Kati Kati Camp: Our full report
Kati Kati Camp is a simple tented camp in the Tanzania's central Serengeti, near to Seronera.
This area of the Serengeti has reliably good game viewing throughout the year, and is a great place to look for cheetah on the vast open plains.There are 11 tents at Kati Kati, 10 of which are identical and can all be set up as doubles, twins or triples, and one of which is a large interconnected family tent that can sleep up to five. They stand in one long line in an open area and, as there is little vegetation, they don't have a great deal of privacy. Each tent has a small covered veranda at the front, with a couple of deckchairs facing out onto the plains. Out here, you'll also find a washbasin that the camp staff fill each evening with warm water, and a washing line (there is no laundry service at Kati Kati).
Inside, the tents certainly aren't luxurious, but they are furnished with all the basic comforts you need. Cast-iron bed frames can be moved apart or pushed together, depending on guests' wishes, and there is a luggage rack and small writing desk. At the back of each tent the small en-suite bathroom has a flush toilet and a 20-litre bucket shower, which is filled with hot water on request. There is very little privacy, but the toilet and shower canvas walls can be zipped to help a little. The tents are dimly lit but well-ventilated, a welcome feature as the central Serengeti can be incredibly hot during the day.
The communal areas at Kati Kati camp are equally simple – giving a real bushcamp feel. In the evenings, guests can gather around the campfire for a pre-dinner drink before moving to individual tables for dinner in the small dining tent. A table is set up with hot water and instant coffee and tea bags for self-service throughout the day. There's no lounge tent here and no real place to relax, just a few scattered directors' chairs – but as almost all guests staying here are likely to be out on full-day game drives, returning in the late afternoon or early evening, this is seldom an issue.
The central region of the Serengeti is one of the most visited parts of the park, and consequently can get rather busy with other vehicles, but this is because there is great game to be found in this area. It offers excellent opportunities for seeing cats close to the roads, as well as plenty of elephant, giraffe and plains game.
This camp does not have its own guides and so it needs to be visited as part of a privately guided trip.
Our view
Kati Kati is not luxurious: it is a no-frills camp that is good value for money and in a well-positioned location. This is not somewhere to come for fancy furnishings, fine food, top-level service and pampering. However, it's a very good option if you're on a tighter budget and want to explore this area, with its abundance of game. Its small size and basic tents give a real feel of camping out in the African bush. It’s simple, but enjoyable!
Tanzania expert
Geographics
- Location
- Serengeti Migration Area, Tanzania
- Ideal length of stay
- Two to three nights
- Directions
- The camp is a short drive from Seronera Airstrip, however most guests will drive here with a private driver guide.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board
- Food quality
- Much like the rest of the camp, the food is not fancy but it is hearty and plentiful.
Breakfast is a buffet, served from 06:00, with cereal, fruit and yoghurt. Eggs, sausage and bacon can be cooked to order and we especially enjoyed the pancakes on offer.
Lunch is usually a picnic, which is taken out by guests on a full-day game drive. A selection of items are laid out in the morning so guests can choose the contents of their picnic themselves; these are then packed up by the chef. On our last visit in February 2018, we had sandwiches, pizza, fruit, popcorn, quiche, cake and juice. For those who want to return to the camp, they offer a simple three-course menu served from 1:30pm.
Dinner is also a three-course menu, with a multitude of dishes brought to the table for the main course. Guests can help themselves to as much of each as they like. We were offered pumpkin soup to start, followed by beef stew, pork chops, rice and vegetables. Dessert was cake and watermelon. There is no choice for the starter and dessert, and this is certainly not fine dining, but all of the food was very tasty and hearty. - Dining style
- Individual Tables
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- Room service is not available.
- Drinks included
- Drinks are not included. When we last visited in 2018, a beer cost US$4, soda cost US$3 and a bottle of wine was about US$25. Drinking water is provided in each tent.
Children
- Attitude towards children
- The camp allows children of all ages.
- Property’s age restrictions
- There are no specific age restrictions at Kati Kati Camp.
- Special activities & services
- None
- Equipment
- None
- Generally recommended for children
- This camp is simple and wild; game can and does pass through it. Like any wild safari camp, it is only suitable for older children.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Kati Kati Camp
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Kati Kati Camp have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
91% success
91% success
82% success
82% success
30% success
18% success
9% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Power supply notes
- There are plugs in the main area, which work when the generator is turned on first thing in the morning and in the evening. There are no plugs in the tents.
- Communications
- There is no internet access and limited cellphone reception.
- TV & radio
- No
- Water supply
- Borehole
- Water supply notes
- Hot water for bucket showers is provided on request. There are flushing toilets.
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- The camp has access to a dispensary at one of the large lodges in Seronera. The nearest hospital is in Karatu.
- Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- Guests are escorted to and from their tents by askaris (guards), who are on duty throughout the night.
- Fire safety
- There are fire extinguishers in all the tents and the staff are trained in fire safety.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Hot air ballooning
Extras
- Disabled access
- Not Possible
- Laundry facilities
- The camp does not have the facilities to do laundry but does provide washing powder so guests can do their own laundry if they wish.
- Money
- There is a safe in the main area, in which guests can lock their valuables securely. There is no currency exchange in the camp.
- Accepted payment on location
- Kati Kati only accepts cash payments in US dollars, euros, British pounds and Tanzanian shillings.
Other lodges in Serengeti Migration Area
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Olakira Camp
Comfortable, friendly and relaxed, Olakira Camp moves between the Mara River and the southern Ndutu area, in line with the wildebeest migration.
Sayari Camp
In the northern Serengeti, near the Mara River, luxurious Sayari Camp offers excellent wildife all year – boosted further by the wildebeest migration.
Nomad Serengeti Camp
Serengeti Safari Camp is a well-appointed tented camp that moves several times a year to follow the predicted path of the migration.
Dunia Camp
Dunia Camp is well located for the migration from December to March, and has excellent game viewing for the rest of the year.
Namiri Plains Camp
Namiri Plains is one of the best camps in the Serengeti and its remoteness ensures a fantastic wildlife experience away from the crowds.
Lamai Serengeti
Set high in the kopjes with fantastic views, Lamai Serengeti offers top service and guiding and good migration sightings from Jul-Oct.
Ubuntu Camp
Ubuntu Camp has several locations in the Serengeti, following the wildebeest migration, so it is often in a great location to see the herds.
Ndutu Safari Lodge
Large and economical, but not luxurious, Ndutu Safari Lodge is well located in the southern Serengeti, so book early to get space.
Serian Serengeti
Serian Serengeti is a mobile tented operation run by Alex Walker which moves between two locations following the wildebeest migration.
Klein's Camp
Klein's Camp, in a private area of the northern Serengeti, sets high standards. Activities include walks, nights drives and Maasai village visits.
Serengeti under Canvas
Two of the three Serengeti under Canvas camps move through the Serengeti National Park every few months to follow the wildebeest migration.
Grumeti River Camp
Grumeti River Camp offers a laid-back atmosphere combined with top service, first-rate food, expert guiding and an excellent location.
Lemala Kuria Hills
Lemala Kuria Hills is a luxury permanent camp that is ideally located for wildlife all year around, but especially during the wildebeest migration.
Lemala Ewanjan
Lemala Ewanjan is a comfortable and stylish tented camp in the Seronera area of the central Serengeti National Park.
Lemala Mara-Ndutu
Lemala Mara-Ndutu is a semi-permanent camp that moves between the north and south of the Serengeti to witness the wildebeest migration.
Lemala Nanyukie
Lemala Nanyukie is a stylish camp located in the quieter part of the central Serengeti.
Lobo Wildlife Lodge
The large Lobo Wildlife Lodge has simple, functional rooms in a stunning location. It's a good base for exploring the north-eastern Serengeti.
Kubu Kubu
Kubu Kubu is a contemporary, tented lodge, well located in the central Seronera area of the Serengeti National Park.
Serengeti Walking Mobile
This fairly simple camp offers only walking activities, but it's very well done and combines well with more conventional camps or lodges.
Mbalageti Lodge
Mbalageti is a well-run lodge in a quiet part of the Serengeti's western corridor – an ideal location during the Apr-Jun migration.
Serengeti Serena
The Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is a large, hotel-style lodge and a good family-friendly base from which to explore the central Serengeti.
Kusini Camp
Kusini Camp is permanent, luxury camp located on a beautiful kopje in a quiet, wildlife-rich corner of the south-west Serengeti.
Migration Camp
Serengeti Migration Camp is a smart tented camp, good for the wildebeest migration from Jul–Aug, or to explore the Lobo Kopjes any time.
Mkombe's House Lamai
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Serengeti Sopa Lodge
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Singita Mara River
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Olmara Camp
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Serengeti Green Camp
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Sasakwa Lodge
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Faru Faru Lodge
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Kirurumu Migration Camp
Kirurumu is a rustic tented camp which moves around the Serengeti twice a year to follow the wildebeest migration.
Sabora Tented Camp
Sabora Tented Camp is a smart tented camp – one of the most luxurious, professional and stylish properties to be found in Tanzania.
Four Seasons Serengeti
The Four Seasons Safari Lodge is the only hotel in the Serengeti offering international facilities such as a gym, spa and children’s club.
Nimali Mara
Nimali Mara is a luxurious safari lodge in a quiet region of the northern Serengeti with good access to the wildebeest migration.
Bushtops
Serengeti Bushtops is a permanent luxury camp in the northern Serengeti, with spacious and private tents with their own hot tubs.
Ndutu Kati Kati
Ndutu Kati Kati is a seasonal tented camp, based in the southern Serenget from Dec-Mar, ideal for the migration as it passes through.
Olduvai Camp
Olduvai Camp lies between Ngorongoro and the southern Serengeti plains. It's a good base for the southern plains during the rainy season.
Lake Masek Tented Camp
Ideally located for the wildebeest migration from Dec–Apr, Lake Masek Tented Camp is a good, mid-market safari camp.
Mara Mara
Mara Mara is a smart tented camp in the northern Serengeti, situated on a small hill close to the Mara River.
Esirai Migration Camp
A season migration camp, with only 8 tents and 1 family tent and plenty of character. Esirai is ideally placed for excellent wildlife and enjoys a simplistic and comfortable under-canvas experience.
Mwiba Lodge
Mwiba Lodge is a luxurious property located on a private concession on the edge of the southern Serengeti.
Seronera Wildlife Lodge
Seronera Wildlife Lodge is large hotel-style safari lodge in the heart of the Serengeti, offering good value and a great location.
Mara Kati Kati
Mara Kati Kati is a simple bush camp in the northern Serengeti, based from Jul-Oct near the Mara River for the wildebeest migration.
Nasikia Naona
Naona Camp is a small tented camp, located in the Moru Kopjes, west of the Serengeti central area
Kirawira Camp
Set high on a hill, in the Serengeti's western corridor, Kirawira is a relatively large tented camp in the Serena group.
Nyikani Central
Nyikani Central is a comfortable tented camp located in the game-rich Seronera area of the central Serengeti.
Mbuzi Mawe
Mbuze Mawe is a comfortable tented camp in a convenient, central-north location when driving through the Serengeti.
Laba Migration Camp
A luxury mobile camp that moves between the Western Corridor, Mara River and the southern Ndutu area, in line with the wildebeest migration.
Serengeti Pioneer Camp
Serengeti Pioneer Camp is a luxurious tented camp in the central Serengeti, styled on African explorers' camps of the early 20th century.
Taasa Lodge
Taasa Lodge is a slightly quirky option offering guided walks and night game drives, which are not permitted in Serengeti National Park.
Nimali Serengeti
Opened in July 2017, Nimali Serengeti is a smart, permanent tented camp located in the Seronera area of the central Serengeti.
Nomad Walking Camp
Nomad Expeditionary Walking Camp is a simple camp of up to three tents, plus infrastructure, that changes location to allow guests to do substantial walks between campsites.
