Mkomazi Wilderness Retreat: Mkomazi National Park, Tanzania

Within Mkomazi National Park sits Mkomazi Wilderness Retreat, a luxury camp where animals drink from the big waterhole below and guests can visit the rhino sanctuary or go on game drives. It’s set within 3,000 square kilometers of grey-green flowering plants, ancient baobab trees, and rocky hills scattered with grasslands and Acacia forests. 

You won’t have much competition to see the sights or stay at the park’s highly reviewed property –– not many tourists come to this tranquil spot. But recent visitors have reported that beautiful rooms, great views, nice people, and delicious food await. It was “my favorite property of my entire safari!” said one Facebook review. 

This makes Mkomazi a perfect off-the-beaten-path diversion from a busy Northern Tanzania tour or exhausting trek up Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Spend a few nights relaxing in one of Mkomazi Wilderness Retreat’s seven comfortable solar-powered tents nestled in the camp above the Dindira plains. These stylish dwellings are made from local materials and offer walk-in bathrooms with rain showers. Above them sits an open restaurant, bar, and private viewpoint that looks over the Pare Mountains and beyond Mount Kilimanjaro. 

Costs range from $330-390 USD per night. Meals are included, with some ingredients grown in the camp’s organic farm. Many of the retreat’s reviews rave about the talent of its chef while complimenting the rest of its friendly and knowledge staff. Guests love the location and rustic vibe of the property, which they didn’t even have to leave to spot herds of buffalo, giraffe, and elephants.

“Mkomazi Wilderness Retreat and the whole national park felt as if it were our own private world, which is incredibly rare and even more special,” a reviewer wrote on Tripadvisor.

The park is considered a conservation success story after it rebounded within the last three decades into healthy wilderness teeming with birds, elephants, and ungulates. Elephants had almost disappeared but are now back in large numbers. 

Mkomazi is the only national park in Tanzania where visitors can see all the rare antelope species of the Sahel Biosphere, including the lesser kudu, gerenuk and beisa oryx. It shares a border to the north with Kenya’s Tsavo National Park, offering a hospitable environment for migrating herds of elephant, oryx, and zebra during the wet season.

Those enthusiastic about birding can delight in more than 400 recorded species, including raptors and ground birds. Spot the Vulturine guineafowl, found only in Mkomazi in Tanzania. Mkomazi National Park is also known as Tanzania’s “Home of the Black Rhino,” where guests can support the endangered mammals by visiting the rhino sanctuaries, Mbula and Kisima.

For more information about conservation efforts in Mkomazi National Park, check out The Mkomazi Project at WildlifeNOW: https://wildlifenow.com/what-we-do/ecosystem-preservation/the-mkomazi-project/ 

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Elwai Camp: Central Serengeti, Tanzania

Anyone seeking a safari experience likely has their eye on Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. A host to famed natural wonders and the Great Migration, photographers flock here every year and have plenty of choices of lodges. But savvy travelers – and especially the shutterbug sort – are discovering Elwai Camp, a relaxed glamping place close to all the wildlife. 

Elwai Camp favors intimacy and comfort with its eight large solar-powered safari tents made locally of heavy-duty canvas. Netted windows and shade cloth help keep the dwellings cool, and inside a traveler will find handmade furniture and a cozy bed surrounded by natural decor. Small necessities can be found around the room, like a walkie-talkie and rechargeable flashlight. 

A recent guest referred to Elwai Camp on TripAdviser as “the best glam camp in the Serengeti,” noting that the lodge is thoughtful with its patrons’ accommodations. Visitors also appreciated the western-style flush toilets, consistent hot and cold water, rain showers, purified drinking water, and fully-stocked bar. Other reviewers loved having access to wi-fi the whole time they were there.

The camp’s moto is that “Safaris do not have to mean you leave comfort at home.” 

The lodge is about 16 miles from the Seronera airstrip near Banagi Mountain and the Orangi River. Daily flights from Arusha are available during the high season. The drive is about 200 miles. 

The area is home to a diverse range of animals, including elephant, impala, hippo, buffalo, waterbuck, topi, and giraffe. Such prey attracts large predators like the lion, leopard, hyena, and cheetah, and smaller hunters such as the mongoose and bat-eared fox. 

Another reviewer wrote that the “location was amazing because you’re literally in the bush! In the morning, you can see zebras, wildebeests, and other animals while eating breakfast – which I thought was really cool!”

Guests were especially complementary of lodge’s food and posted photos of their meals to show off the appealing presentation. To keep everyone’s devices and photography equipment fed (with power), Elwai also serves up a 24-hour solar power supply, plentiful plug-in points and wireless charging pads in the reception and dining areas. 

Elwai Camp offers single, double, triple, and quad rooming options ranging in price from $300-$1,200 USD, depending on high or low season.  Meals are included. Children are welcome. https://elwaicamp.com/

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Gorilla Forest Camp: Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

The view from our room at Gorilla Forest Camp inside Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda

Gorilla Forest Camp was our favorite property during our visit to Uganda. One of the only properties located inside the national park, you are surrounded by ancient rainforest on all sides. We thought our room, Shoebill, offered the best views.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a primeval forest located in southwestern Uganda. It is home to approximately half of the world’s mountain gorilla population and along with Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park, is the most popular place in Africa for gorilla trekking. The Mubare family was the first gorilla family to be habituated in Bwindi in 1992. There are now 21 habituated gorilla families in Bwindi that are visited via four different sectors of the park. As there are few roads inside the park, gorilla trekking is mostly done by foot.

Gorilla Forest Camp is located in the Buhoma Sector of Bwindi and is accessed by a long drive from Entebbe or by air and a shorter road transfer from Kihihi Airstrip. As you approach the mountain landscape of Bwindi Impenetrable, the weather cools off and your surroundings become lush and green. Drive through the park gate and wind along a dirt road through the forest until you reach the parking area below the camp. The camp is located on the mountainside, and staff will greet you and carry your luggage up the mountain to the camp.

The camp itself is situated overlooking a densely-forested valley, and you are surrounded by the sounds of turacos, hornbills and sunbirds as you watch the clouds move in and out of the forest. Our room, Shoebill, was situated near the top of the property, offering sweeping views of the valley and forest. Each room has a full bathroom, complete with a free-standing bathtub for a post-trek soak.

In the evenings, enjoy drinks around the fire and listen to a musician play the Goje (a one-string fiddle originally from West Africa) and sing traditional songs about life in Uganda. Gorilla Forest Camp has a warm and friendly atmosphere and is an extremely peaceful place to spend a few days. We highly recommend at least three nights here, but if you can only spend two nights, it is well worth a two-night stay as well.

In addition to gorilla trekking, activities available in and around Bwindi include forest walks, bird walks, Batwa cultural tours, village walks and visits to traditional herbalists. As almost all visitors to Bwindi trek the gorillas at least once during their stay, it is important to know how to prepare for gorilla trekking. For longer visits to Uganda, we recommend combining Kibale National Park for chimp trekking, Queen Elizabeth National Park for a boat safari and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park for the gorillas over a six to eight day itinerary.

Contact us for more information about a visit to Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Gorilla Forest Camp!

As we sat around the fire at Gorilla Forest Camp, we listened to this musician play peaceful music on the Goje (a one-string fiddle originating from West Africa).

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Elephant Watch Camp: Samburu National Reserve, Kenya

Our picnic lunch overlooking Ewaso Ng'iro River

We loved our stay at Elephant Watch Camp in July and enjoyed a cultural and safari experience unlike any other.

In July of 2021, we visited one of the best places in the world to learn about elephants. Elephant Watch Camp is located in Samburu National Reserve in Kenya. The camp was created by the Douglas-Hamilton family, founders of Save the Elephants and the world’s premier elephant conservationists. Save the Elephants works closely with Elephant Watch Camp, and proceeds from the camp benefit elephant conservation efforts. During our stay at Elephant Watch Camp, we visited Save the Elephants and learned all about their pioneering work to combat elephant poaching and loss of habitat all over Africa. Their work has paid off! In the recently published 2021 Kenya wildlife census, Kenya’s elephant population has increased 12% since 2014!

All guides at Elephant Watch Camp are from the local Samburu tribe. They are trained trackers and they know all of the elephant families in Samburu by name. The guides work closely with Save the Elephants before becoming guides and have a deep understanding of elephant behavior and wildlife in general. In addition to their wildlife knowledge, they will share their culture with you. Each evening, on our way back to camp, we listened to our group of guides sing traditional Samburu songs. It was a magical experience and one I will never forget!

A stay at Elephant Watch Camp is a truly unique experience. Having been on at least 100 safaris all over Africa, I can say I have never had an experience quite like the one at Elephant Watch Camp. It is highly recommended for anyone with a deep interest in conservation, elephants, wildlife behavior, and Samburu culture. As the camp was originally built to accommodate visiting researchers, you will often find your fellow camp guests have many stories to share about Africa. The film crew of Big Cat Diary was staying at the camp while we were there - working on their next project! Contact us for more information about a visit to Kenya, Samburu National Reserve and Elephant Watch Camp!

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