Jongomero Bush Manor takes one party at a time, on the banks of the seasonal Jongomero Sand River in the remote southern reaches of Ruaha National Park. The whole place is yours. A private chef, dedicated hosts and an expert guide come with the villa, along with an open-sided 4×4, so a family or small group sets the rhythm of the days rather than falling in with a shared camp schedule.
in the dry months they dig deep into the soft sand to reach the water running beneath it
The riverbed in front of the villa is a game corridor. Elephants amble past the private decks, and in the dry months they dig deep into the soft sand to reach the water running beneath it. Baboons, impala, kudu and waterbuck pass through by day. At night the roar of lion carries across the sand. The nearest lodge lies well away, and it shows in the quiet.
Jongomero Bush Manor and its neighbouring tented camp belong to Laba Laba, the rebrand of the long-established Selous Safari Company. High thatched roofs rise over raised wooden platforms, and hand-carved Zanzibar doors open onto the bush. The furniture is built from salvaged dhow wood and local stone, set above polished hardwood floors.
encountering another vehicle on a game drive here is rare
Ruaha’s more visited northern hub sits far off near Msembe airstrip, so encountering another vehicle on a game drive here is rare. The days bend to your own pace. They can stretch out at the private infinity lap pool above the riverbed, or at the thermal bush spa, where guests bathe in natural volcanic hot spring pools warmed from beneath the ground.
The park sits in a transition zone between East African and Southern African wildlife, and the result is an unusual breadth of species. This is one of the few places where both Greater and Lesser Kudu occur, alongside sable and roan antelope. Lion prides here can run to more than twenty animals, and leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena are regularly seen, with the occasional African wild dog among them. The birdlife is just as generous, more than 500 recorded species, the Ruaha red-billed hornbill among them.
The days are built around the private vehicle, with game drives morning and afternoon and, unusually for a national park, night drives by spotlight to find nocturnal species. In the cooler dry months, from about mid-July to mid-December, guests set out on foot with an armed ranger and a professional guide, tracking animals and reading the ground. Fly-camping, offered from mid-July to mid-November, takes the walking further still: a hike to a remote site, dome tents or open stars, and a meal cooked over the fire.
Guides sometimes burn a little dry elephant dung in a tin off the back of the 4×4, a local trick that throws a pleasant smoke
At the heart of the manor are two identical primary suites, bookended around a central lounge and dining space under a high thatched roof and joined by covered corridors. Each suite carries a reclaimed-wood bed, a roll-top brass bath and a broad indoor rain shower, with a private veranda facing the sand. For larger groups, two further canvas tents on platforms stand nearby, bringing the total to four to eight guests.
Meals are rarely eaten in the same place twice. A private chef cooks to each group’s tastes, drawing on ingredients from local Tanzanian farmers: breakfast in the open on a morning drive, lunch beneath riverside trees, dinner on the sand under the southern sky. Guides sometimes burn a little dry elephant dung in a tin off the back of the 4×4, a local trick that throws a pleasant smoke and keeps the tsetse flies at bay. At dusk, the baobabs stand black against the sunset.
accommodation
Jongomero Bush Manor holds two identical primary suites flanking a central lounge and dining space, connected by covered corridors, with two further canvas tents on nearby platforms for larger groups. Total capacity is four to eight guests across up to four suites. Suites feature reclaimed-wood beds, roll-top brass baths, indoor rain showers and private riverbed verandas.
activities
Morning and afternoon game drives run in a private open-sided 4x4, and the park permits night drives with spotlights. Walking safaris with an armed ranger run mid-July to mid-December; fly-camping runs mid-July to mid-November. Both are limited to guests aged 16 and over. Thermal bathing in volcanic hot springs, bush dining and stargazing round out the days.
conservation
Jongomero Bush Manor operates under Laba Laba, which directs a share of profits toward conservation and community work in the region. The camp has supported anti-poaching and human-elephant coexistence work with the Southern Tanzania Elephant Project. Staff are drawn and trained from surrounding communities.
Get in touch and let’s start the conversation. An initial consultation helps us understand what you’re looking for, whether that’s specific experiences, luxury touches, or marking a special occasion, and from there we’ll guide you through what’s possible so you can decide if we’re the right fit.
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Ruaha National Park
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Ruaha National Park
Fly into Dar es Salaam, then take a light aircraft to Jongomero's own airstrip in the far south of Ruaha, with the villa a few minutes' drive from the strip. Be ready for a proper flight: between about an hour and twenty minutes and two and a half hours depending on the aircraft and the stops it makes on the way, and connections from Arusha run longer still. For a group taking the whole villa, a private charter, typically a Cessna Caravan or Pilatus PC-12, cuts the stops and flies to your own timing, and is often the right call.
Scheduled seats are shared, with soft bags only and a limit of around 15 to 20kg per person depending on the airline, which we confirm with you before you pack.
Yes. Ruaha lies well below 1,800 metres, and both the CDC and the UK's official travel health advice treat all of mainland Tanzania under that height as malaria country, so antimalarial tablets are recommended for everyone in the party. The suites are netted and screened, and the real protection remains the tablets plus covered arms and legs after dark.
We do not give medical advice. We are travel planners rather than doctors, so the choice of tablets, and whether they suit everyone in the party, belongs in a conversation between you and your own doctor or a travel clinic. What we can be useful on is the non-medical part: cover up once the light goes, and carry repellent.
Hot and dry through the June to October season, dust in the air and the days building toward October's peak heat, with evenings that cool without ever turning cold. The rains green the park from around November, heaviest in March and April.
Pack light, breathable clothing in neutral colours, a fleece for the early drives, a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and strong sunscreen. Long sleeves in the evening do double duty against sun and mosquitoes, and a light waterproof joins the bag in the green months.
June to October for the classic dry season, when the sand rivers become the park's waterholes and the game concentrates in front of the villa. The dry months are also when Ruaha's painted dogs den, and this remote southern sector is among the better places in Africa to look for them. The villa closes from mid-March to the end of May each year for the long rains.
Because the flights in are long, we suggest at least three nights, and the exclusive-use format rewards four. It pairs naturally with Nyerere and with the coast on a southern circuit.
It is one of the better setups in southern Tanzania for one. With the whole place taken by a single party, there is no minimum-age anxiety about other guests, the private vehicle means drives run to a child's stamina rather than a timetable, and children under twelve simply share the suites with their adults. The wilder add-ons carry age limits, which the park sets rather than the villa.
Tell us the ages when we start planning and we will map exactly what each child can do, and shape the extra tents and the days around them.
Ruaha is one of Tanzania's wildest parks and its remote south is the quietest corner of it, so plan for little to none. Any wifi is a courtesy rather than a connection, and phone signal is largely absent.
Most groups who take the villa treat the silence as part of what they are paying for. If someone needs to stay reachable, tell us and we will confirm the current position before you commit.
rated five stars by our clients
our approach
Every journey starts with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision before we start planning.
Whether by phone or in person, we work with you directly to shape something that is considered, personal, and expertly delivered.
