About This Property
Sanctuary Kichakani Serengeti Camp is now listed as Kichakani Camp, an A&K Sanctuary — a 10-tent mobile camp that packs up and follows the Serengeti wildebeest migration rather than sitting in one place all year. Go2Africa still files it under the Sanctuary Kichakani slug. The name is Swahili for “in the bush”.
A&K Sanctuary pitches in the northern Lamai triangle from June to November for Mara River crossings (peak August–October on that page), then in the southern Serengeti from December to March for calving. It is closed 1 April–31 May. Both sites are unfenced national-park camp, with wildebeest and zebra on the doorstep in season, plus lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, rhino, cheetah and wild dog on the Go2Africa / A&K lists, and about 500 bird species.
There are 10 classic canvas tents, 42 m², for a maximum of 20 guests (A&K FAQ). Each has a king-size bed (Go2Africa: canopied double with netting; Travel Butlers: double or twin), teak floors, a fan, electric lighting, tea and coffee, a hairdryer, a private wooden deck, and an en-suite bathroom with a vintage washstand and a hot bucket shower filled by a tent attendant. Africa A-Z: two tents can triple if the third guest is a child. Children from six are welcome; 15 and under share with an adult.
There is no swimming pool. The camp is a grand central tent for lounge, bar and dining, sides often rolled up, plus a fire pit. Go2Africa’s day is tea to the tent, a light breakfast, morning and afternoon drives, brunch or lunch, and a three-course supper; A&K adds a weekly boma night. The published stay is a game package: meals, drinks including premium brands, shared drives, airstrip transfers, laundry and emergency evacuation. Park fees sit outside the Africa A-Z 2026 sheet.
Go2Africa’s live range is USD 1,360–1,414 per person sharing. A&K Sanctuary’s 2026 card starts at USD 1,080 PPS for seven nights or more. Lamai is the northern strip; Serengeti South is about 10–15 minutes from the southern pitch.
Why We Love It
We love Kichakani because it still moves. Ten tents, packed and pitched for the two chapters of the Serengeti migration that actually matter: Mara River crossings in the Lamai triangle, then calving on the southern plains. That is the point of a mobile camp, and A&K Sanctuary and Go2Africa both put it on the page.
It is canvas, a bucket shower and a fire pit, not a mini-lodge. We would rather have a tent attendant heating the shower and wildebeest in front of the deck than a concrete spa block that cannot follow the herds. Twenty guests is the right scale.
We would book the northern pitch for August–October if a crossing is the aim, and the south from December to March for calves and predators. We would not try to force an April or May date — the camp is shut. Park fees still sit outside the Africa A-Z game-package sheet, even though drinks including premium brands are in.
Come for the migration, not for a swimming pool. Pair it with Ngorongoro Crater Camp or Swala if you want more of the same A&K Sanctuary service on either side of the move.
Rooms & Details
Classic tent (10)
A&K Sanctuary lists 10 classic tents at 42 m², two guests each (maximum 20). Each has a king-size bed with netting, teak floors, a cooling fan, and an en-suite bathroom with vintage washstands and a traditional bucket shower.
A small private deck looks over the plains. Go2Africa adds electric lighting, a tea-and-coffee station and a hairdryer; Travel Butlers lists a safe, power points, a torch and mosquito repellent. Africa A-Z: two tents a night may triple if the third guest is a child. The camp is a dual-location mobile inside Serengeti National Park.
Main camp
There is no swimming pool. A grand central tent holds the dining room, lounge and a well-stocked corner bar, with sides usually rolled up to the Serengeti. A&K lists candlelit suppers, a gramophone and a torch chandelier; drinks are served on sofas or at the fire pit.
Laundry is complimentary. Travel Butlers lists guest internet. Private dinners are on request (Africa A-Z). Pair a northern stay with Serengeti Migration Camp or another A&K Sanctuary camp such as Sanctuary Swala Camp; Osero Serengeti Luxury Tented Camp is a nearby canvas option.
Fire pit
After dinner the fire pit is the camp’s outdoor sitting room: director chairs, lanterns and a weekly traditional boma night on the A&K dining FAQ. There is no spa or gym on this mobile camp.
Amenities & Features
Photo Gallery
Rates
Prices start from $1,080 per night. Final pricing depends on season, room type, and availability. Check current rates on our booking partner's site for the most accurate pricing.
Rates are per person sharing unless noted. Go2Africa publishes USD 1,360–1,414 PPS on a Game Package. Official A&K Sanctuary 2026 card (live on the stay page): 1–3 nights USD 1,350 PPS; 4–6 nights USD 1,215; 7+ nights USD 1,080 (later 2027 bands on the same page rise to USD 1,190 and USD 1,240 for 7+ nights). Price From uses 1080, the lowest published USD nightly PPS figure. A&K FAQ inclusions: all meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks including premium brands, twice-daily game-viewing (game drives), return transfers from the nearest local airstrip, laundry, and emergency medical evacuation. Park, camping and concession fees plus the Tourism Development Levy are excluded on the Africa A-Z 2026 game-package sheet; they are not named on the A&K FAQ inclusion list (Travel Butlers’ older wording did include park fees — confirm at booking). Closed 1 April–31 May. Single supplements may apply. Honeymoon: Africa A-Z, 50% off one partner for at least two nights, travel within six months of the marriage certificate. Long-stay discounts are already in the 4–6 and 7+ night bands.
What's Included
- Breakfast in camp before the morning drive (continental or cooked; Go2Africa also delivers tea/coffee to the tent). Packed breakfast if you leave early (Africa A-Z)
- Lunch in camp, or a bush picnic on a full-day drive; Go2Africa also describes a hearty brunch on return from the morning drive
- Three-course dinner in the mess tent, or the weekly traditional boma night (A&K); private dinners on request (Africa A-Z / Go2Africa)
- Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages including premium brands (A&K FAQ). Go2Africa’s published stay is a Game Package
- Twice-daily shared game drives in Serengeti National Park (A&K Sanctuary; Go2Africa)
- Full-day game drives to track moving herds (A&K Sanctuary, possible rather than guaranteed daily)
- Sundowners on the plains (A&K Sanctuary; Go2Africa)
- Return transfers from the nearest seasonal airstrip (Lamai or Serengeti South) on the game package
- Bush picnic lunches on full-day drives (Go2Africa / A&K dining copy)
- Weekly traditional boma night (A&K Sanctuary dining FAQ)
- Laundry service
- Emergency medical evacuation insurance (A&K Sanctuary)
A&K Sanctuary FAQ (game package): tented accommodation, all meals, alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks including premium brands, twice-daily game drives (full-day drives possible), return transfers from the nearest local airstrip, laundry, emergency medical evacuation. Park/camping/concession fees and the Tourism Development Levy: excluded on the Africa A-Z 2026 sheet and not listed in the A&K FAQ inclusions. Gratuities, boutique, flights and other camps’ road transfers extra. Closed April–May.
Location
How to Get There
By air (the usual arrival)
Go2Africa names Lamai (LAM) as the nearest airport on the live page — that is the northern-season strip. The camp also uses Serengeti South Airstrip in the calving months. Africa A-Z: Arusha to either airstrip about 1 hour 30 minutes. A&K Sanctuary FAQ: flight to Lamai about 2 hours from Arusha Airport; to Serengeti South about 1 hour 30 minutes. Light-aircraft luggage: A&K 20 kg / 44 lb per person in a soft-sided bag including hand luggage; Africa A-Z 15 kg / 33 lb in one soft bag. Confirm the limit with the booker.
Airstrip to camp
Africa A-Z / Travel Butlers / Tanzania Tourism: about 10–15 minutes from Serengeti South Airstrip when the camp is in the south. Africa A-Z: about 1 hour 30 minutes from Lamai when the camp is in the north. The A&K FAQ instead prints a single “1 hour 15 minute drive from Serengeti South Airstrip or Lamai Airstrip” — treat that as a blended line and confirm the live transfer for your dates. Game-package rates include the airstrip transfer.
By road
Africa A-Z: about three hours from the Ngorongoro Crater, or about seven hours from Arusha. Full-board (no camp vehicle) packages exist for guests arriving with their own driver-guide (Travel Butlers / Africa A-Z).
Nearby Attractions
Serengeti National Park (Big Five, cheetah, wild dog, wildebeest and zebra migration); Mara River crossings (northern season); southern calving grounds (December–March); about 500 bird species (A&K / Africa A-Z: ostrich, secretary bird, crowned crane, marabou stork, martial eagle, lovebirds, vultures); sister A&K Sanctuary camps Ngorongoro Crater Camp and Swala Camp (Go2Africa expert note)
Things to Do
At the property
Watch wildebeest and zebra from the tent deck when the herds are on the doorstep (Go2Africa). Sit in the open lounge and bar, or at the fire pit after dinner. There is no pool and no spa. Complimentary laundry. Travel Butlers prints a typical day: 05:30 wake-up, 06:00 breakfast, 06:30 morning drive, lunch at 12:00 or a bush picnic, 16:00 afternoon drive, 19:30 dinner.
In the area
Morning and afternoon game drives in Serengeti National Park, aimed at Mara River crossings in the north (June–November) or calving in the south (December–March). Full-day drives to stay with moving herds (A&K). Sundowners on the plains. Big Five plus cheetah and wild dog on the Go2Africa list; A&K also flags giraffe, hyena and about 500 birds. Travel Butlers describes guided walks with a 15-and-under rule — those walks are not on the A&K FAQ activity list, so ask before you book them.
Day trips
You are already inside the park. Combinations with sister A&K Sanctuary camps Ngorongoro Crater Camp and Swala are the Go2Africa expert suggestion. Balloon safaris, Maasai village visits and other extras are not on the inclusion list.
Good to Know
Children: A&K Sanctuary FAQ: children aged 6 and older; 15 and under must share with an adult. Go2Africa flags “Children Under 12 Welcome”. Africa A-Z: two tents per night can triple if the third guest is a child; no formal childcare; exclusive use of camp if eight of the ten tents are paid. Travel Butlers lists walking safaris with a 15-and-under restriction — walks are not on the A&K FAQ activity list, so confirm before you plan on them. Unfenced: Go2Africa: completely unfenced, on the migration path. Big Five country. Closed: 1 April–31 May. No pool: Go2Africa: the camp “forsakes the facilities and swimming pools of larger, more permanent lodges” — bar, lounge and dining tents, fire pit only. Power and kit: electric lighting, fan, hairdryer, tea/coffee, electrical power points, safe, mosquito nets (Go2Africa / Travel Butlers). Indoor bucket shower filled by a tent attendant. Complimentary laundry. Travel Butlers: complimentary internet; no credit-card facilities in camp (USD, sterling or euro; change in local currency). Health: malaria area; take clinic advice. Yellow-fever certificate if arriving from a declared infected country. Honeymoon: Africa A-Z 50% off one partner, minimum two nights, within six months of marriage. Do not use the A&K FAQ’s “Kitirua Plains Lodge team” line — that is a copy-paste error on the live stay page.
Who It's For
Travellers who want a small, classic-canvas migration camp rather than a permanent lodge with a pool. Couples and honeymooners (Go2Africa flags it as romantic; Africa A-Z honeymoon 50% offer). Families with children six and over (15 and under share with an adult; two triples on request). Photographers after river crossings (north, especially August–October) or calving (south, December–March). Not for anyone who needs air conditioning, a swimming pool, a spa, or a camp that stays put in April–May — it is closed then. Not for under-sixes unless the whole camp is exclusive-use (Africa A-Z).
Best Time to Visit
The camp is built around two migration windows and is closed 1 April–31 May (Africa A-Z / Go2Africa rate seasons). Northern Lamai triangle, typically June–November, for Mara River crossings, with A&K putting the peak in August–October. Southern plains, typically December–March, for wildebeest calving (A&K: as many as 8,000 calves a day in season). Tanzania Tourism (Dec 2025) said the southern camp was due to open 8 December 2025 through 31 March 2026. Predator and plains game viewing is described as strong at both sites year-round while the camp is open.
