Where to stay at Serengeti National Park
There a number of accommodation options where to stay at Serengeti National Park. The park is absolutely huge, with divas accommodation, and mobile tented camps. If you are intent on viewing the Great Migration then it is probably more critical to stay in the right region for your travel dates than to deliberate too long about the style of camp or hotel you are looking for. This park is so big that if you get the location wrong, you will not see the herds. Book your accommodation right, with the month of travel, and intention. There are a number of accommodation facilities from campsites, hostels, lodges to spacious hotels of different grading. Your budget speaks volumes here, depending on the type of trip you want to experience. There is something for everyone.
The park is separated into regions, and each region is far away from one another, with different the concentration of wildlife, and animal’s room around these regions in a different month. You travel month, will determine where perfectly you should book your accommodation.
When and Where to Stay on the Serengeti
The Serengeti National Park covers a truly massive area of land, with different corners of the park offering up the wildly different game drive and accommodation experiences.
Dependent on the time of year you are visiting, different areas of the park offer up something different.
The movements of the Wildebeest Migration, arguably the Greatest Show on Earth, further complicates things. If you’re hoping to track this massive movement of wildlife, you’ll want to be right at the heart of the action.
The Seronera area
In the heart of the national park, just to the north of the short-grass plains, Seronera has all the best features of the Serengeti and also, sadly, its worst. Scenically, it’s a lovely area – with open plains, occasional kopjes, and lines of hills to add interest. The resident game here is phenomenal, with high densities of relaxed leopards, cheetah, and lion. These live off the resident herbivores, as well as the migrating game. The migration passes through here in April/May, but Seronera is within reach of both the Southern Plains and the Western Corridor – so from about November to June, it can be used as a base to see the migration. Seronera’s big drawback is that it is always busy; places to stay include:
Kenzan Tented Camp
Kenzan’s Kisura Camp is another shadow of Africa favorite, offering comfortable accommodations at the heart of all the action.
There are no fences or walls here to separate you from the untamed wilderness of the Serengeti, but your tent will be an escape from it all as you take a hot shower and sleep in a big, comfortable bed.
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge in Tanzania is part of the international Serena Hotels group owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development. This 66-room Maasai village-inspired lodge opened in 1996 and accommodates more than 140 people when full. From its elevated position, sitting among acacia trees in the Kyabatero Hills, north-west of Seronera, it has lovely views across the Serengeti plains. This lodge is one of the main places where to stay at Serengeti National Park.
Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge is family-friendly, with good facilities, and its central location makes it an ideal base from which to explore the Serengeti at most times of the year. If you’re looking for a mid-range, hotel-style place to stay in the Serengeti, this could be a good choice. However, its popularity with tour groups means it can get very busy.
Kubu Kubu Tented Camp
The most popular of the luxury camps in the Serengeti, Tanganyika Wilderness Camps’ Kubu Kubu offers up personalized service and luxury accommodations at affordable prices.
With twenty-five spacious tents and dedicated dining and relaxing tents, guests can soak in the Serengeti’s natural beauty from the grounds, from their dining space, or even from their private deck.
Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti
The very large, luxury Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti is located in the center of the Serengeti National Park, backing onto an extensive low kopje and with a waterhole adjacent to the lodge. It lies 25km north of the productive wildlife area around Seronera, which has excellent permanent game. This area also hosts the migration in season, although it is usually one of the busier areas of the park.
This luxurious hotel won’t appeal to safari purists, but it’s a great choice if you’re looking for international-style five-star accommodation. With its pools, kids’ club and other facilities, it’s also excellent for families. That said, the lodge is relatively insulated from its surroundings, compared with the park’s tented camps. Although it’s a beautiful property, you could easily forget that you are even in the Serengeti!
Serengeti Sopa Lodge
The 73-room Serengeti Sopa Lodge, located in the south-western section of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, is spread out along the top of a hill with views across the Serengeti plains. It is one of the larger lodges in the Serengeti and is frequently busy with big tour groups.
Serengeti Sopa Lodge is fun and bright – albeit not very stylish. It is in a great part of the Serengeti to watch the migration and to enjoy the resident game with your own vehicle and guide. The staff are very friendly and, considering the size of the lodge, it feels quite personal. It is also good value and family-friendly, so for those who prefer a hotel-style lodge – with all the amenities of a large hotel – to a smaller intimate tented camp, this is a really good option.
Dunia Camp
Dunia Camp is situated near the Moru Kopjes, in the south of Tanzania’s central Serengeti National Park. This elegant yet unpretentious camp is in a good area for seeing both the wildebeest migration between December and March and the resident Game of the central Serengeti all year round. Affectionately known as the “ladies camp”, it is Tanzania’s first and only safari camp to be fully led and run by female staff. It has a very inspiring atmosphere.
Dunia Camp is a stylish yet unfussy camp in the Serengeti. It offers a high-quality base from which to explore the south-central Serengeti area, which has excellent game viewing year round, but is especially good from about December to March when the wildebeest migration passes through.
Seronera Wildlife Lodge
Built around an enormous kopje, or rocky outcrop, Seronera Wildlife Lodge is in the heart of the Serengeti and on the annual wildebeest migration route. Opened in 1960, it’s a mid-range international-style hotel, which has a really central location for exploring Seronera – it’s only two minutes from the takeoff point for hot-air balloon trips and five minutes from the airstrip for flights.
Seronera Wildlife Lodge is a comfortable, functional hotel and a bit old-fashioned. It’s not small, stylish or particularly personal. However, it has reasonable prices and a great location at the heart of the park so is a good option for those on tighter budgets – particularly around April, May and June when the migration passes though this area. However, it is currently closed following the fire in 2014 and we are still waiting to hear when it might open again.
Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp
A Serena property with a twist, Mbuzi Mawe’s stone-floored tents perfectly marry the wilderness experience with private bathrooms, WiFi connections, and spacious rooms.
Dining out under the stars while watching traditional Maasai dance is sure to be an experience you’ll treasure for years.
Angata Serengeti
Like all Angata properties, Angata’s Serengeti location is all about affordable luxury. With just twelve spacious tents set out in the wilderness, Angata boasts customized service and stunning views of the Serengeti ecosystem.
Southern Plains
Vast short-grass plains cover the south of Serengeti National Park, stretching into the north of Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the south-west Loliondo and Maswa Game Reserve. Occasionally there are small kopjes which, like the forests around Lake Ndutu, harbor good populations of resident game. However, around these oases of permanent wildlife, the majority of this area is flat and open. It’s alive with grazing wildebeest from around late-November to April, but can be very empty for the rest of the year. Places to stay here include:
Ndutu Safari Lodge
Ndutu Safari Lodge, which overlooks Tanzania’s Ndutu Soda Lake, was constructed in the 1960s by a former hunter and renovated in 1985. Technically, the lodge lies on the northern border of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area but essentially offers a Serengeti experience. The wildebeest migration passes through here, usually between December and April when the rains have made the plains lush and green.
Ndutu Safari Lodge offers an inexpensive and central base from which to explore the short-grass plains of the southern Serengeti and the northern section of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. However, because it is very good value and in a great location, it gets very booked up during the wildebeest migration. You may need to book a year or more in advance to be sure of finding space here.
Olduvai Camp
About half-way between the Ngorongoro Crater rim and Ndutu, Olduvai Camp stands at the base of a kopje on the southern edge of the Serengeti
Ndutu Under Canvas
A slightly more upmarket offering than Kati Kati Ndutu, this TWC operated camp gives you the experience of living like a king without having to spend a fortune.
With just eleven tents on-site, guests are treated to a far more intimate experience than they might find at busier camps.
Kusini Camp
Standing on top of a kopje in a remote and very quiet corner of Tanzania’s south-west Serengeti, Kusini Camp is an exclusive permanent tented camp with 12 luxurious tents. Opportunities for wildlife viewing are excellent, with lion and buffalo regularly seen around camp.
Although our last visit to Kusini was fairly brief, the staff were friendly and the atmosphere welcoming. The tents are fairly simple in terms of design and furnishings but retain an air of luxury and comfort. It is worth noting that tsetse flies were quite numerous in the surrounding areas, although not majorly bothersome once you are within the camp’s buildings.
Olakira Camp
Olakira Camp is a semi-permanent tented camp that moves twice a year between two locations within Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park, roughly matching the densest part of the wildebeest migration at that time. The camp is usually known as either Olakira Mara or Olakira Ndutu, depending on its current location.
Olakira is a comfortable, stylish, and personal little camp. Its semi-permanent nature means that you really feel a part of the surrounding bush, without having to sacrifice comforts such as hot showers and flush toilets.
Kenzan Ndutu
One of our most popular seasonal camps, Kenzan’s Ndutu camp moves into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area every year to offer an ideal launching point for experiencing the Wildebeest Migration’s calving season.
Experience ‘glamping’ in style, as you’ll spend the night in a comfortable double bed in your private tent. Take a hot shower, read by lantern light, and experience the ambiance of Tanzania by night
Ndutu Safari Lodge
One of the only brick and mortar lodges in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area portion of the Ndutu region, Ndutu Safari Lodge is perfect for those who want to experience wilderness without having to spend the night in a tent.
Each of Ndutu Safari Lodge’s 34 stone cottages afford guests a view of Lake Ndutu as well as ensuite facilities.
While you’re in a lodge, you’re still very much at the heart of the action, and nightly campfires make you feel like you’re truly in Africa.
Western Corridor
Stretching to the west, almost to Lake Victoria, the Serengeti narrows into what’s known as the Western Corridor. The key feature of this area is the two rivers, the Grumeti and the Mbalageti, which run almost parallel, each supporting a band of most, evergreen riparian forest. This area sustains a very good permanent game population, including plenty of zebra and wildebeest, all the predators and forest ‘specialists’ like colobus monkeys. The birdlife is particularly varied. The migration passes through between about May and July – pausing to gather momentum before crossing the crocodile-rich waters of the Grumeti River, into the Grumeti Reserve. Camps in the Serengeti’s Western Corridor include.
Grumeti Migration Camp
Located just outside of the Serengeti National Park in the Grumeti Private Reserve, Grumeti Migration Camp offers a different experience than you might get elsewhere in the Serengeti ecosystem.
Its private location means you’re away from the worst of the crowds, but you’re still close enough to the Serengeti, property to arrange hot air balloon safaris or venture deeper into the wilderness.
Each private tent provides guests with a private balcony, ensuite bathroom facilities, and a front-row seat to the Wildebeest Migration.
Grumeti River Camp
The seemingly casual Grumeti River Camp overlooks the Grumeti River in Serengeti’s western corridor. It has a rustic, laid-back air and bright, playful interior design – yet the level of service and standard of food is more akin to some of Africa’s top safari camps. Because the river is perennial, there is always a good variety of wildlife to be found in the area. Even so, the camp is probably best visited between late-May and July when the wildebeest migration passes through on its journey north.
Don’t come to Grumeti if you’re looking for staid service, palpable luxury, and cutting-edge design. If, however, you like the comforts in life, but are looking for a bush location with excellent service and a laid-back atmosphere combined with excellent guiding, then this camp should be on your list – particularly between late-May and July when the migration usually passes through.
Mbugani Migration Camp
Another mobile camp that follows the movements of the Wildebeest Migration, Mbugani sets up shop in the Kirawira region of the Western Corridor every May through July.
Boasting 24/7 electricity, large ensuite bathrooms, and huge viewing windows from which to see all of the action, Mbugani is our go-to recommendation in the Grumeti area.
Kirawira Camp
Kirawira Camp is reminiscent of the early colonial days of the explorers, with an antique style and standards of service which are very good. However, as well as having ‘old-world’ décor by design, it was looking a little old and tired when we visited in April 2015, and we felt that Kirawira had missed the ‘classic safari’ look that other camps have achieved so well. Although Kirawira is a relatively small tented property, it hasn’t managed to shake off the hotel nature of the ‘Serena’ chain – and this showed itself in the atmosphere which was quite stiff and formal at times even though the staff was friendly.
Singita Sasakawa Lodge
A lodge that practically oozes old-world charm, Sasakawa Lodge gives guests the experiences of being explorers from Europe or the Americas in deepest, darkest Africa.
From claw-footed bathtubs to leather scented libraries to the on-site tennis court, this is a lodge that very much makes you feel like the wealthy of old without taking you away from the African landscape, you’ve come to experience.
Northern Serengeti
Stretching from Seronera for about 100km north, to the Kenyan border, the northern Serengeti is gently rolling country, broken by small rivers and occasional hills and kopjes. There are good permanent populations of wildlife in several areas here, including the very beautiful Lobo Kopje. It’s interesting, varied country that’s far from the park’s main entry point in the south – and hence it receives delightfully few visitors.
The further you go north, the fewer vehicles you see. Even when the migration is here, between about August and October, you can still enjoy spectacular crossings of the Mara River. A particularly stunning are is the wild Lamai Wedge – the area of land between the Mara River and the Kenya Border – which includes the picturesque Wogakuria Kopjie, and a beautiful series of game-rich valleys and plains. This is the only area of the national park where off-road driving is acceptable. Here, we suggest you stay at:
Chaka Tented Camp
The Chaka Migration Camp makes its home in the Northern Serengeti during peak season, boasting the same great facilities and comfortable tented accommodation that you can find in their permanent Kiota Camp in the Central Serengeti.
Twelve spacious tents and a gorgeous outdoor dining area put you at the very thick of things, while the smaller number of tents ensure you’re given personalized service.
Migration Camp
Serengeti Migration Camp is a picturesque, top-quality property. The service is friendly and efficient, and on previous visits, we thought the food was very good indeed. For those seeking a reasonably comfortable place to stay, this would be a good choice. However, its size means that it hosts a number of groups, so it has a slightly less personal feel than many would wish.
Kenzan Mara Tented Camp
For those who want a tented camping experience on a budget, Kenzan Mara Tented Camp is the best option.
Embracing the rustic camping experience without robbing you of creature comforts, Kenzan Mara’s location is a great place from which to witness the Wildebeest Migration.
Lobo Wildlife Lodge
A newer player in the Northern Serengeti, Lobo Wildlife Lodge is a family-friendly lodge for those who might want a break from sleeping in tented accommodation.
Located atop a volcanic backdrop affording stunning views of the surrounding wilderness, Lobo Wildlife Lodge boasts panoramic views, a nearby waterhole, and unrivaled access to the nearby Mara River.
Sayari Camp
Sayari Camp (formerly known as Sayari Mara Camp) is a luxurious, permanent camp situated in the far north of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. The Mara River meanders from east to west through this remote region’s undulating bush, which is home to permanent, large populations of plains wildlife. This part of the Serengeti ecosystem is also a spectacular area to witness the great wildebeest migration.
Sabora Tented Camp
Just to the north-west of the Serengeti National Park, the old Grumeti Game Reserve was a privately run wildlife area which covered about 1,500km2. In 2006, the management of this (together with the larger, neighboring Ikorongo Game Reserve and Fort Ikoma Open Area) was taken over by a team from the respected company Singita, who runs a handful of top private lodges in South Africa.
There are a number of accommodations in Serengeti, for a perfect booking and safari planning, kindly get in touch with Enclose Africa Safaris; they will pick out the best of your interest, for your Tanzania Safari.