Ikuka Safari Camp

access to the core vehicle safari areas

Ikuka Safari Camp is located in the Ruaha area of southern Tanzania.

This property is one of only three owner-hosted options in Ruaha. Owners Mark and Chloe Sheridan-Johnson are absolutely lovely hosts and great bush lovers, who we first met in 2012 when they were managing Sand Rivers in Selous. They are absolutely committed to Ruaha, their kids being at school in nearby Iringa.

Set on a prominent hill and with superb views out of the surrounding bush, the camp is centred on a stylish main building, open-sided under thatch, containing very comfortable lounge and dining areas, leading out to a decking area with a nice swimming pool.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Ikuka Safari Camp is in seven large and very comfortable suites, each with a similar open-plan layout and broad views. Some of the rooms feature a private plunge pool, which can be a particular boon during the Sep-Nov hot season …

• Sunrise Room : x2
• Sunrise Pool Room : x1 : with a plunge pool
• Sunset Room : x3
• Sunrise Family Pool Suite : with two further small beds on an upper mezzanine level and a plunge pool

Activities

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

• Vehicle safari
• Walking safari
• Balloon safari: not included
• Bush meals
• 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