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The Retreat Selous has been built into pristine land, untouched for centuries far away from anybody else. A mystical and historical spot with an all-suite tented lodge with only twelve units, where the journey to experience the power of the African nature and undisturbed behavior of wildlife roaming freely around you is getting a new dimension. Seek adventure, rejuvenate the soul, re-define the balance of life in taking a breath from the hectic world.
We spent 4 nights in a river suite. Very friendly staff, great decoration of the room and a personal butler taking care of you. The retreat is perfectly located at the great Ruhua river and you have all the animals just in front of your location. Hippos, Elepants just passing by, it was just a dream. Excellent guide that took us on safari with the 4 wheel drive, just the 2 of us, we never came across any other vehicles during the 4 days. Walking safari was a nice experience that ended with breakfast in the bush. Sundowner was nicely set at the Hippo point and the spa treatment in our suite was just perfect. We can only highly recommend to spend some days at the retreat in Selous. No to compare with the mass tourism in other parts of Tanzania.
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Date of stay: October 2018Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Take a river suite
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much to the Retreat. We have had the most amazing experience. The people are so kind and gracious and the location is truly so extraordinary. Beautiful rooms, beautiful view. A genuine paradise and a real game to find the animals and we saw the big 5 and plenty others. Uma, the owner, has also been wonderful to help us planning our honeymoon and discover Tanzania. Asantesana. Karibu
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Date of stay: September 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
we spent three fabulous nights at the Retreat. I was a bit scared when I booked since a couple of reviews were not so positive but I must say I do not know what these poeple are complaining about. The service is excellent, the food, the staff, the tents, the spa, everything. People that complain for the " lack of animals" should have read some information on the reserve first. Of course there are less animals than in Serengeti BUT there are also less tourist and you can enjoy exploring the bush with your guide without crossing any human. A lodge same level as the Retreat in Serengeti or Ngorongoro would cost you the double. Someone complained that there is no safari done at the appropriate time, well we had our safary very early in the morning and late afternoon. Before leaving for the morning safari they would bring us coffee and muffins at 6 am and then we started at 630, coming back around 1030-11 for breakfast. The food was really excellent. One night we had an aperitif and dinner on a sandbank on the river, only us the hyppos and the stars it was AMAZING!!!!…
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Date of stay: July 2017
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This property feels like it was the location for the famous movie "out of Africa". The décor and attention to detail in the rooms is very impressive. The location overlooking the river with abundant hippo's is very special. The public area used to be an old WW1 German fort. the staff are really friendly and the game experience memorable. This is real Africa and the setting is worth an Oscar nomination
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Date of stay: July 2017
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Rooms on the waters edge are recommended
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in a River Suite for 4 days in February 2017. The villa was beautiful, very clean and offers a lot of privacy. The location at the river was stunning. The food was excellent, all the staff members were extremely friendly and attentive and we were pampered by everybody. Especially Cesiar, our wonderful driver/gide, made our stay a perfect and memorable safari experience.
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Date of stay: February 2017
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We spent 3 fantastic days at the Retreat and had a wonderful time there. Having visited more than a Dozenten of Lodge in various NP in Tanzania, we ca truly say that the Retreat is just outstanding for its Level of Bungalows, its breathtaking location and unique architecture. Our very spacious bungalow was just near the river, allowing to watch the many animals ( dozens of Hippos, Kudus and Impalas grazing, plenty of Bilds) direkt from the private balcony and to listen them already when awakening. Food is excellent and served in a varity of placer; unforgettable the diner out in the Bush, sitting on a campfire and hearing the game nearby. Last but not least the game drive are just awesome: very skilled and passionated guides, exzellent open Land Rovers and due to isolate location very intimate sights of the animals. Unforgettable the almost one hour we spent watching a lioness playing with her 4 cubs from a few meters distance, no other car anywhere.. just unforgettable. Corina back from the game drives or boat rides, feeling the heat and Duft of the African bushland, we highly envoyed a short bath in the private small pool at our bungalow Suite..just great. Finally, the hosts but also the whole staff are very welcoming and highly skilled and make your stay a unique experience. So if you are looking for an exquisite lodge with high privacy, excellent Standards in a absolutely stunningly beautiful place - the Retreat is the place to go.…
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Date of stay: January 2017Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The Retreat Selous - as the name suggest is surely a Retreat of the senses....from the breathtaking views of the Ruaha River, the flowing river, the unique spa treatments that you will not find elsewhere, the balance of the 5 elements of nature; The Retreat has it all! The feeling you get when you arrive to a welcome fit for the royals, I consider this lodge very close to my heart, the people, the service, the views from each luxury tent, the game drives, sundowners, just makes this place truly remarkable. You are the best!
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Date of stay: October 2016
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Do the walking safari and bush breakfast
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed in The Retreat for 4 nights and saw a pride of 13 lion, elephants and hippos aplenty! Cesair, the guide, was exceptional and Helen, the lady who gave us food and smiles, was very kind and welcoming. The view from our room was nothing short of magical and the boat safari gave us a very close encounter with a number of hippos! We will always remember our wonderful stay at The Retreat. Thank you!
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Date of stay: October 2016Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Magical Experience The experience was wonderful, really more than words can express. From the moment I arrived I felt drawn in by the warm welcome, friendly staff, breathtakingly beautiful hotel design, and amazing location which provides the most personal vantage point for watching all the wild life you can imagine. I shared my nightcap with hippos, only apparent from their grunts and glistening eyes under the star-lit sky. Its only when dawn breaks that all the animals surrounding your room become real, dancing through the river - truly the most spectacular sight. There are two room types, the Eagle Nest and the Riverside, and I was lucky enough to try them both. Both room types were the perfect mix of natural and luxurious, with unique and jaw dropping views beyond expectation. The Eagle Nest room gives the most spectacular valley experience, showing off the space, and the feeling of infinity. In the Riverside, you touch, hear, and feel part of the nature that surrounds. The staff manage incredibly well to foresee your needs and make the stay personal, memorable, and fulfilling. There is always someone from the team around to see if you have any special wishes. Thank you!…
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Date of stay: October 2016
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Try both rooms. The Eagle Nest room gives the most spectacular valley experience and River Side...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The place is beautiful, a Dutch fortress converted into a beautiful heritage jungle lodge. It's located on a hill close to the Rufiji river, but they have riverside luxury camp / cottage type accommodation. It's right inside the wildlife park, and is about 30 min drive away from the airstrip. The drive to and fro is a mini jungle safari in itself. We were welcomed with a snack and a beautiful refreshing drink, served cold from an ice-bucket on a crisp white tablecloth into wineglasses. Quite the luxury! Our guide (who also drove us throughout our stay) was qualified in the subject from university in Dar es Salaam, and was really cool and experienced in guiding us to find any animal we could ask for! We sighted lion until we were quite tired of them :) The resort itself was warm and hospitable, with the chef Fabien taking the trouble to serve us Indian cuisine on the first day. We asked him to serve us local food, and he was delighted with the request, and went to a lot of trouble for us. The waitresses, Helen and Happy, were equally wonderful. We also had an armed butler stationed right outside our cottage, since hippos and lions regularly cross the river nearby. The canopied bed with mosquito netting, the plunge pool, the tub, the rustic shower, the radios to contact reception, the open view of the river and the complete isolation made for a great and somewhat daring honeymoon. I loved the way the staff were warm, helped us create an active schedule and yet gave us space, were open about any hidden costs and honestly told us of the pros and cons of our decision options. It probably helped that we were the earliest in the season, still, a genuinely wonderful honeymoon experience.…
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Date of stay: June 2016
Value
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Hippo Lodge is great for honeymooners, but not accessible without driver after dark. Eagle Lodges...
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Prices are the average nightly price provided by our partners and may not include all taxes and fees. Taxes and fees that are shown are estimates only. Please see our partners for more details.
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