Travel reviews by Miss RK from USA

"Staff is very courteous, food was good and a good place to stay for one night"

"The service at Kuro was excellent and the Manager Morrell gave us great personal attention. All the staff was outstanding and I would recommend this to anyone.

The highlight for us was the walking safari which we were surrounded by elephants, honey badgers, zebras and yes lions.

Also, the bucket showers worked well and if you ran out of water too soon, they were happy to bring more. I was also quite surprised how perfect the water temperature was. The room also came with shampoo, toiletries and wash powder and had a usb charger. It would have helpful to know this ahead of time as we wasted luggage space bringing it. We were told they did not have it but this was at no fault to Kuro.

The general notes of "what to pack" for Tanzania from Expert Africa is general across all the camps so be sure to ask your agent to verify with a direct email to the camp. I believe there was also internet but we did not use it so I am not sure the speed."

"We stayed at beautiful camps in both Tarangerie (Kuro) and the North Serengeti (Mkombe Hourse) so Gibbs Farm felt more resort like without as much personal attention.

The grounds are beautiful and the food is 90% homegrown with safe drinkable water so this is a major ease of mind. The rooms are very large but good use some attention. Food is very fresh and very good. It is about an hours from the crater but wasn't an issue since we left at 5:45am and beat the crowds.

If you don't want to deal with a windy roads down to the crater, there are nice camps closer but at a higher price."

"The house was very luxurious and the rooms were very large without losing the feel of being at a camp as the rooms faced the Serengeti and were screened.

Service and attention was impeccable and being 4 girls amongst 6 male staff, we felt very comfortable. The head of the house Babu(which means grandfather) took good care of us as if we were his family. If you are going for complete solitude, you should mention it ahead of time because the service is so good, you often see the staff.

They had shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and wash soap in the rooms but you will need a US adaptor for charging. The internet was slow but sufficient. There is also a very good gift shop at the neighboring Lamai so you will need your guide to drive you"

"Vumbura Plains North is an excellent camp.

There are two Vumbura's North and South and the North side has a more modern main area and is a bit larger and certainly my preference. Vumbura's landscape is very enjoyable. If this is your first safari, the terrain can be quite different from area to area. Vumbura had a great open plains feel while also having other areas that look completely different which gives a great diversity of plant & bird life. We saw all the Big 5 except the Rhino which is no longer in this area, hippos, a few small crocs, zebras, giraffes, wildebeest's, mongoose, impala, kudus, red leche, etc and an outstanding assortment of Bird life.

One of the highlights of the trip was tracking a mother and 2 of its lion cubs. After an exciting, search, there they were and we followed them for over an hour as they were on the move right in the open in search of food. Animals were abundant and all different varieties. Another highlight of the trip were the elephants. There were many babies some of which were just born and in the two days we were in the camp, the elephants kept us company including during our candlelight dinners. Sometimes the mother wasn't happy that we were so close to her baby, but she soon realized we were not a threat and went along her business. This area is much greener than the Linyanti area in the time of year that I traveled (first week in Oct) and the safari drives are not as bumpy as some of the other camps.

We also had an opportunity to do a Mokoro. Although there is really no animal presence during this canoe ride, it is a great way to relax from the bumpy drives. My brother also went on a fishing boat do some small recreational fishing but more like relaxing. Because Vumbura is a premier camp, the drives were only the 3 of us on the trip and we were able to have private dinners as well. All of the staff were outstanding , the rooms were very large with a plunge pool and had everything from a hairdryer, all the incidentals such as shampoo, conditioner, bug spray and a fully stocked fridge which was not found in my Classic camp. October was hot but dry and the advantage was the evenings were not cold and there were hardly any bugs. Our guide was excellent and one thing to make note of is to tell your guide everything you are interested in seeing and he will do his best to find the animals for you.

One thing I wish I was a little more prepared on was the ammenities. I brought a few too many extra things and was quite surprised how the rooms all had shampoo, conditioner, bug spray and even outlets to charge your camera equipment. If you are traveling in the hot months, I highly recommend bringing rehydration salts and or a powdered gatorade. I have never had problems with heat before but because I was taking Malaria pills, I was dehydrated for one of the days (malaria pills tend to dehydrate you faster). Luckily I had a rehydration salt and made a quick recovery. Gatorade or Powerades were not available. One other small thing to make note of is that it is customary for all the staff to shake your hand. Certainly not a bad thing but If you are a germaphobe, just carry a small bottle of purell with you at all times. Also, what is great is that all the staff will know your name. Rooms were very large and the decor was beautiful.

This camp exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it."

"We visited Duma Tua the first week in October 2012 shortly after they re-opened in their new location. The camp is a classic camp but in my opinion should be a Premier camp for their decor alone. I was amazed at how well decorated the tents were.

If you are from the US, the decor is very Restoration Hardware and the rooms are gorgeous. Amazingly, I did not see one bug in our room the entire time. The Linyanti area was extremely hot and dry during our stay and supposedly were having a bit of a heat wave as one of the days reach 44C. This area this time of year is very dry so you may not see much greenery. The camp is located right on the water (surprisingly hardly any mosquitoes) and at night, we would constantly hear the hippos and the elephants swimming across the water. Noises that I will miss forever and that I found quite comforting.

We saw all the Big 5 except the Rhino as the do not have any in this area. Many hippos, giraffes, hyenas, wild dogs, many african eagles and owls, impalas, kudus, baboons, vultures, ostrichs, etc. A couple of the highlights were watching the elephants swim across the chanel. It was done so elegantly with their snorkels out of the water. Another highlight was taking their pontoon boat and watching a mother elephant tyring to teach her baby how to swim across the channel. The baby was so naughty that he was going in the opposite direction but quite a sight to see as the mother would swim half way and have to come back because her baby was not following.

Another highlight was watching the wild dogs chase a rabbit. The entire scene was so fast that it was like a cartoon. Wild dogs were also chasing the impalas. The impalas won. Another major highlight was tracking a leopard and watch it stalk an injured impala. The other impalas sent out a warning and the leopard lost its element of surprise. Another highlight was seeing a hippo graze while out of the water which I guess is not very common. Because there is more water in this area, the animals were easier to spot by the water. We did also see a couple of shy male lions but they were new to the area so were in hiding most of the time. Overall, it was a great area. We spent 3 nights at this camp but I feel that 2 would have been sufficient. Two nights per camp is enough as you will have plenty of drives and it is great to see other areas.

Our Guide was very good and the service was excellent. I would highly recommend this camp"

"We visited this area the 2nd week in October 2012. Rooms were very spacious with a pleasant beachy decor and every room overlooked the water. It is whale season this time of year and we were literally watching the whales from our room. We were in rooms 7 & 8 (on the 2nd level) which had great views. The weather was both rainy and sunny but never really warm enough to use their nice pool. Great restaurants in walking distance of the hotel.

At night, take a tuk tuck (taxi/moped combo) to the restaurant even though they are within walking distance as the area becomes desolate. While we were in Hermanus, we did the shark cage diving which is a must. Marine Dynamics is one of the most reputable companies and even though the water was very choppy, their vessell minimized the movement and their entire staff some of which are Marine biologists are very knowlegable. Sit back and enjoy the clifftops views and the whales just swimming along and if you are lucky, you will see one breach. Check out the cute shops along the way."