Lake Manze is a genuinely fantastic yet simple safari camp. It has a prime position on the edge of a beautiful lake and is within shouting distance of pods of bathing hippos.
No electricity in the lodge gives it a rustic edge, yet its comfort and charm give it an old-world gravitas that other camps can’t touch.
The camp is not about five-star luxury, but in terms of safari and value for money, there are none better.
Lake Manze Tented Camp
A short 20-minute drive from the Siwandu airstrip (although we can guarantee you will be asked to take a longer route!), Lake Manze Tented Camp is an authentic, rustic safari camp nestled amongst Doum palm and Terminalia trees.
Its location is perfect; sitting nicely on the edge of Lake Manze with a well-used elephant track meandering alongside the entire camp.
It is an area that boasts fantastic resident games and offers a more authentic safari camp style rather than pushing for every luxury.
The 12 tents are small but very comfortable, with lovely views over the river.
They all have en-suite bathrooms with refreshing, private, outdoor showers. With no electricity in the tents, lanterns will warmly light your tent after a fun-filled day of safari.
For those who have camera batteries that need charging, this can be done at the main lodge.
Less is more is Manze’s motto. The main area is a huge thatched roof spread over a sandy floor.
Sofas and armchairs are scattered around making it a very comfortable setting to sit and have a gin and tonic after a hard day on safari!
At night, the kerosene lanterns come out to give the lodge a warm, adventurous Selous safari feel.
Tanzania safari holidays don’t come much more down to earth than Manze.
Lake Manze – Adventures
Game drives, walking safaris, and boat safaris are all part of Lake Manze’s well-rehearsed repertoire.
They also offer fishing trips for interested guests, with the chefs eagerly awaiting your ‘catch of the day’ to put back on your plate for supper. One of our favorite Selous Safaris to date.
If being out all day is what you want, then all you have to do is ask! The guides at Lake Manze are always happy to go that extra mile for you,
Whether it is an all-day boating trip along the meandering waterways or an all-day trip to the hot springs, a picnic breakfast and lunch will be packed before heading out into the wilderness.
Combining Lake Manze with its sister camp Mdonya Old River Camp in Ruaha is the perfect Southern Tanzania Itinerary if you are looking for an authentic and fantastic value-for-money safari.
Whilst the Selous is green, lush, and vibrant with swollen waterways filled with pods of hippos and basking crocodiles, Ruaha is a very dry and rugged landscape.
The combination of the two makes for brilliant contrasting safari experiences in two of Africa’s most untamed and wild safari destinations.
Whether you visit during the low season (June and November) or the high season (July-October), Manze and Mdonay offer some great deals that are not to be missed.
Make sure you contact one of our Tanzania experts to find out what deal you can make the most of!
After an exciting and eventful week on safari, nothing quite compares to relaxing on the beach and dipping your feet in the ocean.
The Selous is fantastically positioned to allow this. Only a hop, skip and a jump away from Zanzibar, traveling to Zanzibar from the Selous takes only about an hour by internal flight.
For some great value options that are worth combining with Lake Manze, Sunshine Hotel is brilliant value and Pongwe Beach Hotel, although slightly higher in price, is worth it!
So whether you decide to combine Selous with Ruaha or not, Zanzibar is very easily accessible and the perfect way to round off a brilliant trip.
Prices start from $ 615 per person
Leke Manze Selous Photos
