Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs W from Grantham

"Sand Rivers was a busy camp but extremely well run with a wonderful atmosphere.

It was evident that a lot of thought had been given about pairing people up for the safaris. Michelle and Julian were extremely good hosts and were sensitive to the changing dynamics of the group as characters came and went.

We saw wild dogs and, most unusually, a civet cat who stayed still long enough to be photographed.

Would definitely recommend."

"Ikuka was a very well run camp and it was evident that everyone worked as a team, not only to provide guests with a great experience, but because they were colleagues and helped each other out.

The rooms are very comfortable, the food was good and plentiful - in fact, their bush breakfasts were the best I think we have ever had. It wasn't the usual cold fried egg sandwich - it was much more imaginative and changed every day.

In some respects this was a more formal camp in that the staff, including the manager on duty (for us Tanya) was always there to wave you off and greet you back from safari and the staff serving food and drinks were extremely attentive. When we were staying there were some guests who wanted to go for shorter drives and, even though they hadn't booked a private vehicle, every effort was made to accommodate them.

Meal times provided a good opportunity to hear about everyone's day and enjoy each other's company, although it was possible for you to dine privately in your own little group if you wished.

We had some eventful game drives and some quiet ones but were privileged to see roan antelope.

All in all, a luxurious camp, good attention to detail in the rooms, great food and staff eager to ensure you have a good time."

"Kichaka is definitely not for everyone, but boy, did we enjoy every moment. The camp is situated high up and overlooks the river - which I found amazingly peaceful.

The focus here is not on physical luxury and enormous amounts of food - although the tents are more than adequate (beats most of the brick and mortar four wall bed and breakfasts I've stayed in), the bucket showers were nice and warm and we never did 'run dry' during a shower even when washing long hair and we definitely didn't go hungry. In fact, it was rather nice to have simpler food after a week of quite elaborate food.

The jewel in the crown, however, is the time spent bush walking. It was amazing, even in such heat and Moli is a master at making sure you are never in the sun for too long before he stops under some amazing tree and hypnotises you all with fabulous tales - ask about the termites - it should be a TED talk!

Obviously, to cope with the walking you need to be mobile and, especially if you are not very tall like me, able to do a little bit of clambering but the pace is not fast. In addition to animals, Moli finds shade and ensures you drink plenty of water. Top tip - if you get hayfever make sure you have antihistamines if you are visiting when the grasses are tall and pollen around.

The guiding here is on a completely different level and I could not begin to compare it with anything else I've encountered in my previous six trips to Tanzania. If you like being out in the bush, visit this camp."

"This was our second visit to Beho Beho which obviously means we rate it! The camp itself is extremely comfortable but not formal. Set on an escarpment, the bandhas are incredibly spacious and open to the bush. There is also a small swimming pool affording a wonderful view of the world below.

The staff do all they can to ensure you have a good time and, unlike other camps where you are assigned one guide, you go out with all the guides at different times. I really like this system, as you get a different slant as everyone stamps his own personality on his game drives. We saw plenty of game - including wild dogs hunting and had a good day out on Lake Tagalala.

A warm and friendly camp with excellent guiding - thoroughly enjoyable."

"A comfortable, boutique type hotel with a lovely swimming pool and lots of small places to sit and read or watch the sea or simply integrate all the sounds and sights of our safari.

The food was plentiful and what was really good was the system of choosing what you wanted to eat for lunch and dinner at breakfast time as it meant you were not automatically served four courses if you only wanted two. The english of the staff is a bit patchy and I had made the mistake of saying that I would eat fish. At home I stick to a predominantly vegetarian diet but will eat fish if it makes someone's life easier. The staff at pole pole interpreted this as being that I would eat fish for every course, other then dessert, at lunch and dinner each day. When I said I didn't want to eat fish every day and could I see a vegetarian menu they said there wasn't one. I did speak to the customer relations manager to say I didn't think they had understood that I wanted to eat vegetarian food and could he just make sure that the restaurant staff knew, but again this was lost in translation and there was no supper for me the first evening. I stuck to my guns and they gave me some curried vegetables but thereafter I was offered vegetarian food.

Against this, however, they were incredibly helpful and went out and bought flipflops for my husband as he had forgotten to bring his - so I am sure the mix up was a language issue.

There is good diving as it is set in the Marine Park and is a good base if you don't want to be surrounded by too many people."

"Beho Beho is a beautiful Lodge and, more importantly,it is currently managed by a great team in Phil and Trisha. We really did feel like we were part of a happy, settled, well run home and family and there was a real sense that everyone was a valued member of the team.

The Lodge itself is elevated giving spectacular views over the bush. The bandas are enormous, comfortable and very well appointed and good to chill out in during the hot part of the afternoon if you don't fancy a dip in the pool.

The food was excellent and my vegetarian option was always scrumptious and imaginative.

The standard of guiding was exceptional. We would not hesitate to go back here.

One of our bags was left in Nairobi and Trisha kept on the case and then arranged for one of the guides to drive 2 hours (4 hour round trip) to collect the bag from another airstrip in Selous; otherwise we would have waited 5 days, not 2 for the bag to catch up with us. So full marks."

"We had a lovely time at Kilindi. This is one of the places to go if you want some total downtime.

The site is quite spacious so all the rooms are quite secluded so it would, theoretically, be possible to be a hermit here if you so wished. The pool / public areas of the hotel overlook a beach much of which is used as a working fishing bay by the local village and during our walks we watched the progress on a boat being built and one being repaired using all the old fashioned tools and not a nail in sight - all put together with perfect wooden pegs. There is quiet, secluded beach area with beds which is away from the fishing activity if you wanted the beach rather than the pool.

The food was stunning. This is the only place that, as a vegetarian, I have had a vegetarian menu each night with as many choices as the standard menu and the balance of flavours was gorgeous.

The staff are friendly and helpful, nothing is too much trouble. The hotel will arrange excursions for you if you wish, but there is no pressure brought to bear. This is not a place if you want lots of water sport activity, although there are some kayaks, but is the best place we have found so far if you want peace and space. The food, again, was amazing!"

"The development of Onsea House has been a big improvement. Outward our stay was excellent but on our return where we had a day room and lunch there were very few options on the menu and service was very slow."

"We had a wonderful experience here with great service from all the staff who ran the camp and a good guiding.

Overall it surpassed our expectations and it was a great start to our holiday."

"We were privileged to be able spend such a wonderful 4 days here. Apart from the last night we had the Lamai camp to our ourselves. Sacha and his team were great hosts and there was nothing that was too much trouble. Our room (no. 2) had simply stunning views across the plains toward Kenya and you could have sat there taking in the scenery and wildlife all day and not got bored at all. Our guide Gabriel who we had met before at Katavi (another Nomad Camp) was simply great and so knowledgeable. We told him that we had the best experience of our all our trips to Africa in those 4 days.

The food and overall standard of service was simply excellent.

I can't think of any holiday where our 8 days away seemed like 3 weeks! Lamai is a destination that everyone who has a passion for East Africa should go to. It's positioning high above the plains provides a really special location with unrivaled views.

Going 'out of season' had the benefit of few visitors but with great wildlife experiences - only the masses of wildebeest were missing but we saw those in the south in the first 4 days"