Reviews of Ikuka Safari Camp

"Ikuka was unbelievably luxurious and a beautiful lodge. Couldn't fault. Stunning location with incredible views from private tent. Hosts Shevie, Tom and Mark were very attentive and welcoming.

Mark was an excellent guide for our walking safari- took the time to explain about insects, tracks and animals. Very knowledgeable and interesting.

We felt that the hosts had really thought about the guest experience and making sure we were comfortable throughout. Went the extra mile with 'romantic' gestures- two special private dinners, bottle of fizz etc.

Itinerary was well thought out with early starts and time in the pm to relax before evening drive. Breakfast and sundowners in the bush were a really nice touch!

Food was fantastic- beautiful presentation, great flavours, well-accommodated for as vegetarians and plentiful.

Not a criticism as such, but sometimes we felt a little overwhelmed by the degree of attentiveness and intensity of the hosts, e.g. group greeting and questions after each game drive sometimes felt a bit unnecessary after a long day." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 4n in Zanzibar

"From the moment we were greeted at the airport we felt like we had won the lottery! Our guide did whatever paperwork was required whilst we made ourselves comfy with our chilled water bottles and biscuits! We couldn’t believe the animals we saw on our way from the airport to our lodge, our guide (Luca) took time to explain things along our journey so it felt like we were straight into it! It took about an hour to get to Ikuku but our arrival was lovely, Tommy and the staff were lined up waving to greet us with a drink and cool towel at the ready, it felt so nice to be met with such friendly smiling faces all waving.

Our lodge Ikuka was simply perfect, all the details in the room were beautiful, from the beaded lion on the table upstairs and a hippo stool to large tassels on the curtains and telescope waiting for us to view the night sky! The construction was interesting with sparkly granite stones packing out the walls for privacy. It was all absolutely beautiful and the view spectacular.

The bed was huge and it was so thoughtful of the staff to provide hot water bottles in the evening to take the chill off, although it was breezy in the evening, it really wasn’t cold.

The food was really tasty and colourful and left us feeling full, but not uncomfortable and seemed to be healthy whilst also being a feast for the eyes (presentation was beautiful), we enjoyed the feeling that the only decision we needed to make was what drink we wanted. Although you could choose to dine alone in your room, we enjoyed the camaraderie of dining together as a group in the evening comparing animal sightings from the day.

We did have our lunch one afternoon on our own so that we could enjoy the view and facilities in our own lodge as it was nice to not rush around and although we thoroughly enjoyed our breakfasts whilst out on our treks, we also enjoyed watching the sun come up from our bed and a leisurely breakfast on our last morning.

The staff could not have been more helpful or friendly.

Our guide Habibu was just amazing. He was so considerate of both the animals and us that we felt very honoured, his knowledge of animals and the birds was outstanding. Habibu took care to take us to places where we would see the animals that we had mentioned, and we loved seeing the hippos and crocodiles at The Hidden lake. We didn’t pay extra for a private guide but by chance seemed to get one most mornings, however even when we went out in a group we were lucky to be with other couples who enhanced our trip. Sunset drinks and nibbles were enjoyable with others.

Overall, our experience was amazing, obviously you go out on the safari drives, twice a day, unfortunately you need to drive out to make the most of your visit because of the height of the lodge, but this gave spectacular views, so we were happy, although this might not suit everyone." See all these reviews: 7n in Zanzibar; 5n in Tanzania

"Ikuka is located at a hilltop in the vast national park of Ruaha. The views are breathtaking and all the staff do really give you the feeling you are more than welcome.

We were very lucky to have the whole camp available for ourselves during our stay of four nights, a private safari experience for free! Thanks to Covid, but actually we didn't understand because going to Tanzania and filling in the forms, complying to a PCR-test and all the rest turned out to be very easy! So go now before the rest of the world finds out...

Anyway, life in the camp and the safari drives turned out to be more than excellent. We were very very lucky to be the first in almost a year to spot a whole pack of around 30 wild dogs! Including very young ones. It is estimated that only 2500 wild dogs may still exist in the world so everybody was really excited about this. But also the leopard we saw from close distance lying in the tree and the many other big and small animals we will not easy forget!" See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"The camp accommodations are absolutely luxurious and the food was excellent. We enjoyed our guide very much and the service and hostess were wonderful.

The only downside to this camp is its location. Although in some ways the location is fantastic (sunrise over the plains from an elevated position), you are on a high escarpment. It's a long 20-minute drive just to get off the escarpment and into the game area - and that 20 minute drive is repeated 4 times a day." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"What can we say about Ikuka?

It was one of the best experiences in our life. Ikuka was better than any dream.

The staff was friendly and helpful. Our guide, Festo, was the best guide that we could ever had. The food at the camp is better than a lot of five starts hotel restaurants.

Everything is perfect at Ikuka. I can remeber any hotel/lodge in the world with a service as good as at Ikuka.

Congratulations to Mark, Jack and Lilly." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"Ikuka is an excellent camp in a great location – the views are wonderful. When we visited in early November, there had been very little rain – a big (and good) contrast from the Selous where we had come from. Ruaha was hot and dry, but thankfully with few mosquitoes and Tsetse flies. Our request for a room away from the central area was granted with room 6 – the 200m walk was our only exercise during our 4 nights at Ikuka, and was very welcome. Festo, our guide for the 4 days, is truly exceptional. His knowledge of animals, birds, flora and insects is first class, and he is a funny guy so it made for a great few days. Thanks to Festo and his attention to detail – for example positioning the jeep in just the right place to view/photograph animals and birds in the best light. We saw our first ever Leopard, Ostrich and Serval Cat. Elephant and Giraffe were especially plentiful, and we had a number of Lion sightings – all of them up close.

The Camp is beautiful very well appointed – not that we spent much time there other than to eat and sleep! Dinner was a communal affair which we really enjoyed and the food was excellent.

Ikuka really go the extra mile to ensure you have a great stay. On our departure day the zip on my travel bag broke. Jake kindly organised for a the camp tailor to fit a new zip. Thanks both! Also, since our flight was not until 1pm, we were able to go on the morning game drive, and were met at noon by Luca and taken to the air strip via a few animal sightings, complete with a packed lunch for the flight.

Many thanks to Mark, Jake, Lillie and all the wonderful staff at Ikuka – we had a fantastic time. Anyone planning a trip to Ruaha would do well to put Ikuka at the top of their list.

Our only suggestion would be to put WIFI in the rooms – perhaps at the expense of the current WIFI in the communal area only…… just to encourage conversation over working on phones/computers in the communal areas." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"We spent four nights at Ikuka. This is a well organised and run camp and maybe a bit more formal than others we have been to.

All staff were helpful and friendly and I was well looked after when I had to spend a day in bed with a tummy upset.

Our 'room' was the family lodge and was awesome. Huge, open and beautifully furnished and with a plunge pool, it felt very indulgent. The food was of a very high standard. Lunch at separate tables with a communal table in the evenings was a good formula.

We were unfortunate to experience some problems with the vehicle we were in. Three out our first four drives were spoiled by these problems. We took it in good heart on our first breakdown where we had to wait one and a half hours for help to arrive and get it fixed however by the third time we were a bit fed up with it. The manager did apologise and we were given a bottle of bubbly but it did detract from our overall experience of the camp. Perhaps this contributed to our slight disappointment in our wildlife viewing. While we are happy to soak in the landscape and were very interested in the many birds we saw we seemed to be unlucky with few sightings, although we did have a lovely viewing of a leopard in a tree, a large herd of buffalo and many sightings of elephant. The highlight of our drives was at Hippo Lake a beautiful area and well worth the journey.

Although I was aware at the time of booking that Ikuka was a twenty minute drive from the main wildlife area I had not fully appreciated that this adds up to eighty minutes per day. So although the views from camp are amazing they come at a cost. The last part of the drive to camp is particularly steep and bumpy.

Overall we were happy with Ikuka but I would probably book a camp nearer to the main wildlife area if I was returning to Ruaha." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania; 6n in Zanzibar

"A beautiful intimate owner-run camp situated on an escarpment with wonderful views across the plains of Ruaha.
The rooms/tents are high quality, with expansive tented sleeping area (beds are vast and super comfortable) and open seating area. We had our our private plunge pool (no. 6) but it was a little cold so preferred the communal pool.
The food is immaculate - imaginative, fresh, light, delicious flavours and well presented (apparently the menu was re-vamped in July 2019). Dinners are communal and it was nice to swap stories of each days' events with fellow guests.
The game drives were superb and generous (5-6 hours in the morning and another 2.5-3 hours in the evening). The guides are very enthusiastic and knowledgeable. We were lucky to see lions on all 7 of our drives and leopard twice plus plenty of elephants, giraffes, cape buffalo, zebra, kudu, impala, ostrich, and the occasional waterbuck and jackal..
The service from all the staff (esp. Jake, Lilli, Davis) is completely on-point and there is nothing we could fault.
We highly recommend this camp and game park with its stunning landscape and which is more or less devoid of tourists. We hardly saw any other vehicles on all our drives. The only downside are the tetse flies (the ones here are not sleeping sickness carriers) but they do give quite a nip (even biting through clothing!)." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"The location of the camp afforded fantastic views of the valley, however, it was 45 minutes from the airstrip. More importantly, each drive required a 30 minute journey through sparsely populated areas before any sightings could be expected. This extended the already long safari time, especially on the morning drive.

It should be made clear to travellers that they can expect to share game drives with one or even two other couples as the norm with no consideration of shared interests or stage of their stay. We had a bad experience in this regard but when queried with the manager, he was quick to resolve it. Furthermore, there was a huge difference in the two guides we experienced, though both were very knowledgeable, one was very passive, almost disinterested, whereas the other was passionate and engaging." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Fabulous location on top of an escarpment with stunning, far-reaching views from both communal and private spaces. Great, open design means the regular breeze keeps spaces cool. Accommodation was very spacious and comfortable and of a high standard. I would have liked part of the bathroom (sinks and toilet) to be included in the tented area to avoid the constant zipping and unzipping at night when getting ready for bed, but that’s splitting hairs!

Service was great, the staff are very friendly and open, and encouraged to chat and banter with guests which we found charming. As well as the manager Jake, and the owner Mark when he’s on site, The guides took turns to join the communal dinner which was a nice touch, and made for entertaining evenings.

The food was wonderful, fresh and innovative at every meal. Lunch comprised of a chilled soup, a buffet style main with lots of salads, and a light dessert, whilst dinner was a starter, main (which I found a little on the large side) and dessert. Everything was beautifully presented and very tasty. Ikuka also offered us a glass of juice retuning from our morning drive, and an Amarula returning from the afternoon drive...a lovely touch!

Activities were excellent, our guide Festo was brilliant, very friendly, open and extremely knowledgeable. Ruaha has such a variety of landscapes and terrains that there’s always something new to see, and we had excellent game sightings. We also did a walking safari with Mustapha, covering about 7km so we felt we’d had some exercise as well as learning a lot about the flora and fauna (and poop!) of our surroundings. And a fab bush breakfast to finish." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania