Reviews of Sand Rivers Camp

"Sand Rivers Camp was luxurious and incredibly beautifully located on the Rufiji River. The setting overlooking the river with the hippos talking in the background was relaxing and a nice conclusion to a busy 10 days of previous safari adventures.

We requested less safari focus on the pursuit of big cats to more diverse viewing and activities. The accommodations were none short of spectacular with a gorgeous view of the river and outdoor living. The staff was superb and another opportunity for community dinners was a wonderful touch to get to know the staff, and the few additional guests, and lucky for us to dine with the founder of the camp and his son for two days. They shared many wonderful stories and contributed to the relaxing conversational tone of the evening.

We participated in a walking safari which was superb with a ranger/guide and our guide. The ranger/guide was fascinating to watch as he lead the way into the bush listening and keenly watching our surroundings for things of interest and potential dangers...he was spot on hearing a bird call alerting the lone buffalo of our proximity. We diverted our path and all was good!

Our guide was personable and exciting, however, his experience of fewer years was evident in the approach during drives sometimes chasing an animal or tossing a stick in the air to elicit a movement. This impacted our respect and trust in the guide, particularly regarding safety. While we were never put in danger, the concern existed that choices could be made with less than favorable results. The boating safari was very nice, but it was somewhat anxiety-producing due to the crocodile-infested waters and tenuous hippo behavior. Fishing was experienced with the catch of the day being three crocodiles!

The food and service were wonderful and the best hibiscus iced tea ever made was enjoyed! Sarah was most personable, kind-spirited, and interested in learning about the guests and how to best meet their desires.

All in all...a wonderful ending to a fabulous two weeks!" See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania

"Well run camp in beautiful location.

We enjoyed all the activities. There was a good variety of game drives, walking and boating.

However we would have found it helpful to have a written description of the activities on offer when we arrived so we could have planned our stay better. For example, we were unaware that the hide/platform did not have any shade and had to abandon our visit there." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"The purpose of my trip was to return to Sand Rivers after 20 years. It was where my late wife and I honeymooned and planned to return on our 20th wedding anniversary. It’s a lovely camp in a wonderful location. The room was wonderful.

The camp was just at the end of the season and preparing to close. There was only one other couple there when I arrived and I even had the whole camp to myself for one night when they left and before another guest came in.

My guide was Johnny by sheer chance. It was the same Johnny who also guided my wife and I in Katavi back in 2018.

Days mostly consisted of long early morning game drives with breakfast in the bush and late afternoon drives with a sundowner in search of elusive predators. The area is very remote and you won’t really bump into any other vehicles unless they are from the same camp. The scenery is spectacular at this time of the year (my previous visit was in October 2003 when it was parched dry).

I did a morning river cruise which broke the monotony of banging around in a vehicle and gave a fresh view of the wilderness I was in. With plenty of crocodiles, hippos and birds to see. You can no longer travel as far up the river as the rapids as there is now a big dam with a hydroelectric generation plant currently being installed.

A night drive also gave a new slant on what was becoming familiar territory after 5 days. We finally caught up with the small local pack of wild dogs that Johnny had seen on the way to meeting me on my transfer day. First time I have seen dogs on a night drive, unfortunately they were gone in the morning. Possibly due to the lions calling in the night.

Food was of the high standard you would expect from a lodge of Sand River’s standing. With plenty of wine to accompany. Staff were very attentive and are always looking for ways to improve in the already excellent service.

The room was immaculate with a large comfortable bed and an open view of the river. I had bats visit me every morning to clean up the insects while I was having a wash." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Fantastic welcome and attention from the staff. Above average food quality and plenty of drinks available. A really nice relaxed vibe in the main dining area.

Good wifi although a pity this was limited to the pool area.

Our room was very comfortable and had a great view of the river. We especially appreciated the good size of the room and the bathroom facilities worked well.

The game drives were longer than other camps we had been to but much appreciated and we were absolutely thrilled to have such a good leopard sighting along the river.

We took the chance to do the walking safari, night safari and fishing on the river trip to emphasise the range of camp activities we were able to enjoy." See all these reviews: 6n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania

"We loved our hillside suites with the plunge pools. Stunning location overlooking the river.

Staff very friendly, good balance of interaction and time on our own. Bernadette very attentive and our guide Hussain was very friendly and knowledgable.

We feel they got the food just right, quantities and quality. Especially loved the high quality packed breakfasts which Hussain set up for us on our morning drives. The breakfast sandwiches, pancakes, and the fresh fruit juice were particular favourites.

Buffet lunches were spot on and quick to serve ourselves before getting back to our rooms for a siesta.

Pool area was lovely, Wi-Fi in that area was a bonus if you wanted it!" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"We liked the camp a lot. It has a nice view on the river and the terrace is always a good place to meet someone. The staff was very nice and the food good (not as good as in Ikukka Lodge).
The rooms are in an open banda. You can hear the noise of the hippos at night. The interior isn't luxurios, but you have everything you need." See all these reviews: 21n in Tanzania

"Sand Rivers was fantastic. The camp is beautiful and the staff made us feel very welcome. The fly camping experience was phenomenal! We were particularly impressed with our guiding by Hamza and Hussein. The variety of activities available was also brilliant - we really enjoyed the boat trips and walking safaris, in addition to the game drives. We also enjoyed how remote the camp was - we rarely saw another car in the 5 days we were there. And the food was notably excellent." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"What a very special place. The entire staff came out and greeted us with a song and ice cool drinks to welcome us in the driveway as we arrived to camp on our first day. Nice touch!

The guiding was excellent. Haamza (sp?), our guide, took us on a boat safari and 2 safari walks. We learned about everything from spear grass, termites and millipedes to Hippos and Bao Bab trees and the roles they play in the ecosystem. Haamza also helped us a lot with our birding as well. Some very large crocodiles in the Rufigi. We saw a Black Mamba near the Beho Beho air strip as we were leaving Sand Rivers.

I loved this part of the Rufiji river and the camp sits right on it. It felt very wild and alive here. Some of the best pictures I took during the whole trip were from when we stayed here.

We made new friends with some of the staff and they were great. Thank you to Sara, Reggie and Good Luck for taking such good care of us. The rooms were luxurious and the food was Over the Top First Class." See all these reviews: 20n in Tanzania

"Sand Rivers was a great choice for our honeymoon. The rooms are just wonderful - we enjoyed the honeymoon suite (room no. 2): The room was open and breezy with a great view from the hill over the landscape and river. Not to forget the pool, which was cool and refreshing after the safari activities. Also the food was fantastic, prepared by Bernadetta with a lot of love and passion (her carrot baclava is particularly famous). We loved our bush breakfasts with the homemade cereals and fresh fruit, which we enjoyed on the game drives or during the boat safari on the river.

Wildlife was great, even though our trip was during the green season. We saw wilddog three times and even while hunting.

The highlight of our stay definitely was the fly camping, which was truly fantastic. The location at lake Tagalala is so beautiful and you can listen to the sound of the hippos in the lake while having a 5star dinner and after that sitting at the camp fire. We would have loved to stay longer to do more fly camping!

Nick and Jana are great managers, and we enjoyed their company and had very meaningful and interesting conversations with them over dinner. We felt so well taken care of by all of the staff!

Our guides Godfrey and Simba are very experienced and knowledgeable, we had a great time with them on safari!

And - last but not least - we felt very privileged to be the only guests at the lodge during our entire stay and to have this wonderful place and wilderness all to ourselves." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"They did a great job, very good staff but we could have hiked more and further on our walks." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 1n in Zanzibar