Ruaha National Park

 
 
 
  Excellent  
    
 Based on 41 reviews 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 philippewauters1 
 
2021-10-24
 
 
 Verified 
Amazing four wheel drive experience and safaris
With my wife, we choose Shaws safaris to make a one life experience self drive safaris, we were received very warmly by Paul and Erica at Twiga Lodge 

Everything was very well organized before departure , itinerary , parks, campsites ( public and special ), lodges etc... 

We were welcome to the Twiga lodge whis is at the boarder of the Arusha National park and such a lovely and peaceful place ( might be elephant in the garden) 

The car was amazing : But please this is adventure experience .. Do not expect to come with an Avis Gold privivileged card and expect to receive a 2021 model with leather seat, AC ( Polluting ), high tech sono etc.. You are not going for surfing or impress sexy babes for the week end at Miami beach wearing open shoes ; -)

This is a real 4 wheel drive car, very reliable, perfect equipped for what you want to do and not especially old.. you get 40 extra liters fuel, 40 liters water, tables chairs,, food bow, gas etc..  I compared our tyres with the ones of other tourist safari cars and felt really safe to have any flat one... I would love to bring this car back at home if I could !! 

We had with my wife a lot of fun and thanks again to Erika and Paul to make it possible. 

Enjoy, keep the track be safe and protect wildlife and nature
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Kuipermichael7 
 
2021-08-22
 
 
 Verified 
Must read for Vehicle Hire
I sent this to Shaw Safari's prior to posting it on Trip Advisor as a curtesy to Paul and Erika but after three weeks I've heard nothing.

Good aspects of the vehicles:

- Paul and Erika are fantastic hosts and provide great support along route

- The vehicles consume minimal oil and water and there are no visible oil leaks which is testament to the vehicles being serviced and maintained.

Issues we faced:

- The one vehicle had a quarter turn of the steering wheel of play which is incredibly dangerous!! This is a significant hazard in an emergency situation where the car would be slow to react to a situation or result in an overreaction when trying to recover from a situation. This so dangerous on gravel roads which have corrugations or soft sand. The driver of this vehicle had a few close calls.

- Our Speedometer didn’t work. Consequences is that each town you need to drive 50 kph, so you are left guessing what speed you are doing and are bound to get fines. We landed up using the Garmin to determine our speed.

- The odometer never worked (the overall odometer and the one you can reset) this meant we could not work out how much mileage we had left in the tank, especially as Paul had said the tank goes down slowly then flies down.

- We hired two vehicles and made the mistake of having Shaw Safaris run us through just one vehicle. The second vehicles cigarette lighter never worked and the Garmin never worked. Resulting in one vehicle having no navigation.

- The lights on both vehicles are poor, we got into town late one night (which we -always try to avoid, but was just not possible in this situation) and found ourselves barely able to see the car in front whilst driving slowly through evening traffic.

- The one vehicle’s spare tyre holder kept coming undone whilst on bumpy roads, this was a serious risk that we could have lost a spare which would have been disastrous.

- The vehicle only has one spare tyre, which is not industry standard. See any other operating Safari vehicle or any off-roading You Tube clip

- Our vehicle had lost it’s rubber pedal covering, which were replaced with aluminum pedals which have sharp edges. Driving with open shoes resulted in numerous cuts on my feet

- The recovery ropes are hopelessly inadequate. They are knotted and frayed and would be a serious hazard in the instance of recovering a vehicle. There is no safety blanket which is essential for any vehicle recovery

- The tent mattresses are old and need to be replaced, the mattress no longer has the firmness it once would have had.

- We were provided bedding which supposedly should have been sufficient, however we froze in the colder climates at altitude where temperatures got down to 10-12 degrees

- The braai/bbq grid is attached to the rear of the car which is insane because it consistently gets covered in dirt. So, you need to be fastidious in your cleaning of your grid to not have sand in your dinner.

- Both back doors had to be slammed as if they needed to be relocated to the front of the car to ensure they were closed properly otherwise they would pop open, which happened continuously.

- The vehicles do not have AC which could be an issue at hotter times.

- The vehicles are meant to have full fuel tanks when they get picked up. The first time we filled up the one car required double the amount of fuel. All other stops the fuel being put in was roughly the same. In other words the one car was driven just long enough to not move the needle off full prior to us taking it.

General Comment:

Be aware you are hiring old Land Rovers, understand the ergonomic issues of the driving positions and passenger seating position which are not great. The reason this is not listed above as an issue is because this is a Land Rover design fault, the rear door leaks dust and the rear of your car will become a dust bucket.

Personally, this solidified my negative opinion of Land Rovers. I do not suffer from driver fatigue whilst driving my Land Cruiser 70 series when compared to the strain I took driving these Land Rovers.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 _raphael_deluca 
 
2021-07-30
 
 
 Verified 
Life time experience
Si vous avez le pied aventurier alors n'hésitez pas une seule seconde c est le Safari qu'il vous faut, voiture tout équipée (land Rover Discovery) en bon état solide et pratique, Dita (le chauffeur) est une aide précieuse pour vous faire le tour.
Au départ d'Usa River de Twigga Lodge.

Encore merci a Paul et Erika pour votre accueil, Asante Sana et si vous venez sur Dubaï alors Karibu Sana.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Barry C 
 
2021-06-24
 
 
 Verified 
Great knowledge and excellent experience
Shaw Safaris is based just outside of Arusha National Park at Twiga Lodge Arusha.
Paul & Erica own and run Shaw Safaris- they  hire out self drive vehicles or run guided safari trips in any of the national parks of Tanzania 
We did a trip with Paul in Arusha National Park - what an interesting and informative experience - saw and identified 28 different bird species including the scarcely seen bar tailed trogon
Mammals included Sykes monkeys, zebra , giraffe, Buffalo, red duiker, bush buck,water buck and also the beautiful elusive Colobus Monkey
The knowledge of the fauna and flora and the park as well as packed lunches and vehicle were all top class 
Thank you Paul & Erica
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Will1226 
 
2021-06-04
 
 
 Verified 
Trip of a lifetime
Self drive safari is an unparalleled adventure and the operation at Shaw Safari’s makes it easy and fun.  They have thought of everything you need to make your trip a success.  Their vehicles are battle tested and their routes put you in the heart of Tanzania’s most spectacular natural environments.  If you’re lucky enough to stay with Paul and Erika at the Twiga lodge for an evening you will be treated to a family like environment amidst their spectacular scenery.  We visited 3 national parks and one conversation area on our trip and saw everything we could possibly have wanted to in terms of wildlife.   The public campsites are safe, comfortable and provide all the needed amenities.  The food provided by The Shaw’s was fantastic and required only a quick reheat.  This trip exceeded my expectations in every way!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 dan smaridge 
 
2020-11-29
 
 
 Verified 
Fantastic company and lovely people
Paul and Erica were a absolute delight and the level of service, thought and care they have put into their company is second to none. Everything was thoroughly explained to us before the trip via email and when we arrived we were made to feel highly welcome and showed around our future home for the next few weeks. If we were to have an issues (which thankfully we did not!) Paul & Erica were only a phone call away. All in all we had a fantastic trip and could not recommend Shaws Safari enough. If you are looking to do a safari in Tanzania use them!!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Ken N Chris S 
 
2020-04-28
 
 
 Verified 
Great Experience
We were met by Paul And Erika on arrival at Twiga Lodge, as soon as you meet them you are made to feel welcome, they treat you more as a visitor rather then a paying guest. The grounds and the lodge are beautifully maintained, we did a day trip to Arusha National park with Paul on the first day, Pauls knowledge and his ability to see things that you would miss is amazing, he was very patient and took the time to tell us about the animals we seen. We then spent time with another safari company and then returned to Twiga Lodge and spent time with Paul & Erika at Tarangire National park, we stayed at Tarangire safari lodge, a beautiful spot over looking the river. After a big day it was good to sit down and look out over the river and watch the animals down there. We would highly recommend Shaw Safaris to anyone interested in having a terrific experience.
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Laura E 
 
2019-12-14
 
 
 Verified 
Shaw Safaris self drive Tanzania
Our week with Shaw Safaris, was nothing short of everything we had wanted, AND more. We arrived at Twiga Lodge, welcomed with warm smiles. The G&T, a Beer or two on the beautiful verandah quickly washed away the days travel. Erika & Paul were so welcoming and generous, and quickly felt like old friends as we chatted over dinner. We stayed with them for the night before setting off on the self drive camp/lodge safari. We had spoken with a few companies about self drives & were not encouraged by what had we found, Until we found Shaw Safaris. Paul’s detailed briefing, the faithful landrover & fully equipped camping supplies, made driving ourselves through Tanzania incredibly easy & relaxed! 
We were sent off with a full box of food & delicious meals prepared by Esther. Erika chose a phenomenal route for us to drive, each day exceeding expectations of beauty,  Animals & local culture. All park passes, camp sites, lodges, maps/sat nav etc were provided. And within the first 100m of entering our first National Park (Tarangire) we stopped the car to watch the elephants, giraffe & warthogs - Amazing!! 
We were so appreciative of the deep respect for the environment and it’s residents Paul & Erika shared with us. It was truly a wonderful trip & feels like a rare and unique find, can’t recommend it enough!  I’m only sorry I didn’t take some of Esthers absolutely delicious Christmasy Apricot jam with us, hopefully she’ll share her secret recipe!
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Jeannie Y 
 
2019-07-18
 
 
 Verified 
Excellent Self-Drive And Itinerary
We did a 9-day self-drive with a mix of camping and lodging through Arusha, Ngorongoro, the Serengeti, and Lake Manyara.  The itinerary was made with the help of Paul and Erika Sweet who are experts in all things Tanzanian safari/self-drive. The itinerary was really well-done, and the Sweets will put together whatever you request (including lodging/camping choices) based upon what you want to see and do.  They also briefed us re: tough driving spots, permitting (which can be complicated), as well as where to go and what time of day (e.g., to see the lions, elephants, etc.).  Just going to Tanzania on safari is a trip of a lifetime.  Doing a self-drive of the area gives you the freedom to see whatever you want to see, whenever you want to see it, the way you want to see it - if you want to sit with the lions on the side of the road for half an hour, you can!  Twiga Lodge is also beautiful, and the Sweets are great fun to hang out with.  Enjoyed every single minute. . .
  
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 abraendel 
 
2019-07-17
 
 
 Verified 
Best fun ever
99% of the people who safari go with a driver. This is self-drive, and it was the best. Paul And Erika Sweet treat you like family, and the briefing is extraordinarily thorough. 8 days later, we drove through their gates smiling ear to ear. You will be safe, and you will have fun.