Reviews of Impala Camp

"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

"again well informed and keen guides, with excellent water and vehicle game viewing.

dining was rather formal with seperate tables for each party, but parties could share if they requested." See all these reviews: 16n in Tanzania

"This was a bit upmarket from Mdonya. Very well done and lovely tents, well equipped apart from squeaky beds.

The location by the river is wonderful and the place seemed well run. We again had an exceptional guide, Saning'o and similarly the driver, Makubi. The only thing we were not so comfortable with at Impala was private dining. It gave us less chance to mix with other guests (many of whom were saying just the same to us), and, although the waiters were very good, the whole atmosphere was a little 'over fussy'.

On arrival we had been told by Barbara, the manager, that the staff had agreed to sharing of pooled tips, although we could tip personally, as well, if we wanted. We felt that it created difficulties with certain members of staff expecting individual tips, although we did tip a few members of staff individually for what they did for us. In fact, we found the whole tipping procedure at both camps not easy." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"A wonderful location with its combination of land and water activities, very comfortable accommodation with friendly staff" See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"Barbara and her team does a fantastic job in the running of this camp, from the moment we arrived to when we left, every aspect of our requirements were met and Dennis our driver/guide was really good, had a great knowledge of birds and had the eyes of a hawk at spotting animals in the most obscure places.

We had stayed in camps in Botswana and Zambia, this camp rates as one of the best, we felt very relaxed but sad to leave at the end. Thank you everyone at Selous Impala for making our stay so enjoyable." See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar; 4n in Rwanda; 1n in Kenya

"After Kenyan experiences Tanzania was very special. Our own waiter, our own driver, our own guide. And what a guide. Gerard Willy was/is very good and responded to our enthusiastic spotting with a vengeance.

If you go then you have to fly camp - the description is scarry but the reality is not, especially with the crew we had." See all these reviews: 3n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar

"Comments and grading as before [Ed: see below, also by 'Mr. & Mrs. F - Harrow']" See all these reviews: 16n in Tanzania

"The activities both water and land based were great. Impressed by the standard of service accommodation and food. The guides were excellent and very knowledgable.

The whole camp was run superbly and we would not hesitate to return." See all these reviews: 16n in Tanzania

"There was much less game to see here, although the guides worked very hard at finding animals for us.

The level of comfort was higher, but we decided we didn't really need it! We preferred the simplicity of Manze camp. That said, we were extremely well looked after and couldn't fault the food or service." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"We had a fabulous three nights at Impala and Barbara, Lorenzo and Andrea were lovely hosts. With all the tents and main areas built on raised platforms we had great views of the river and hippos! We also enjoyed the company of Brian, the giraffe who wandered freely around the camp and paid a memorable visit to our tents! Having a family tent ( 2 tents with a shared veranda) was perfect and the facilities were excellent.

We found the whole staff superb; our clothes were perfectly laundered and ironed, the food outstanding and our personal waiter, Idi, a delight. He taught our ten year old to count to ten in Swahili and sang us Jambo Jambo! It was particularly nice having all the soft drinks included in the price.

We had fabulous drives, bush breakfasts and boat trips and we were amazed at the variety and quantity of wildlife. The highlight was doing the early morning walk (adults only) with a fabulous guide followed by a bush breakfast. The only negative aspect was having to leave!" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania