Reviews of Siwandu

"Niven was great!

The staff was fantastic!" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"We had a wonderful stay at Siwandu primarily due to the diversity of activities on offer. The option to go on boating and walking tours alongside the guided drives was a welcome change. We would recommend the walking tour (which we had been apprehensive about previously) as a great way to understand the smaller details of the bush.

The camp facilities were very good, our tent was huge and very well equipped and the staff were friendly. Our guide Enoch was very knowledgable and offered interesting additional facts about the wildlife around us.

Emile was standing in for the camp managers when we visited and nothing was too much trouble, we particularly liked how he joined everyone around the campfire before dinner and told great stories." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"Really amazing, gorgeous camp, incredible service, brilliant food, excellent guiding... absolutely perfect. Would return in a heartbeat and visit its sister camps. A fantastic start to our trip and honeymoon. We left a TripAdvisor review for Siwandu, which I have copied here:

Thank you to everyone at Siwandu for making the first three nights of our honeymoon so special and memorable. We couldn't fault it. The game drives and boat and walking safaris were amazing. We were lucky enough to have private drives and boat safaris whilst we were there. The camp managers were so accommodating and made us and all the other guests feel incredibly special. We couldn't believe how incredible the food was - the best food my husband has ever had in East Africa, and he's spent a lot of time in Kenya and Tanzania. Really brilliant. Every single member of the team was wonderful. The tent was incredibly comfortable and we loved the outdoor shower - particularly as it was so HOT whilst we were there! We are desperate to return to Siwandu or one of its sister properties in the future. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone there." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 3n in Tanzania

"The managers, Susanna and Bastien, made us very welcome and were very keen to do anything necessary to make our stay as good as possible. The rooms and the service were immaculate thoughout and minor unserviceablities were fixed immediately, which we see as a measure of efficiency.

The boat trips were a great favourite for me as, although the lake was obviously shrinking at the end of the dry season, there were huge numbers of birds around together with a good variety of animals coming to drink; sadly, we didn't see any predators at the lakeside.

Our guide Mohammed was very experienced and clearly knew a great deal about the area and its wildlife. He filled the jeep rides with good information and had a great sense of humour.
The only thing I would change would be the dining arrangements. We were seated as couples or groups as appropriate but we feel this stifles conversation. Obviously we could chat in the bar area but as Jude doesn't drink this can be difficult. The other camps preferred communal dining and we think this leads to more stimulating conversation and discussion." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania; 1n in Kenya

"Out trip to Selous was magical.

We enjoyed the variety of activities, including the walk and boat safari. Diversity of wildlife was excellent, and a perfect complement to the different ecology from Jongomero camp. The staff was responsive to our requests, and everyone was very nice.

Stayed in tent #7, which appeared to have a better view of the lake in the dry season (couldn't see the other tents from the lake)." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania

"Absolutely wonderful! The accommodation was really outstanding, gorgeous setting, the food was delicious and all the people that worked there were incredibly friendly and helpful.

We were made to feel really special and were especially impressed by the extra effort that was made to make our stay so individual. We were served a surprise lunch on a boat and the next day a surprise breakfast was laid out on a local beach. Amazing! This was after a walking safari that our youngest son ( aged 14) was too young to come on, but he was taken out fishing on a boat and then brought to join us for breakfast.

We really appreciated these extra touches and organisation that made our stay so memorable." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar

"Love the camp, the staff were all friendly, helpful and gave great service. The safari experiences were excellent.

Didn't have time to even look at the pool." See all these reviews: 6n in Tanzania

"We spent 3 nights at Siwandu last November .
This is a very nice camp in a great location . Accommodation is fantastic , with huge tents and bathroom . The best part is the veranda with a view to the lake. We saw lots of animals around our tent during siesta time like giraffes , elephants, hippos , waterbucks , impalas , bushbucks , baboons , monkeys and of course lots of birds. At night we also had company with elephants , hippos and hyenas !!

Service and attention was excellent . Food quality was always good , even it was not our style .

The area where Siwandu let as down a bit were activities . Morning drives starts at 8 a. m. and this is not what we are use to after 10 safaris , everywhere we have been in Africa activities start early after sunrise , something that increase your chance to see some animals that don´t like to move during the heat of the day and also to take advantage of the best light for photography .

Also guiding level was not on par with other places we have stayed before , and for us quality of guiding can enhance hugely your experience .

If your priority in Selous is to have an amazing and beautiful tent , a personal butler looking after you and special food then Siwandu is for you . If you are after hardcore activities with great guiding i will try some other camp.

Yet ,we did see plenty of animals and birding was excellent around the lakes areas . Almost in every drive we saw , giraffes , buffalo , grater kudu , zebras , gnu and lions. We did see elephants but not as many as we were hoping , maybe the poaching problem in Selous area has something to do with it ? This is the time when impalas drop their baby so it was great to see impala babies everywhere !
The boat safari is great for birding and also you will see lots of hippos and crocs but we saw also buffalos , giraffes and elephants from the boat .

Overall we enjoyed very much our stay in Selous Reserve , the landscape is fantastic , very green and with lots of water , a great contrast and combination with Ruaha if you are doing the southern circuit ." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Our third venue and made every bit as welcome as at the previous two.

Emil's long experience and local knowledge is a great strength and Claire is an excellent people person.

Clear evidence of concern for guests safety in terms of after dark escorts, also true at Jongomero.

Guide, Holle, made every effort to locate species which had dispersed rather more than usual due to the early rains.

Holle, an excellent driver in difficult conditions, has a very good knowledge of the animals in terms of their behaviour,

Appeared at times rather less confident in identifying birds but always willing to follow up, may well have been hampered by a lack of binoculars.

Bird section of the species list poorly arranged would strongly recommend modelling a revision on the Jongomero leaflet ie group 'types' together ie all beeeaters, egrets, eagles etc .

Overall current booklet does not do credit to an excellent operation.

Boat safari marred by fumes from engine." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania

"this was our first experience of Africa and Siwandu set an exceptionally high standard for the other camps to follow,our guide Allen was superb, with a detailed knowledge of bird life as well as the larger animals, and he coped with the rather difficult driving conditions ( deep mud) very very well, at no time did he say "I cannot get there"

The condition of our tent, the food, and the service were of the highest standard." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania