Best Tanzania Migration Safari: Sanctuary Retreats in 2024/25

The Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest, most popular national park and a stunningly beautiful world heritage site. The abundance of wildlife in these expansive, rolling plains is mind-blowing, with unbeatable predator versus prey action on tap. The famed year-round wildebeest migration is a ‘must-see’ spectacle, with vast numbers of animals moving through the national park and beyond in search of fresh water and grazing.

Kusini is one of the best options in the entire Serengeti from January to March, when the great migration thunders through! During the rest of the year, it’s a little quiet but there’s accommodation to suit most types of travelers, and children aged 6 years and over are welcome here.

The communal lodge is a canvas, stone, and timber building, positioned on top of a Kopje and blending beautifully with the surrounding bush. Inside, the lounge is comfortably furnished with sofas and armchairs around coffee tables. There’s a tea-and-coffee station here too, in addition to a well-stocked bar.

Wildlife artwork and intriguing artefacts adorn the walls, and the palette is mainly neutrals with splashes of warm reds, oranges, and yellows – the canvas roof is a particularly vibrant red/orange hue!

Kusini’s dining room is similarly decorated and features a long table for groups as well as several smaller tables for couples. The gift shop stocks a colourful range of clothing and jewellery.

Emerging from the lodge, you will find a dining deck, a great spot for al fresco meals! And just a short walk away there’s the property’s fire-pit area, the perfect place for enjoying drinks before dinner while sharing safari stories.

Guest accommodation at Kusini consists of 12 tents, all set within woodland and linked to the communal lodge along neat pathways. Each has been constructed using canvas and wood. A few steps lead up onto a private veranda – this has both chairs and loungers, inviting you to relax with a drink and check out the likes of lion, buffalo, and zebra roaming the plains! Double doors bring you inside.

You will find a double bed with a tall headboard creating a screen, elegant lighting, an easy chair and rug, and a writing desk cum dressing table with cushioned stool. Behind the screen, there are the washing facilities – separate flush toilet, twin washbasins with mirror over, and shower with hot running water. Other amenities include a safe, a hairdryer, mosquito netting – and every tent comes with a personal attendant too!

Don’t miss out on Sanctuary Kichakani Serengeti Camp one of the best mobile camps in the Serengeti that really does have excellent locations, and that is the whole point of a mobile camp! Expect great game viewing in some of the most game-rich areas of the park.

Kichakani provides the usual high standards across the board, as would be expected from a Sanctuary camp and for those seeking a super-comfortable base camp from which to observe the glorious Great Migration.

All the three sites are very well appointed, with all the comforts you could desire. The communal areas are found in a large central tent with a grand canopy, and feature sophisticated lounge and dining furniture in a palette of creams and greys.

As the tent is open sided, you can relax and enjoy delicious meals while gazing out over the Serengeti’s sprawling plains. Each site also has a fire-pit, the perfect place for evening gatherings – guests can share safari stories under the star-studded African sky!

All the three sites of Kichakani consist of ten tents, described as five star and furnished in the classic campaign style. The interiors include a comfy double bed or twin beds, bedside tables and lighting, overhead lighting, an explorer’s chest at the end of the bed, a standing fan, wall artwork in the form of a map of Africa, and wonderful views out onto the Serengeti.

The en-suite facilities comprise flush toilet, washbasin, and bucket shower. Every tent is elevated above ground level on a wooden deck – this extends beyond the opening into the bedroom to provide a lovely private veranda, fabulous for sitting and watching the wildlife.

As well as spotting the great migration, there are the big cats too, the lion, leopard, and cheetah stalking their prey. Smaller predators you might see include hyena and wild dog, while other highlights consist of rhino, elephant, buffalo, giraffe, and plenty of antelope species! The birding is very impressive, with specials such as Fischer’s lovebird, ground horn bill, and little spotted woodpecker.

Visit Sanctuary Serengeti Migration Camp a charming mobile camp which moves between three different locations to follow the migration as it travels across the Serengeti National Park, Northern Tanzania migration safari. Depending on exact migration movements, the camp is set up in the Western Serengeti from April to July, the Northern Serengeti from August to November and the Southern Serengeti from December to March.

There is a rich abundance of wildlife to enjoy from wildebeest, zebra and gazelle to lion, hyena, cheetah and leopard, and the predator versus prey action is spectacular. Elephants are particularly fond of coming close to the camp, a delight to behold! Accessible via light aircraft, the camp’s various locations are truly wild. Note that it’s important to pack wisely; there is a 15kg limit for light aircraft luggage in one soft bag.

The main communal tents are simple but comfortable. The bar, lounge and dining areas are positioned for optimum views across the wide-open plains and sofas are dotted strategically around the site. The food is really good and delicious bush picnics can be provided for days away. Private dining is also offered at selected spots around the camp.

Children aged 6 and up are welcome and child rates apply. Note that children aged 15 and younger are required to share a tent with parents. Animals are free to wander through camp and while it is unlikely that they would approach humans or tents, parents must keep a watchful eye on their children at all times.

The accommodation comprises 10 luxury safari tents, each with an en-suite bathroom with indoor bucket shower, hairdryer and electric plug points. There is a personal attendant for each tent, on hand to provide hot water for the shower whenever required.