Selous Ngalawa Camp
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB & TANAPA
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $190 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IL
Email Amir Eshel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing, gorgeous and unique.
This company is beyond amazing !!
We traveled for 17 days in Tanzania .
We were 6 people- 4 adults and 2 young adults (19,17)
We built our trip plan with the help of the company’s manager Donates, and he helped us building the perfect plan according to our requests.
The trip went exactly as planned!
Got to see the most incredible things with the help of Julius our amazing guide driver who was so nice so professional and willing to answer any type of questions any time. He made sure our trip is extraordinarily and everything is going the way we wish.
The accommodations that the company placed us at were a perfect fit, and we were really satisfied by that.
Moreover the food at the lodges restaurants was good.
I enjoyed our safari trip so much and we were just happy to got to do it via this GREAT company.
I recommend this company for all of you guys because we were so pleased
DE
Email Nadine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice tour with a need of improvement
We booked a five day tour in Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park with this operator.
Before departure, communication was easy and quick with the office in Dar Es Salaam.
Upon request I was told that we have a private room and bathroom in a cabin/large tent, power and WiFi in all the camps. Also I was told that we could store our suitcases in the operator’s office while being on the safari and that we would be able to catch the last ferry to Zanzibar (4pm) on the return day.
However, none of these expectations were fulfilled.
Luckily, we could store our luggage at the hotel and I decided to book a flight to Zanzibar in the evening of return day instead of taking the ferry, which we never would have made in time.
As to the other promises: when we finally got to the first camp in Selous the first day after driving for 6 hours, our expectations were not fulfilled at all. Our cabin was rundown, there was no water in the sink and very little (and only cold) water in the shower. Power kept failing and of course there was no WiFi, which is fine but could have been told us in advance instead of lying to us. Provided food was eatable but not great (both nights for dinner we had rice with a little bit of vegetables and sauce).
In the afternoon of the first day we had a boat safari (as stated in the itinerary) which was quite disappointing because we merely saw a few hippos from great distance somewhere in the water.
The full day Game Drive the next day, however, was great!
Our driver Michael did a great job showing us lots of animals like giraffes, zebras, elephants, hippos, wildebeest, impalas and lions. This day as well as the full day tour in Mikumi Nationalpark two days later were a really great adventure for all of us.
What‘s really disappointing is the fact that three out of five days are spent in the car driving from one spot to another. So besides the 6 hours on day 1 we had to drive 10 hours from Selous to Mikumi on day 3 and then again 7 hours on the last day to get back to Dar Es Salaam. Surely, the operator cannot be blamed for bad road conditions, but it would be nice to know in advance how much time is really spent in the car.
Last but not least: the Bastian Camp in Mikumi is a great place, I would definitely stay there again! Even though we only got a tent with a shared bathroom on the camp site (instead of the promised private bathroom) this place was much nicer and cleaner than the camp before. For dinner there was a small buffet with soup, various main dishes and desert and for breakfast you could choose among various options.
It was mostly for this place and our great driver Michael that I decided to rate three stars for the tour.
DK
Email Families Boerresen and Pedersen | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our tour for 25 days around Tanzania was the result of very good cooperation during almost one year!
Communication between very differently thinking people can be difficult, but also very giving - hopefully to both parties? "Dating" this way about new travelling experiences is like a lottery, and this time we won!
The cooperation and playing "ping pong" in the planning phase with Selous Ngalawa Camp fully lived up to our expectations - and more! We really feel that we got "value for money", and in addition to that we had the pleasure of meeting very kind and helpful people from the company and their cooperating partners!
We will never be afraid of trying this way of planning and travelling again, and the days in Tanzania gave us SO many exciting and new impres-sions and experiences that it fully covers for the tiny points of "dissatisfaction" (which we have long forgotten!!) We will remember this tour for the rest of our lives ......
CZ
Email Veronika | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Communicative, responding quickly, flexible
We really enjoyed safari with Ngalawa. It has also been very first experience for my partner, so he enjoyed even more. The company picked us up in front of the hotel where we stayed on agreed time. We travelled only in 2, so we had the whole car for ourselves which was really good when it comes to game viewing. The option we have selected was the combination of boat trip, walking safari and game drive which was perfect for person who never been to safari before. Service in the camp was amazing, all the time meals and snacks ready, rooms were clean. Our driver Leonard was trying his best to show us around and get us to best places to spot animals.
So if you want to enjoy safari in the reasonable distance from the capital, combine few options to experience, I would really recommend this one.
US
Email Geoffrey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We enjoyed our safari a lot - a diverse experience of both Mikumi NP and Udzungwa Mountains NP
Overall, we were quite pleased with the safari. We were worried that we might not see many animals in the southern parks, but we saw everything we had hoped to - lions, giraffes, zebras, cape buffalo, and more. In the mountains, we even spotted an endemic monkey, which was pretty cool (the waterfalls were also incredible to see).
One drawback to this tour (Mikum, Udzungwa Mountains, & the Kilombero River) is that there was a LOT of driving. It was interesting to see an authentic taste of rural Tanzania, but the organization of the trip meant that all of our last day was spent on the road. The first lodge we stayed at was really lovely; the second was not so great (the same was true for the food). The canoeing portion of the trip was a bit disappointing because it was so short. However, none of these things detracted very much from a very enjoyable experience. Our guide Roman was very friendly and very helpful and the customer service before and after the trip was excellent. If you're looking for a good tour of the southern circuit, this is a great choice.
Excellent Safari experience of our lifetime
I was in a 10 Days tour in Tanzania with my friend Kate Huber. Mr Donatus organized excellently every tip for us . We had a 5 Days tour to Mount Kilimanjaro through Marangu Route. This was our dream and we really enjoyed to the maximum. The Guide,the Cook and Laggage Helpers were very very friendly. Mount Kilimanjaro is beautiful through this Company. Our safari to Mikumi and Boat trip in Selous were amazingly a dream comes true. Lastly we had a short beach Experience in Zansibar. "What a Paradise on earth!". We thank very much this Company and all the workers and we really recommend people to travel with them because you will never regret.
Irene & Kate
Deutschland
US
Email anonymous | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari Experience on a Budget!
For the price that my group paid, this was a great way to experience a safari in a decent amount of time. Our tour experience was 2 days 1 night and we saw everything we wanted to see within that time frame. This tour exceeded my expectations with the amount of quality service that was provided for us during our time. My group booked the tour 3 days before we actually went and the company organized everything efficiently, which was nice especially since it was short notice. Highly recommend!
DE
Email Johnson & Irene | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Selous Ngalawa Camp; Fantastic Safari experience of our life
Our Safari Guide Leonard was extremely increadible. Full of knowlege,with an eagle eye for spotting animals, including all the four of the Big Five that they have in Mikumi N.P.The Park is gorgeous andstaying in the Lodge just in the Centre od everything was amazing. We woke up to the three Elephants hanging out about 5 feet away from our room and could hear the lions roaring at night. They set up a fire pitfor us and we had a great time talking to some of the Staff. It was a really a FIVE STAR safari. In a very special case, we congratulate Mr. Donatus for organizing this for us.We will not hesistate to recommend Ngalawa Safari Camp to ourfriends and anyone interested with safari ni Mikumi Park in Tanzania.
ES
Email Una experiencia maravillosa | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything is excellent
We did a 2-day safari in Mikumi Park. Our driver was Rajab and he was a delight. He tried in every way to make sure we saw as many animals as possible and the ones we liked the most. He definitely exceeded our expectations. He was also lovely to us.
The hotel we stayed in next to the park was great and the staff was wonderful.
All the staff at the safari were very attentive to us, picking us up and taking us to all the places in the car so we could enjoy the safari in the best way.
I would definitely do it again and I recommend it 100%.
(automatic translation from Spanish)
Amazing
We stayed 3 days, the houses are wonderful, in the morning you wake up with monkeys right outside the house. The organization of the days was excellent, the food from breakfast to dinner is really good.
We really thank everyone, thanks to all the staff, thanks to our guide Apollo.
You are perfect!