Reviews of Impala Camp

"Impala Camp's location: it looks like most of the wildlife is concentrated around the several lakes in the park. The Impala camps location is not ideal, you have to drive some distances to see as much as possible. A camp closer or nearby one of the lakes would be more convenient for game drives.

The duration of stay: we stayed 4 nights which was too long. For the park 2 or max 3 days are more than enough. The game drives are concentrated in a part of the park, which when you stay longer than 2 or 3 days, you will double routes several times.
The guide at Impala Camp was not great. He was quite poor in spotting game and he lacked obviously experience and, more important, enthusiasm and passion for his job. He didn't listen to our wishes, we became frustrated with him by the end of our stay at Impala.

As an important example we would like to mention following situation: we heard from the guide not earlier than after breakfast that there had been an kill by lions that morning. And that two groups of lions were fighting and one groupwas eating the kill. First we were astonished that the guide did not inform us before breakfast so we could make our own decision to skip breakfast and drive to the action. Secondly, as we said told him to go as quick as possible to the action, he drove first another route to try to spot a leopard with the result we didn't see the lions eating because of a cue of about 10 cars with day-trippers. And, as we almost got a god spot foor the sight he decided to give way to other cars and said we should wait for a half hour when the cars would have left the spot. Instead of leaving many other daytrip cars arrived and we decided not to join the crowds and told the guide to go away...also at other points he found it more important to try to inform his colleagues about game we ourselfs had spotted than driving right away to the location. So, we wouldn't recommend Impala camp because of our experience with this guide, the location and the feel that this camp missed passion.

The tents are okay but need renovation, the beds are not very comfortable and we missed mosquito nets because, although the managment said the tents were bug free, the high amount of bites after the first night proofed them wrong." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"Impala Camp was pretty much faultless. The staff were polite and obliging at all times, always ready with a smile and a warm greeting. We arrived late in the afternoon, frazzled after almost two days of travel from London and were a bit taken aback when our guide Frank said we'd be stopping en route - we just wanted to get there! But pausing to have a refreshing drink whilst we watched sunset was the best thing ever as the holiday started right there! Even the drive from the airstrip to Impala was like a game drive, with Frank pointing out giraffe and warthogs. Over the next four days Frank led us (me, my husband and our 15 year old daughter) to some incredible wildlife sightings including leopard - twice on two separate days, during the day, also a bull elephant, two male lions, water buffalo, Angolan colobus monkeys, plus much more.

Our room, number six in the camp, was vast and very well situated close to the main area. I hesitate to call it a tent as it was so well appointed. It was good that it had two shower rooms, so my daughter had her own. More of a curtain to cover the loo area would have been appreciated as it didn't pull across properly or hang down very far. The complimentary laundry service was a lovely touch and also the 6am drinks to the room, though we only did that once, opting for later game drive departures on two of the three days, leaving at around 8.30 - 9am. (The later departures were the two days when we saw leopard.) It was reassuruing to have the Masai on hand to accompany us around the camp. During our night drive, Frank was accompanied by a rifleman and a torch man, so we felt secure at all times, and were rewarded with civet and spotted hyena sightings.

The food was really excellent. We thoroughly enjoyed the fresh fruit at breakfast and the cooked offering. And Frank taking us out for a bush breakfast was a special treat and very nicely done. I think the lunches were our favourite meals, but it was a very high bar. We liked the presentation of salads plus a meat/fish dish on large wooden boards. So even if one did not appeal there was more to choose between. A particular lamb dish with spices and dates was amongst the best lamb I've tasted. Dinners were also tasty and filling. When describing the camp, Maruska spoke of the bush babies at the dinner table. And this was something all our family was excited about. And, sure enough, they'd come and visit in the evenings, not actually on the table, but close enough to appreciate them!

We also enjoyed the sundowners on the river which was part of our boat trip/boat drive. Being in the habitat of /so close to potentially dangerous animals gave pause for thought but we never felt unsafe due to Frank's unwavering calm and clear, extensive knowledge of all the places he showed us and the animals he found for us. Not forgetting the birds. Frank was also very knowledgeable about all things avian." See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania

"what a lovely site, right next to the river, excellent facilities and wonderful staff. nothing too much trouble, camp tents could possibly be updated a bit.

however views and sounds out of this world, food was brilliant, would highly recommend this camp, especially Dennis our guide and Abdullah." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"We stayed 4 nights here and it was a truly special experience!

All the camp team were superfriendly and welcoming and we had complete confidence and trust in the complete team. Each morning we were woken by a tea tray arriving at our tent with a gentle wake up call. For each drive/ boat trip we were waved off and welcomed back by the team, with cold towels waiting as a refresher on our return. The Masia were always ready to escort us around the camp and we felt safe in their hands.

Gody, our dedicated guide had a great eye and was great company, ensuring the plans for each day were slightly different to give us the greatest chance of different wildlife. 2 of our 3 full days we had full days drives with a 0630 start and a perfect location sought for breakfast (and lunch) in the bush. A truly memerable experience! At the end of our last drive we were in for a special treat in a fantastic location watching the sun go down.

The tents were spacious and had everything needed - no need to take shampoo, conditioner or shower gel.
The same day laundry service being included was a great additional treat we did not expect...and meant we packed way too many clothes! There are also 2 different types of family tents available (2 individual tents on the same platform and a massive tent with part partition and 2 bathroom areas) but we did not stay in these.

The food was fantastic and plentiful, whether in the restaurant or eating in the bush.

I would not hesitate to recommend!" See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"I have to say that we were somewhat disappointed with Impala Camp. We felt it was lacking good management; there was little of the care, enthusiasm and pride that we have experienced in other camps; as an example we were not welcomed back from game drives with towels and drinks; there were no sundowners; although we knew in advance that we had to buy our own drinks this is not something that we have experienced before.

It seemed to have a feel to us of struggling to survive and was cutting corners in order to do so.

New Years Eve was another case in point of very poor management. There was a group of Tanzanians in to celebrate and a BBQ was set up for them (& us) and then after dinner (which was not very appetising) there was music and singing. We decided not to participate in this as we were going to be up at about 5.00am for a game drive and so went to bed.

Despite the fact that the camp was no where near full, this was all set up right outside our tent when it could so easily have been located elsewhere within the camp.

Additionally we were never asked if we wanted to have the BBQ in the first place." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"This place is outstanding. The camp is small, only 8 tents, and you cannot see another from yours. It is situated right on the river.

But it is the people that make it. Each and every staff member is full of smiles and dedicated to making you feel at home, and making your holiday perfect in every way.

Dennis, our guide, has over 20 years experience, with the keenest "bush eye", and eager to impart his incredible knowledge of flora and fauna. He is also an incredibly kind and thoughtful person, always ready to go the extra mile. We were oftenlate back because he had found something exciting again !
Every day I thought "this can never be topped, and everyday it was.

Victor, our waiter. -. another really kind, special person. Patiently trying to teach me Swahili whilst explaining all the delicious dishes. He too is very informed about all the surrounding nature.

Faisal the boat captain, again a kindly soul, and knowledgeable about the watery goings on. The boat ride gives another dimension to the safari. The river is teeming with hippo and crocs, plus many, many birds.

Joy, our Masai responsible for escorting you to and from the tent, is also a delight. (This is necessary because it is an open camp; hippo, hyena, warthog, elephants and many more will pass through). He is always smiling, but can hear/see things that we never would.

The chef is truly amazing. Every meal was delicious and everything home made, including the passion fruit marmalade served at the bush breakfasts, and bar snacks.

The tents are spotless, and laundry left in the morning was back that evening. The bed was so comfortable and the shower worked perfectly.

I cannot wait to return, and will do so as soon as the piggy bank is feeling better.

(We also met the new co-owner who seems a thoroughly nice guy, and very appreciative of his staff)." See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"We had an absolutely wonderful time at Impala.

The food was excellent, the service very friendly and accommodating. The camp is right next to the river, and full of wildlife. Boat safari is very convenient and special too.

A winner all around!!!" See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Selous Impala Camp.

All of the staff were so friendly and couldn't do enough to help us. Our guide Dennis, was great and managed to find us wild dogs on three occasions as well as mating lions and a dung beetle! The wildlife sightings in our three days were very good and included a wide variety of animals along with many birds, which we are particularly interested in.

We very much enjoyed mixing land and river safaris. A major plus was that we were on our own with Dennis for all of our safaris which we were not expecting. The camp seems to do this as standard which could be an important factor when choosing which camp to stay in.

Our tent was perfect. It felt very much part of the surroundings, not too plush, but extremely comfortable with everything that we needed. I loved waking up during the night to hear an animal munching away on the vegetation just on the other side of the canvas.

The food was of a good standard with large portions and plenty of variety over our stay. A choice is available for dinner which had to be chosen at lunch time. The restaurant is well run and the waiting staff especially friendly.

We did make use of the very nice swimming pool which is an added bonus to the camp.

We would not hesitate to recommend this camp and would happily return there ourselves." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"Brilliant time and guide here. Our guide was Ezra and he was excellent. He took really good care of us from the get go and looked after us and all our needs. He knows a lot about the wildlife in the area and went to great lengths to get us into really good positions for sightings and photos. Very very happy with him and would definitely come back again and ask for Ezra as our guide. We saw giraffes fighting due to Ezras skill and knowledge as well as a pack of 20+hunting dogs with a fresh kill. Really epic. thank you. The meals in the bush were excellent and the breakfast box was amazing. The dinner at night was lovely and the food and services were top notch." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar

"There for three nights of which two I was only guest as camp very quiet
Room and public areas were excellent, staff attentive but discrete, didn’t use pool but it didn’t look too inviting
Food very good and variety with some local ingredients

Staff and guides were all brilliant and made an effort to compensate for lack of other guests
Chose Selous because of proximity to water and water disappointed. Boat safari great

I would go again" See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania