The sausage tree – or Kigelia Africana – is one of the most distinctive on the continent, with distinctive pendulous pods that erupt into brilliant scarlet flowers. Kigelia Camp is set within a grove of these botanical oddities on the banks of the Ifuguru Sand River in Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park. This area has an utterly unique ecosystem as it is where southern meets east Africa, with an unusual overlap of animals and plants found nowhere else.
Kigelia Camp’s canvas of game-viewing opportunities washes across the permanent hunting grounds of lion, leopard, cheetah and the endangered wild dog. Although Ruaha National Park is the country’s largest, it is not heavily visited, meaning you will be largely alone with only the ancient baobab trees and chuckling hyenas to keep you company. With its magnificent stocks of eland, roan and sable antelope – not to mention incredible birdlife – it is a photographer’s paradise. The Great Ruaha River supports throngs of hippo and crocodile, making for richly rewarding game drives.
The campsite harks back to a bygone era of unpretentious safaris, where the focus is squarely on the wilderness that surrounds it. With only six ample tents, Kigelia Camp is a dream for those who want to be totally immersed in the day-to-day rhythms of Ruaha.