Travel reviews by Mrs G from HitherGreen

"We had a fantastic time at Lake Manze Adventure Camp from the moment we touched down on the local airstrip. On our drive to the camp we saw so much wildlife we didn't think there would be much left to see over the rest of our trip! The camp itself was great with tasty food and staff who would do everything they could to make the stay a special one. The tents are spaced well apart with great views of the lake - watching the elephants walking past first thing in the morning was a pretty special sight to wake up to.

We particularly enjoyed the boat safari and couldn't fault the enthusiasm of our guide on our game drives or the experience of our driver. There were a couple of occasions where we felt there were too many cars in one place (albeit nothing like what we have been told is the case in the Northern parks) but overall the ability to drive for 1-2 hours without seeing any other vehicles was pretty special."

"When staying in the Selous Game Reserve we were told that the Ruaha was possibly an even more memorable safari experience but we were pretty skeptical... until we arrived. Mdonya Old River Camp is well run by an interesting, attentive couple Rebecca and Andrea. The camp itself is very similar to Lake Manze Camp in the Selous and has similarly varied wildlife roaming through it. The food at Mdonya Old River Camp was delicious with particularly creative vegetarian options.

The safari experience in Ruaha was fantastic. We were lucky to see a pair of mating leopards, a large buffalo heard as it emerged out of the bushes to drink in the river, large numbers of elephants and much more.

We particularly liked the ecofriendly ethos of Mdonya Old River Camp (and Lake Manze) but would hope that in the near future they would move away from the use of kerosene lamps in favour of more sustainable, renewable energy sources."

"The treehouses at Chole Mjini are pretty magical and kept us dry even in a torrential storm!

We loved the experience of staying in the treehouses and Chole Mjini has clearly been lovingly built and looked after by Jean and Ann. The staff were friendly and the food tasty. We liked that locals from Chole Island appeared to make up the majority of the workforce.

We enjoyed a couple of very good snorkelling trips during our stay but were unsuccessful in our bid to swim with the whale sharks.

If we were to come up with any particular criticisms of Chole Mjini it would just be that the toilets were a little too dark and the showers were powered by kerosene which does not particularly fit with the eco nature of the resort.

Overall however, it was a very relaxing, rustic but beautiful lodge that we would definitely recommend to others."

"Having been off grid for the rest of our honeymoon we had mixed emotions about moving onto Pole Pole for the last part of our trip but Pole Pole has a good balance between rustic charm and modern convenience. The staff were attentive and professional and made every effort to make our stay a memorable one.

The food was to a very high standard and we were treated to a private meal as we were on our honeymoon as well as very relaxing massages in the spa.

A number of activities were included in our stay here including a very good snorkeling trip with a knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide. The resort is very small so it was easy to find a spot to relax by ourselves to enjoy the tropical island breeze.

We would definitely recommend Pole Pole to those who want to escape modern life but still expect some creature comforts."