Kikoti means "meeting place" in the Maasai language. Kikoti is a meeting place of people, cultures and wildlife. A lone bush elephant stately lumbers through the camp, watched by buffalo, drinking at the water hole, passing through on the migration route. A Maasai warrior, armed with bow and arrows, escorts you to your room in the evening, looking out across the Simanjiro plains as the African sun sets over the horizon, the air alive with noise and life.

Situated in the heart of the Maasai plains, just 6km from Tanzania's Tarangire National Park, Kikoti Safari Camp is a place where visitors come as guests and leave as friends. A place where your safari dreams can come true.

Kikoti lies on the migration route for the plains game and offers a diverse array of wildlife to see from the safety of the camp during the beginning of the dry season in July and towards the end in November.

Kikoti's rooms are beautiful raised luxury bandas, with spectacular views of the hills, looking down into the national park. In total, there are 8 double rooms and 10 twin rooms, built from natural materials in tune with their environment, with a design that echoes safari tents from years past.

Simple and elegant, the rooms are decorated in warm caramel and creams, with stylish en-suite bathrooms. Water is tanked in on a weekly basis as there is no natural supply by the camp but hot water is available and the lights run from solar power.

There are touches of local craftsmanship everywhere, the woven rugs, the bed frames made from snot apple wood and African ebony, found outside Tarangire National Park and the thatched roofs, recalling the safari tents of years past. The beds are wonderfully comfortable, perfect to sink into after a long day's safari. Alternatively, you can sit out on your private verandah, in one of the wicker chairs and watch the world pass by. Wildebeest, water buffalo, hyenas and zebra have been known to wander underneath the rooms, providing a close up wildlife experience.

The Kikoti restaurant offers tasty local produce, freshly baked bread, fruits and vegetables in season and great home cooked meals by local chefs. A breakfast buffet is served between 6:30am and 9:00am, with breakfast boxes provided for early morning game drives. Packed lunches can also be arranged but for the guests in camp, lunch is served between 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Dinner is served between 7:30pm and 9:00pm and is the ideal opportunity to swap bush tales with other guests. Special dietary requirements can easily be accommodated although advance notice is preferred.

After dinner, guests are treated to an insight into Maasai culture as the Maasai staff prepare for their performance. Dressed in their traditional costumes, the red tartan shuka, beaded jewellery and hunting knives, tribal songs are sung about life in the wilderness, followed by traditional dancing and jumping, said to be a sign of manhood and strength in young men. There can be a friendly competitiveness here to see who can jump the highest and guests are encouraged to join in!

Homely and comfortable, with sofas glowing in burnt sienna and dusky reds, and floor cushions, the lounge bar is the perfect place to relax. The bar itself is made from local woods, with animals carved out of African ebony and jacaranda wood. There is a wide selection of South African wines, Tanzanian beers, whiskies, spirits, soft drinks and sodas, and the bartender is more than happy to make you a cocktail.

Take refuge from the midday heat, drink tea and coffee, and watch the birds jostle for rice at the feeding table, the bright Superb Starlings with their dazzling plumage. At night, the lamps are lit, providing a warm glow, where you can sit around the bonfire and trade stories of your day's adventure.

Just 6km from Kikoti Safari Camp, Tarangire National Park spreads over 2600 square kilometres, named after the Tarangire River that winds it way through the park. Although the park provides game viewing year around, it is in the dry season that Tarangire becomes full of life. Between June to September, visitors are astounded by the sheer numbers of wildlife.

Elephants trail the dried out river beds in herds in search of water - iconic symbols of Tarangire. Zebra, buffalo, eland, antelope jostle for space around the lagoons for water, following the migration route from the Maasai Maraa, providing rich and easy pickings for the park's predators.

Lions pack stalk through the park, their golden sandy fur blending in effortlessly against the dried out grasses. Leopards and their cubs prowl at night, stealthily and skillful to take down an antelope to last them for a few days. Giraffes glide with elegance through the plains, stripping trees bare of leaves, keeping a watchful eye for the big cats and the warning call of the birds.

Tarangire boasts amazing birding with over 550 different bird varieties. Bustards, ostrich, hornbills and the formidable secretary birds, plucking pythons out of trees, kicking their prey to death with armoured talons. Smaller varieties include hornbills, woodpeckers, superb starlings, yellow-collared love birds and weaver birds.

Night Drives: At night, Kikoti takes on an otherworldly feel, lit by moonlight and thousands of stars bright and clear in the African sky. As Kikoti is outside national park grounds, night game drives are permitted, allowing you to see some of the hidden secrets of the surroundings. The camp has 2 open night drive vehicles, with experienced spotters and drivers to show you some of the lesser seen sights.

Smaller animals such as genets, aadvarks and porcupines come out at night, along with the larger game, giraffe, Tarangire's famous elephant and even lions and leopards. Even on quieter evenings, guests can see the dik-diks, miniature antelope bound through the bush, African hare and some of the rare elusive night birds.

Nature Walks: Learn to how to track animals and recognize their habitats on a nature walk with one of our experienced guides. Find termite mounds, snake holes, animal prints and learn about the useful and medicinal properties of local plants, including the extraordinary baobab tree.

Accommodation rates available on enquiry.