Travel reviews by The VD family from London

"Very short stay as we arrived after midnight to depart the next day at 06am.

The drive from the airport is more than 30 mins away with plenty of road works and shame there isn't anything closer like in Nairobi.

Hotel lobby is beautiful, rooms are your typical international hotel rooms and the bathroom was a bit dated. Good wifi. Overall good as clean and quiet.

The check-in was a bit of a nightmare as so bureaucratic and slow with plenty of paper work to do before getting your room keys."

"Jabali Private House is fabulous and it was an unforgettable experience. It is located just next to Jabali Ridge giving us a private feeling while being very close to the main camp which is also incredible with a unique setting. The house is extremely luxurious, spacious and well decorated. We travelled as a family so it was great to spend time together in the large living room with its stunning views while also being able to retreat in the large comfortable rooms.

The house comes with its own staff like a butler, chef etc. The food was amazing and they really spoilt us. They catered without any issues for my gluten and diary free dietary requirements. The selection of wines was great and all top notch. Patrick, the chef, always with a smile and preparing delicious food, Alex the maestro of the house was always at hand while being discreet and making sure all was good. Special thanks to Josina and Pascal, the camp leaders, and it was so great to see that both camp leaders are Tanzanians. We won’t forget the amazing breakfast in the dry river as the celebration the staff organised for our daughter’s graduation.

We really enjoyed Ruaha National Park and the location of Jabali Ridge. It was still the dry season with plenty of sunshine so it was a great contrast as afterwards we travelled to Nyerere where it was all green (and more wet). Great landscapes with the hills as a background. This is not the Maasai Mara or Serengeti so we had to look a bit more for the animals but very rewarding when we found them. The guides are exceptional and they did everything for us to make sure we saw what we wanted to see. First time we saw wild dogs (pack of 25) so Jabali will always be a special place for us, plenty of lions and even on two occasions a leopard.

What makes this place truly special are the people like with all Asilia camps and that is why we love Asilia so much. By the time you leave, it is like leaving a family behind. You also feel that by traveling with them you make a positive impact. This is now the second time we stayed at their lodges (previously in Kenya) and every time it is unforgettable experience."

"Large and incredible room with stunning views. Very friendly staff. Location is amazing with stunning pool.
(we stayed at the Private House so see comments there)"

"Roho ya Selous, an Asilia camp, so we knew what to expect and like always overall fabulous experience with friendly staff making it so special. Again great to have the camp leader Wilfred being Tanzanian with a lot of insight.

After Ruaha where it was dry season, Nyerere was a nice contrast being the rainy season where everything was green with plenty of cubs and pups around that time. The safari started already as soon as we were picked up at the airport.

The rooms are traditional tents which we loved and just hoping Asilia will keep a balance between their camps of traditional tents and rooms. The tents had a stunning view on a river, very comfortable and besides the indoor bathroom there was also an outside shower. We had the elephants one night just in front of our room with the next night hippos.

Nyerere is beautiful. Just a shame that on the main road leading to the different camps there are so many plastic bottles. This road leads to where a dam is being built and plastic are thrown away I assume by the builders. We would have expected the safari guides from different compagnies picking up those bottles like the guides are doing in Kenya but that wasn’t the case here. Someone has to start somewhere and to see this plastic against this stunning nature was a bit of a spoiler.

Luckily once we left the main road, it is stunning nature without any plastic. Nyerere has the advantage that you can do water safaris and this was a real treat by Asilia to see the hippos & crocs in the water from a different angle."

"Butiama Lodge has a lot of character and charm, it also felt very intimate. We came to Mafia Island for the whale sharks and the location couldn’t have been better as all the boats are leaving from the beach opposite the Lodge. We hesitated for our stay between the lodges located in Chole Bay like Pole Pole and Kinasi Lodge but so glad Expert Africa recommended us Butiama Lodge as I cannot see what could have been better and Butiama is definitely better value.

The rooms are nice and comfortable, it felt so safe that we didn’t even bother locking up our room when we left. No insects in our rooms whatsoever though as it was rainy season there were quite a lot of flies during the day on the beach. The beach is beautiful and just next to the Marine Park.

The food was really good and no issues to cater for my gluten free diet. Unfortunately choice of and the wines were not that great (though cheap) and I would have gladly paid more for better quality wines.

For the whale sharks we used Afro Whale Shark Safari which is literally next to Butiama Lodge. I am sure that the whale shark safari through Butiama is also nice but we choose Afro as they are the first to leave in the morning (around 07:30) so more time without any other boats and they are owned and run by locals. Sabrina their guide is amazing and we saw 9 whale sharks on that day. For the diving we used Big Blu Dive Centre, owned by Butiama, and it was really good. Besides the whale sharks we went to see the flying foxes (giant fruit bats) in the mangroove with a kayak (at our disposal by the Lodge). This was not to be missed and amazing, we felt like in a Attenborough documentary.

Special thanks to William, the manager, and all the staff who were doing all they can for us to have a great stay and sort any issues out like our cancelled return flights"

"Excellent location as the hotel is only 5 mins by car from the airport and greatly appreciated as our flight arrived late in the evening.

Technically still on the airport perimeter so the hotel felt also very safe.

Rooms are modern and clean. Dinner was good though pricey and breakfast was excellent."

"This was our second time to the Laikipia region for us. We like this region with its beautiful landscapes which are completely different from the Maasai Mara.

A safari in Laikipia is more hard work to spot animals but it feels more authentic and rewarding when you spot them. It was particularly on our list this time as we hoped to see the wild dogs. Unfortunately we missed them as they were quite far while we were there but we knew in advance there wasn't a guarantee to see them.

Our guides were top notch and making every effort to make sure we could see as much as possible. Especially if you like birds Laikipia and LWC should be on your list. The manager Steve is also making every effort to make sure you have a good time, again with activities different than in the Mara like walking safaris, night drives, swimming in the river, dinner in the bush,...

The tents are comfortable and clean with a nice view. Good hot water for showering and good internet from the dedicated internet tent."

"The camp manager Lewis picked us up at the airstrip and this was a real treat as he is extremely knowledgeable and as we saw already so many animals while driving us to the camp.

The location of the camp is great along the river with a fabulous view from the dining deck. Tents are also amazing along the river. Our tent was next to the hippo pod which was fabulous (shame though about the fencing), very spacious and comfortable.

As I am gluten free and diary free I was a little bit worried but it was great how they catered and took care of me, the food was delicious and the desserts were amazing.

Our guide Francis was great, extremely friendly and managed to make us see a lot without having crowds around us. Very knowledgeable and a bird specialist as well."

"Naboisho Camp was for us the best of the best.

It started with a very warm welcome from everyone when we arrived. The staff is extremely friendly, professional, helpful and warm. The setting is amazing with incredible views. The tents are very spacious and very comfortable. The food delicious and well catered for a difficult traveler like me who is gluten and diary free.

Our driver/guide Evalyn is an incredible person and very refreshing to see a female guide. She really made every drive exceptional and made sure we were always in the best spot at the right time. Her bird knowledge was also exceptional. We saw so many things we never seen before from the jackals killing an impala, lions having a kill,... abundant wildlife in Naboisho!

We cannot wait to go back to this little paradise!"