Beho Beho

7°40’25.2"S 37°55’13.7"E

100% (173 reviews)

Full review Our view Geographics Food & drink Special interests Children Wildlife sightings Communications Health & safety Activities Extras

Beho Beho: Our full report

Beho Beho has a unique location in the Nyerere National Park – high on a hill in an area dotted with baobab trees.

Indeed, the name Beho Beho means ‘breeze’, which is apt given its airy location. Its site was first used as early as 1972, and it’s not only one of the reserve’s first camps, but also one of the few camps in the Nyerere National Park (previously known as the Selous Game Reserve) that is set away from the river or one of the lakeshores. In 2004 the camp was rebuilt using locally sourced materials and it regularly undergoes a complete refurbishment.

The central lounge and bar area at Beho Beho has a mix of comfortable sofas, Persian rugs from the owners’ family home and African carvings. The décor also includes some classic pieces of furniture from Europe. Coffee-table books and family photos are dotted on the small tables, lending the feeling of a slightly eccentric family home. The whole area is open sided with fantastic views across the valley, and down to a small artificial waterhole on the hillside, that’s floodlit after dark when it often attracts interesting mammalian drinkers. Near the bar is a well stocked library with old maps and prints, and a variety of historical artefacts from the nearby World War 1 battlefield. Behind the lounge area you will also find a full-size slate-bedded billiard table.

Up the slope a little, the swimming pool and its sun deck also command a spectacular view across the valley – and you can often spot game from the pool’s terrace. There are a few comfortable loungers here, as well as a small thatched seating area, which is great for relaxing out of the heat of the day.

There are just seven stone bandas (rooms) at Beho Beho, all of them permanent, thatched and open at one side to the amazing views. The stone used in their construction was sourced locally, and the wood for the door frames, bed frames and wall lights was sourced from dead wood found in the park.

Designed to feel homely, these bandas are also extremely spacious and comfortable. The furnishings include canopied beds under mosquito nets, large comfy armchairs and wonderful old writing desks. Each has an area slightly separated by a step, which is part lounge, part veranda, and the entire front is open to the view. As a new addition for 2019 are the banda's private plunge pools, overlooking the below vista and the visiting wildlife. We had a friendly bushbuck walk past several times as we enjoyed the cool water in the midday heat. A separate anteroom provides storage for clothes and luggage, and each of the rooms has a ceiling fan and 24-hour electricity (three-pin UK-style plugs).

Large en-suite bathrooms feature great outdoor showers, flush loos and dual washbasins set into a plinth decorated with pebbles gathered from the Rufiji River. The bathrooms are some of the best equipped we have encountered in any safari camp, with shaving mirrors, retractable washing line and pumice stones included among the thoughtful extras. Toiletries (by Charlotte Rhys), hairdryers, light cotton dressing gowns and slippers add a touch of indulgent luxury.

We have visited Beho Beho on numerous occasions since 2004 and each visit brings something new. In 2019 we took a good look around the now well established Bailey’s Banda private house. With its pool and private dining arrangements, we think it’s great for larger groups, or mixed-generation families who want to focus on themselves, but we like the main lodge bandas better than the rooms at Bailey’s.

Despite its many comforts, Beho Beho has become the top camp in the Nyerere National Park primarily due to the superb quality of its guiding. The guides here are consistently excellent, with a breadth of knowledge that is hard to match – and a drive or walk with a guide from Beho Beho is a truly fascinating experience. It’s important to understand the principal of how they work as a team, too: the guides cannot under any circumstances be booked privately, even if you have a favourite (they are all brilliant in any case) nor can you hire a private vehicle even if you were willing to pay. This is just not the ethos of Beho Beho. The services of the guides are strictly shared among all the guests in camp, and over the course of three or four days you are likely to experience activities with each of them, and often more than once. This requires the guides to talk to each other, and recount their experiences with their guests to avoid repetition: you don’t need to hear about the social life of the ground hornbill, the sex life of the spotted hyena, or the eating habits of the civet, fascinating as these are, more than once. Most of Beho Beho’s guides have FGASA training (southern Africa’s prestigious Field Guides Association), and we have found the guiding here to be truly excellent, and the rotation system to work seamlessly.

Activities out of Beho Beho include very competent 4WD game drives in the western region of Nyerere National Park and full-day excursions to Lake Tagalala, using the lodge’s small motor boat moored there to explore the lake’s birdlife and view crocs and hippos. But the lodge’s speciality is walking safaris. On a typical game walk, you’ll set off at around 6am when it’s lovely and cool, and stay out as long as your enthusiasm lasts. It’s unusual to find a camp where the activities are so flexible and last as long. On one of our recent visits to Beho Beho, our morning walking safari lasted right through until lunch time – in fact a slightly late lunch – with a very civilised bush breakfast set up for us along the way to keep us going. Close encounters with the local megafauna are quite common on these excursions, and the pre-walk briefing is a serious matter.

Generally, though, guests return from their first activity in the late morning, in time for brunch. Afternoon activities then depart at around 4pm, and return after a sundowner drink in the bush. Another option is to take a trip to the hippo pool, where you can happily watch dozens of hippos splashing about in the mud – for as long as your nose can stand it.

Close to Beho Beho, there are also some sites of historical and geographical interest which are sometimes visited as part of an activity. Be sure to ask to see these if you are interested. They include some World War 1 trenches where you can still find scattered artefacts, the grave of Frederick Courtney Selous – after whom the park was originally named before, and who was killed in action here – and some lovely hot springs set in a patch of riparian woodland where you might fancy a swim. On a spur of the hillside opposite the lodge an ancient burial site has been revealed and over the years human skeletons have began to be exposed.

There is now also the option to spend a night in Beho Beho’s rather luxurious Treehouse. The Beho Beho team built it by hand, out of naturally sourced materials, creating a stylish platform in the trees, complete with a bathroom. It makes for an exclusive experience for guests who want to enjoy a night in the tree tops – though at a fairly hefty supplementary cost.

Our view

Since it opened, Beho Beho has set very high standards. This is one of the very best camps we know anywhere in Africa. While it’s smart and luxurious, the welcome here is always warm and the mood is friendly, not pretentious. The food is outstanding, like dining out at a very good restaurant at every meal. Most importantly, the guiding is first-class, delivered by individuals who know their subject inside out and for the most part have perfected the art of passing it on to guests across the whole spectrum of safari experience, from first-time safari-goers to those who come back again and again. And despite these very high, self-imposed standards, Beho Beho still manages to exceed expectations. The only downsides are that it isn't on a riverbank or lakeshore (the defining appeal of many camps in Nyerere National Park) and the relatively high price tag, although this can be offset by long-stay reductions: the minimum stay in any case is 3 nights.

Chris McIntyre

Tanzania expert

Geographics

Location: Nyerere National Park, Tanzania
Ideal length of stay: You can visit for 3-4 nights, but the range of activities at Beho Beho means that 5 to 7 nights also works well – especially if a night in the tree house is included.
Directions: It’s a 45-minute flight from Dar es Salaam into the Nyerere National Park, where you land at Beho Beho's own airstrip right next to the camp, dubbed 'Beho Beho International'.
Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board & Activities
Food quality: Whenever we have stayed at Beho Beho, most recently in 2019, the food has been outstanding. There's a real variety on offer, with dishes deliciously prepared and beautifully presented. A very sociable atmosphere adds to this – with guests and guides sitting around one large table – perhaps helped because the team there clearly think about their hosting, and it shows. Dinner runs like a very well-organised dinner-party, with excellent service and dishes which have flair and originality, making the food one of Beho Beho's outstanding features.

Breakfast at Beho Beho is usually fruit, fresh bread and a full cooked breakfast with eggs of your choice, and a wide choice of spreads. The egg and bacon muffins are a bit special. On our last visit this was set up by the lake and we enjoyed a huge breakfast after a wonderful boat trip.

Lunch is served at around 12pm and comprises a variety of hot and cold dishes such as fresh salads, Swahili dishes and light curries. On our last visit, lunch included a choice of quiche, spare ribs, garlic tiger prawns, halloumi salad, and homemade cheese and sundried tomato focaccia bread followed by cinnamon tortillas and fruit salad.

Dinner is served in a different location each night and is a varied three-course menu. Dinner on one of our visits included spinach and feta ravioli in a tomato sauce as a starter, fillet steak with peppercorn sauce, potato wedges, and vegetables for main course, and yogurt panna cotta with apples poached in red wine for dessert. More recently we were wowed with a truly divine (for meat-eaters, at least) lamb shank, gently stewed to perfection. On one evening there was a specoa; Swahili night set up in a nearby boma lit with stome lanterns. It was a fantastic experience and a wonderful to a perfect stay.
Dining style: Group Meals
Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining
Further dining info, including room service: Group meals in various locations are the thing at Beho Beho. There is little option for private dining and an informal, sociable dinner party atmosphere that includes guests, guides and managers, is encouraged throughout your stay.
Drinks included: All house drinks are included at no extra charge at Beho Beho, though Champagne is not available.

Special interests

Solo Travel: Beho Beho is a very sociable camp: it’s like visiting a family home. You are warmly welcomed by the team and very well looked after. There is no single supplement here.; See ideas for Solo Travel in Tanzania
Honeymoons: Beho Beho, with its huge luxurious open rooms, romantic canopied double beds, general excellent standards, and attentive service, make it a perfect choice for a Tanzania honeymoon. For a special addition to your stay, spend a night under the stars, in the Beho Beho treehouse.; See ideas for Honeymoons in Tanzania
Birdwatching: Nyerere National Park is a good park for to visit on a birdwatching trip to Tanzania. During our visit in 2019 we saw white-fronted bee-eater, a beautiful hoopoe, a bat hawk, crested guinea fowl, a Verreaux eagle owl and a vibrant red bishop.; See ideas for Birdwatching in Tanzania
Walking safaris: Walking safaris at Beho Beho are some of the best you will find in Tanzania. With extremely knowledgeable, well-trained guides, and good wildlife viewing in Nyerere National Park. The high guiding standards translate into visitors gaining more of an insight into the park.; See ideas for Walking safaris in Tanzania
Wildlife safaris: The wildlife in this area of Nyerere National Park is usually good, but can be a little elusive at times. There is a permanent population of lions and frequent sightings of more transient wild dogs. Among much other game, there’s usually an abundance of giraffe, wildebeest and the odd buffalo.; See ideas for Wildlife safaris in Tanzania
Wellbeing: With the laid-back pace at Beho Beho and the private plunge pools in the rooms this is an ideal lodge for relaxation and wellbeing.; See ideas for Wellbeing in Tanzania
Luxury: Staying at Beho Beho is a peerless way to spend a few nights. Spacious open-fronted bandas ooze low-key style with sumptuous four-poster beds, antique safari treasures and classic furniture. But the real luxuries here are a very thoughtful service, superb food and expert guiding.; See ideas for Luxury in Tanzania

Children

Attitude towards children
Property’s age restrictions: Children under 12 years are not allowed to stay here.
Special activities & services: There are no special services or activities for children at Beho Beho.
Equipment: There is no special equipment for children at Beho Beho.
Generally recommended for children: Only for children over 12 who are mature and responsible.
Notes: Beho Beho considers that children staying at the camp are very much the responsibility of their parents. Parents should also be aware that this camp is not fenced and wildlife can pass through at any time – children cannot be left unaccompanied.

Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Beho Beho

Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Beho Beho have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.

Buffalo

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

96% success

Lion

92% success

Spotted Hyena

91% success

Eland

73% success

Wild dog

55% success

Leopard

30% success

Striped Hyena

30% success

Aardvark

0% success

Black Rhino

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Communications

Power supply notes: There are UK-style 3-pin plugs in every room.
Communications: There is wifi in all the bandas, and a guest computer in the study.
TV & radio: There is no TV for guests, though the staff will share their TV for important matches and the like. The exclusive Bailey's Banda has TV.
Water supply: Borehole
Water supply notes: There is hot water in every room, heated by solar geysers.

Health & safety

Malarial protection recommended: Yes
Medical care: There is a first-aid kit on site for minor illnesses and injuries. For more serious cases, all guests at Beho Beho are registered with a company which can do airlifts if necessary. Two walking guides have had advanced first-aid training. All the managers and guides have first-aid training.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: There are guards around the camp and at night you will be escorted to and from your room.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers in all of the rooms and communal areas. There is an emergency horn in each of the bandas.

Activities

4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Boat trip
Fishing
Guided walking safari

Extras

Disabled access: On Request
Laundry facilities: There is a free laundry service included, although, as in many camps, underwear is not accepted. Washing powder is supplied in the bathrooms.
Money: There is no currency exchange at Beho Beho.
Accepted payment on location: There are no extras to pay at Beho Beho, but tips are best made in either US dollars or Tanzanian shillings.

Room types at Beho Beho

...watch the wildlife as you wash off the day's dust.

The Zanzibari day-beds are great for children or triples.

1 of

Stone banda

The rooms at Beho Beho are very much in keeping with the expansive feel of the lodge. They are attractively decorated en-suite bandas with huge canopied beds, large comfy armchairs and wonderful old writing desks. Each banda has a large area facing out into the game reserve, separated from the rest of the lounge and bedroom by a step. This area is part lounge and part veranda, and the entire front is open to the view.

The rooms are built using local stone, while the natural wood door frames, bed frames and wall lights are made from dead wood found out in the Selous bush. The rooms all have ceiling fans and 24-hour electricity with UK-style 3-pin plugs.

There is a separate ante-room for luggage and clothes storage.

All the rooms have large, separate bathrooms with great outdoor showers, flush loos and dual washbasins. The stone walls and floors were all built using stones found in the park, while the pebbles used to decorate the top of the basin plinth were all gathered from the Rufiji River.

Toiletries (by Charlotte Rhys), hairdryers and light cotton dressing gowns are provided in every room, adding a touch of indulgent luxury. The bathrooms are probably the best equipped we have encountered in a safari camp, with shaving mirrors, retractable washing line, loofah and pumice stones included amongst the thoughtful extras.