Kusini Tented Lodge

Highlights

  • Most Known For

    • Best luxury tented camp in the green season
    • Extraordinary location from Dec thru Mar
    • Thrilling in-camp wildlife viewing
    • Beautiful sundowners atop a granite outcropping
  • Activities

    Private Game Drives, Sundowners & Bonfires

  • Wildlife

    Wildebeest, Rhino, Waterbuck, Lion, Striped Hyena, Cheetah, Elephant, Gazelle, Klipspringer

Kusini Tented Lodge

Expect seclusion, luxury and the ultimate in service at this tented oasis. Kusini is an isolated retreat tucked into a remote pocket of the Southern Serengeti, where the open plains converge with the acacia woodlands. Just nine (9) safari tents, spaciously separated amid rolling granite kopjes, make up this intimate tented lodge. Whether you are looking for the ultimate in luxury, seclusion, intimacy, service, food, wildlife, or all of the above, you will find it here at Kusini.

View South Serengeti Map Nearby Attractions Seasonal Highlights Nearby Lodges

Lodge Overview

Afternoon sunlight sifts through billowing clouds, and muted blue shadows roll over endless windswept savanna. The play of light casts ethereal spells on the surrounding landscape. The skies open wide and the plains stretch as far as the eye can see, and your soul finds stillness in the space that is the Serengeti. It is here, in the most unexpected of places, that you will find a safari lodge of your wildest dreams.

Kusini Tented Lodge, commonly referred to as Kusini Camp, is an isolated retreat tucked into a remote pocket of the southern Serengeti ecosystem, where the open plains converge with the acacia woodlands. Galloping zebras create running patterns of stripes in the tall grasses, and the profiles of umbrella shaped acacia trees burn dark silhouettes on the horizon. Just nine safari tents, spaciously separated amid the acacia trees and rolling granite kopjes, make up this intimate tented lodge. Whether you are looking for the ultimate in luxury, seclusion, intimacy, service, food, wildlife, beauty, or all of the above, you will find it here at Kusini Tented Lodge.

Kusini Tented Lodge is a first class venue. Its secluded location, intimate size, luxury accommodations, personalized service, and excellent game viewing potential make the Lodge an excellent choice, and simply impossible to beat in the green season. If you choose to incorporate this property into your itinerary, you will undoubtedly be rewarded with one of the most intimate and authentic experiences available in all of Africa.

Kusini is a great choice for those seeking luxury accommodations in the green season (December to May) when the great migratory herds are grazing on the nearby plains. Kusini is also recommended during the Northward Migration (June) and the Southward Migration (November).

Besides the migratory animals, which can usually be seen in the immediate area from November to June, Kusini also boasts an abundance of resident animals including elephant, buffalo, cheetah and impala. The Kusini woodlands support the extremely rare striped hyena as well as its larger and more dominant cousin, the spotted hyena. There are also two resident lion prides in the immediate area and the larger one, which usually centers its activities near the Kusini Airstrip numbers well over 20 individuals.

"Our favorites lodging, hands' down was the Kusini Tented Lodge, where we spend two glorious nights in the most comfortable beds ever, dining family style with the other guests on the offerings of a superb chef and toasting one another at the sunset happy hour on the kopjes. And how cool is it that a Maasai Askari, ready with a spear, escorted us to our tent, lest we encounter and angry cape buffalo. Awesome!" Leigh C. - Long Beach, CA

Location

Kusini Tented Lodge (elevation 5,512 feet) is located in the southwestern section of the Serengeti National Park. The Lodge is discretely situated around the Hambi Ya Mwaki-Nyeb Kopjes in a very scenic wooded area just inside the woodlands-plains border of the Serengeti. This is a truly beautiful and seldom traveled area of the Serengeti. The closest lodge or campsite is over 2 hours away so expect to have this slice of heaven all to yourself.

Just to the east of Kusini are the famous Serengeti plains and to west is the Maswa Game Reserve. The Lodge is ideally located in that many areas of the southern and eastern plains of the Serengeti can be reached on an all day game drive including the Kusini Plains, Matiti Plains, Ndutu, Naabi Hill, Gol Kopjes, Hidden Valley, Barafu Kopjes and even Nasera Rock. During the northward and southward migration months of June and November, respectively, the Moru Kopjes area can be reached on a 1.5-hour game drive to the north.

Accommodations

The Lodge consists of just nine permanent luxury tents with en-suite bathrooms and showers. The small size of the Lodge provides for a very intimate and personal experience. Each tent is spaced throughout the acacia trees at the bottom of a beautiful granite kopje to ensure complete privacy.

Describing the rooms as tents is probably misleading and a better description might be luxury cabins under canvas. Regardless, the tents are elevated on a wooden foundation and each is tastefully decorated with hardwood furnishing in grand safari fashion. The back of the tent includes the en-suite bathroom which consists of a separate flush toilet and shower on either side of the wash basin. Our favorite aspect of the Lodge is the raised private veranda at the front of each tent. It is possible to continue your safari experience after your game drive and enjoy the landscape and resident animals (buffalo, vervet monkey, baboon and impala) from the comfort and privacy of your own veranda.

The main Lodge structure is set upon a kopje above the tents. This area includes the dining tent, campfire, bar and main viewing deck. The campfire and lounge area offer a great place to mingle with other guests and share the safari highlights for the day. For your safety, Askaris (Masai warriors) will accompany you at night when walking to and from the main Lodge. It is about a 5 minute walk to the main Lodge facilities and it is important that you have an escort at night when going to and from dinner. There is a very nice gift shop in a separate tent, which includes among other things a very nice selection of Tanzanite.

A friendly couple from Zimbabwe, Fred and Carol Rademeyer, who have spent over twenty years running various lodges and camps, manages Kusini. Their attention to fine details, wealth of knowledge and deep love for 'the bush' sets the stage for unparalleled service and a truly remarkable property. Kusini is owned by the reputable Sanctuary Lodges with a sister property in Tanzania - Swala Tented Lodge in Tarangire

Food & Drink

Excellent food and superb service are two of the hallmarks at Kusini Camp. Steaming hot coffee or tea and cookies will be delivered to your tent each morning at an agreed upon wake up call time. However, be wary of the vervet monkeys, which are notorious for pilfering these early morning treats! You may enjoy the African morning from your private veranda before heading up to the main tent for breakfast.

Breakfast is quite a spread and is served mixed buffet style. There is a selection of fresh fruit, cereals, yogurts, cheeses and juices. Orders will be taken for eggs, pancakes, bacon etc. and made to your liking. Alternatively, choose to have the staff pack you a picnic breakfast to go so you can maximize your early morning wildlife viewing!

There are also two choices for lunch. You can either drive back to the Lodge for a hot lunch or have a private picnic lunch while on safari. The lunch picnics are well catered to and include an assortment of pasta, sandwiches, cheeses and fresh fruit, bundled in authentic picnic baskets with genuine tableware.

Dinner is the main event at Kusini Camp and it is quite a feast indeed! Served by the warm ambience of candlelight in open air dining, dinner consists of four delicious courses. The meal is paired with fine South African wines. The soups are especially delectable! The menu varies daily on a 7-day rotation, and vegetarian dishes are available. There is a good variety of beer, wine, and spirits available, and most are included in your safari package.

An hour before dusk on every day, a small bar is set up on the very top of a nearby kopje. You may indulge in sundowners with the other guests and enjoy the stunning views out over the surrounding woodlands as the last rays of daylight burn a brilliant crimson finale into the western sky. Just before dinner on each night, a blazing campfire is also set up with appetizers and drinks. After dinner, you may continue to sit around the fire and simply embrace the ambience of such a special place. Watch the dancing flames cast ghosts of smoke in the moonlight under a velvet sky as another brilliant chapter of your safari adventure draws to a close. You can hardly wait to begin the next day!

Special Features

  • Private game drives into the wildlife-teeming arena of the spectacular Serengeti savanna.
  • Experience the great wildebeest and zebra migration on the surrounding plains
  • Explore the remote Moru Kopjes, home to remaining black rhinos in the Serengeti
  • A full day adventure game drive can be done to Gol kopjes, the cheetah capital of Africa
  • Picnic lunches
  • Bush dinners
  • Well stocked safari boutique and gift shop
  • Sundowners atop the nearby kopjes every evening
  • Wildlife viewing from Lodge
  • Complimentary laundry service is included in your safari package
  • Beverages including soft drinks, beer, wine, and spirits are included in your safari package

Nearby Attractions

Seasonal Highlights

For the Kusini Tented Lodge

Recommended Month to Visit

Month Season Recommended Weather Wildlife Sightings
Jan Green Season YES 60 - 85 F
Mostly sunny with few showers
Wildebeest Migration and Zebra Migration, Lion, Cheetah, Elephant
Feb Green Season YES 60 - 85 F
Mostly sunny with few showers
Wildebeest Migration and Zebra Migration, Lion, Cheetah, Elephant, Wildebeest Calving
Mar Green Season YES 60 - 83 F
Mostly sunny with few showers
Wildebeest Migration and Zebra Migration, Lion, Cheetah, Elephant
Apr Green Season YES 60 - 83 F
Mostly sunny with few showers
Wildebeest Migration and Zebra Migration, Lion, Cheetah, Elephant
May Northward Migration YES 56 - 81 F
Mostly sunny
Wildebeest Migration and Zebra Migration, Lion, Cheetah, Elephant
Jun Beginning of Dry Season YES 56 - 81 F
Mostly sunny
Wildebeest Migration and Zebra Migration, Lion, Cheetah, Elephant (early June only)
Jul Dry Season NO 60 - 83 F
Mostly sunny
- - - - -
Aug Dry Season NO 55 - 81 F
Mostly sunny
- - - - -
Sep Dry Season NO 55 - 81 F
Mostly sunny
- - - - -
Oct Dry Season NO 60 - 83 F
Mostly sunny
- - - - -
Nov Southward Migration YES 60 - 83 F
Mostly sunny with few showers
Giraffe, gazelle, Walking Safaris and Cultural Interactions
Dec Beginning of Green Season YES 60 - 83 F
Mostly sunny with few showers
Wildebeest Migration and Zebra Migration, Lion, Cheetah, Elephant

Nearby Lodges

Rates & Booking

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(877) 572-3274
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31244 Palos Verdes Dr. West, Suite 239

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275

Hours: Daily 8AM - 8PM PST

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P.O. Box 2189

Arusha, Tanzania

+255 752 225 554

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