Reviews of Siwandu

"The excellent personal service was evident from the start of our visit. We liked being introduced to each of the staff and thought it was a really nice touch to be allocated a particular waiter and tent "butler" both of whom always addressed us by first name and had cheerful smiles and greetings when they brought the morning tea in bed (just what we needed !) or served meals. Everyone was extremely friendly and we appreciated the managers meeting us with cool towels after a drive and spending time chatting in the lounge before dinner. Although they must have heard the same accounts numerous times, they made you feel as though they were genuinely interested and cared if you experienced good viewings or not.

The game drives were very good and we were glad they used open sided land rovers which were nice and cool and gave excellent viewing although, of course, you have to put up with a bumpy ride as it's mostly off track. We were a little surprised that the guide also acted as the driver and wondered whether more game might have been spotted if the duties had been separated; however,the terrain is covered with trees and bush rather than open plain and the guide relied on his considerable experience to judge where the animals were likely to be. We were quite lucky to see a small group of wild dogs on our very first day.

We liked the opportunity of taking boat safaris on the lake - we're not great bird enthusiasts but were stunned by the sheer variety and number of bird species there. Lots of crocodiles and hippos too.

The accommodation was excellent, as were the communal areas. The meals were generally very good, particularly the lunches, and presentation was of a high standard. There was a good view of the lake from both our tent and the first floor dining room and nice to see the camp fire and candlelight in the evenings.

We did have a problem with tepid water in the shower but that was rectified once we mentioned it.
I think our only criticism was that we felt the prices of some items in the souvenir/gift shop were very high." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 6n in Tanzania

"Selous Safari Camp was wonderful. I've already recommended it to some friends. Our guide was excellent and also fun to be with and the two young men allocated to look after us were charming and efficient. The Camp Managers were also great company and were as enthusiastic about what we had seen as we were.

Their attention to detail made our stay so special - being met from each drive with refreshing towels for our hands and faces and a drink; tea served each day prior to the afternoon drive with the chef's tea time offering of the day; the organisation of our 'sundowner' drinks which for those of us who like gin & tonic included proper glass glasses, ice & a slice of lemon along with the nibbles of the day; the quiet but definitely efficient Masai who accompanied us to and fro in the evenings.

We loved the bar and dining area as well and the meals were excellent. Only suggestion we would like to make is that they could give more thought to what teenagers will eat when they have families staying there, both our sons and the children of another family found the adult nature of the menu a little testing at times e.g. some very unusual soups.

We were so pleased to have visited Selous at a time when there were so many cubs/calfs/chicks to see. We saw an amazing array of animals. We want to go back!" See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Jenny and her staff made our stay here a fantastic experience. The 'tent' was beautiful and very clean, with a glorious view. The food was really excellent (particularly the cold tomato soup!). There was a lot of game to see here and it was nice to be able to have an alternative lake 'safari' to the usual land game drives.

Our guide, Mashaka was well informed and had a good sense of humour. My only criticisms are that 8 oc. was rather late to start the morning game drive so it was very hot by the time we returned at nearly midday. The seating in the restaurant was at individual tables with our own 'butler' - which we enjoyed - although sometimes it may have been good to be able to join other guests at mealtimes - this of course depends on whether you want to dine with other guests! This is a matter of preference - sometimes it is nice to dine alone, other times it is good to chat with other guests." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania

"After staying at Lake Manze camp for 4 nights, our next camp here at Selous Safari was "posh"!! Electricty in the enormous tent, large shower and an up market feel to the whole camp.

Excellent service, the General Manager of the three camps was staying whilst we were there, so everything was very polished. The guides were very good and knowlegable and we had wonderful sightings again, of lion, leopard and very excitingly wild dogs.

The food was fantastic and served beautifully, we missed the long table of everyone together, as at Lake Manze, but this happened out under the full moon on our last nights stay. A super camp." See all these reviews: 14n in Tanzania

"Fabulous in every respect" See all these reviews: 12n in Tanzania

"We were in the North Camp (ex Private Camp) which was lovely and seemed much better laid out than South Camp. We liked the way the decking for dining, bar, sitting area and pool were integrated. Our tent was beautiful and very comfortable though, again there was an issue with lack of privacy when on the loo. Unless you pulled the flaps down there is nowhere in the tent from which a person on the loo cannot be seen.

The outdoor shower was excellent with plenty of power and hot water. It was also nice to have hot water to the basins (only cold tap at Mdonya and Mwagusi) and the lotions and potions provided were very welcome and of excellent quality.

The pool was scrupulously clean and very welcome after a morning walk. The food was consistently excellent and drinks prices not unreasonable for this quality of camp. One couple were on a drinks included deal; Lana, the manager, said she was surprised more people didn't go for this as it was not expensive. The answer may be that nobody knows about it; Expert Africa never mentioned it to us and it's not even on the Camp's own website! What is on the website is the Camp's support for a local school and a request for guests to bring a few supplies if possible. We'd taken a few pens, pencils etc plus a football which were received with much appreciation.

Mashaka was determined to show his guests as many animals as possible and got nearly as excited as us at our second, unexpected, sighting of the wild dogs! He was less impressed by the rain one evening (not supposed to happen at this time of year).
We also had a very interesting walk led by Mtambo one morning and now know more than we could ever wish to about 'poo'!
An afternoon pootling about the lake on a boat was lovely and we saw lots of birds and dozens of crocs lus a lot of animals coming down to drink.

All the staff were excellent; Lana was a very friendly and bubbly hostess/manager who did a superb job, even willing to change dinner arrangements when her guests all decided they'd rather eat together than at separate tables. Alphonce was a superb butler with a beaming smile and Suliemon kept the tent immaculate. If necessary there is even a clothes repair service – minor items repaired by the room attendant, more major ones sent to the tailor in the local village who did an excellent job on Martin's shorts.
We'd love to go back, particularly when the rivers are in full flow.

Our one small criticism is that guests' activities for each day were arranged before the previous night's dinner in such a way that guests were fitted into the activities available not activities flexed to guests' wishes. For example during our transfer to Beho Beho Mashaka mentioned something he'd seen on a full-day game drive – the possibility of doing this had never been raised." See all these reviews: 18n in Tanzania; 3n in Zanzibar

"Best food and guide we have ever had on safari !!" See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"After Mdonya we were unsure what to expect. We were not disappointed and everything about this camp was of the highest quality As a family we did feel a little out of place with honeymooning couples but we were made to feel very welcome by Lana and her team. Nothing was too much trouble.

The accommodation was outstanding, comfortable bandas which are probably larger than our cottage at home. Food was out of this world. We tended to eat at our table but particularly enjoyed a dinner at a communal table after having been entertained by the Masai guards.

The game was harder to find than at Mdonya. We heard lions only once and saw them twice. No leopard or cheetah but of course we saw African Dogs. The trips on the lake were fantastic, but the highlight had to be the walking safari with an armed guard. Didn't know that you can use hyena poo for chalk or that Civets eat everything and how smelly their scat is. The close encounter with an elephant and the bush breakfast were the high spots.

Activities were morning and evening so we had time for a swim in the pool and more unwind time.

Suggestions: we enjoyed having dinner with others on the same table. It mixed us up and to share news and information over a meal felt very comfortable to us. It might not suite everyone but its worth doing every second or third day." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"Selous was a great expericence, the location on the lake is fantastic as you see a completely different set of animals and habitats.

The safari was also fantastic. It did not feel as private as Jongomero but was still a great experience." See all these reviews: 5n in Tanzania

"We were overwhelmed by the attentiveness of the staff and the quality of the accommodation, food and activities.

We had never been on safari before and this was a fantastic place to start." See all these reviews: 8n in Zanzibar; 4n in Tanzania