Mdonya: The Lowdown

Extraordinary Africa>Tanzania>Ruaha>Mdonya Old River Camp

Ah-Mdonya. In the great tradition of Ruaha safari camps, this is the sort of place where serious adventures just happen. You might not expect them, you might not ask for them, you might even go hours without seeing a single animal, but still, we’re prepared to bet that something special will happen in the Ruaha.

What’s Mdonya really like?

Mdonya Old River Camp (to give it its official title) is a proper safari camp. If you’re lucky enough to stay here, you’re not coming for gold taps or a butler, instead, it’s for the sort of camp where you might be evicted from your tent because there are eight lions outside. The luxury tents are comfortable (but on the simpler end of the luxury spectrum), and the camp has the sort of bush feel where dinners under the stars are a given rather than an added bonus.

What can I do at Mdonya?

Game drives are the order of the day at Mdonya. Coming on safari to the Ruaha usually marks the sort of traveller that isn’t expecting an orderly parade of the Big Five posing for photos, and so it is here. We had pretty spectacular game viewing when we visited- some of it was right at the waterhole in camp, but a lot of it meant taking a picnic and heading out on a full a day game drive to see what we could track down. You should be prepared for both.

Want to know more? We’ve stayed here, so just