Usangu Expedition Camp
Expedition tented camp · Usangu Wetlands, remote far south · Asilia Africa
High-end
Inside the park
Safari company
Part safari camp, part working research station in the Usangu wetlands. Guests join camera-trapping and tracking work with the Douglas Bell Eco Research Station, a genuinely different kind of safari.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Join real research: camera trapping and biodiversity data collection
- Star cube sleep-outs and a shared trails-camp night under the stars
- A sector of Ruaha almost nobody else visits
- Wifi and battery charging despite the remote setting
- Seasonal boating and fishing alongside the usual game drives
Cons
- Children must be 12 or older to stay here
- Minimum stay of three nights
- Open only June to November; closed the rest of the year
- Park fees, conservation charge and some transfers cost extra
What's here
- Wi-Fi
- Campsite
- En-suite bathrooms
- Solar or 24h power
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
- Night drives
- Birding
- Fishing
- Chimpanzee treks
Read from Usangu Expedition Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Ruaha National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entry$30 plus 18% VAT, charged per 24 hours.
- $35.4per person, per day
- Vehicle$40 plus VAT for a foreign-registered vehicle up to 2,000 kg; most safari 4x4s sit above that and pay $150 plus VAT. A Tanzanian-registered one is about $9.
- $47.2per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $354 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The full fee schedule for Ruaha National ParkRates at Usangu Expedition Camp
From ~$700 pppn. Includes conservation research activities.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative rates gathered from operators and agents, July 2026. Rates change by season and year. Always confirm with the lodge. Park fees (conservation + concession, roughly $75 pp/day combined for in-park camps) are usually excluded.
Questions about Usangu Expedition Camp
Is Usangu Expedition Camp good for families?
Only for families with older children. The camp's own page sets a minimum age of 12, which fits its focus on walking, boating and hands-on conservation research rather than a typical family safari. It has no family-room configuration, so each tent suits an individual or a couple.
What makes Usangu Expedition Camp different from a normal safari camp?
Guests join real conservation work: camera trapping and contributing to biodiversity audit data collection with the Douglas Bell research team, in the Usangu Wetlands, a part of Ruaha almost nobody else visits. Activities also include star cube sleep-outs, a shared trails-camp night, and seasonal boating and fishing.
What does the rate at Usangu Expedition Camp include?
Full board, house drinks except champagne, a private vehicle and guide, night drives with a thermal camera, walking safaris, star cube and trails-camp sleep-outs, and shared boating and fishing. Park fees, the Asilia conservation charge and some transfers are charged separately. Rates run from about $700 a person a night.
How many nights do you need at Usangu Expedition Camp?
The camp sets a minimum stay of three nights, longer than most Ruaha properties. That reflects its character: this is a research-and-wilderness camp in a remote wetland sector, not a one-night add-on to a wider circuit.
When is Usangu Expedition Camp open?
Usangu is open from June to November and closed from December to May, when the wetlands see persistent rains and access becomes impractical. Book within that window, and expect the camp's character, boating and research activities, to shift with water levels through the season.