Reviews of Mwagusi Safari Camp

"Although not as luxurious as Beho Beho, Mwagusi Camp somehow felt more authentic - probably because we were right on a river bed and in a tent (albeit a very sophisticated one!). The drives were excellent and we were privileged to meet a female Cheetah and a young Leopard. The nightly camp fire before supper was an inspiration. As John and I were 'peopled' out, we asked if we could eat together. No-one seemed to mind and we became known as the 'honeymooners'!

Food was excellent - a combination of African and Asian - as was the management team and guides.

Our tent (think they all did) overlooked the river bed and we spent many a happy hour watching animals and birds finding water beneath the sand.

Would have appreciated a better stocked library." See all these reviews: 9n in Tanzania

"Fantastic would recommend to anyone" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 5n in Zanzibar

"Our second visit to this laid back but efficient camp. We weren't disappointed. Met at the airstrip by Geofrey - who was our guide 7 years ago and guided us again. We were met at camp by Yvonne the camp manager, who immediately made us feel like family (and she didnt know it was a second visit for us). All the staff were exceptional and worked hard to maintain the feeling of relaxed efficiency. The who team were helpful, kind and couldn't do enough for us.

Food at Mwagusi if fantastic. Breakfasts for us were all in the bush and were very yummy, particularly the cinnamon bread. Lunches buffet style - a meat dish, veggie dish and various salads. Different each day and always good. Dinners - taken in and around the camp. Drinks around the fire and then starter, buffet style dinner served from pots sitting in hot embers from the fire. Every dinner we had was excellent. Puddings finished off the evening. The bush dinners are a feature at Mwagusi and can not fail to please.

Wild life in Ruaha is very relaxed as the animals have absolutely no fear of humans. This means you can get very close to them to spend time watching their behaviour. We had an amazing encounter with a young leopard who used our truck as cover whilst staking out his prey! To make the trip even more memorable we also spotted a cheetah. How luck we were in the number of animals spotted - too many to mention.

What a wonderful camp in a great location this is!" See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"Where to start? An amazing 4 day stay for the 4 of us (including children aged 7 and 11). The game drives were incredible, 5 separate Lion prides (cubs playing, adults on a giraffe kill, mating, fighting, roaring and of course sleeping), 2 leopards, a cheetah and numerous other unbelieveable experiences.

Our 2 boys were spending 7+ hours a day on game drives, but always came back looking forward to the next experience.

The staff were very good, making us feel incredibly special. Our 7 year old was taken on his own lizard hunt, our guide Jeme started a game drive an hour earlier than planned as a Cheetah had been spotted and the catering team were incredibly flexible dealing with our various dietary requirements.

I was unsure about group dinners, but they were each great experience with stunning locations and very amiable hosts in Yvonne and Simon.

We had one night without water in our Banda, but what can you do when an elephant decides to pull apart the plumbing!

We would love to go back again." See all these reviews: 7n in Tanzania

"Definitely a star find! As a dry season camp, it is in a fantastic location beside the empty river. There are small waterholes for elephant, baboons, mongoose and guinea fowl to name a few. Elsewhere, there were concentrations of game near water but there was also plenty out in the drier bush. As well as a great variety of birds, we saw Lions, Cheetah, Leopard, Giraffe, Hippos, Buffalo and elephants galore.

Evening dinners were undoubtedly a highlight though; lamplit long tables in the dry river bed accompanied by the call of an African Scops Owl every six seconds! As you rightly say in your brochure, Chris Fox is passionate about Africa and Ruaha in particular and, together with his equally-knowledgeable sidekick Simon, stirred up some truly thought-provoking discussions every night. We really didn't want to leave." See all these reviews: 15n in Tanzania; 1n in Kenya

"Mwagusi camp is perfect, the bandas (tents) are beautifully designed and fit perfectly in the natural surroundings. The staff goes out of their way to make your stay as pleasant as possible.

The communal dining in the riverbed gives you a real bush experience. The safari industry in Ruaha has been set up by the Fox family and you can see that Chris knows exactly how things should be done. The gameviewing is spectacular, especially if you are interested in elephants and lions." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania

"We loved Mwagusi. The accommodations were a little more rugged than we expected. The light level at night was very low, and it was a pain to have go up to the office to recharge things, but those are minor issues that are outweighed by the whole experience.

The location of the bandas on the river was outstanding. We had terrific wildlife sightings from our veranda, including an elephant who came to visit our first evening (six words I never thought I'd hear myself say: "There's an elephant at the door"). The food was incredible, and the evening dinners on the river were so beautiful. But the game drives were the best of all.

The amount of game and its proximity to the vehicles was breathtaking, and far better than in the Selous. The animals never stopped appearing. There were so many, and they were so close -- I just couldn't believe it. To have a lion come and lie down in the shade of your truck is heart stopping. Justin was a fantastic guide. We liked having the same guide everyday. He knew what we had already seen, and we all got to know each other, which was very nice. The staff was great too. They addressed our concerns immediately, and were all friendly and warm.

We would go back to Mwagusi again." See all these reviews: 11n in Tanzania

"This was a return visit to this wonderful camp. It has grown, somewhat , since our previous visit which made it a little less intimate but it remains a great place.

The bandas are spacious with good en suite facilities with hot water on demand - heated by solar panels which also provide the power for lighting each banda. The Bandas are well spaced out and each one has a very comfortable open area ( enclosed by a low wall ) for sitting to watch the passing wildlife - some of which passes very close by - we had an elephant put it's trunk over the low wall - what an amazing experience!

The food is delicious with lunch in the main communal area and dinner sometimes eaten under the stars. Breakfast can be eaten in camp but we chose to take ours on the game drive.

There was a little confusion amongst a number of the guest, including ourselves, about drinks. On our last visit drink was included but this time we had to sign for every drink whilst some of the other guests were 'all inclusive'. We had been advised by you that drink was extra and this was not a problem but the two tier system did seem a bit divisive and could have been explained better by the staff. A number of guests were, initially, reluctant to take water on game drives as they thought that it was extra!!

The diverse habitats in Ruaha provide wonderful opportunists for game spotting. Our guide, Geoffrey, aided and abetted by driver Khalifan, was quite amazing pointing out animals we could so easily have missed. How he spotted the Serval we will never know - it was so well camouflaged in the long grass - it is difficult to spot even on the photograph! Thank you to both for wonderful guiding and manoeuvring so that we could get some great photos.

Although we knew he was unlikely to be at the camp we were a little disappointed not to see Chris Fox - his passion is so infectious and although the management team were good they did not have that enthusiasm or drive" See all these reviews: 17n in Tanzania

"Wonderful location and great game, the guides were excellent and we saw far more than we had anticipated." See all these reviews: 8n in Tanzania; 7n in Zanzibar

"We loved the setting of Mwagusi Camp on the banks of the sand river. The accommodation was comfortable and the relaxing area at the front of the banda with squashy chairs and hammock was a perfect spot for relaxing in the heat of the day. The food was delicious.

Our guide Justin and driver Vincent were superb and could not do enough for us, anxious to know what we wanted to see and trying to tailor our drives to that. They were great company over our 4 nights at the camp.

We would have liked the guides to join us for dinner instead of just the management. There may be a reason for this here but at all the other camps we have stayed at on safari it makes the camp have a family feel.

A wonderful experience." See all these reviews: 10n in Tanzania