Tanzania : Serengeti

The Serengeti, which covers 14,763 sq kms, is Tanzania's largest National Park and indisputably one of the finest wildlife areas anywhere in Africa with a huge variety of mammals and nearly 500 species of birds. It is here on the seemingly endless and almost treeless plains that you can get a glimpse of what East Africa must have looked like in the days before the 'great white hunters'. There are literally millions of hoofed animals constantly on the move in search of grass and are watched and pursued by the predators, which feed off them. The Serengeti is most famous for its spectacular migration of the great wildebeest and zebra herds, a trek of many hazards not least of which is the crossing of large rivers which can leave hundreds drowned and a feast for the crocodiles and scavengers. Even when the migration is not passing through there is a multitude of resident game. There are a few lodges in the park but the best way of getting the feel of the Serengeti is staying in a mobile camp and exploring the different areas with your own personal guide.

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Serengeti	lioness	wildebeest

Quick links:
Nomad Safari Guides	Kirawira Camp
Grumeti River Camp	Kirawira Camp
Migration Camp	Ndutu Safari Lodge

Nomad Safari Guides
The best way to get the real feeling of Africa and the bush is to go on a mobile camping safari where you will stay in private luxury camps, be looked after by friendly and professional staff and guided by some of the finest independent safari guides in Tanzania. Nomad Safari Guides provide just this and preferring to stay off the beaten track, will take you to some truly wild and beautiful places where you will learn about the flora and fauna of the area and the animals and their habitats. The Traditional Mobile Safari is the ultimate safari operated in the style of the 'old days'. The 8-foot high tents contain full size beds complete with high-density mattresses, linen sheets and blankets, dressing tables, a wardrobe, luggage racks and chairs. There are rechargeable lights and an en suite bathroom with a private short drop loo and bucket shower. The food is of the highest standard and there is a fully stocked complimentary bar with plenty of ice for cold drinks. Three course candle lit dinners are served in the dining tent or under the stars with fine wine and liqueurs.

If you are in a small group of 4-8 you can take an exclusive safari for yourselves but there is also the option of having your own driver and guide and joining a shared camp of up to 8 guests in the evenings, minimum 2 guests.

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sleeping tent	dining tent	mess tent

Serengeti view	bush lunch	giraffe

Migration Camp
Built on a kopje amongst granite rocks in the midst of the Serengeti's northern grass plains, Migration Camp overlooks the Grumeti River. Space and freedom, an essential part of the Serengeti experience, has been created by siting the 14 luxury tents on secluded vantage points on surrounding hillocks and next to the river. Elevations, bridges and cantilevered timber decks link the tents with the dining area and bar. Lit up at night with shimmering hurricane lamps you really feel the vastness of the African night sky. Both the balconies at your tent and the bar and dining area face west to catch the spectacular Serengeti sunsets. Next to the open dining tent is a swimming pool and a library, well stocked with books on Africa's flora and fauna. Game drives venture to the southern plains of Seronera and north to the rolling grasslands of the Mara. Closer to camp, there are walks along the Grumeti River and visits to a hide for viewing the abundant wildlife.

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bedroom	bedroom	lounge

view of the camp	restaurant	terrace

Grumeti River Camp
In a remote valley of the western corridor of the Serengeti, the camp overlooks a tributary of the Grumeti River. Surrounded by trees and the vast expanse of the Serengeti savannah and woodlands, the camp overlooks the river with crocs and hippos wallowing in pools carpeted in water lilies. 10 tented rooms, pitched under thatched roofs, with en suite bathrooms and an open air shower, over look the river bank and hippo pools. The swimming pool and viewing deck also overlook the hippo pool. Game viewing drives take place both by day and night into the savannah woodlands and the open Serengeti plains. Bush walks with expert guides will introduce you to the local flora and fauna.

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tent	dining outside	the main lodge

Kirawira Camp
Kirawira Camp is a luxury tented camp set in the hillside above the western corridor of the Serengeti and looking out over the plains towards Lake Victoria. Each tent is pitched on an elevated platform, facing the sunset and is furnished in traditional but elegant Victorian style, creating an atmosphere of a bygone colonial era. The sitting area is set with safari tables and period antiques. Nearby there is a cascading swimming pool. With commanding views of the Grumeti River, the area is famous for its giant crocodiles, tree climbing lions and the annual migration of the wildebeest. Game watching by vehicle or on foot takes you out into the vast expanse of the Serengeti. Kirawira's speciality is a morning's walking safari followed by a hearty bush breakfast. The camp's aim is to attend to your every need and with individual tent valets and gourmet cooking, it certainly provides a luxury bush holiday.

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the tents	mess tent	tent interior

swimming pool

Ndutu Safari Lodge
Ndutu Safari Lodge is situated in the southern Serengeti Plains, at the head of Olduvai Gorge, beside Lake Ndutu with the mighty backdrop of the Ngorongoro Crater highlands. It lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, only 80 kilometres from the famous crater and is surrounded by some of Africa's finest Acacia woodland.

The safari lodge has an informal feel to it, with 34 comfortable double cottages and no enclosing barriers allowing game to move freely through the camp. There have been over 400 species of bird recorded at Ndutu and there is often a noisy presence in front of the lodge at breakfast time. There is also a small dam opposite the lodge where you can watch Impala, Giraffe, Elephants and other plains game coming down to drink. In the evening the dinning room is often visited by up to 7 genets balancing in the rafters.

Ndutu Safari Lodge is ideally situated to view the annual migration of millions of Wildebeest and Zebra followed by the ever-opportunistic predators. The herds arrive near the camp during the rains (any time between December and April), where they will calve on the plains in February. As the plains start to dry up in June the herds move on, this is the time when the resident animals converge around Ndutu's waterholes and marshes - elephants, giraffes, impalas, every kind of cat and a profusion of birds. Ndutu is lovely lodge, it's simple with very friendly staff; and clients come back year after year for the excellent game viewing.

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bedroom	lodge	lodge

Lake Ndutu	lodge	Acacia tree