Serengeti Travel Guide

Where to Eat and Stay

In Serengeti, you won’t find restaurants in the typical sense. There will be no stand-alone restaurants. You eat where you stay – whether it is a tented camp, mobile safari camp, or permanent lodge/hotel. There may be a few restaurants, Michelin-starred chef even, in permanent hotels, and you can go there to dine, but in the vast plains with miles between destinations, you won’t find it practical to drop by to have your midday snacks. Herein is an extensive list of places where it will be comfortable to live in and dine – camping style or any other style. Note that the camps are attractions in themselves, providing exquisite landscapes and unique environments to experience Serengeti.

1) Lemala Safari Ndutu Camp

This is a top pick in terms of luxurious accommodations and fantastic views. There are 10 tents and each is furnished with king-sized beds, with downy cushions and beddings, solar-powered bedside lamps, an integral bathroom with running water and flush water closet. You can enjoy a quiet view of the river crossing. You can opt for full board only (covering accommodation and meals) ranging from low season rate of USD 800 for two people per day to peak season rate of USD 1,000 for two people per day. There is another option for full-game package (covering accommodations, meals, and game drives or walking safaris) ranging from low season rate of USD 950 for two people per day to peak season rate of USD 1,200 for two people per day. The camp is closed for the months of April, May, and November.

Location: Ndutu Camp near Ndutu Lake, Southern Plains

2) Serengeti Migration Camp

This richly-furnished camp is hidden among rocks and bushes in the vast Serengeti plains and displays old African indulgence. Spacious tents blend with its natural surroundings and a wrap-around veranda provides perfect viewing of rugged landscapes, the Grumeti River and resident hippos, wildebeest, cape buffalo, hyraxes (hundreds of them), giraffes, baboons, and warthogs. Package rates start at USD 550 per person per day for full board (covering accommodation, all meals and drinks, park fees) and at USD 650 per person per day for full game package (covering accommodations, all meals, all drinks, laundry, transfers from airstrips, park fees, day and night game drives and walking safaris). Extra meals can be ordered at USD 30 to USD 50.

Location: Northern Corridor,

3) Seronera Wildlife Lodge

In the whole of Serengeti, this is the best-value permanent lodge in the savannah. It looks like a dwelling built into massive boulders. Prime game viewing and sunset-viewing take place at this lodge’s doorsteps. Meals are served and accommodations are clean and comfortable. For those in the vicinity, this lodge also has a restaurant and bar, a small gym, and a pool. Currency exchange is also facilitated here. The rates are relatively cheap, which range from USD 240 to USD 460 double full board.

Location: Central Seronera Valley

4) Mbalageti Lodge

Sleep atop Mwamyeni Hill on chalet tents looking over Dutwa Plains. The veranda offers stunning sun views. Other amenities include a pool, deck and loungers, a bar, restaurant, internet access, and a wellness and massage facility. The tents are comfortably styled with a Victorian tub looking out to a picture window.  The rate for the tented chalet ranges from USD 370 to USD 550, good for two persons sharing.

Location: Western Corridor

5) Kusini Tented Camp

This could be one of the most isolated lodges in Serengeti. There are several tent lodges, and each one comes with a private butler. Gourmet meals over candle light are served. If you wish for luxury in the remotest wilds, this is the place. Game drives are readily facilitated by two vehicles in the site. This is an ideal place for adventurers who want to evade tourist traffic and get exclusive observation of breeding, wildlife sightings, calving or migration. Package rates range from USD 770 to USD 1,190 for double full board (covering accommodation, meals, park fees) and between USD 990 and USD 1,430 for double full game package (covering accommodations, meals, park fees, day and night game drives and walking safaris). The facility is closed from April to May.

Location: Njiro Hill, end of Southern Plains

6) Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp

Green riverside setting at the banks of Grumeti tributary, dueling hippos, and a variety of animals quenching their thirst – enjoy this morning view from laidback tents. Babysitting, currency exchange, a bar, and a pool are some of the services they offer. Double full board rate ranges from USD 1,310 to USD 1,990.

Location: Western Corridor

7) Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp

This tented camp offers an authentic yet inexpensive safari experience. Each tent has two double beds, a sitting area, an integrated bathroom, and a large veranda.  You can find resident klipspringers, antelopes, baboons, and hyraxes in throngs surrounding the camp site. Service and amenities include currency exchange, bar, room service, and WiFi access. It also serves brunch, lunch and dinner in its restaurant. Double full board rate ranges from USD 340 to USD 640.

Location: Central Seronera Valley

8) Sayari Camp

Located in a typical Serengeti, Lemai Wedge in the remote northwest, it is named as one of the “special places” in Africa because of its paradise-like natural landscape.  Each tent maintains privacy from the other tents, has a veranda, luxurious bed and en suite bath. Laundry and a pool are available. Double full board ranges from USD 860 to USD 1,160. Double full game package ranges from USD 980 to USD 1,290.

Location: Northern Serengeti

9) Hotel Kirawira Luxury Tented Camp

This 3-star hotel offers luxurious rooms and a restaurant where you can relish sumptuous breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Other amenities are spa facility, media library, WiFi access, secretarial services, and laundry. Price starts at USD 1,135.

Location: Western Corridor

10) Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge

This lodge is perched on a ridge, surrounded by trees and allows for a sweeping panorama of the Serengeti. The structure fuses traditional African architecture and contemporary amenities. There are three dining facilities: the Silk Route, South East Asian Restaurant and Café Zarnegar. Amenities include a beauty shop, an outdoor pool, a lounging bar, dry cleaning and laundy, and currency exchange. Buffet dinner is available for those looking for a place to dine at Cafe Zarnegar. Double occupancy rate starts from USD 1,968 per night inclusive of 3 meals.

Location: Central Seronera Valley

Covering nearly 6,000 square miles of dynamic ecosystem, Tanzania’s oldest game park–and the African continent’s greatest wildlife marvel–nurtures the hunter, the adventurer, and the conservationist in every visitor. The Maasai people call the park “Siringitu,” which translates to “the place where the land moves forever.” How is that for a picturesque description? Does it refer to the pulsating hordes that seem to lend motion to the vast earth? Or is it an expression of how the instinct-driven pilgrimage moves anyone who witnesses it? One thing is certain: it is one place you must visit at least once in your life. It can’t be any more compelling.

 

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