Lamai Serengeti | Serengeti National Park One Of Tanzania’s Best Safari Lodges

This location is breathtaking! Perched on a rocky outcrop on the Kogakuria Kopje, I can see views of the Lamai Wedge, an area of beautifully vast open plains, dotted with desert date palms, that lies between the Masai Mara National Park and the Mara River. We’re at Lamai Serengeti, a wonderful safari lodge in the northernmost corner of Serengeti National Park, just south of Kenya’s border. It’s split into two camps, the larger Main Camp (with eight rooms) and the smaller Private Camp (with four rooms), both with glorious vistas.

I wake up, stretching luxuriously in our large bed. The dramatic mosquito net makes me feel a bit like a princess in a fairytale … In fact, everything at this safari lodge aims to evoke that feeling of wonder. Our airy and spacious room is built mostly of plaster, but its front is canvas and rough-hewn poles support a high thatched roof. We’d slept with the canvas rolled away, trusting in our mosquito net, so I can look out onto the vast landscape without getting up. It’s shadowed by the last throes of night as the sun slowly starts to rise. Though you’d never know it from the rustic exterior, our room looks a bit like a European country home inside, with scrubbed wooden floors, thick cream rugs and comfortable furnishings. I hear a discreet knock, and then the soft sound of a tray being left in the butler’s hatch. My partner, still sleeping, hasn’t heard a thing. I pour myself some fragrant coffee, grab a few biscuits and quietly take a seat by the writing desk. In my journal, I try describe everything as I see it, so I can forever remember this place. Even the en-suite bathroom gets a mention, with its two ornate metal sinks set in stone bases and curved solar-heated shower. Once I’m done, I move to the Swahili daybed outside, basking in the light touch of the morning sun.

Designed to disappear into the surroundings, the communal areas of Lamai Serengeti showcase spectacular views from every angle without being obtrusive in any way. I like its relaxed and quirky feel – cream and brown shades with funky splashes of red and blue, the use of local fabrics and comfy sofas, the roaring fire to ward off the evening chill, and the bar with tractor seats as chairs and oil cans for lamp bases. The food – from lunch buffets at individual tables to communal dining in the evening – is superbly made, and there’s a lovely swimming pool for those warmer days. Though we were lucky enough to see the Great Wildebeest Migration swimming across the Mara River, seeing the Lamai Pride’s cubs scampering over the rocky outcrops from the lodge was still my favourite sight.

• Luxurious lodge with 12 open-fronted suites split into two camps – Main Camp with eight rooms, Private Camp with four rooms – each with their own lounge, bar, dining area and swimming pool.
• Private dining available.
• Game drives, walking safaris (seasonal), bush picnics, bush sundowners and hot-air ballooning (additional cost).
• Children from eight years are welcome, and babysitting available (additional cost). Three tents have an adjoining twin room for children. Walking safaris limited to children aged 12 or above.

• Not only do African safari lodge prices shift with the seasons, they also change based on your length of stay, room type, travel party composition, special offers, if your trip involves stays at sister lodges – and for more reasons besides.
• It’s worth noting that depending on your itinerary, your lodge cost will make up about 75–85% of your total safari trip cost.
• Our safaris are tailor-made to match your personal safari dream, we’d be delighted if you’d allow us to create a bespoke proposal for you.  Simply enquire now – our quotes are complimentary and obligation-free.
• However, to help you get an idea of safari lodge prices we’ve created three safari-lodge categories with various price ranges, to find out more click here.