Stanley's Kopje

An alluring hilltop camp, formerly called Foxes Safari Camp, overlooking the savannah grasslands of Mikumi National Park

Abutting the northern edge of the vast Selous Game Reserve, Mikumi gets less press than its illustrious neighbour. Yet this 3,200 square mile tract of savannah and miombo woodland offers prime game viewing and has a mind-boggling number of bird species. The reserve is easily accessible from Dar es Salaam and makes a natural stopover between Foxes’ Ruaha River Lodge and their Indian Ocean hideaway, Lazy Lagoon.

Our Mikumi safari got off to an unforgettable start with giraffes scattering away from the bush landing strip as our light aircraft touched down. By the time we reached the delectable camp, wrapped round an isolated kopje with 360º views of the Mkata floodplain, we’d seen lion, zebra, hippo, huge numbers of buck including the elusive eland, and feathered things galore. The makuti-thatched hilltop lodge seemed lifted straight from the pages of Karen Blixen and throughout our stay we couldn’t fault the Foxes’ attention to detail nor the excellence of our safari guides.

Highs

• The setting is bush-at-its-best with uninterrupted vistas out across the floodplains
• The tented accommodation, beautifully rebuilt in 2009, strikes a perfect balance between simple authenticity and solid creature comfort
• The Foxes have been fine-tuning their safaris for decades: nobody does it better in southern Tanzania
• Camp manager Karen goes that extra mile to ensure all guests get the most out of their Mikumi safari. We enjoyed her infectious vitality and enthusiasm
• Mikumi is home to a staggering 400 species of birds, and the open miombo forest and grassland make for easy ornithological observation

Lows

• The busy Tanzam highway cuts straight across the park. But rangers plan game drives in such a way that you’ll be unaware of the road
• Expect to see a fair number of game vehicles; easy accessibility from Dar makes Mikumi a really popular game-viewing destination