Nyikani Camp - Central Serengeti — Hotel in Ikoma

The camp was under construction during our visit although this did little to impact our experience. Traveling with my 2 teenage sons the Nyikani Camp was a perfect fit for us. The GM, Jubilete did an amazing job introducing the camp and setting expectations, he is also a pretty good card player. Personally, I loved being in canvas tents nestled into the hills of the Serengeti, however the new construction appears to be more structured with cabins over tents. I was woken up in the middle of the night by a herd of zebras navigating through camp, right next to our tent. I recognized the call of the frightened zebra and marveled at how the camps are created to fit into the environment, there are no fences, no separation. For me this is a huge part of the experience, listening to the Serengeti, feeling immersed and surrounded by life and nature. I am sure the new camp will be beautiful in its own unique way as the staff is wonderful and so in tune with their surroundings as well as their guests. Salomon and Barack took phenomenal care of us, making sure we had hot showers, meals on the go, and early morning coffee (with a delicious cookie my son talked about for days) delivered to our tent. The food was fantastic and the team made us both breakfast and lunches on the go so we could spend every minute on safari. A special call out to our friend Mike who regaled us with stories of his wildlife interactions in camp! He quickly earned the name “Mike of the Lions” for the rest of our trip. Both nights Mike chatted with my son while he was at the main tent using the wifi. Mike was able to subtly pull my son out of his phone and into the Serengeti nightlife, pointing out the sound of a giraffe licking his lips then flashing the spotlight on the nearby giraffe; mimicking the sound of the leopards and the feeling when the animal is just on the other side of the tent. My son was thrilled to share all the stories of his evenings with Mike - thank you Mike for accomplishing the impossible!! Every camp had something unique and special about it, for this camp it was definitely the people! No matter how the physical camp changes I trust the amazing people working there will keep the magic of the Serengeti alive...

Nyikani Central Camp was beyond expectations! I highly recommend to stay here.

The tents are immaticulous clean, very spacious and luxury. It even has a (again: clean!) toilet and shower. And the view over Seregeti plains is stunning. The tents are actually not really tents but more like little houses with canvas walls. High quality!

The staff is super attentive and make you feel welcome throughout the stay.

The food is excellent and of better quality than many restaurants in Europe, we were so surprised to find that level of quality in a tented camp in the middle of Seringeti. From the restaurant you enjoy a lovely view of the plains. Also the lunchbox provided was very tasty.

The local manager kindly advised us where to find the animals as we were travelling alone on self-drive safari. With his tips we were able to see so many animals! For example hippos and birds around the Serona marshlands, lions around the 'Kopjes' and the big herds of wildebeast on the track south of Naabi gate towards Ndutu Lake. There we also spotted hyenas and a cheetah with cubs. Take into account that we travelled in early December, animals might migrate to different parts in other seasons.

The location of the camp is excellent as it is nearby the wildlife around Serona and near some facilities (like the gas station and our daily coffee stop at the local airport).

As a cherry on the pie we marvelled at an elephant foraging next to the camp on the day of departure; a dream coming true.

To all the staff of Nyikani Central Camp: thank you so much for making our stay in...

In 2014 our family (my wife, I and our five kids) were on an exceptional Tanzania holiday arranged by Duma Explorer (one week safari - 3 different camps - and one week on Zanzibar) and now I, my wife and one of our cubs (17 years) decided to climb Kilimanjaro and after the climb do a 3-day safari in central Serengeti. After our experience in 2014, picking Duma was an absolute no-brainer.

Last time in central Serengeti we stayed at Chaka camp, which was absolutely marvelous, but I must say that Kiota camp where we stayed this time was even better! The tents were large, comfortable and very well kept. The beds were very nice and the hot safari-shower was so nice! The staff at the camp (a total of 8 people) were very nice where I would particularily like to mention Amani (manager) and Elias (who we met at Chaka camp in 2014). All aspects of the camp were absolutely top-notch! The breakfast and dinner which we had at the camp was great as well as the brought-along lunches (we opted for full day safaris with our wonderful guide Kawaga), but if you wish lunch can also be had at the camp.

Sleeping in a tent in Serengeti is an experience I warmly recommend! Laying in the comfortable bed in the dark listening to lions, leopards and hyenas in the vicinity, sometimes roaming the camp just outside the tent, among all other sounds is an almost unreal experience.

This was our second time in central Serengeti, but I am convinced we'll be back again - and when we come back we'll without a doubt choose...