For October which would you choose? Which camp/lodge?
We would be coming from the crater, NCL.

Thanks

This may well be the next destination for my sixth safari, so i have been reading a lot in the last 2 years.

This is my opinion according to what I have read so far:

If the most important is the quality of wildlife viewing and the best guides ,then you should go to Mwagusi in Ruaha and Sand Rivers in Selous.Accomadation is good but looks like this two camps need a refurbish.


If luxury of accommodation is very important then you should go to Jongomero in Ruaha and Selous Safari Camp in Selous.Wildlife viewing should be good but maybe not at the level of the other two.

October is the perfect time for Ruaha and Selous,looks like a fantastic trip.

Good luck and write a report when you come back.

Paco.

Paco's comments are spot on. In late January 2006, I visited both Ruaha and Selous staying at Mwagusi and Sand Rivers.

As far as game viewing is concerned, Ruaha was superb and better than Selous where it was depressingly dry because the anticipated rains had not arrived. The guides at both places were excellent, but again, I'd have to give a few extra points to the guys at Ruaha where we followed a pack of wild dogs that were hunting. Our vehicle raced along with the pack and we witnessed the kill. It was without a doubt one of the most thrilling and exhilarating events of all my many game drives over the years.

As far as lodges are concerned, I liked Sand Rivers better than Mwagusi. The setting along the river was beautiful, the food and meal service better, the rooms a little more luxurious, and the management more personable. Also, at Mwagusi, we used a shared vehicle though most of the time with only four people in it, but at Sand Rivers we always had our own vehicle or boat and game viewing was very personalized.

So, in summary, I would say that Ruaha was a better game viewing experience in spite of the shared vehicle. The negatives at Selous were the lack of game due to the drought and the oppressive heat.

Because Selous is high on my radar for 2008 I will put in my 2c from reading everything I can get my hands on...re: Sand Rivers - I received an email from John at Sand Rivers saying the camp had just gone through a major refurbishment - therefore the prices have gone up over 200 US a night. I believe there is a thread on this forum concerning that; or perhaps it was on trip advisor...BUT also talking to several operators, most say mid June is nice there as is August. Oct. will be hot.
May want to email Sand Rivers if you want to get the latest info. Also I have checked the air from crater to Selous and it is not cheap...if you've come up with a reasonable airfare please share! Thanks D.

Thanks for all your help. I will keep you posted esp. about the air.

Yes, Sand Rivers has recently completed or will shortly complete refurbishments. Maybe I'm low maintenance but I actually didn't feel that it needed refurbishing during my Dec 2006 stay. John also confirmed that they do make every effort for guests to have private activities though this is not guaranteed. We didn't have to share and didn't see anyone else sharing during our stay. I believe the 2008 high season rate will be $720pppn. Go this year!

I think it's $300pp each way on Coastal from Arusha to Selous (a bit more from Manyara). If you haven't purchased your intl air tickets yet and you can arrange an open jaw return out of DAR, the flight from Selous to DAR is half that price and only takes 45 mins or so. Other than that, I don't think there's any way to get around the cost of the flights.