Where do I start to try and summarise our wonderful trip to Ikuka. My wife and I recently stayed at this wonderful camp. We chose Ikuka because of the excellent reviews we read and the thought of staying in a camp with such wonderful views was appealing . Both the reviews and the views where exactly as discribed, Ikuka is an absolutely stunning camp with the most amazing views.
We stayed in the family room and, WOW WOW WOW , that I think explains it all. We couldn't believe how wonderful it was! We even had our own resident chameleon, which we called Keith. Waking up and returning to such a breathtaking room was a joy in itself but when you add the absolute wonderful staff, then you really do have the perfect combination.
The staff where all exceptional in making sure we had everything we wanted and making sure our trip was everything we had wished for. They achieved this and more. Special thanks go out to Tommy and Chevvy, the most perfect hosts in every way. From seeing us off every morning to greeting us back each evening after our drive with cool towels and drinks. From the moment we arrived they made us feel so welcome, like we were family. All the staff as I said where excellent, you can see that their priority is customer satisfaction but it's not intrusive, it's not over the top, it's just perfect, all so welcoming happy and polite. You really do feel at home and it makes leaving so very hard.
Another special thank you goes out to our guide and driver Idris, he was perfect in every way, his passion for his job and for all the wonderful animals shone through. He made every moment on our drives very exciting and very special. The lovely sundowners each day and we can't forget our first wild dog chase, we got the call a pack had been spotted, we was off, the chase was on, up and down back and forth, then, there they were a huge pack, it was so exciting. We felt so privileged to not only see the dogs but to be in the hands of such a great guide. Also special shout out to all the other staff that made our stay so wonderful! From sief and Davies to Freddy who made sure we was accompanied back to our accommodation each night safely and Luca who we got to know on our last day. . The camp is truly breathtaking but the staff make it even more wonderful.
The food was excellent and my wife who is vegetarian was very well catered for. You could sit together as a group for meals in the evening or sit by yourselves, again a choice that made you feel completely comfortable. As we had such an amazing room we choose in between drives to have lunch in our room looking out at the amazing views then we would join the other guests in the evening to talk about what we had all experienced that day, and it was nice to get to know the other guest's, we met such lovely people and really enjoyed all our time together. We celebrated my wife's Birthday on our lady evening and all the staff made it such a special day for her, we had our own private table for dinner and a special birthday cake was brought out by the staff at the end whilst singing to her. Amazing.
Tommy and Chevvy, thank you both so much for making our first visit to Ruaha Tanzania such a truly wonderful experience. Please thank everyone at Ikuka from us.. From the absolute amazing Drives each day to the wonderful experience back at the camp. You all make Ikuka such a wonderful happy amazing experience. We really do hope to see you all again soon.
Asante Sana.
Nick & Kym.