Reviews of Impala Camp

"we moved here from Lake Manze and noted quite a difference in layout and style.
It is definitely a step up in terms of facilities. There is power and there are therefore welcome fans in the rooms. There is a very nice pool which was very welcome in the middle of the day with the temp at 36deg!

The whole camp is very well sited on the banks of the Rufiji. The main lodge area has been recently resited due to erosion of the bank, and will probably need to be moved again in a few years time. Although it has relatively few tents, there is a very spacious feel to the camp, particularly the main lodge area.

The food is very well prepared and served and was very delicious, usually with a choice between meat and fish at dinner time.
However it is the dining arrangements that draws my only negative comment. It seems strange to isolate diners at individual and widely spaced tables, particularly when there are relatively few people at the camp ,as when we were there. This does lead to a rather formal and less spontaneous mood at the camp.The actual service though cannot be faulted.

Although scheduled to be here for 4 nights we actually only stayed for three, due to a need for a side trip to Dar es Salaam for medical treatment. We cannot praise the staff and managers, Andrea and Lorenzo , enough for their help with making the arrangements in a difficult situation. This did mean we missed most of our drives and the scheduled bush walk which was a great pity.

Our guide Ezra was first class and very informative with good communication skills. We saw wild dogs during our first evening and stayed with them for quite a while. We were also lucky enough to see a herd of Eland on a drive, and spent time with a pride of lions at a more remote part of the camp. We saw many Giraffe and Zebra and of course Impala were everywhere.

We had a late afternoon boat trip along the Rufiji which was still pretty low, necessitating some good navigation skills by our driver! We had good sightings of Crocodiles and hippos and saw many fish eagles and herons as well as several Kingfisher species including a giant Kingfisher. The river bank trees and bushes were festooned with the nests of various weaver birds and there were also groups of bee eaters of several species.
The boat trips make for a nice contrast with the game drives.
Impala is a very comfortable and friendly camp with great facilities and certainly recommended by us." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"Difficult to fault this camp - it was all brilliant. Particularly the options of game drives - in excellent land rovers and with very good guides - boat trips and walking safaris gave us plenty of variety. We had options of half day game drives with breakfast provided in the bush which was great. The rains had started early by the time we arrived but game viewing was excellent - particularly lion and wild dogs.

The walking safari guide was particularly good." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"We stayed at Selous Impala for 3 nights and really enjoyed the camp. Guiding was superb and varied (boat, vehicle, walking and fishing). Tents were very comfortable and the food was outstanding.

The camp & Selous were an ideal contrast (in wildlife and scenery) to our 3 night stay in Ruaha. I couldn't choose a favourite between Old Mdonya & Selous Impala - Very different camps, but both excellent. We'd gladly return!

Highlight was Wild Dogs - Our guide was determined that we should see them and he managed it!" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania

"good" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar

"Selous Impala was a really good first stop for a safari holiday.

Ideally situated overlooking the river the camp offers both driving and water activilies. We enjoyed both - the variety of birdlife and the fishing on the water and the beautiful game drives around the acacia forests. We were fortunate to see the wild dogs en route from the airstrip and Gerrard came up trumps with an excellent lion sighing.

The camp is very well run with excellent service (personal waiters and Masai warriers to escort us to bed.)" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar

"Lovely location with beautiful views over the river from both common areas as well as your private veranda. Well appointed and charmingly decorated "tents" on wooden platforms. The 'family tent' is 2 tents sharing one platform, which worked really well for a family with 2 kids aged 11 and 13.

Wonderful, creative food - enjoyed by both adults and children in our family. Very close to nature: we were awaken by hippos gracing under our platform one morning and by monkeys peering into the tent in the next. The third day there was an elephant gracing in the middle of the lodge!

Very friendly staff an excellent service. It is very nice to have the same driver, guide and waiter throughout the stay. Very flexible in terms of activities - we had our own boat / car the whole time. We had a truly wonderful time with great game drives and boat trips. We saw all the animals that were on our "wish list" except Rhinos and Leopards." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"as before. [Ed: see below]" See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"The food was amazing - well cooked and presented and served by our personal waiter. My wife is lactose intolerant and although the manager was told about this (by both Expert Africa and us) the message didn't make it through to the kitchen. Several times she was served food she could not eat and it had to go back. But to their credit they always knocked up a superb lactose-free alternative in double-quick time!

Our chalet was right next to the river and gave us a great view of elephants passing by. On our last night we went fly-camping which was a real experience. We had 5 private staff to cater to our every need including heating water for showers and cooking us a three-course meal in our small 'restaurant' by the edge of a lake. The other activities like boat and walking safaris were good, the key interest being that we didn't have to sit in a car for hours each day.

All in all Selous was an incredibly luxurious experience which was only slightly let down by the impression that our days were organised to fit in with the camp schedule rather than what we had planned to do. For example when asked what we wanted to do one evening we opted for a walking safari but were steered towards a game drive as one had already been arranged for another couple.

The other staff were absolutely superb - waiter, guide, tent boy and fly-camping staff." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"See previous sheet" See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Having spent many hours discussing where to spend our honeymoon we finally decided on Impala camp. The moment we met our guide Hussein and driver Omari, we knew we had made the right decision.

Accomodation
Our tent was perfect. We had all the luxuries we could want but also felt part of the bush. Big comfy bed, 24hour electricity, hot water, 2 sinks, flush toilet and plenty of wardrobe space.
Our veranda was a great place to sit and watch the world go by. A particular highlight was watching a small herd of elephants cross the river, all from the comfort of our bed!
Andrea the Hippo was a regular visitor along with the local vervet monkeys who provided a free wake up service.

The Camp
Impala camp has a great layout. The communal areas are big and spacious yet manage to have a cosy feel. The dining area is a great place to eat, with views over the river below. The bar is mainly used before dinner in the evening and is a great place to relax and swap stories with other guests. The pool is a good chillout spot and we mostly had it to ourselves, bar the odd elephant or hippo!.

Staff
The Impala camp staff really made our stay. From the managers to the tent boy, everyone made us feel really welcome.
Our waiter Aban was a joy to speak to and we really enjoyed hearing about his family and trying to learn a few words of swahili.
The two people we spent most of our time with were Hussein and Omari. Getting to know them was possibly the highlight of our trip. We loved hearing their safari stories and found it hard to say goodbye.

Food
We both love our food and neither of us could believe just how good the food at Impala is. From the little biscuits served before breakfast throughto dinner we enjoyed every last mouthful! A particular favourite was the spiced fish pie and possibly the best creme caramel I have ever tasted!

Activities
With this being our first safari we could not compare the density of game to any other reserves or parks.
We managed to see everything we hoped we would, if not one a game drive then roaming through the camp!
The only animal on my list I couldn't tick off was the elusive leopard.
Early morning game drives were a particular highlight, breakfast in the bush is just amazing.

Overall Impala camp is definately the best place we have ever stayed and we really hope to return one day!" See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania