camps we stayed at. Our guide Mr. T has a wonderful way of story-telling of the specific histories of various animals and of his life as a guide, which educated us far more than any other guide we've had.

We visited in mid-April, the grass was still fairly high and the landscape beautiful before the plains become flooded. Hyena, lion, and elephants visited the camp during the night.

Meals were communal and were not as good as we would have expected. The facilities are great and the huge tents have a distinct sitting area which we enjoyed along with the veranda during the afternoon breaks."

"Immediately adjacent to Arusha airport (not noisy) but incredibly convenient."

"We stayed at Ikuka mid-July 2019 for 3 nights. We loved Ruaha for the uncrowded wildlife viewing it offered, and Ikuka knows how to make that happen. We had a phenomenal guide (Festo, aka "professor" by other guides) who grew up in the Ruaha bush and knows it.

The location of the lodge on an escarpment makes for incredible views from beautiful huts, each very private, all handbuilt by Mark and Chloe the owners. Their presence - and lack of big business - are clearly felt throughout.

The location with its view is about 20 min from the riverbed, but the drive back and forth did not get tiring. The large population of baobob trees add depth to the landscape. We will likely return in February just to see the area green. If you go, do take a walking safari for a half-day with Mark or one of the guides."

"The location of Sand Rivers Camp is at a fantastic bend in the Rufiji river - and there is more to see than hippos although it is great to see them in this big river compared to shallower locations.

We visited mid-July 2019. Our guide Ernest was fantastic in his ability to spot wildlife and flora as well as his knowledge base. Our first 1/2 day guide (not Ernest) was not to our liking and the managers immediately accommodated our request for a change.

Would highly recommend this camp!"

"We visited mid-July 2019. The grounds are beautiful and a very secluded location on the tip of the Michamvi peninsula. There is not really a beach at high tide, and at low tide the reef rocks go out probably 300 meters so it's not 'classic' Zanzibar beach.

However our main concern was the poor attention to details that we expected. The initial room we were booked in was one of the original buildings - musty, dark, no window in the bathroom, dirty water in the Nespresso machine.... We did get a room change on request without problem. We left laundry and it wasn't done by 9p the evening before an early departure and had we not reminded them we wouldn't have gotten it back. The food was very heavy - fried, not an emphasis on vegetables or when they were they were drowned in heavy dressing."