MWAGUSI

Mwagusi: Our View

Mwagusi is a safari camp that maintains the exceptionally high safari standards for which it has become so famous.  The camp itself is not for everyone; Mwagusi is a real safari camp, as opposed to being a hospitality focussed safari hotel.  It remains our favourite camp in the park for sheer quality of game.  So long as you are happy to forego the opulent luxury of wooden polished floors and copper wash bowls, there is every likelihood that you will have a safari experience to knock you sideways.

Mwagusi deserves 5 paws due to the excellent game area, passionatly owner run and we love the food!

Mwagusi: The Detail

 Mwagusi is located in the Ruaha National Park in Southern Tanzania ideally combinable with Selous but also accessible by plane from Katavi to the West and Arusha in the North of Tanzania. Mwagusi is one of the founding camps in Ruaha and in arguably the best game location in the whole park.
 
The camp is designed with all-natural and yet elegant construction that can accommodate 8 couples in absolute safari style. The camp is focused around the Mwagusi River which is dry throughout most of the year and acts as a water source for all the surrounding game. The main area is rustic yet more than comfortable and uniquely designed in a manner which makes this property a timeless adventurous safari camp. Meals are often taken on the dry river bed where the banks are lit up by many lanterns.
 
The rooms are located on the meandering river bed with sandy paths in between each room and views onto the Mwagusi River.
 
Mwagusi is owned and run by Chris Fox, whose knowledge of this area extends back to long holidays spent camping in this area before it even became a National Park, and whose family helped to ensure that the land was gazetted and fully protected in 1964.  He developed the camp as an offshoot from the Ruaha River Lodge, originally managing that camp and using the Mwagusi location for extended fly-camping safaris.  It is not unusual to wake in the early hours of morning with the magnetic lure of a sublime sunrise over the sand river, to pad out onto your sandy private balcony and see Chris taking a barefooted morning stroll in the company of a very large and ancient, tuskered elephant.
 
The main activities here are walking safari and driving safari.

Mwagusi: Client Reviews

Certainly a rustic camp, a real feeling of being out in the middle of the Ruaha game reserve. Lots of good game viewing here, we were so lucky to see some amazing cats also including a pride of Lions taking on a Giraffe, a leopard chilling in a tree and a Cheetah from a distance. There was a nice camp feel in the evening chilling by a fire with tales of the day and the food was excellent again. Lovely accommodation given location and friendly staff.
C & P Monksfield 2011

I have travelled to Mwagusi a couple of times and have had a faultless stay on both occasions. You have got to be up for adventure to travel to here, and many clients are put off with the feeling that Mwagsui may be a little too back to basics. But the reality is that this camp gives you all the luxury and comfort you need, has excellent food and is one of the best game viewing camps anywhere. An absolute gem in my view!
Julian (Africa Odyssey)

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