Avogadro

I am working on our itinerary for our first safari (in early 2006) and we will be spending one or two nights in Tarangire. We have three options for our accommodations:

Swala Camp
Kikoti Camp
Tarangire River Camp

I would appreciate any feedback on these camps. How is the location of the camps in terms of game drives – are they located in the park or outside the park? Any comments on the accommodations in general would be helpful.

Thanks

africa_lover

I only know Kikoti Camp because we stayed there last July.
Kikoti's location is about 25 min from the gate of Tarangire, but those 25min you drive in the bush , so you don't get the feeling that you are outside of the park.
After entering the gate we saw a pride of 15 lions within the first half our , girafs, a leopard in tall grass jumping to catch a guinea fowl and of course lots and lots of elephants !
Kikoti's tents are lovely, e.i. if you need warm water, you have to tell the management 1/2h on forehand so somebody can come and fill you bucketshower!
Another advantage of staying outside of the park are the game walks you can do. On the night drive we didn't see anything, but maybe that was just bad luck.

lisa

Of the 3, Swala is priciest, followed by Kikoti. Swala is inside the park. Kikoti is outside the park. We are staying at Swala at the end of this year, so I can tell you how it was when I get back.

climbhighsleeplow

If you are willing to spend a bit more, I think you will enjoy Swala.

It is basically in a remote area of the park where you won't see many other vehicles.
9 tents if I counted correctly. Tents 1 2 3 and 7 8 9 are the furthest away from the lounge area if you want seclusion. Our favorite camp of the ones you listed.

There is a small water hole just in front of the lounge area where the animals come to drink.
It is great to sit and watch the goings on at the water hole! Elephants and different kinds of antelope visit during different times of the day. They are just about 60m from you!

Dinner and sundowners are very personal. Clients basically join the camp managers for dinner around a big table - quite fun actually. You can also dine in private. Since the camp is so small the atmosphere is wonderful.

Tents are very nice but you probably won't spend much time in your tent!

Kikoti Camp added new tents last summer (about 20 now I think) and is now a popular stop for budget outfitters. It gets a bit crowded when full. Nevertheless, it is still a great option if you don't mind a larger crowd. The night drives are OK but with a large crowd it feels a bit busy too. It is close to the park so that's not a problem. We always liked Kikoti.

Tarangire River Camp is also used by plenty of budget outfitters and is in the most busy part of the park - the north.

Camp itself looked good (we did not spend the night), but game drives will be in the midst of every other vehicle in the park so it is not uncommon to see 10 vehicles at the Tarangire River bank when a leopard is spotted. Note that this is not really a problem in Tarangire as a whole. It is easy to leave the other vehicles behind.

Hope this helps!

climbhighsleeplow

Avogadro
I just noticed you wrote "early 2006". Jan-Apr may not be the best time in Tarangire unless you interests other than wildlife. What does the rest of your itinerary look like?

Avogadro

Thanks for your replies.

Each camp sounds good, and I suppose it will be a matter of personal preference and budget.

Climbhighsleeplow, we are still working out our trip schedule but we will be going to Ngorongoro, and visiting the Serengeti where we hear it is a great time to see the migration of the wildebeest. We thought about adding on one night at the Tarangire park as it looks spectacular and has been noted on this forum as the favorite by many people.

Thanks again.

africa_lover

Avogadro,
If plan on only 1 night at Tarangire, don't go to Kikoti camp. when we came from Ngorongoro (leaving early in the morning )we had to go all the way through te park (having lunch at Tarangire Sopa) to reach Kikoti Camp late afternoon.
For Kikoti, you should at least take 2 nights from your itinerary.

KRGfromSD

Just got back from Kikoti. It's a very nice camp. We spent 3 nights in Tarangire which was way too much for this time of year. The grass is very high so you don't see many animals other than elephants and giraffe. We did see a leopard in a tree. Two nights would be ideal. It's a long trip through the park to get to the camp so you will probably won't more than one night.

We visited a traditional Maasai village in Tarangire. Then we went on a walk with Jacob who was a more modern Maasai wanting to go to college. It was nice to get two different perspectives on the Maasai life.

Ag3046

I was very pleased with Tarangire River Camp. You are up high, so you have a panoramic view of the river and wildlife scene. You can sit on the small patio outside your tent and watch game while enjoying a beverage. I liked it very much.

Avogadro

Thanks for all your replies.
It seems like people have had good experiences at both Kikoti and Tanangire River Camp. Since we are looking at only one night -perhaps Kikoti might be too much driving.

Has anyone experienced Swala camp? Would love to hear about it.

birder57

I spent 2 nights at Kikoti in June '03. I really really liked it. The staff were gracious and professional; the food excellent; the tents quite comfortable. While you do have to tell the staff the night before that you want hot water for a shower in the morning, it just adds to the experience. We took a night game drive and saw a cerval and a little owl. I was a bit relieved as we were in an open vehicle. I didn't relish a big cat in my lap....Kikoti was a great experience.