Travel reviews by R family from Berks

"What a wonderful experience we had here - and we stayed longer than most - 6 nights - the guides so knowledgable about the animals - birds - plants - you name it. Everyone was so friendly and helpful. The camp manager Chloe has a great relationship with her staff and the general feeling is of a happy, well run establishment. Nothing was too much trouble and they attended to every detail. Chloe was there to greet each returning jeep or boat or walking party.

We were a family party of 7 with grown up children - we were alloted guides, drivers and waiters for the time we were there which meant we got to know them and they us and helped us understand the country and the people a little more.


One of our party had dietary needs which were discussed and the menu adjusted accordingly. The food was superb and presented beautifully.
Eating breakfast and lunch in the bush is just the best feeling ever!

Every day was exciting and the being able to choose between game drives - boat safari's and bush walks meant that we could enjoy and experience all aspects of the wildlife and the area. It was exilerating being so close to the animals and observing them. Tracking the leopard and finally finding her was just wonderful and then being able to just sit and watch her quietly before any other jeeps arrrived. Waking up each morning to the loud and musical dawn chorus - watching an elephant in the night outside the tent - coming back from dinner to the welcome of the bush baby. It all added to the magic and the fun.

I would strongly recommend the Impala Camp for anyone considering a safari."

"We had decided to keep this part of our trip as a suprise and the staff at the camp went along with this with great pleasure, helping to smuggle toothbrushes out of the others tents!
Arriving at the fly camp by boat meant our first glimpse was seven chairs lined up on the beach in the sunset with a roaring camp fire. Magical!!
We felt safe with the ranger keeping an eye out . Everything about the fly camp was great - from the dinner to sitting under the stars - spotting crocodile eyes with the torch in the lake - lieing listening to the night sounds in the tent - including the roar of the lions on the move - and then next morning walking back to camp through the bush stopping for breakfast on the way.
A truely unforgetable experience especially as we did have a slight incident with a mother elephant on the way back - but we are all here to tell the tale!"

"Fumba is in a quieter part of Zanzibar and although it does not have white beaches it really didnt make any difference. The sea was turquoise and clear and you could walk a long way when the tide was out. The rooms were light and airy with vibrant coloured bedspreads - we were in a suite with an outside shower and bath - it was wonderful . Our only drawback - if you could call it that - was being woken up by the tide each morning - early - that and the bushbaby at night!! But it all added to the wonderful experience.
We were disappointed by the standard of the food - lunch was very good (for which you paid extra) but dinner often disappointed - there was not as much sea food on offer as we had hoped and some of the fish was dry and the lamb tough. The soups however were always good and very different - I really liked the beetroot and ginger! The member of our party with dietary problems was rarely offered an alternative - fortuantley she has a small appetite so a main course sufficed as she rarely could eat the starter or soup - and she had spoken to the chef at the start of the stay so felt she did not want to constantly repeat herself each night.
Having said that the Swahili night was great fun with a buffet and music.
We took a snorkelling trip from the hotel dive centre after discussing the pros and cons of what was on offer from larger trips with the manager Natasha and she was totally honest about all the alternatives. It was the right choice as Lauren was an experienced snorkeller and diver and could idenitfy and inform us about all the sealife on offer - it was a sea safari in the amount we saw. The lunch on the deserted island was delicious and us girls even indulged with some Pimms - complete with ice!
Everything at Fumba is geared to helping you relax. I had a foot massage which was very good although a little rushed.
There are no organised activites ( there is a volley ball court - ) so if that is what you are looking for this place is not for you. But for peace and quiet and relaxation it is wonderful. There are plenty of trips on offer with different companies and Natasha will give you lots of advice and help.

We did have one or two gripes - firstly on the Friday the hotel seemed to have run out of most breakfast items -(and I mean no supplies rather than not enough cooked) including butter and was obviously low on milk as the pancakes were made with water. No explaination was offered which is always a mistake I feel.
The other is that they charged the same price for the local gin as they did imported gin - at Selous Impala Camp there was a marked difference!! Drinks were certainly not cheap and on the subject of drinks - the drinks bill for the whole day is presented to you for signing at night - with seven of us it was often difficult to keep track and despite asking several times to have bills at lunch and at sundowners it didnt happen.
However they are minor gripes.
I would also make a suggestion to maybe supply some bath salts for the huge outside bath in the baobao treee - which takes a lot of filling and several bottles of shower gel to achieve some bubbles!! It would be a nice touch.


Natasha is a good manager who will sort out any problems or help in anyway she can and is so approachable and friendly.

All in all Fumba is a beautiful hotel in paradise."

"The end of our holiday - but what an end - the rooms were fantastic - all different - we were lucky enough to be upgraded to a suite at the top of the house with views over Stone Town rooftops to the sea. Fretwork screens - a big victorian bathtub in the middle of the floor - massive bathroom with walk in shower - huge floor cushions to relax on. Such an interesting and delilghtful hotel. Our hosts were friendly and helpful with lots of advice of where and how to shop.
A 5.00am wake up call was preceded by the call to prayer from the nearby mosque.
It was atmospheric and welcoming."