GUIDE ON MWAGUSI SAFARI CAMP IN TANZANIA

Navigation Tip - Go Directly To Prices, Reviews, Map, Photos, Video & Room Rate Guide For Mwagusi Safari Camp

Deep in the Ruaha National Park, on the banks of the Mwagusi Sand River, is a unique Tanzanian safari camp, designed and run by Chris Fox, himself raised in the Ruaha area which he has worked hard to preserve. Mwagusi Safari Camp started out as a fly camp which has since been upgraded to a high caliber tented chalet experience that offers a memorable and authentic African vacation experience in this most isolated and little known wildlife sanctuary.

Ruaha Park, the size of a small European country, is unusual in having a wide range of spectacularly beautiful habitats, from the central Great Ruaha River to its sand river tributaries, which become rushing torrents in the long rains. From the highlands of the Ruaha Escarpment, past the Mwayembe Swamp to the central miombo forest and grassy savannah, a fascinating diversity of wildlife finds the perfect place to thrive.



Many prides of lions hunt here. Cheetahs are frequently seen. Crocodiles and hippos wallow by the Great Ruaha River, and herds of hundreds of elephants dig for water in the sand river beds. A vehicle and walking tour in Ruaha as detailed in your AfricanMecca itinerary is a certain way to see a wide range of mammals – large and small, many of them, like wild dogs and Greater kudu, rare and threatened elsewhere.

Mwagusi Safari Camp is open in the short wet season when migratory birds join the breeding population. The swamps and rivers of Ruaha offer one of the best birding in Africa, with over 570 species recorded.

Accommodation At Mwagusi Safari Camp

13 individually designed tented chalets blend into their surroundings amongst tumbled rocks on the banks of the Mwagusi sand river. Deluxe and comfortably furnished, they are each decorated in ethnic manner to communicate the powerful immediacy of its wilderness. Rounded rocks protrude through polished red floors to form cozy niches in which to recline or sit on.

Skulls and horns of buffalo and kudu center attention on the purpose of your wildlife tour in Tanzania: to immerse yourself in the untamed ambience of a world unchanged since the beginning of time. Reed screens admit the sparkle of sunlight into a thatched, tented bandas, where you can look out from your bed, across a shaded verandah with chairs, table, and hammock, onto a vista of sand, grass and trees, populated by elephant, giraffe, guinea fowl, hyrax and baboons.



Comfortable beds, safari chairs, tables and storage trunk and solar lighting complete the furnishings of this eco-friendly African safari habitation. Borehole drinking water is boiled and filtered. En-suite bathrooms are distinguished by reed partitions, woven baskets for laundry and stone plinths for wash basins. There is a flush toilet and shower with solar hot water, fluffy towels and locally made clove soap. A complimentary daily laundry service is available (read more on where else to stay in Ruaha with AfricanMecca).

Safari At Mwagusi Safari Camp

A game drive is a compulsive part of any Tanzanian holiday visit. With a skilled guide from the camp, where exemplary guides are trained, you set out in a customized safari vehicle with raised awning to allow you to stay in the shade, and four-wheel drive to cope with all terrain. You may explore freely north or south of the Great Ruaha River, visiting places of historic interest, tracking the wildlife of your choice or ticking off birds by the hundred.



Drives may last 3 to 6 hours on a half or full day with starts in the cool early morning and late afternoon. You are sure to see some of the herds of elephants roaming the park in matriarchal groups, or lone male tuskers with impressive spreads of ivory. You may witness the exciting chase of a pack of wild dogs, almost always successful in bringing down their prey with an eighty percent success rate, unlike lions which can be outfaced by determined gangs of baboons, outpacing antelopes or implacable ranks of buffalo defending their families.

No doubt you will find cheetahs, zebras and giraffes and possibly roan antelopes, like thickset goats with screw threaded horns. An African tour is incomplete without walking safaris with an armed ranger and your guide to promote in depth appreciation of the landscape.



Your guide will show you tracks, carcasses and droppings, or he may encourage you to taste the seeds of the baobab fruit, something new and different to savor and create memories of your spectacular Ruaha park safari experience in southern Tanzania with AfricanMecca when staying at Mwagusi Safari Camp.

Dining At Mwagusi Safari Camp

At Mwagusi Safari Camp, food is health-giving, pure and fresh, straight from local farms and markets, and prepared immediately without unnatural add-ons, for a pure culinary African travel experience. All left-overs are recycled into fertilizers by local farmers. Meals can be taken in camp or out on an activity trip in the wilderness of Ruaha where AfricanMecca guests wish to spend an entire day pursuing far-ranging African wild dogs, lion prides, searching out the regal sable and stately kudu in miombo thickets, or visiting hippo and crocodile pools.

Buffet style lunch comprises specialty breads with salads and roast meat or chicken with a vegetarian option, followed by mouth-watering fruit pastries and desserts. Siesta in the heat of the day or visit the library adjacent to the main dining room before afternoon tea with cake to sustain you through the late afternoon Mwagusi Safari Camp safari excursion, ending with cocktails in the bush as the sun sets in golden brilliance to the susurration of a million crickets while you make your homeward way in time for the 6.30-7.00 p.m. curfew under a blaze of stars.



Whilst in the Ruaha wilderness safari park, perhaps you will spot a nocturnal pangolin or aardvark setting abroad, or see green eyes sparkling and hear the blood-chilling cough of a leopard. Dinner is a celebration of the day, experiencing it in one of the dining rooms overlooking the river bed or privately arranged as an outdoor buffet extravaganza in a glorious natural setting, beginning with soup or salad, followed by casseroles, grilled meats, steamed vegetables and rich desserts supplemented with varied hard and soft drinks.

Related Pages

1. Ruaha Safari Park Guide	2. Best Time & Weather To Visit Ruaha
3. Ruaha Map	4. Safari Lodges, Camps & Hotels In Ruaha