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The Central Serengeti, home to a dizzying array of wildlife, big cats galore, those quintessential rippling grass plains and the rather lovely Nyikani Camp. A relative newcomer to the Serengeti safari scene, the camp is perched atop a small hill, the bush views stretch endlessly from your tent door and the high season crowds seem a distant memory. Nothing is too much trouble here and the experienced team will spoil you from the moment you leap off the Jeep. It may be fresh-faced, but Nyikani is all about old-school hospitality and game viewing that you will never forget.
From $490 person/night
Seronera & Central Serengeti, Serengeti, Tanzania
Fences aren't in Nyikani's vocabulary so listen out for the wildlife that is bound to come exploring round the camp.
Brave the early wake-up call to watch the sunrise round the camp fire as the animals begin moving across the plains.
You really are in the middle of the Serengeti plains, so don't expect Wi-Fi in the tents - and hot water for showers is only available on request (you can ask for two buckets!).
Don’t worry about putting your feet on the sofa here – Nyikani is all about unpretentious and simple living and the camp gets it absolutely right. A large ‘living room tent’ is at the heart of the camp and there’s a small library and a bar to get stuck into during siesta time. The furniture is all made by local artisans in Arusha and feels perfectly authentic. Next door is a spacious dining tent and the all-important camp fire, perfect for swapping safari tales late into the night….
The 11 tents are comfortable, airy and very safari-cool with lots of earthy tones, billowing curtains and brightly coloured bed spreads decorated with hand-painted lilac-breasted rollers. All feel very private and the mini verandas are excellent for wildlife watching across the rippling plains. The en-suite bathrooms are particularly swish (especially for a tent!) and feature lots of sleek wood, shiny mirrors and excellent bucket showers with plenty of hot water. Handily, all rooms can be twins, doubles, triples or even family tents with extra twin beds.
Game drives are offered twice daily from Nyikani and are usually jam packed with fantastic sightings. The Big Five, including rhino, are found in the area and big cats are especially prevalent so don’t forget your camera (and some spare batteries). For a different perspective of the endless plains, try a serene balloon flight in the early morning or simply sit back with your binos and watch the wildlife come straight into camp.
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The Serengeti National Park is an ecologically rich environment and home to vast herds of wildebeest, zebra, Thomson's gazelle and buffalo grazing on the sweet grasses of the savannah. Even after the Great Migration has moved through, the game viewing is exceptional in this region. The predators are never far off, with cheetah and lion in abundance and leopard readily seen in the Seronera region of the Central Serengeti. Enjoy expansive grasslands, acacia thickets, meru kopjes (granitic hills) and riverine forests.