Kirawira Camp is part of the East African chain of Serena Hotels. It is the smartest and smallest of their properties in northern Tanzania, and is designed to be a high-end, colonial-style tented camp.
The most noticeable thing about Kirawira Camp is its location. Atop a high hill, Kirawira looks down over the plains of the Western Corridor. On a clear day, the views are spectacular, and a Swarovski spotting scope in the lounge area makes game viewing possible without leaving the lodge!
Kirawira Camp faces west, and relaxing by the lodge's swimming pool, watching the sun set over the Serengeti plains, is one of the highlights of staying here.
In the main areas a colonial-Victorian style predominates, you will find polished wooden floors, Persian rugs and leather-bound travelling cases. The floral-patterned furniture and stud-backed leather smoking chairs look as if they come straight out of a English country home – although beyond that, they are quite worn!
In the dining area you can expect to be served tasty food, by waiters well-trained in silver service. The solid silver cutlery is polished to a high shine, and the tablecloths are white and spotlessly clean. We found the service during meals to be friendly and of a high standard – although it felt strange, and slightly 'staged', to be in a tented safari camp surrounded by waiters in starched white uniforms.
The bedrooms at Kirawira are tented rooms raised on wooden platforms, each with a private veranda and an en-suite toilet. The rooms are well spaced apart, and so are peaceful and quiet. A number of stairs climb up to the platform and your shaded veranda where there are a pair of director's chairs.
Inside the tent is a large four-poster bed, draped in mosquito netting. There is also antique style writing desk, and hanging space for clothes. The rooms have an antique style, though they do feel a little tired and dated. (If the soft furnishings were updated, it'd make the tents feel much smarter.)
Each room has a hairdryer, a phone from which you can make international calls, 24-hour electricity and a standing fan for hot nights.
At the back of the tent is the en-suite bathroom, which is relatively small yet quite smart. Dark polished wood and marble make up the surfaces of the bathroom. White bathrobes are provided for each guest and toiletries are included. Behind one door is a proper flush toilet, and then behind a curtain is a white-and-navy-tiled shower with hot-and-cold water.
The activities at Kirawira Camp focus mainly of 4x4 safari drives, and most travellers visit here with their own private guide and 4x4. Then you'll either head out for a full day's safari to explore deep into the park, taking a packed lunch with you; or have a morning game drive, and then return for lunch at the lodge, before another drive in the late afternoon.
During the months of May through to July this camp is perfectly located for the great wildebeest migration. The plains around the camp fill up with animals heading north and preparing to cross the dry Grumeti River. For an idea of where the migration is and when, look at our moving map of the Serengeti migration.
You can also arrange to visit the nearby Lake Victoria, which is only 65km away. Whilst here you can visit a local fishing village, though you will need to pay a small additional charge direct to the village.
In conclusion Kirawira Camp is reminiscent of the early colonial days of the explorers, with an antique style and standards of service which are very good. However as well as having 'old-world' décor by design, it also looks a little old and tired; visiting in June 2008, we felt that Kirawira had missed the 'classic safari' look that other camps have achieved so well.
Although Kirawira i
Lodge overview
Lodge type: Safari
No. of bedrooms: 25 tented rooms
Season: Open Year Round
Ideal length of stay: Stay here for three or four nights, exploring the surrounding area with your driver and guide.
Central facilities: The main lounge at Kirawira Camp is a spacious room, dotted with antique style sofas and chairs clustered round coffee tables. Old hat stands, leather trunks and antique record players add character and a style reminiscent of the Victorian era. You will also find a games cabinet here, with scrabble, chess, backgammon and other classic games.
The lounge room is cool, and there is plenty of space for guests to relax. Though during the day guests might want to sit out on the shaded veranda which looks out over the plains below. There is a Swarovski spotting scope here for game viewing.
The dining room at Kirawira Camp is split between two different tented rooms, to give the impression that the camp is smaller than it really is. White cotton tablecloths hang over solid wood tables, set with solid silver cutlery and starched white napkins. It's simple, yet what is there is high quality.
Kirawira also has a well stocked shop that sells a variety of curios such as wooden carvings, jewelry and fabrics. There are also some lovely coffee table books as well as wildlife and bird books. If you have forgotten any toiletries, there is also a small selection on sale here, as well as camera batteries and film.
Down a flight of steps, on a lower level to the lounge and dining room, is Kirawira Camp's swimming pool. The pool is chlorinated, and looks cool and inviting. A small waterfall from a higher plunge-pool adds style to the pool area and gives it a 'natural spring' feel. Sun loungers sit under shades and look out across the Serengeti plains. The swimming pool is a popular place for sundowners in the evening, when the bar staff come down and make a variety of cocktails for the guests.
Food quality: The food at Kirawira Camp was good when we were last there. The menu was varied and imaginative and there were plenty of options to suit different tastes.
Breakfast is a variety of continental choices such as cereals, fruit, yoghurt and fresh baked bread. There is also a full English breakfast and toast on offer.
Lunch is quite formal, with a four course meal and silver service. There is a menu card for lunch with a number of options for each course. Start your meal with a fresh salad, then for the second course there is a choice between two soups (cold cucumber soup and hot red pepper soup when we last visited).
The main course has four options; red meat, chicken, vegetarian and fish. The options where all very differently cooked, the red meat was Moroccan lamb, the vegetarian option was a curry, the fish was grilled and served with a light cream sauce and the chicken was roasted. There was something to suit most palettes.
Desert has three options, ranging in heaviness – when we were there we could choose between home-made ice cream, chocolate mousse and fresh fruit salad.
The only complaint we had about the lunch was that it was very heavy, and a bit much for those who might prefer something lighter in the middle of the day.
Dinner follows the same pattern as lunch – with silver service and a four course meal, with a number of options for each course.
Dining style: Inidividual Tables
Dining locations: Indoor Dining
Room service: Kirawira Camp offer room service, and with some advance notice can usually do private meals on the terrace of your tent.
Cost of meal e.g. lunch: Included
Drinks included: Drinks are not included.
Special interests
Wildlife: Between May and July, the Western Corridor teems with the great wildebeest migration that is heading north across the Serengeti plains and the Grumeti River; Kirawira Camp is then a good base for exploring this area. At other times of year, there is some resident game in the area, but you'll have to look quite hard for it.
- See more of our suggestions of the best places for wildlife in Tanzania
Children
Attitude towards children: Kirawira Camp welcomes older children.
Age restrictions: Kirawira Camp has a minimum age of 7 years.
Activities: Kirawira Camp offers child-minding is from their housekeeping team; there is no charge for this but it is customary to leave a tip.
Equipment: There is no special equipment here.
Generally recommended for children: Yes - the swimming pool and board games are great for keeping children occupied during the day, when they are not out on safari activities.
Central communications
Communications: There is intermittent mobile phone reception around the lodge. Guests can call internationally from their room (via reception), there is a charge of $6 per minute for this service
There is also internet available for a charge of around $5 for 20 minutes. Guests with their own laptops can also make use of the wireless internet in the main lounge, this costs approximately $20 for 24 hours.
TV & radio: There is no TV or radio here.
Health & safety
Malarial area: Yes
Medical care: There is usually a doctor on site, as well as a small clinic. For more serious cases Kirawira Camp has links to the flying doctors.
Dangerous animals: High Risk
Security measures: There is a central safe for valuables – just hand your valuables to the manager on arrival. At night you will be escorted between your tent and the main areas, incase of wild animals in camp.
Fire safety: There are fire extinguishers in rooms and main areas, most of the staff are trained to use them.
Extras
Disabled access: Not Possible
Laundry facilities: Full Laundry Service - Extra Charge
Money: There are no exchange facilities here.
Accepted payment: Kirawira Camp accepts cash in GB pounds, Euros, US dollars and Tanzanian shillings. They also accept Visa, Mastercard and Amex credit cards; there is no additional fee for using a credit card.
We want you to understand more about Kirawira Camp. We're also confident that a trip there with us cost you the same or less than booking it any other way, even directly. So follow the links below.
Serena Hotels own website Click here to see more details on Kirawira from the Serena Hotels website. You can also look at the other various Serena properties.
