Usangu Expedition Camp

incredibly important for conservation

Usangu Expedition Camp is located in the Ruaha area of southern Tanzania.

This property is owned and operated by Asilia Africa, one of the leading safari companies in East Africa, the owners of which are committed to both an earthy, authentic, high quality approach to safari and a very strong conservation ethos.

Some camps are of almost immeasurable importance from a conservation perspective. So it is with Usangu Expedition Camp.

The Usangu Wetlands is one of Africa’s best kept secrets, a vast ecosystem. which was only incorporated into the national park in 2006 and which now represents the frontier of conservation efforts in this region.

The presence of this first pioneering camp has an enormous effect on the area. Poachers have become obliged to ply their bloody trade elsewhere, herders are no longer allowed to let their cattle destroy these critical wetlands and the wild animals have started to relax and replenish their numbers.

A visit to Usangu Camp is a real honour. Here you can participate in various conservation projects and witness the return of the (still very skittish) wildlife. In 2022 we were there when the first herd of buffaloes returned to the area, followed by a procession of lions, jackals and vultures. Out on the vast plains we watched a herd of over 5000 topi antelopes, almost as impressive as the famous Serengeti migration, but all to ourselves in blissful isolation.

The big downside for some guests will doubtless be the seemingly endless four hour drive from central areas, mostly through tsetse-infested combretum forests. The camp has a specially adapted vehicle to keep the annoying insects out, but the length of the drive will remain until an airstrip is established.

Up to our visits in 2022, we thought Usangu was a bit of an afterthought, but now we view it as an essential component of a comprehensive exploration of Ruaha. The area could not be more different from the main reserve and the conservation efforts could not be more important. One day everyone will have heard of this magical place.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Usangu Expedition Camp is in six very comfortable tented suites (double and twin only, no triple rooms), each with an indoor bathroom and an impressive 180 degree view from the bed.

The rooms do not feel quite as substantial as those in larger camps (the floorboards creak a little and the whole structure feels a little less permanent), but they really are very comfortable.

We slept like babies, not least because the presence of water nearby causes the temperatures to plummet at night, meaning that you can really wrap yourselves up warm, with a hot water bottle (at least you can in Jun-Aug, it’s likely to be much warmer in the late dry season).

Activities

Usangu Expedition Camp provides the following guided activities, not all of which are necessarily included in the price …

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Motorboat safari
• Bush meals
• Research projects
• Camera traps
• Night vehicle safari

Despite being one of the best reserves in Africa, Ruaha tends to feature in a remarkably small proportion of trips, mainly because it is obliged to compete with the Serengeti region. It is one of those places that tends to appeal most to more experienced safari travellers.

The usual stay duration is 3-5 nights in one camp or 5-12 nights in two or three camps.

Safari planning

Ruaha is most commonly combined in trips with other safari areas across Tanzania, like Serengeti or Selous (Nyerere), often in addition to the tropical beaches of Zanzibar, Pemba or Mafia islands.

Since around 2018, with the opening up of ever more diverse sectors within Ruaha, we have steadily increased the number of nights here. Most trips now combine two lodges over around six nights, with some trips extending to nine or more nights in three or even four different lodges.

Can you let Ruaha completely replace Serengeti in your trip? That has become the burning question. For ever more people the answer is a very definite yes.

Seasonality

The classic time to visit Ruaha is generally considered to be during the Jun-Oct dry season, when the wildlife is focused on the river and easy to view. But there are also good reasons to visit during other months.

Getting there

Ruaha is almost always reached by light aircraft. To the south and east there are daily services in both directions (Dar, Selous, Ruaha). Connections with the north are slightly less predictable, but usually operate daily (Serengeti, Manyara, Tarangire, Arusha, Ruaha, Selous, Dar). There are also services to and from the west (Ruaha, Mufindi, Katavi, Mahale).

It is possible to include Ruaha in a private-guided overland safari, in combination with Mikumi, Udzungwa and Selous, but the routing includes a lot of busy main road miles, causing this style of safari to fade since around 2015.

common to combine two or even three lodges