Reviews of Lake Manze Camp
Wildlife sightings and reviews
224 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Lake Manze Camp and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa
Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Aug-2018, 34 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Lake Manze Camp.
Lion
94% success
Leopard
31% success
Wild dog
48% success
Buffalo
100% success
Giraffe
100% success
Hippo
100% success
Spotted Hyena
100% success
Wildebeest
100% success
Zebra
100% success
Elephant
97% success
Eland
91% success
Striped Hyena
6% success
Aardvark
0% success
Black Rhino
0% success
Pangolin
0% success
Mrs H
Wales
"3 nights in safari"
3 nights Arrived 4 Nov 2014
"We had a very good guide and driver here, who worked very hard and tried very hard to help us see what they felt we should. WE were happy with what they showed us anyway. Very friendly and willing to discuss things. The camp centre was fine. No choice in food, but was perfectly acceptable and beautifully presented. A solar powered fan made the second 2 nights more bearable, heat on the first night was a bit difficult to relax in.
One amazing incident where the elephants walked directly past our tent in the moonlight-beautiful" See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania
One amazing incident where the elephants walked directly past our tent in the moonlight-beautiful" See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Ms S
New Orleans
"Breathtaking adventure at Lake Manze"
4 nights Arrived 1 Nov 2014
"Lake Manze is perfect in so many ways. Rebecca, the manager, is cheerful and always helpful. The guide that I had, Bakari, was top notch. The tents are comfortable and you really are right in the thick of it... elephants walked through camp daily and every night was an adventure as the sounds of various animals lulled me asleep.. or kept me awake!
I definitely heard some people complaining at dinner about the lack of "density" of wildlife. However, if density of wildlife also means density of jeeps and people, I would much rather have to work a little harder on a game drive to have my moments with lions, giraffes, wild dogs, jackals, hyenas, warthogs, zebras etc. etc. to just the jeep I'm in. Honestly, on most drives we never saw another jeep or maybe one or two others.
The Selous is stunningly beautiful with amazing vistas and at Lake Manze you can enjoy them by foot, in a boat or by jeep. The food is simple but abundant and delicious. This was my first safari and I couldn't have asked for a better experience." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar
I definitely heard some people complaining at dinner about the lack of "density" of wildlife. However, if density of wildlife also means density of jeeps and people, I would much rather have to work a little harder on a game drive to have my moments with lions, giraffes, wild dogs, jackals, hyenas, warthogs, zebras etc. etc. to just the jeep I'm in. Honestly, on most drives we never saw another jeep or maybe one or two others.
The Selous is stunningly beautiful with amazing vistas and at Lake Manze you can enjoy them by foot, in a boat or by jeep. The food is simple but abundant and delicious. This was my first safari and I couldn't have asked for a better experience." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 2n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Family M
Romsey
"Simple and relaxing"
3 nights Arrived 24 Oct 2014
"Our family of four started our safari adventure at Lake Manze where we stayed for three nights. The staff were friendly and welcoming. Our tents were comfortable - the girls slept in a room attached to the main tent. The showers and toilets open to the stars and bats at night gave us a different experience from the UK.
Our guide Alfred and driver Daniel were great. Very friendly and full of information. Daniel was a careful, considerate driver. However, our daughter's highlight of the trip was when he "put his foot down" to race across the bush to find us a leopard! We had some wonderful game drives seeing exciting and interesting sites every day. The trip to the hot springs was fun and we bathed in the waters hotter than a bath.
Unfortunately Lake Manze itself had dried up so we probably had less experience of animals near the camp than usual. However, our boat trip on the adjacent Lake Nzerakere with Elton our guide, was one of our loveliest times especially seeing the storks flying back home in formation against the backdrop of a stunning sunset. Eating the evening meal at a communal table gave us a chance to chat with other guests. The lack of electricity in the tents meant that torches were essential." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania
Our guide Alfred and driver Daniel were great. Very friendly and full of information. Daniel was a careful, considerate driver. However, our daughter's highlight of the trip was when he "put his foot down" to race across the bush to find us a leopard! We had some wonderful game drives seeing exciting and interesting sites every day. The trip to the hot springs was fun and we bathed in the waters hotter than a bath.
Unfortunately Lake Manze itself had dried up so we probably had less experience of animals near the camp than usual. However, our boat trip on the adjacent Lake Nzerakere with Elton our guide, was one of our loveliest times especially seeing the storks flying back home in formation against the backdrop of a stunning sunset. Eating the evening meal at a communal table gave us a chance to chat with other guests. The lack of electricity in the tents meant that torches were essential." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
Dr & Mrs H
UK
"Lake Manze Review"
5 nights Arrived 15 Oct 2014
"We are seasoned safari hands and deliberately chose Lake Manze Camp for two reasons.
Firstly because it offers a more authentic 'bush' experience than some of the more luxurious camps. This proved to be the case - we were able to watch elephants bathing and giraffes passing in front of our tent. The camp blends well with the surroundings giving a feel of fly camping but with added facilities! The tent has no electricity but is spacious and well appointed.
Secondly because we hoped it would provide good game viewing and guiding. The guiding was first class both on land and on the lake. We had stayed at other camps in Selous and had to travel longish distances to see much game. At Lake Manze the game was on the doorstep.
Nothing was too much trouble for the managers - who were under pressure due to lack of water (now resolved). Food was the only negative - not very high quality although vegetarians might be happy." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania
Firstly because it offers a more authentic 'bush' experience than some of the more luxurious camps. This proved to be the case - we were able to watch elephants bathing and giraffes passing in front of our tent. The camp blends well with the surroundings giving a feel of fly camping but with added facilities! The tent has no electricity but is spacious and well appointed.
Secondly because we hoped it would provide good game viewing and guiding. The guiding was first class both on land and on the lake. We had stayed at other camps in Selous and had to travel longish distances to see much game. At Lake Manze the game was on the doorstep.
Nothing was too much trouble for the managers - who were under pressure due to lack of water (now resolved). Food was the only negative - not very high quality although vegetarians might be happy." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Average
Facilities:
Good
Mr & Mrs W
Chipstead
"Lake Manze Adventure Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 6 Oct 2014
"Lively camp, good atmosphere, pleasant helpful staff. Game drives good; particularly liked exclusive use of 4WD and driver PLUS guide (same individuals throughout), which increases chance of sightings. Only adverse comment relates to food, which was pretty dire we thought.
I'm pretty tough on gradings and believe Excellent should be awarded only in really exceptional circumstances. So, for me, Good is a pretty high rating." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar
I'm pretty tough on gradings and believe Excellent should be awarded only in really exceptional circumstances. So, for me, Good is a pretty high rating." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Poor
Facilities:
Good
Feedback Response
The manager at Lake Manze was sad to here these guests were disappointed by the quality of the food. We understand that there was only one chef in camp at the time, which although should not have affected the standard, may have had an influence. Since then another chef from Zanzibar has arrived who is working closely with the staff to improve the menu.
Mr & Mrs B
Witney
"Great safari at Lake Manzi"
6 nights Arrived 5 Oct 2014
"Adam and Mgoma were excellent guides/driver. In particular, we were very impressed by Mgoma's thoughtfulness in positioning the vehicle for the best light for photographs and shade when he was able to do so without disturbing the wildlife.
As our stay at Lake Manze was 6 nights it was good to have the same guide and driver for the duration of our stay as they knew where we had been and what we had seen.
Being at the end of the dry season we were unable to do any boat trips due to the lack of water in the lake, although this was adequately made up for by the game drives. It was also a great experience to have elephants and other wildlife wandering into the camp day and night." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania
As our stay at Lake Manze was 6 nights it was good to have the same guide and driver for the duration of our stay as they knew where we had been and what we had seen.
Being at the end of the dry season we were unable to do any boat trips due to the lack of water in the lake, although this was adequately made up for by the game drives. It was also a great experience to have elephants and other wildlife wandering into the camp day and night." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr M & Mr H
Atlanta
"Lake Manze Adventure Camp review"
2 nights Arrived 29 Sep 2014
"We stayed in Tent 1 as requested and glad we did. It is a long walk from the main part of camp but the privacy and view are worth it. Just sitting on the porch in front of the tent was at times as good as a game drive. We had a small problem with tiny ants one morning and the staff took care of it very quickly. The nights were a little warm, even with the one fan going but then we expected that and knew what we were getting in to.
Food was decent and the staff attentive. We enjoyed the boat trip and absolutely loved our guide and driver on the game drives. There is much to see in the Lake Manze area although elephants were a big scarce. We finally saw one big heard of about 40 on the second day but they were a little ways off. Our drivers went above and beyond to make sure we got the most out of each drive which was very much appreciated.
Expect to many bumpy drives and the camp is dusty given the floor of the main camp is dirt. A nice feature was the outlets in the main camp were universal so we didn't need an adapter for our US plugs. Not having electricity was not really a big deal. We had our own flashlights and headlamp which came in handy." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania
Food was decent and the staff attentive. We enjoyed the boat trip and absolutely loved our guide and driver on the game drives. There is much to see in the Lake Manze area although elephants were a big scarce. We finally saw one big heard of about 40 on the second day but they were a little ways off. Our drivers went above and beyond to make sure we got the most out of each drive which was very much appreciated.
Expect to many bumpy drives and the camp is dusty given the floor of the main camp is dirt. A nice feature was the outlets in the main camp were universal so we didn't need an adapter for our US plugs. Not having electricity was not really a big deal. We had our own flashlights and headlamp which came in handy." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Average
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Average
Mrs S
Cheshire
"Lake Manze Adventure Camp review"
3 nights Arrived 3 Sep 2014
"After quite a long journey from Ruaha River Lodge, we arrived at about 2 pm and were welcomed by Rebecca, the young manager who had only been at Lake Manze for 3 months. She took her time to explain everything to us and we were pleasantly surprised that lunch had been kept for us.
The activities on offer included a boat safari, early morning game drive (6.30 am), afternoon game drive (at 4 pm) or all day game drives which left at 8.30. We did them all and were delighted with all. Victor, our guide, was very knowledgeable, as Ngome, our driver and it was nice to have them on most drives. The boat safari was very relaxing after the journey.
On the full day game drive, there were times when we would drive for maybe an hour, seeing not much, but were then rewarded with something spectacular.
We thoroughly enjoyed having dinner out in the open on a long table as it gave the opportunity to talk to fellow guests. The food was very good and plentiful" See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania
The activities on offer included a boat safari, early morning game drive (6.30 am), afternoon game drive (at 4 pm) or all day game drives which left at 8.30. We did them all and were delighted with all. Victor, our guide, was very knowledgeable, as Ngome, our driver and it was nice to have them on most drives. The boat safari was very relaxing after the journey.
On the full day game drive, there were times when we would drive for maybe an hour, seeing not much, but were then rewarded with something spectacular.
We thoroughly enjoyed having dinner out in the open on a long table as it gave the opportunity to talk to fellow guests. The food was very good and plentiful" See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Good
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
A & K
London
"Nice break from traditional safari"
3 nights Arrived 25 Aug 2014
"Overall the Lake Manze Camp was a pleasant experience. The camp itself was well maintained and looked after and your were made to feel welcome from the moment you arrived.
The tents are a good standard and had running hot water which was a nice surprise. The food offered by the camp was of good quality, if the range was a bit limited.
The one big positive of the camp was the boat trips that were offered - these gave you a very different experience from the traditional jeep safari and let you get very close to a number of animal and birds which is not possible in any other situation. Also a trip to the hot springs as part of the all-day game drive was great fun and a different experience. The other postive was the guides and drives at Manze - Hillary and Zakora
Looking back, I think having only two night (instead of 3) would have been enough in Manze, for no other reason than the animals in the park seemed to be very aware of the jeeps / people to a much greater extent that any other location we went to. This meant it was very common for them to move quickly area from open areas when a jeep arrived or to back off to a safe distance - according to the guides this was due to the hunting that takes place in the south of the park." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar
The tents are a good standard and had running hot water which was a nice surprise. The food offered by the camp was of good quality, if the range was a bit limited.
The one big positive of the camp was the boat trips that were offered - these gave you a very different experience from the traditional jeep safari and let you get very close to a number of animal and birds which is not possible in any other situation. Also a trip to the hot springs as part of the all-day game drive was great fun and a different experience. The other postive was the guides and drives at Manze - Hillary and Zakora
Looking back, I think having only two night (instead of 3) would have been enough in Manze, for no other reason than the animals in the park seemed to be very aware of the jeeps / people to a much greater extent that any other location we went to. This meant it was very common for them to move quickly area from open areas when a jeep arrived or to back off to a safe distance - according to the guides this was due to the hunting that takes place in the south of the park." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Good
Location:
Good
Service:
Good
Activities:
Good
Rooms:
Good
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Miss B & Mr G
Taunton
"AMAZING"
3 nights Arrived 17 Aug 2014
"Could not recommend this place highly enough. It is exactly what we were looking for and more. The staff were exceptionally friendly and did everything possible to make your stay a memorable one.
Would love to stay here again." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania
Would love to stay here again." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent
Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Holiday styles & special interests in Tanzania
From birdwatching breaks to walking holidays, find great ideas for your trip in Tanzania.
Other lodges in Nyerere National Park
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Impala Camp
Impala Camp is a comfortable, excellent-value camp with colourful tented rooms raised on platforms, good guiding and tasty food.
Beho Beho
Beho Beho is one of the best camps we work with in Africa, with gracious hosts, fantastic food and most importantly, excellent guiding.
Siwandu
Siwandu is a luxurious and smoothly run camp with beautiful rooms and superb service offering great views over Lake Nzerakera.
Sand Rivers Camp
The stylishly put together Sand Rivers has an outstanding reputation, with a wonderful location on the Rufiji River and great guides.
Beho Beho Tree-house
Beho Beho Treehouse is a satellite tree platform for just one couple, managed by Beho Beho and ideal as a one-night honeymoon retreat
Impala fly-camping
While you're staying at Impala Camp in Nyerere National Park, you can enjoy a few nights' fly-camping in the heart of the bush.
Rufiji River Camp
Rufiji River Camp has a lovely location right on the edge of the Rufiji River and while not luxurious, it is one of the lowest-cost camps in the park.
Sand Rivers fly-camp
Sand Rivers fly-camping safaris in Tanzania's Nyerere National Park operate out of Sand Rivers Camp, on the Rufiji River.
Roho ya Selous
Roho ya Selous is a smart tented camp on the west side of lake Nzerakera, close to the park’s best wildlife-viewing areas.
Beho Beho Bailey's Banda
Bailey's Banda at Beho Beho is a luxurious safari lodge in Nyerere National Park which can be booked exclusively for you and your party.
Rufiji River fly-camp
Fly-camping trips can be organised from Rufiji River Camp in Tanzania's Nyerere National Park
Kiba Point
Kiba Point is the private sister camp of Sand Rivers, available on an exclusive basis, with its own private drivers and staff.
Mivumo River Lodge
Mivumo River Lodge is Serena's main lodge in the Selous. Although comfortable, the windows and air-conditioning dispel any wilderness feel.
