Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
See the famous migration of the wildebeest in ultimate luxury
Kusini means ‘south' in Swahili, and Sanctuary Kusini Camp is located in the southern-central region of the Serengeti National Park. Perfectly situated in a cluster of kopjes, Sanctuary Kusini Camp is a permanent tented camp, blended seamlessly into the delicate environment of the predator-rich plains of the Serengeti. The surrounding short grass plains provide the setting for the most spectacular natural phenomenon in the continent of Africa, the wildebeest migration, during which time the hordes amass around the camp for the birthing of their young
Part of Sanctuary Kusini Camp's charm is its remote and private location within the park borders. With no other camps in the near vicinity, Sanctuary Kusini Camp offers exceptional and essentially private game viewing. Sanctuary Kusini Camp's expert guides enhance your stay by sharing their knowledge and experience gleaned during a lifetime in the bush. Sanctuary Kusini Camp is owned and operated by Sanctuary Lodges.
Activities at Sanctuary Kusini Camp include:
• Day wildlife watching and game driving safaris in Serengeti
• Specialized wildebeest migration safaris
• Ornithological Tanzania safaris
• Maasai Village visits
• Specially planned breakfasts and lunches in the wilderness
• Serengeti Sundowners on the Lion's Kopje next to the camp
• Balloon Safaris over the Serengeti
Serengeti National Park
Venue of the world famous migration of the wildebeest
The Serengeti, whose Maasai name ‘Siringet' translates as ‘the endless plains', offers unparalleled ornithological opportunities and an unrivalled natural arena wherein the glory and harmony of nature can be appreciated as nowhere else on earth. The vast and rolling Serengeti is also the venue for ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth' the annual migration of over one million wildebeest and their attendant cast of herbivores and predators.
Luxury tented safari camps in Tanzania
When on safari in Tanzania, the traditional luxury safari camp offers a selection of canvas-sided safari tents, usually with thatched rooves, often raised on a timber platform with private verandah. Usually, the luxury safari tents feature comfortable double or single beds with mosquito netting, electric lighting (generator or solar powered) and luxury ensuite safari bathrooms (flushed WC, hot and cold running water, shower and vanity unit).
The safari camp location
The Serengeti is 200 kms west of Arusha, Tanzania: the park's northern boundary abuts with the Kenya border, its western boundary reaches Lake Victoria, Tanzania.
Your Tanzania luxury camp safari
The vast and sensational Serengeti, covering 14,763 sq km of endlessly rolling savannah plains, is Tanzania's first-established, largest and most famous park wherein tens of thousands of wildebeest and other hoofed animals roam in a constant and unremitting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends.
The million-plus wildebeest are the predominant herbivore and also the main prey of a huge cast of large carnivores, principally lion and hyena. Whilst the annual wildebeest migration is the Serengeti's most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.
Wildlife highlights around Sanctuary Kusini Camp Serengeti: wildebeest, zebra, Thomson's gazelle, lion, spotted hyena, hunting dog, cheetah, black rhino, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, topi, eland, jackal and otter. Birds: over 350 recorded species including 34 raptors.
Accommodation: Luxury safari tented camp
Secluded amongst the rocky outcrops of this private swathe of paradise, Sanctuary Kusini Camp's twelve tents feature elevated terraces overlooking the Serengeti plains. Each tent is attended by a personal butler and has an en-suite bathroom and a private balcony. Electricity: the camp uses inverted electrical energy. All communication to the Camp is relayed via radio. The camp maintains 24-hour radio contact with the Central Reservations Office in Arusha and all vehicles are equipped with two-way radios. In addition, all the tents are equipped with VHF radios to enable guests to contact the management in the event of an emergency. Sanctuary Kusini Camp is also equipped with a satellite telephone which guests have access to.
Dining and bars: Tanzania luxury safari camp style
The Sanctuary Kusini Camp dining area, lounge and library are housed in the main public area, which affords spectacular views from its wooden deck. Between definitive wildlife encounters and classic African adventures, you may gather for elegant candlelit meals and safari tales in the dining tent, have 'sundowner' cocktails or picturesque banquets atop a nearby kopje, or spend contemplative hours in the intimate library lounge, taking stock of what you have seen.
A Child-friendly safari camp
Sanctuary Kusini Camp welcomes children of all ages, and offers babysitting services, children's meals, additional beds and family rooms are available. Children up to 2 years are free of charge. Children between 2 & 11 years will be required to share with an adult. A 50% reduction off the adult sharing rate will be given to 1 child per full paying adult. This reduction is only applicable for children up to and including 11 years. A third and fourth child between 2 & 11 years will be required to pay the full adult rate.
What to see and do on your Tanzania luxury camp safari
The annual wildebeest migration in the Serengeti
The migration of the wildebeest is perhaps one of Tanzania's most famous natural events. Twice a year, propelled by the rains, 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle gather to undertake an 800 km migration trek to new grazing lands. The precise timing of the wildebeest migration varies but generally the Serengeti herbivores congregate and move out at the end of May, sometimes over a period of weeks, sometimes over a period of as little as three or four days. The wildebeest then head west on the first leg of a roughly triangular 800-km circuit that takes approximately 3-4 months and ends in the Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya. When the grazing here is exhausted the tide of wildebeest turns and reverses its progress returning to the short grass plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Where and when to see the migration while at Sanctuary Kusini Camp
The migration runs according to its own rules, but in general a large column of wildebeest passes west to Lake Victoria while another moves north past Lobo. While on the hoof (May to June) the rut commences and the wildebeests mate. The migration herds usually reach the north, and eventually cross into Kenya's Masai Mara NR, during July to October. In November the herds begin to reform for the return journey and by December the migration is complete and they are usually to be found grazing the southern grasslands; wildebeest calving starts in February.
Tanzania luxury camp safari experiences in the Serengeti
Typical Tanzania safari experiences at Sanctuary Kusini Camp include: safari game drives in especially adapted 4WD safari vehicles (with professionally trained Tanzania safari guides), safari bush breakfasts, lunches and dinners; cocktails around the camp safari campfire and guided safari walks through the bush. Sanctuary Kusini Camp also offers ornithological tours, cultural performances and visits to the local Maasai people of Tanzania.
In the Serengeti, a particular highlight is a hot air balloon ride, which typically ascends from its launch site at dawn and travels for around an hour across the plains before descending in a controlled landing to a cooked safari breakfast in the bush.
Activities & Wildlife
The Serengeti Ecosystem is defined by the dominant annual wildebeest migration route and incorporates areas outside of park boundaries. The area around Sanctuary Kusini Camp is visited by the Migration between the months of January and April, but it should be noted that this is a grazing pattern and therefore experienced in the general area for this period. The season between January and March greets the arrival of newborn zebra and wildebeest calves.
The park and the area around Sanctuary Kusini Camp in particular, is noted for its lion and cheetah populations and excellent leopard sightings. Sites such as the nearby Moru Kopjes are also renowned for good resident game, particularly cats, all year round. The woodland area fringing the short grass plains, where Sanctuary Kusini Camp is located, also has high sightings of resident game including some rarer species such as klipspringer, in addition to some incredible bird-life. Two game viewing drives daily in open-topped 4WD vehicles are included.
Sanctuary Kusini Camp - Serengeti • Tanzania Luxury Safari Tented Camps
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