Guest reviews Ruaha River Lodge

by Denis-Hatton Belcastel, France

Out of Africa

After my seventh Safari in Kenya and Tanzania, there are still some places that are amazing, and Ruaha River Lodge is among them. Not too far from the airstrip (good to know if you take a plane), located in the middle of the park, you get up and go to bed with lots of images in your eyes, and a desire not to leave this wonderful and peaceful place. The staff is very professional, and is able to enjoy your stay even if it's rainy. It reminded me my first Safari in the 60's, when a safari was not like a ride in a zoo.

by lise2101 Oslo, Norway

Great place for safari

Living just in the heart of the wildlife makes you have all the oppertunities to see the wild animals right outside your door. Great large stone houses close to the Ruaha river. Nice to sit on the terrace and watch hippoes nearby. Large cabins with large bathrooms. But very hard and uncomfertably beds.... Very good food, and nice lunchboxes as well. Helpful and nice staff. Love to come back sometime.

by Catherine G Salisbury, United Kingdom

Ruaha a beautiful National Park but a camp with deficiencies

Location excellent with Hippo TV at all hours (including an exclusive soundtrack! )with Bandas stretched out along the river bank. Distances between some are substantial as its quite a big camp. The dining staff and guides were willing and provided fair service. Other camp staff appeared in their own clothes, sometimes very grubby, at odds with what I've come to expect from other camps. The food was fine. I had expected drinks inclusive but it seemingly changed since booking (admittedly a long time ago) - Bottled water was there for tooth brushing and in the safari vehicles, every other drop had to be bought. No drinks for a minor ( a lot of children in the camp to) at tea time. Herb tea offered when queried! No large bottles of water available just small another frustration. Ruaha is very humid so water was in much demand. The camp is looking very tired. The Bandas needed a good clean and many parts were grubby: floors, light switches, baskets in bathroom, etc. Concrete floors had not been mopped/ properly cleaned in a while as constant grit came off them. There is a fair bit of mud around so keeping things clean cant be easy. Electricity is in short supply with the generator only on for limited periods rendering the bandas dim, making recharging cameras difficult. A Recharging point and power banks in the central part of the lodge were insufficient for demand. Overall impression was one of stinginess. It is a budget camp but needs some TLC and thought on some basics!

by kholton52 Chester, United Kingdom

Amazing

Exactly what we were hoping for - sitting on the terrace overlooking the river watching hippos, elephants, impala etc . The drives were top quality with the driver and guide so knowledgeable. Top marks to the chef for such quality food in such a location!

by klgdvm North Carolina

Incredible views!

We visited Ruaha Park during the second half of our Tanzanian Safari, after 10 days on the northern circuit. We spent 3 nights here toward the end of August. We drove in with our own guide and land cruiser, so I cannot comment on the lodge’s guides or vehicles. But we loved the lodge! Nicely appointed spacious stone chalets with wonderful viewing decks looking out over the Ruaha River with its resident hippos. Gorgeous views! In addition to the resident hippos, we were able to watch elephants, impala, baboons, storks, herons and more from our veranda. The beds were comfortable, and I loved listening to the hippos and other animals at night. One of the hippos passed by my window every morning on his way back to the river. The restaurant and lounge areas were comfortable, also overlooking the river. The bar was well stocked. The food was very good- nice selections for breakfast, served at your table. Dinner was buffet style, after the wonderful soups and bread were served. I’m not a buffet fan, but I thoroughly enjoyed these meals. I thought the box lunches were average, with more than enough food. The lodge uses a generator, setting specific times for availability of electricity. No WiFi, but we survived, and we knew that ahead of time. Charging stations are available in the room. Solar energy is used for hot water, so hot showers were best taken late afternoon/early evening. The bathroom was very large, somewhat dark when no electricity, with an interesting shower. Maasai escort you to and from your rooms, so you need to schedule “pick up” times. I really thought walkie talkies would be helpful here to give a little more flexibility. Laundry service is provided. The staff was wonderful-very helpful and friendly. There were occasional communication issues, but the involved staff person was always quick to get assistance if needed. The manager went out of her way to accommodate every request. Ruaha Park itself has the most striking landscapes, lots of baobab trees and is much less crowded than the northern parks. We saw lions, leopards, elephants, giraffes, zebra, impala, greater kudu, yellow baboons, crocodiles, fish eagles, herons, storks and more. This was the first of three Fox camps we had booked, and while we hated to leave, we were looking forward to the next camp- Vuma Hills at Mikumi.