Travel reviews by Mr W from Essex

"Not much to say about this hotel. It does what it says on the tin.

It’s a large international business standard hotel ideal for an overnight stay in Dar. This was my post flight hotel to give me a little time to recover from the overnight flight from the UK before a 6 hour drive to Kilwa.

The room was clean and comfortable. I spent a little time in the terrace bar, had a nice meal and read my book before crashing for the rest of the day.

Breakfast was a buffet with a large selection of foods on offer."

"A lovely simple lodge on the edge of the sea in Kilwa. The manager Betty was delightful and the food, seafood is just about the only option, was amazing. I have never eaten Tuna so fresh.

The PADI dive centre is no longer here but the snorkelling on the house reef opposite the lodge is rewarding. I used the lodge as a base to explore the ruins at Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara on two consecutive days. The lodge will contact the local guide for you who will organise the paperwork and transport for you as well as guide you around the ruins.

There are a few comfortable beds and chairs on the beach to while away a few hours in the sun and a terrace bar where you can watch the locals enjoy the surf after work in the evenings."

"A really lovely intimate no frills safari camp, the sort of place that appeals to me. There’s plenty of game roaming through the camp. With elephants and giraffes wandering across the front of the main lodge in the afternoon and hippos and hyenas roaming around my tent at night.

The game viewing here was really rewarding despite the warnings of not being able to see much in the green season, it’s really pretty and the bird life is amazing. My guide, Ali, was top class and really knew how to read the bush. We found a clan of 20+ hyenas squabbling over the remains of a young giraffe they had killed one morning. We also found a leopard with two young cubs, they were given away by a barking baboon pointing to an apparent abandoned kill hidden in the scrub one evening. The leopards did no show until the morning when we returned. We also had Wild Dogs, Lions and a Leopard in one day!

Food was excellent with the evening meals taken on a large table in an open area at the front of the lodge. We were often joined by a pair of Genets. I took breakfast in the bush everyday which was wonderful.

The only slightly negative experience was the boat trip on Lake Manze. There were 5 of us in the boat with me taking a back seat which was a little uncomfortable and claustrophobic with a limited view. I’m sure the trip would be wonderful if you had front row seats."

"The purpose of my trip was to return to Sand Rivers after 20 years. It was where my late wife and I honeymooned and planned to return on our 20th wedding anniversary. It’s a lovely camp in a wonderful location. The room was wonderful.

The camp was just at the end of the season and preparing to close. There was only one other couple there when I arrived and I even had the whole camp to myself for one night when they left and before another guest came in.

My guide was Johnny by sheer chance. It was the same Johnny who also guided my wife and I in Katavi back in 2018.

Days mostly consisted of long early morning game drives with breakfast in the bush and late afternoon drives with a sundowner in search of elusive predators. The area is very remote and you won’t really bump into any other vehicles unless they are from the same camp. The scenery is spectacular at this time of the year (my previous visit was in October 2003 when it was parched dry).

I did a morning river cruise which broke the monotony of banging around in a vehicle and gave a fresh view of the wilderness I was in. With plenty of crocodiles, hippos and birds to see. You can no longer travel as far up the river as the rapids as there is now a big dam with a hydroelectric generation plant currently being installed.

A night drive also gave a new slant on what was becoming familiar territory after 5 days. We finally caught up with the small local pack of wild dogs that Johnny had seen on the way to meeting me on my transfer day. First time I have seen dogs on a night drive, unfortunately they were gone in the morning. Possibly due to the lions calling in the night.

Food was of the high standard you would expect from a lodge of Sand River’s standing. With plenty of wine to accompany. Staff were very attentive and are always looking for ways to improve in the already excellent service.

The room was immaculate with a large comfortable bed and an open view of the river. I had bats visit me every morning to clean up the insects while I was having a wash."

"Again not much to say about this hotel. I had a day room for 12 hours while I waited for my flight.

The Slipway is in a nice complex if you have a few hours to kill in Dar and don’t want to go too far. The room was clean and comfortable with a decent bathroom.

I spent a couple of hours at the Waterfront restaurant watching the world go by and thoroughly enjoyed a Stonetown Fish Curry."

"This camp is beautifully located on the banks of the river and spread through a wooded area. The tents are really comfortable, well equipped and cool during the daytime. The staff were wonderful and friendly and the food was excellent.

The rains came the morning we arrived which meant the game was now going to be a little sparse. We didn't see too many elephants, except a few bulls but there was still game about which meant there was still going to be predators about too. We were not disappointed with a wild dog hunt and kill on our first full day right on the river in front of the camp (we were woken from our siesta by impala running past the tent in hot pursuit by a wild dog). The dogs remained in the area for a couple of days and we enjoyed a few encounters. Lions weren't really playing ball and we had to drive into Moremi to find a couple of big males that had been spotted one afternoon. We had a couple of good leopard sightings, plus plenty of visits to the communal hyena den to see the cubs. There was good bird life on the river brought in by the insects and reptiles the rains bring out and the Hippos were really entertaining to watch from the comfort of our tent.

The shared vehicle was a bit busy with 7 guest in it during a few drives, this did mean agreeing to do what other people wanted to do which got a little tedious at times with safari newcomers who didn't understand what the rains do to plains game wanting to find Zebra and Giraffe when there were wild dogs in the area but we had to go with the flow. I would consider booking a private vehicle if I ever return."

"Our return visit after 6 years and boy hasn't she transformed into something else from the dark stilted tents of Little Kwara to the palatial bright cabins of the new Kwara Camp. The camp now covers the area that both of the original camps used to, the lounge, bar and dining areas are huge. The camp has an excellent policy of restricting vehicles to 4 people per game drives. As we were staying for 6 nights we shared with a mix of other guests or had the vehicle to ourselves, our first drive was with an incredibly toxic couple but fortunately they were gone the next day.

We loved the pairing of both tracker and guide at both Kwando Lagoon and Little Kwara when we travelled to Botswana in 2013 which was one of the many reasons why we chose to return to Kwara again. We were with head guide Dave and tracker J.D. (Justice) whose knowledge, patience and dedication rustled up some magnificent and unique sightings for us. We had magnificent cheetah sightings both with the Kwara regular male 'Special' and an interloper. We were also patient enough to wait for Special to take down a reedbuck on our last day. The camp was flexible enough to hold lunch for us until we returned to camp .

A 24 strong pack of wild dogs came through camp and killed a young kudu on the edge of camp, it was all over in 20 minutes. There was plenty of lion activity, we went out on a late drive one evening and witnessed two outside males make a bid for a large pride of females and cubs. The pride fled, we followed and the concession was filled with roars for hours to come. We also had regular encounters with a large male leopard that was cool as a cucumber with vehicles."

"We saw an awful lot during our three nights stay including incredible herds of elephants and giraffe. We did a night safari during a thunder storm and saw wild cat and Genets with their quarry.

Views from the breakfast/sundown deck were incredible and totally recommend an afternoon bush walk where we saw herds of elephants coming down to the river to drink.

We were lucky to have a wonderful guide who was genuinely passionate about wildlife and worked hard to ensure that we saw the best the area had to offer."

"Numerous cheetah sightings, lions and a leopard with cubs was the icing on the cake.

We were lucky enough for the migration to pass through and saw cheetahs attempting to hunt on several occasions. Our guide was excellent and went out of his way to make sure we found what we were looking for."

"This camp is wonderful, intimate and homely. The rooms are comfortable, the food is lovely, and the hosting friendly and jovial. We were there primarily to see the incredible wild dog, and we were given a fantastic guide who worked incredibly hard and pulled out all the stops to ensure that we not only saw lots of dogs but we actually "hung out" with them.

We arrived at camp in the afternoon and within an hour or so we were on our first game drive. About an hour later we were lying on our front on the ground surrounded by a beautiful pack which included 11 puppies. We spent six nights at this camp and our viewings of, and interactions with, painted dogs were utterly sublime. We love this place and we simply cannot wait until we return.

My husband had already stayed at this camp on a photographic trip in 2015, and he was just as thrilled by his second visit there."

"This was our first visit to the Mara and we were a little apprehensive because of everything we'd heard about the Mara being ridiculously busy and overcrowded. It was a little overrun with vehicles whenever there was a sighting but there was a sense of good nature about it. If you have any reservations about the Mara then don't. It is unbelievably beautiful and the big cat sightings were terrific.

The camp is very comfortable and wonderfully positioned. The food is gorgeous and the hosting very friendly.

We were blessed with a wonderful guide, Dan, who was so entertaining, made us laugh and can not only work out which grazer a cheetah is going to go for but can also work out where this is going to take place! An extraordinary place, highly recommended."

"This was our second camp in the Mara as we wanted to experience the Mara in a conservancy. And, yes, it does make a difference, incredible wildlife viewings but without the "crowds". This is part of the Asilia group and offers all the luxuries and impeccable food, hosting and service one would expect.

The location of this camp deserves special mention, our "tent" was located in front of wide open savannah - what more can one say about such a place? We loved it and although we don't usually revisit any location (unless it's to see wild dogs, of course) we may pay this gorgeous camp another visit in the future. Oh, and the big cat sightings were simply breathtaking. AND we saw two Honey Badgers being hotly pursued by a lioness on a game rich plain.

Perfection."

"We wanted to spend one night in Nairobi before flying home in order to squeeze a visit to the David Sheldrick Sanctuary to visit our foster elephant.

If you need an "overnighter" in Nairobi, then the Emakoko is the place to stay. It is comfortable, friendly, well organised and the food is delicious. Don't research anywhere else!"

"Perfectly adequate place to rest your head after a long flight and before you head off into the bush.

Comfortable room, water was hot, excellent buffet breakfast and a nice fish and chip supper (although maybe a little overpriced)."

"Really comfortable “tents” that overlooked the camp’s own waterhole which was huge, but alas no animal activity around it at all. Had some great drives around the NP and the camp’s own concession. The resident denning Jackal with cubs was a real treat.

Evening sun downers were spent around some of the local pans watching elephants come and go. I don’t think we will ever forget the 100+ elephants that gathered around Masuma dam on our final evening.

Food was excellent, especially evening meals around the long table, where lively conversations ensued.

The guiding was first class. Our guide, George, was really enthusiastic and took us on a walk to take a look at a leopard kill that had been taken over by very noisy hyenas. We watched the hyenas from beyond some rocks until a lioness boldly came barging into the scene and it was time to retreat back to the vehicle. A very up close and personal encounter which was very exciting.

Night drives were extremely productive with serval and honey badger sightings on more than one occasion.

There was a lovely atmosphere to this camp, everyone was very friendly and helpful, i.e. we experienced a problem with a couple who were birders, we mentioned it to our guide and the problem was rectified immediately and without any bad feelings.

We really enjoyed our stay here."

"Our favourite lodge of this trip with very comfortable accommodation with a view across the camp's pan. The camp is a long way from the river and a long day's adventure away, if you are staying on the river later on in your trip then we recommend not to leave Kanaga, simply sit in one of their comfortable chairs, enjoy the warm hospitality and wonder at the array of wildlife that comes to the waterhole. Perfect. We had a really excellent guide, Reggie.

We were very disappointed in not seeing any painted dogs, the Kanga pack were suspected to be denning in the neighbouring hunting zone and had not been seen for weeks. We did however have the privilege of meeting Greg Rasmusenn, the painted dog research man himself. Actually we bumped into him no less than five times during our stay in Mana Pools!"

"On arrival our first impressions were a little negative. The accommodation although dated and minimal in appearance, was very comfortable. This is an intimate family run camp where the owner/guides are passionate about what they do best, which is guiding.

Alistair our guide had been guiding for years and was very knowledgeable about the bush. He worked hard to find us game and new close encounter experiences with elephants, lions and, what we went to Mana for, Painted Dogs.

The Vundu pack had left their den only a few days before our arrival so our hopes of seeing them at the den were shattered. They had just gone nomadic and had not been seen for a few days. Alistair tried desperately for our first two days to find them but to no avail. Then on our third morning, up before dawn and onto the flood plain for first light, we found them purely by accident while we were approaching a bull elephant on foot. Possibly one of the best dog encounters we have ever had, running after a pack of wild dogs while our guide followed us in the vehicle from the nearby road.

Another evening we went walking looking for three lionesses but had no luck until we accidentally walked into the scrub area where they were sleeping. The lionesses woke up and gave out an almighty growl stopping us in our tracks. Although clearly annoyed at our presence, these nice ladies said no more about it and sent us on our way. An incredible life experience."

"An excellent start to our safari. The lodge was in a wonderful setting, friendly staff and good food. But the real highlight was the quality of the tracking and guiding.

The standard of guiding and tracking was exceptional. Within an hour of being in the bush we were amidst a pride of six lions. During our four day stay we also had two wonderful and lengthy wild dog pack encounters and tracked a leopard for over an hour. We also experienced a fantastic hyena pack devouring half a kudu."

"This was our favourite camp. The right side of luxurious without being over the top. The view from our tent was utterly breathtaking. The management team, especially Lizzie and Dave, were very friendly and welcoming. The food was of a phenomenally high standard, as was the guiding. Koop, our guide, worked very hard and helped us to experience some terrific wildlife viewing.

For example, on our final morning we watched dogs with pups, hyenas fighting over a carcass, three buffalo crossing the spillway, a leopard eating a buffalo calf and also found a leopard up a tree.

A delightful experience."

"Our stay at Little Kwara was perhaps a little coloured by the fact that wild life viewing during our time there was not particularly good. Nothing to do with the guiding, just that the animals were not at home.

The camp was intimate, the tents perhaps a little worn but still comfortable, but the management was maybe a little more "laid back" than the other camps we visited.

We did see a number of lions and a leopard and lots and lots of giraffes - no wild dogs alas."

"Absolutely fantastic location, and the guiding was excellent. We were given a family room, which was well over the top for our needs. Hosting, management and food was as expected for a camp of this high standing.

The eco system was quite different to the other camps we visited, much more lush and water based. Again, we had fantastic wildlife experiences: four leopards (including a mother and her cub), a pride of eight lions, two lone wild dogs which we tracked through mopane for some time and large herds of elephants.

We particularly enjoyed dinner in the bush, which was arranged as a surprise and it certainly was.

Unfortunately a premier camp like this attracts some rather garish and ignorant people who insisted on talking throughout what should have been wonderful wildlife experiences; i.e. talking loudly whilst lions were drinking at a waterhole. This should have been a lovely experience."