Jongomero Camp

an interesting addition to a more central camp

Jongomero Camp is located in the Ruaha area of southern Tanzania.

The camp is set in an unusual and isolated location to the west of Ruaha. The joy of being this far out is that the area experiences virtually no incoming vehicles, leaving guests free to explore these beautiful riverine forests in absolute peace and tranquillity. The downside is that the core areas are surrounded by endless combretum woodlands, which are home to an almost infinite number of evil stinging tsetse flies. This significantly limits the usable area.

Remote lodges like this are really important for conservation, so let’s hope it makes a really significant comeback at some point, we would love to recommend it more often.

However, there is little doubt that a visit to Jongomero alone does not constitute a proper exploration of Ruaha, from either a landscape or wildlife perspective. For first time visitors, we feel that it is essential to combine with at least one other camp, most likely in the prime Mwagusi Sector.

The camp is set in a pretty location along the Jongomero Sand River, under lovely shady trees. The main building comprises a pair of thatched structures which contain an elegant lounge bar and dining room.

Below the main building is a little terrace which is used for leisurely lunches, whilst a little bit further lies a very nice swimming pool, from which the local elephants sometimes come to drink.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Jongomero Camp is in eight very large suites, which are constructed of timber-and-canvas under thatch, with private verandahs overlooking the riverbed and large bathrooms to the rear.

Activities

Jongomero Camp provides the following guided activities, not all of which are necessarily included in the price …

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Bush meals
• Night vehicle safari

Despite being one of the best reserves in Africa, Ruaha tends to feature in a remarkably small proportion of trips, mainly because it is obliged to compete with the Serengeti region. It is one of those places that tends to appeal most to more experienced safari travellers.

The usual stay duration is 3-5 nights in one camp or 5-12 nights in two or three camps.

Safari planning

Ruaha is most commonly combined in trips with other safari areas across Tanzania, like Serengeti or Selous (Nyerere), often in addition to the tropical beaches of Zanzibar, Pemba or Mafia islands.

Since around 2018, with the opening up of ever more diverse sectors within Ruaha, we have steadily increased the number of nights here. Most trips now combine two lodges over around six nights, with some trips extending to nine or more nights in three or even four different lodges.

Can you let Ruaha completely replace Serengeti in your trip? That has become the burning question. For ever more people the answer is a very definite yes.

Seasonality

The classic time to visit Ruaha is generally considered to be during the Jun-Oct dry season, when the wildlife is focused on the river and easy to view. But there are also good reasons to visit during other months.

Getting there

Ruaha is almost always reached by light aircraft. To the south and east there are daily services in both directions (Dar, Selous, Ruaha). Connections with the north are slightly less predictable, but usually operate daily (Serengeti, Manyara, Tarangire, Arusha, Ruaha, Selous, Dar). There are also services to and from the west (Ruaha, Mufindi, Katavi, Mahale).

It is possible to include Ruaha in a private-guided overland safari, in combination with Mikumi, Udzungwa and Selous, but the routing includes a lot of busy main road miles, causing this style of safari to fade since around 2015.

common to combine two or even three lodges