The sausage tree – or Kigelia Africana – is one of the most distinctive on the continent, with distinctive pendulous pods that erupt into brilliant scarlet flowers. Kigelia Camp is set within a grove of these botanical oddities on the banks of the Ifuguru Sand River in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park. This area has an utterly unique ecosystem as it is where southern meets east Africa, with an unusual overlap of animals and plants found nowhere else.

Kigelia Camp’s canvas of game-viewing opportunities washes across the permanent hunting grounds of lion, leopard, cheetah and the endangered wild dog. Although Ruaha National Park is the country’s largest, it is not heavily visited, meaning you will be largely alone with only the ancient baobab trees and chuckling hyenas to keep you company. With its magnificent stocks of eland, roan and sable antelope – not to mention incredible birdlife – it is a photographer’s paradise. The Great Ruaha River supports throngs of hippos and crocodiles, making for richly rewarding game drives.

The campsite harks back to a bygone era of unpretentious safaris, where the focus is squarely on the wilderness that surrounds it. With only six ample tents, Kigelia Camp is a dream for those who want to be immersed in the day-to-day rhythms of Ruaha.

Highlights

• Classic tented safari experience
• Intimate Big 5 game drives
• Design your own activities programme with your guide
• Little-visited Ruaha National Park
• Eco-friendly solar power & mobile phone coverage

Activities

• GAME DRIVES
• GUIDED WALKS
• BUSH DINING

Kigelia Camp is perched on a dry riverbed, a thoroughfare of choice for many animals – therefore offering great game viewing. If you are looking for an option that is away from the madding & in an unspoilt environment, then this is the place for you.

Rooms

Safari Tent

Kigelia Camp offers six luxurious walk-in tents, each en-suite, with flushing toilets and refreshing open-air showers. Relax on the verandah in front of your tent to take in views across the Ifuguru Sand River. Toiletries, insect repellents and lockable trunks are supplied with each tent.

The generous family tent comprises two bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and a connecting living area. This option is ideal for parents travelling with children aged eight years and over.

Facilities

Ruaha National Park is Tanzania's best-kept secret; there is a solitude here that is utterly beguiling.

At Kigelia Camp, you are encouraged to design your own activities programme in consultation with your guide to best exploit the park’s potential and to focus on your own particular needs, be they a picnic lunch on an extended game drive or sundowners on the sandy banks of the Ifuguru River, in the lengthening shadows of baobab trees.

In addition, Kigelia Camp does outreach work with the villagers of Idodi and Tungamalenga, where guests can learn about programmes that are empowering and enriching these communities.

In the evenings, loll in the main tent and learn more about what you have seen by thumbing an edition from the thoughtfully stocked reference library.

Dining

Your day at Kigelia Camp begins when freshly brewed tea or coffee is delivered to your tent just in time for your early-morning game drive or later with a bush breakfast underneath a baobab tree.

Although breakfast and lunch are served usually in the main pavilion tent, Kigelia is a small camp, with dining a moveable feast. All meals are prepared using fresh ingredients and offer plenty of choice, with a good selection of international wines. Vegetarian options are available on request.

Enjoy sundowners on the banks of the Ifuguru River, and dinner under a vast corridor of stars, beside a crackling fire, with the sounds of the night accompanying you to your tent and lulling you later into sleep.