Kusini Camp
Location - South western Serengeti bordering Maswa Game Reserve
Accommodation - tented camp with 14 tents
Experience - Good migration action Dec to May - rest of year quieter but rewarding for those with patience
Price Guide - $495 - 715 pppn
Kusini is a very good luxury tented camp in the far south of the Serengeti. Far from any other lodges, Kusini feels secluded at all but the busiest times of year. The migration moves into the area between January and May and there's some good resident game throughout the year, even if during the dry season you need to work a bit harder. Most people just don't do southern Serengeti out of season, but those who do (all the top guides) will tell you that it's a gem. Read more?
Having said that, unlike most other areas of southern Serengeti which we love through April and early May, we wouldn't recommend Kusini over that period, located as it is within the acacia woodland, with particularly treacherous access in the main rains through glutinous black cotton soil.
The camp is located in the south western area of the Serengeti National Park, close to the border with Maswa Game Reserve to the south and the Ngorongoro conservation area to the east. It's about 1 hr 20 minutes flight from Arusha and a 3 to 4 hour drive from Ngorongoro Crater and Highlands; initially down the hideous corrugated and traffic filled road that connects Ngorongoro and Olduvai, but subsequently across vast open plains. Much of the charm of Kusini is its remoteness - when we visited in the dry season we saw no one else at all.
There are no other camps in the vicinity so you're essentially being offered a private corner of the Serengeti while you're there. Kusini has fourteen double tents, scattered around the main Kopje, each with private ensuite bathrooms, electricity and wooden verandahs out front. Inside the tent you've got very comfortable beds, warm towelling bathrobes and even a selection of juice and wine (though they needn't neccessarily be taken together) when you arrive.
The food and service are excellent, the managers and staff are great - and you're surrounded by some of the most beautiful game viewing country in the world. The south of the Serengeti plain is known best for its endless grass plains, but at Kusini the woodland with its kopjes can be as rewarding as the plains in the dry season. As well as drives in the local area this is a great place from which to visit Moru Kopjes on a day drive. The early dry season is beautiful and there is plenty to see - in September we had a magnificent sighting of a cheetah and her four cubs. As it gets drier you may have to work a bit harder to find animals, but this can be rewarding in itself, particularly when you take into account the fact (have we mentioned this before?) that you are likely to have this extraordinarily beautiful area to yourself.
Location - Serengeti and Surrounding Areas
The Serengeti is the best known safari destination in the world with good reason. The proliferation of animal life here simply defies belief and in the company of a good guide, this can be like stepping into a wildlife documentary. We'd advocate building your safari in northern Tanzania around the greater Serengeti, but you do need to be aware that being in the right place at the right time is everything in this neck of the woods. It's worth understanding how the Serengeti works. Jump to page?
More articles that you might find helpful
The Serengeti Wildebeest Migration
Mobile Tented Safaris
Serengeti - what about the low Season?
How the Serengeti works
Light Mobile Camping in The Serengeti
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Have a look at our blog at safarigeek.com
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