Travel reviews by Dr M & Mrs C from UK

"There are plenty of comments on how stunning the setting is for this camp; we can only echo them (although some tents have slightly more panoramic views over the river than others). Gazing at and listening to hippos is a magical experience. The location makes this an immediate reward - from the giraffe, hippo and elephant on the camp through to the activities on the river. A particular highlight must be sitting in our boat at sunset watching a herd of a dozen elephants swimming across the river.

The guides are excellent and knowledgeable, and the opportunity for a walking safari adds to he range of experiences you get here.
Service is very attentive- in fact over solicitous at times, but that would be nit-picking.

The food was of a much higher quality than we had expected from the brochures - Mohammed is a wizard with soups and you certainly eat well. Evenings a bit quiet and not a great deal of contact with other guests, but we were able to share our adventures - such as catching catfish and tiger fish despite never having been fishing at all in the Uk.

Please note the camp does not accept travellers cheques, so ignore the suggestion that this is a safe and convenient way to pay."

"We travelled here after time in Selous, so welcomed the contrast. The camp is more basic, but with the variety of the landscape and the richness of the wildlife you don't spend much time at a loss for things to do - and there is nothing to beat passing the time watching impala , buffalo and elephant wandering through the camp watching you watching them.

Food is good, with some real swahili cooking, and communal eating under the star lit skies and warmed by a flickering bonfire adds to the taste. The staff really make an effort, planning seating arrangements and making sure everyone gets a fair share of the Old Africa stories. Nick must have incredible patience to tell his fascinating story to each successive wave of guests.

Ruha as a park is less immediate in its rewards than Selous, but there is greater variety in the landscape, and some great horizons. Lions galore and although we didn't see cheetahs the hunt was interesting throughout. Special mention to the honey-badger and the genet as unexpected sights. Giovanni and Rowland made sure we saw as mush as possible.

Be prepared for the unexpected - our teenage children were forced out of their tent by an invasion of Safari Ants marching through - we saw they were capable of devouring a multi-coloured frog as well as taking numerous bites of human flesh. As Nicole pointed out we were happy to sit a matter of feet from lions but had to run from the tiny animals.

Only draw back is a slightly long drive before you get to the main game areas meaning all day drives are necessary.
Again no travellers cheques - cash only."

"If you can draw in your mind an imaginary tropical beach with fine white sand, warm water, an offshore reef and shallow blue and turquoise water in which you can wade fro miles at low tide then you can imagine Pongwe. With a seascape like this you don't notice the shore very much - but we were provided with comfort and attention throughout our stay. I am a bit worried that i have never been able to do so little for so long before, but the relaxation gets into the bones.

Some nice touches, the kimonos and wraps add a bit of pampering and set the tone for your stay, and the Zanzibar beds with sheets turned back and mosquito nets set up whilst you are dining add a touch of the exotic.. Food was excellent and well presented at all times. Eating on the beach is a further magical experience.

Didn't really get to see much of Zanzibar from here, although we had an enthusiastic response when we wandered through the local village - take supplies of pens if you really want to do this and you will be rewarded with the greatest smiles.

Snorkelling was interesting but not spectacular; lots of zebra fish and a small turtle being the highlights. As there is not much else to do in the area one or two more activities organised at the resort would have been nice and broken up the indulgence but if you are after an all action stay you probably wouldn't choose this resort."

"A good comfortable and well placed hotel. Location is the key; step out onto the main shopping street in the Old Town or take a turn down a side street and into the winding side streets and haggling opportunities.

The hotel has a relaxing pool in which to cool off at the end of the day. You'll get plenty of exercise getting in and out of the Zanzibar beds, and the Turkish style baths add to a greatly eccentric experience. Fine for the couple of night stay we had to experience Stone town and close to everything we wanted to do there.

Also close enough to the airport to get there in plenty of time - in fact too early given a very relaxed attitude to checking in!"