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The quiet camp in Mikumi

Camp Lilac was built on a simple idea: luxury and comfort, placed into nature — on the quiet side of Mikumi, facing the mountains.

The quiet side of Mikumi

Most accommodation in Mikumi is in town, along the highway — a busy road with trucks and traffic day and night. We wanted the opposite. Camp Lilac is about 2 km from the road, in the bush, in a secluded and safe spot where we found the most incredible view of the Mikumi Mountains. Honestly, we were very lucky to find this place. It all came together.

Why luxury tents

Around Mikumi you can find plenty of rooms that could be anywhere in the world. What was missing was a place where you actually feel you are on safari. That is why we chose luxury tents: you are immersed in nature, you hear the bush at night, and you are still safe and comfortable — a proper bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning and your own deck.

Built into nature, not the other way round

Our idea was to combine comfort and luxury with nature — with the emphasis on fitting the camp into the bush, not clearing the bush to fit the camp. Everything we build goes into nature, and we work to keep that natural look as the camp grows.

Our team

We pay the best salaries in Mikumi and we take care of our staff, on top of proper training. We think that is why guests write so much about the people here — the service comes from a team that is looked after.

What we care about

  • Quiet. At night you hear the bush, not the highway.
  • Comfort that fits the bush. Luxury canvas tents, decks and the view — with A/C and hot showers.
  • Safaris with people we trust. Organised with Kihindo Safaris, our partner from the very start.
  • Our people. Fair pay, training and care for the team.
  • Honest pricing. Breakfast and dinner included, children under 4 free, park fees included in every safari.

— Gatis Melbārdis, owner

Our story

From a cancelled trip to a camp in the bush

  1. 2022

    Madagascar was closed. Tanzania wasn’t.

    A group of us — about 40 friends — had planned a trip to Madagascar, but COVID restrictions shut it. We came to Tanzania instead. The plan was Zanzibar, but we wanted a real safari on the mainland first. It was organised by Isaya Kihindo, who was just starting his own safari company. He did an amazing job.

    On the roof of a safari jeep with binoculars, a line of jeeps on a red track across green plains
    That first safari, 2022
  2. 2022

    A conversation at a party

    After the three-day safari we went on to Zanzibar, and Isaya came to visit. We were in the middle of a party, a few drinks in, and I ended up asking him about investing in Tanzania. I had a very good feeling about him: genuine and trustworthy. So I invested a small amount, and we bought a car for his safaris.

  3. 2022–2024

    One car, then four

    The partnership worked. Isaya earned back the investment within a year, so we bought another car — and another. By 2024 there were four, and his company, Kihindo Safaris, had grown into one of the leading safari operators on the Southern Circuit.

  4. Isaya & Gatis

    Partners, and friends

    What started as a small investment became a partnership built on trust. Kihindo Safaris still organises our safaris today.

    Gatis and Isaya Kihindo together in a car in Tanzania
    Gatis and Isaya Kihindo together on a flight
  5. 2024

    The land

    Kihindo Safaris was bringing more and more guests to Mikumi, and there was nowhere quiet and special for them to stay. So we bought land — two kilometres off the highway, in the bush, facing the Mikumi Mountains — to host them ourselves. Looking back, it feels a bit like fate.

  6. 2025–2026

    Building it, by hand

    We broke ground in January 2025 and built the first five rooms, all on raised timber decks so the camp sits in the bush rather than replacing it. In 2026 we built five more rooms together with the restaurant. The same core crew built it all.

    Architectural drawing of a Camp Lilac cabin
    Gatis standing at the timber frame of a cabin on stilts
    Isaya Kihindo with the core crew who built Camp Lilac
    Isaya and the crew who built the camp
    Thatched cabin frame on stilts at sunset
    A Camp Lilac cabin nearly finished, with timber stairs and deck
    A luxury tent going up on its raised deck
    The Camp Lilac restaurant roof being thatched
  7. August 2025

    Open for guests

    Camp Lilac opened in August 2025 with five rooms. Our safaris are organised together with Kihindo Safaris — the company where this whole story began.

  8. Today

    The people who run it

    Saitoti, our camp manager, and the team are the reason guests write the reviews they do. We pay the best salaries in Mikumi, train our people properly and look after them.

    Saitoti, the Camp Lilac camp manager, relaxing in a camp chair
    Saitoti, camp manager
    The Camp Lilac team in the restaurant
    Our team

Dinner facing the Mikumi mountain ridge. Then only the bush.

Tell us your dates and who is coming. We reply the same day with availability, the total price and a safari suggestion.