Camping in the heart of the Serengeti

Last updated on March 14th, 2021; Published on September 25th, 2017

As part of a trip to Tanzania, my sister and I spent two days camping at the Serengeti National Park. Our accommodation during that time was a fairly large tent right smack in the middle of the park. Before we went on the trip, I made countless research about this sort of accommodation. ‘Were they safe?’ ‘Could they be easily torn by lions and other wild animals?’ ‘Who would even sleep in a tent in the middle of a wildlife park?’

After finding enough evidence to convince us to go on and book our tour (and some to scare us away), we arrived at Kati-Kati camp on the second day of our Safari and Zanzibar tour.

I practically knew what to expect when we arrived but I think my little sister was a bit shocked to learn that we were going to be sleeping in tents such as these. I can’t even imagine what she would have thought if I went through with plans to go with smaller tents.

This particular camp and tents were a bit upscale though. The camp was entirely powered by solar energy and the tents were equipped with furniture and an indoor bathroom and toilet. We were given 20Ls of water daily for our baths and also given some rules to ensure we had a comfortable and safe stay.

The rules were simple;

Don’t walk alone at night or early in the morning – wait for a guide to escort you to and from your tent.

Zip up your tents properly when you leave or when you’re inside

Charge your devices in the reception area (there were no outlets in our tents – not that I expected there to be any)

Unless you desire to be visited by hyenas, don’t take food into your tents. This one could not be overemphasized! At dinner on our second night, we were visited by hyenas around the camp cafeteria and these guys were huge! During the same night, my sister and I heard lions roaring and they seemed to be close by.

We made it through the night by convincing ourselves that it was someone snoring really loudly… and fiercely?

By the next morning, we were more than happy to be leaving. This isn’t to say that we didn’t enjoy our time there, we did. In fact, our entire experience was absolutely fantastic. From staying in this camp to our hot air balloon ride and our game drives, we couldn’t have asked for more from the Serengeti. I was certainly looking forward to visiting this national park and it didn’t disappoint! Not even one bit!

Have you been out camping before? What was your experience like? And would you be willing to sleep in a tent in the middle of a wildlife park?