we stayed at this amazing camp in november 2010 for 3 nights before moving on to zanzibar for a week on the beach. we couldn't speak highly enough of the camp, the location and all the staff. we were met by kiki, one of the game guides at the airstrip, who proceded to take us the long way home- a good thing- and gave us our first experience of the amazing game in the selous. the camp itself is outside of the park boundary and over the other side of the river but don't let that put you off when booking. it means you get a trip past the hippos and crocs every time you go to and from the camp!
the camp itself was everything you'd expect and lovely. we went at the end of the short rains- a fantastic time to go by the way as the park is relatively quiet and all the animals have babies to see- and were the only people in the camp for the majority of our stay. as a result we were put in the 'honeymoon' tent which was great. the food was of a limited choice- understandable given the size and location of the camp- but tasty and well prepared. the highlight of the camp for us was the evening meal. each night, unbeknownst to us, our table was set up in a different part of the camp and lit with candles and latterns. it was an amzing experience to sit and eat dinner overlooking a moonlit river with the hippos honking in the background!
the game drives on land and river were excellent- kiki and rashid the guides were very knowledgable and the fact that the selous is still much less populated than the northern serengeti meant that we often saw only one or two other vehicles all day and there was no standing in long queues of 4x4's waiting for our photo opportunity. we also had a morning walking safari- definitely recommended and there were plans to develop overnight bush camping safaris on the same side of the river as the camp.
all in all the holiday to tanzania and zanzibar was truly unforgettable and the selous wilderness camp is definitely worth a visit- thanks guys!

just back after 3 days at selous wilderness camp in the beautiful Selous Nat'l Park. it was all amazing and surprising in so many ways. I had been on safari before in SA and Botswana but this beat them hands down. The only niggle was arriving at a landing strip that wasn't actually at Selous. The warm welcome from Rashid made up for the 1 hour drive to the camp through the park and a bit of extra animal spotting. there is a landing strip in selous but in typical africa fashion its not quite finished even though it was promised to be done by jan 1 2011.
the camp is located on an island located on the rufiji river and is the only one there which makes it special and unique. yes you do have to travel down a long bumpy side road to get to the river where you are picked up by the smiling boat staff but who cares when you are in this part of the world.
the welcome by natasha brits and her staff is very wam and welcoming, we were also the only guests that week which was a bonus. the first impression is excellent and natasha has made the place very comfortable and practical. the 23 staff that were there were charming and always arrived with a smile and a "jambo" welcome.
the lodges are excellent and well built using local materials and people and inside the frames sits or hangs the tents. these are no normal tents but are like a canvas hotel room, made in dar es salaam, and work very well. the outside shower and bath are perfect and the solar panel warmed hot water really works. showering outside is a real pleasure but watch out for many an insect or slug. each lodge/tent has a private sitting area overloking the river and its makes a nice touch to be able to sit there and watch the river flowing at the end of your tent.
natasha produces wonderful food every day, nothing beats her pumpkin and cumin soup or her mother's recipe for steamed pudding. make sure you try both. they very kindly set up dinner in a different location every night which was very kind and a nice touch. the mozzies liked that too !
the river and park safaris were excellent and we could determine when and for how long we wanted to go for which was a bonus. having done previous safaris it does get a bit much sitting on a hard land rover bench for 5-6 hours at a time. rashid was a brilliant guide, speaks wonderfully well about the area and its animals and seemed to know the answer to mosts things. he does support arsenal which was the one negative !
we set off on a river safari one morning in their boat and it was a delightful way to spend a morning. the hippos remain my favourite animal but we didnt get too close. what we did get close to was a pair of mating lions the next day on a great safari day out in the national park with rashid. it had rained most of the night and was not the best day to see all the animals but he took us off road and then right before us sat a lion and his lioness. they had no interest in us, so rashid said, as we parked up next to them. i was the closest human and sitting 10 feet from them was a little nerve racking but it was an experience i will never forget. we sat watching each other for 15 minutes and it was a wrench to leave them. we then spent the time seeing elephants, zebra, giraffes galore, wilderbeest, waterhogs,impala .........
so in summary, this place is unique. natasha and her staff do everything they can to make your stay as comfortable and pleasant as possible so try it and enjoy.

From the friendly guide (kiki) picking us up from the airstrip to the excellent food served on the river's edge our experience at the camp was amazing. I am bewildered that anyone could give the camp anything less than an excellent rating. The food was great and the camp set up made us feel as if we were totally isolated but all tents were within easy reach of the main area/bar. The "tents" were in fact enourmous and very cosy and clean thatched cottages. The staff were so friendly and helpful and there is little to find at fault. Our only minor gripe was the cost of the wine which was a little on the painful side but that said there was a very good selection.

There was a choice of boat/walking and jeep safaris and kiki was quite incredible in his abilities to find animals thanks kiki. This was the perfect start to our honeymoon and we would not hesitate to recommend it to others looking for something special.

This place gave us the best, best memories of our time in the Tanzanian bush. We tremendously enjoyed the wonderful tent, our bath in the open air, the amazing meals (at different places in the camp) which Natasha prepared herself (Michelin quality), the full attention of all the staff, great game and boat drives (thanks to guide Kiki) and the romantic sun downers. This is the place to be for an unique experience! Thousand thanks, Natasha!