"A herd of elephant traveling where the sunlight is strewn down, pacing along as if they had an appointment at the end of the world." - Karen Blixen

Klein's Camp - one of the few private concessions in the park - was built on the craggy quartzite and sandstone Kuka Hills that extend south from Kenya into the north-eastern corner of the Serengeti. These generally dry hills rise to heights of just over 2 000 metres, and support sparse bushlands.

The Grumeti River, which has its source in the southern Kenyan hills, runs through the Klein's Camp concession, and its narrow strip of riverine forest is a distinctive feature. The Grumeti flows past the enviable seclusion of CC Africa's Grumeti River Camp in the western corridor of the Serengeti before spilling into the largest lake in Africa, Lake Victoria.

Klein's offers exceptional game viewing. There is a diversity of resident wildlife - look out for klipspringers on the kopjes (rocky outcrops), as well as vast numbers of elephants in the woodland. The Serengeti is home to wildebeest, zebra, gazelle, eland, giraffe, huge lion prides, solitary leopard and some of the highest densities of cheetah in Africa. Over 500 bird species have been recorded in the park.

Most large mammals, including elephant and lion, move up and down the hillsides from time to time, but the mountain reedbuck, klipspringer and rock hyrax are truly at home here. A guided walk up the hillside often leads to an encounter with these rock-loving mammals as well as numerous interesting birds.

Klein's Camp lies in the path of migrating zebra and wildebeest en route to Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. The great migration of nearly two million wildebeest and other grazing ungulates is the Serengeti's foremost attraction and undoubtedly one of the greatest spectacles in the animal kingdom. The migration passes by the camp in June of each year and returns through the Klein's area around August/September.

The Klein's concession forms a natural buffer zone between the Serengeti and the local Maasai community farmlands, providing a safe haven for migrating game.

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Zebra
Leopard
Giraffe

Guided bush walks through the stony hills bring you into the domain of the magnificent Verreaux's (Black) Eagles that have nested here for centuries. A pair of these impressive birds have built their nest eyrie on the steepest cliff, which is visible from the lodge. Several raptor species also breed on the cliffs. Numerous other birds of prey, including vultures such as the White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures, are frequently seen soaring along the updrafts.

Birds typical of this habitat and regularly seen in and around the camp are the Sooty Chat, Slate-coloured Boubou, Red-fronted Barbet, Spot-flanked Barbet, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Rock Cisticola, African Rock Martin, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu and Red-winged Starling.

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Vultures

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Among the many reptiles present on the rocky hillsides, the brilliantly coloured Pink-and-blue Agama is the most eye-catching. Reptiles are not generally known for being brightly coloured, but this extravagant lizard is a splendid exception. Gatherings of Agama lizards can be seen on exposed rocks, where they bask in the sun, dash after insect prey, and retreat into narrow crevices when disturbed.

Only the males are brightly coloured - with coral-pink head and shoulders and turquoise-blue body with purple legs and tail. They assume their most vivid colouration during the breeding season. The striking colours are used to intimidate other males and impress females, who are well camouflaged to blend in with the lichen-covered rocks. A clutch of soft-shelled eggs is laid in a hole dug in the ground or in a rock crevice. These brightly coloured reptiles often live in the company of rock hyrax and bush hyrax.

Characteristic trees and shrubs of the hillside around the camp are Hock's Acacia, Three-thorn Acacia, Wait-a-bit Thorn, Sandpaper Bush, Wild Olive and Orange-leaved Croton. Gerrard's Acacia predominates on the lower slopes. Gnarled specimens of Velvet Combretum, Hairy Rock Fig, Red-leaved Fig and Resin Tree are a feature of the hill crest.

The sweet-scented Wild Jasmine scrambles over shrubs. Various aromatic herbs flourish among the rocks.

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Acacia
Fig

Woodland, Lobo Hill, river courses, gallery forest, fig and Fever Trees and grassland are all in close proximity to the camp. Wildebeest move through the northern woodlands to feed on the longer grasses in this area. Their range extends north into the Masai Mara.

The plains of the Serengeti are a natural living laboratory and a treasury of biodiversity. It is a land of endless plains, empty skies and, literally, millions of large herbivores. The western corridor of the Serengeti is more than just an annual stop-off point for the migration. Its colourful topography of hills, rivers and flood plains provide a year-round habitat for many of the Serengeti's species. The various habitats in the Serengeti are riverine forest, woodland, grassland, marshland and bushland hills. The Serengeti extends into the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem.

A significant portion of the revenue from Klein's Camp is given to the public conservation authority and the local Olosokwan community, thus fulfilling the CC Africa vision to care for the people and the wildlife.