Reviews of Siwandu

"We liked the location of this lodge & liked the locatoin of our tented room, overlooking a lake. The food was nice & our guide was excellent.

I did not like the fact that the toilet & shower facilities of the room were simply an extension of the bedroom so that to obtain a modicum of privacy one had to lower a curtain that in turn cut off all cross ventilation. I also did not like the fact that there was no way to communicate with the lodge in case of some emergency or other. A walkie talkie would have been welcome.

My cousin & I were also annoyed by the fact that drinks at this place were charged as extras. My cousin found that non bottled water disagreed with her. Both she & I agreed that while it might be acceptable for a place for which one was paying many hundreds of dollars to stay might be justified in charging guests for alcoholic drinks, to charge them for non-alcoholic drinks was simply cheap & unacceptable.

I loved the bird life in the area." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania; 10n in Kenya; 3n in Zanzibar

"Really excellent stay at a top notch camp. The guiding and the 'tents' were excellent. Indeed the tent was one of the best I've seen, large and very open, with mesh all round (and blinds when you want privacy). They even have a writing desk on our veranda facing the lagoon.

There can be some long (and bumpy) drives.

Very pleased with our stay here and will stay again." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"The Siwandu experience was amazing. Emma and George run a very well organised outfit which offers everything you need, even before you realise you need it!

The staff were fantastic: friendly, approachable, professional. The facilities were beyond our expectations. The 'tent' was luxurious and provided us with everything we needed. The laundry service was excellent and the food was first class - plenty of variety and catered totally for our needs. The extra touches such as the bush breakfast, coffee and sundowner stops during the game drives and lunch on the boat were unexpected and made the holiday so special.

We couldn't fault any part of the trip and would highly recommend this to anyone considering going on safari." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"In terms of layout, design, accommodation, atmosphere and food this was our favourite lodge by a long way. It was really well run. The managers, George and Emma, were very professional and really nice people, good fun and very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. They had a very good relationship with their staff, who really did seem to work like a large family. All the staff were great too, very helpful and friendly without being deferential. The guide we had, Mohammed, was very experienced, with an uncanny knack for being in just the right place at the right time. He also had a wealth of local folk stories told to him by his mother, which were very amusing.

The accommodation was just about perfect. Everything was really well thought through, down to the smallest detail, and it all worked. The banda we had was a very clever and pleasing design, and really comfortable. And all sorts of game just sauntered past! All it lacked was a hammock on the veranda (although the beanbag chair was a pretty good substitute).

The activities were very well organised and planned. As well as the game drives, we had a really interesting walk with George and Mohammed, and a couple of excellent boat trips with Mohammed. We saw a large variety of animals, birds and plants, and were given very good explanations of how they fitted into the ecosystem, and how it all worked. We had some up-close (but very well handled) confrontations with elephants, and got very close to lions, crocodiles and lots of other animals.

The food was really excellent – up to London restaurant standards. The locations chosen for sundowners were amazing.

We saw and did so much it didn’t seem possible it had all happened in only 4 days. However it was never rushed, and always felt very comfortable and relaxed. All together a very comfortable, relaxing, but intensive experience: just what we came for." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 8n in Zanzibar; 1n in Kenya

"Excellent camp, very comfortable and spacious tents.

Game drives were great and they were very flexible on letting us go out early every day and also for a full day drive to the hot springs. Our guide Dula was great and we got to see all five lakes in the time we were there. Very varied terrain and beautiful area.

Unusual to see many other trucks which was just what we were looking for." See all these reviews: 13n in Tanzania

"Camp very well run and everything very good, particularly the guiding. Camp large and very spaced out, so a lot of walking to get to reception and dining. Too big a camp for our liking and more of a hotel feel than intimate camp, but nevertheless it was very good." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"4 nights here in June 2016. Very spacious and luxurious "tents", with an incredible outdoor shower. Great service and good food.

One minor complaint is that you have to pay for drinks. They aren't particularly expensive, but it is something extra to think about, and requires an extra step in settling the bill at the end of the stay. The other camps we visited included the drinks in the accommodation cost, and I would recommend Siwandu to do the same even if they have to increase prices a little to cover the cost.

Safari drives started later than at other camps (8am to 11am and 4pm to 7pm), which made for a more relaxing start to the day. The guiding here was very good. During one drive, our guide Kim was able to find some lions that others had been unable to locate. He was very experienced, knowledgeable and patient with our many questions." See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania; 5n in Rwanda

"Staff were very accommodating at all levels, Mohamed proved to be an excellent guide, his attitude we found first class.

Sussanna the manager was very re assureing and positive when one of our bags was misplaced in transition from Nairobi to Dar." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Absolutely fantastic accommodation, amazing furnishings and facilities, especially the outdoor shower.

The staff were exceptionally attentive and helpful especially when my husband was sick. Gave him medication, fluid replacement and even cooked him special plain food.

The game drives were very informative and the sundowners on the lake and lunch were amazing. The pool area was most relaxing with the birds flying and singing around the pool. Very peaceful indeed.

The guards escorting us backwards and forwards were so friendly and to be admired." See all these reviews: 4n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"The accommodations at Siwandu were simply magical. Don't think people would ever believe me that I took a shower and watched a giraffe just walk on by or could sit and read on our patio and watch monkeys play in the tree, but it's all true. The managers and staff were very nice and helpful. We also really enjoyed the pool on site helped cool us off in the afternoon.

Of the three types of safari's offered at this camp, drive, boat and walking we enjoyed the walking the most. The guides on this trek were exceptional. We also were surprised with a pop up breakfast at the end by the lake which was truly memorable.

Our guide for the drive and boat safari was very nice, knowledgeable, but just not as engaging as some of the other guides we had met." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar