Serengeti Safari Camp moves around the Serengeti. © Nomad Tanzania

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

The Serengeti is a place in perpetual motion, with breezes blowing through the sea of grass and the endless journeying of the herds. So it’s entirely fitting that one of Tanzania’s best safari camps is also on the move; Serengeti Safari Camp changes location several times a year, for optimum migration viewing.

The place

Unusually, this luxury Tanzania safari camp doesn’t have a location – or at least, not one fixed site. Rather, its experienced team decides when to move the tents, based on the peripatetic urges of the Great Wildebeest Migration herds. We arrive in July, to find that Serengeti Safari Camp has been pitched for a few weeks beneath a stand of flat-topped acacia trees, with each Meru tent aligned to offer the most sweeping views out over the surrounding grasslands. We’re a stone’s throw from Grumeti River. This is wonderful news for us, but this watercourse – for much of the year, little more than a sleepy stream – is now a major obstacle lying between the wildebeest and zebra and the northern Serengeti, their next destination. We’re hoping to witness a river crossing – one of Nature’s most spectacular examples of the collision between an irresistible force (millions of hooves) and an immovable object (the Grumeti and its resident reptiles). The guides tell us that the herds have been in the area south of the river for several days now, so our fingers are crossed for a crossing.

Unusually, this luxury Tanzania safari camp doesn’t have a location – or at least, not one fixed site. Rather, its experienced team decides when to move the tents, based on the peripatetic urges of the Great Wildebeest Migration herds. We arrive in July, to find that Serengeti Safari Camp has been pitched for a few weeks beneath a stand of flat-topped acacia trees, with each Meru tent aligned to offer the most sweeping views out over the surrounding grasslands.

We’re a stone’s throw from Grumeti River. This is wonderful news for us, but this watercourse – for much of the year, little more than a sleepy stream – is now a major obstacle lying between the wildebeest and zebra and the northern Serengeti, their next destination.

We’re hoping to witness a river crossing – one of Nature’s most spectacular examples of the collision between an irresistible force (millions of hooves) and an immovable object (the Grumeti and its resident reptiles).

The guides tell us that the herds have been in the area south of the river for several days now, so our fingers are crossed for a crossing.

The room

We instantly fall in love with our Meru tent, which is no surprise, given how impossibly romantic it is. Our guide tells us that we can arrange for hot water to be delivered to our en-suite bathroom at any time that suits us. I resolve that my first-ever bucket shower will be by starlight. We delight in the airiness of the room – the tent achieves a perfect balance between impermanence (it will, after all, be uprooted again soon) and the reassuring solidity of an earlier age of safari. We find that we have everything we need, but nothing extraneous – the whole camp moves with the herds, so unnecessary stuff becomes a weighty matter. The woven mats are deliciously tactile, while the trunks at the foot of the bed allude to the fact that we’re all here because of a journey: our own, and that of the wildebeest. We love the sense that even the accommodation here is mobile – it gives the camp something of the restless energy of the herds, while taking nothing away from a sense of having found a place to rest.

We instantly fall in love with our Meru tent, which is no surprise, given how impossibly romantic it is. Our guide tells us that we can arrange for hot water to be delivered to our en-suite bathroom at any time that suits us. I resolve that my first-ever bucket shower will be by starlight.

We delight in the airiness of the room – the tent achieves a perfect balance between impermanence (it will, after all, be uprooted again soon) and the reassuring solidity of an earlier age of safari. We find that we have everything we need, but nothing extraneous – the whole camp moves with the herds, so unnecessary stuff becomes a weighty matter.

The woven mats are deliciously tactile, while the trunks at the foot of the bed allude to the fact that we’re all here because of a journey: our own, and that of the wildebeest. We love the sense that even the accommodation here is mobile – it gives the camp something of the restless energy of the herds, while taking nothing away from a sense of having found a place to rest.

What sets it apart

What sets Serengeti Safari Camp apart is the fact that it can be taken apart, loaded onto vehicles, and moved to a new, equally picturesque setting … which is not to say that there’s anything flimsy about it. Quite the opposite, in fact: this is a luxury Tanzania safari camp that has its roots deep in the proud tradition of mobile safaris. Sitting in the lounge tent, binoculars in hand, we experience a profound sense of belonging and agree that this is doubtless due to the camp being at one not just with its surroundings – the angular shapes of the tents somehow merging with the more organic forms of the trees – but also with the rhythms and energy of the Serengeti. The regular relocation of Serengeti Safari Camp ensures that it remains connected.

What sets Serengeti Safari Camp apart is the fact that it can be taken apart, loaded onto vehicles, and moved to a new, equally picturesque setting … which is not to say that there’s anything flimsy about it.

Quite the opposite, in fact: this is a luxury Tanzania safari camp that has its roots deep in the proud tradition of mobile safaris. Sitting in the lounge tent, binoculars in hand, we experience a profound sense of belonging and agree that this is doubtless due to the camp being at one not just with its surroundings – the angular shapes of the tents somehow merging with the more organic forms of the trees – but also with the rhythms and energy of the Serengeti. The regular relocation of Serengeti Safari Camp ensures that it remains connected.

At a glance

  • Serengeti Safari Camp moves around the Serengeti with the migration. It has six canvas Meru-style tents, each with an authentic bucket shower and flushing toilet. There’s a central mess tent for dining and a lounge tent for reclining.
  • Access to the best migration moments, private dining available and private vehicles available (additional cost).
  • Game drives, bush picnics and hot-air ballooning (certain sites only, additional cost).
  • Children over eight are welcome; one of the six tents is a twin-roomed family tent with adjoining sitting area.
 

  • Serengeti Safari Camp moves around the Serengeti with the migration. It has six canvas Meru-style tents, each with an authentic bucket shower and flushing toilet. There’s a central mess tent for dining and a lounge tent for reclining.
  • Access to the best migration moments, private dining available and private vehicles available (additional cost).
  • Game drives, bush picnics and hot-air ballooning (certain sites only, additional cost).
  • Children over eight are welcome; one of the six tents is a twin-roomed family tent with adjoining sitting area.

 

Prices

  • 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.

  • 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.

When to Go

The dry season opens with a high point of the Great Wildebeest Migration: the herds mustering on the banks of the Grumeti River around June, before attempting the crossing. Weatherwise, temperatures are cooler and very manageable now. At first the plains are lush and green after the rains, but soon the grass dies back, meaning that game in general is easier to observe. These factors combine to make this the peak season for safari in the Serengeti, so prices usually rise and availability can become tight in the lodges.

The short November rains bring a lovely green flush to the savannah, which slowly fades along with the memories of thunder and showers. As the new year starts, wildlife begins to congregate at the few remaining waterholes that provide a lifeline, but also prime ambush opportunities for predators. The short grass plains of the southern Serengeti are transformed into a giant wildebeest maternity ward as synchronised birthing takes place in January and February – an event which signals a bonanza for big cats and wild dog alike.

The Serengeti is essentially a year-round destination, although these months represent the peaks of the long and short rains respectively, so come prepared for heavy showers. Going on a luxury Serengeti safari during either of the wet seasons means you’ll be sharing all that space with significantly fewer fellow visitors, but arriving with you will be the massed herds. They move north through the central Serengeti towards the western Serengeti in April and May, while November sees the return journey from Kenya’s Masai Mara southwards into the northeastern Serengeti.

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