Kigelia Camp is named after the many sausage trees (Kigelia Africana) that are found in and around the camp. The six rooms are located hight on the banks of the seasonal Ifuguru Sand River, a tributary of the Ruaha River. The rooms are quite large and provide space for a massive bed, en-suite bathroom with flush toilet and outdoor safari style bucket shower under the stars. There is no running water but hot and cold water is provided when requested.

At 20'220 km², Ruaha National Park is Tanzania's largest national park and still relatively rarely visited by tourists. The park was expanded to include the Usanga Wetlands in 2008 and comprises 40% miombo woodland with open savannahs, spectacular baobab, acacia and palm forests as well as several springs, swamps and seasonal floodplains making up the rest. The park is bordered in the north by the Mzombe River and in the south by the Great Ruaha River. The Usunga Game Reserve and three further game reserves surround the park almost entirely. Most camps are located at a height of approximately 800 to 1000 m above sea level; the park's highest plateau, however, sits at an impressive 1868 m above sea level. A 50 to 100 m high escarpment is testament to the fact that the Ruaha National Park is also part of the Great Rift Valley.

The park is accessed via air from Arusha or Dar Es Salaam and can be seamlessly combined with a visit to Nyerere National Park. The flight to Nyerere National Park takes approx. 1 hr 30 mins; the flight to Dar Es Salaam or Arusha, including all stops en-route, takes approx. 2.5 hrs.

The drive from Msembe Airstrip to camp takes approximately 60 minutes. Kigelia Camp is situated on the banks of the Ifuguru Sand River in the eastern part of Ruaha National Park.

Because Ruaha National Park is located in the transitory region between the typical miombo woodlands of the south and the open savannahs of East Africa, it enjoys a rich variety of flora (over 1600 species) and a fascinating variety of birds (571 species!). It is also home to one of the highest concentration of elephant in East Africa.

Lion, cheetah, elephant, buffalo and giraffe are easy to find; the rare wild dog and shy leopard are somewhat harder to spot. Zebra, eland, kudu and impala are the most common antelopes in the region, but rare roan and sable antelope are also present. Ruaha is the only park in Africa where the greater kudu can be seen. The Ruaha River and some of its tributaries are also home to crocodile and hippo.

The camp offers game drives in open 4x4 vehicles.

SwissAfrican Travel Service
Dammstrasse 27
8702 Zollikon
Zurich, Switzerland


Telephone: +41 (0)44 451 40 51