Tanzania Safari Lodges At Serengeti National Park

Serengeti

Details Accommodation Reviews

Description: The Serengeti is the setting for so many wildlife documentaries with good reason. Visitors are virtually guaranteed to see an impressive array of wildlife. The Serengeti boasts a staggering 8,500 giraffe, 10,000 eland, 200,000 zebra, 1.3 million wildebeest, 1,500 lions, 1,000 elephants, 280,000 Thompson’s gazelles, 25,000 buffalo, 500 species of birds, 72,000 Topi, and 32,000 Grant’s gazelle. The annual wildebeest migration is one of the most spectacular and breath-taking events in the world. From the Serengeti to Kenya’s Masai Mara over 1.4 million wildebeest and 200,000 zebra and gazelle, relentlessly tracked by Africa’s great predators, migrate in a clockwise fashion over 1,800 miles each year in search of rain ripened grass. This mass of moving animals is so large that even when it is in Kenya's Masai Mara, parts of it are still in the Serengeti.

Note that even during August to November, the approximate time when most of the wildebeest are expected to be in the Masai Mara, the wildlife is still plentiful in the Serengeti, as the ‘resident’ animals opt to stay where they are instead of follow the migration.

Location: Northern circuit, 7 hours outside Arusha, 2.5 hours from the Ngorongoro Crater

Things 2 Do: Game-drives, Nature Walks and Night Game Drives at Ikoma, Hot Air Balloon

Time: The average stay is 3-4 nights with 2 nights as a recommended minimum.

Animals: Virtually all safari animals except for the Rhino.

Tanzania Travel - Safari Lodges At Serengeti National Park

photo by Ron Hoffman

Reviews:

Alicia
Travel Dates: 14/2/2008 to 26/2/2008

Mbuzi Mawe was very nice, the staff was wonderful and we enjoyed stayin at the same place for two days after being in three different hotels in the last three days. We could do our laundry, massages, etc
The food in the tented camp was very good.



Sandy
Travel Dates: January 28 - Feb 3, 2008

The Serengeti is amazing. We were there a day and a half (two nights). Though we saw alot of wildlife in that short time, i.e. leopard, cheetah, hyena, jackal, serval, Cape buffalo, giraffe, elephant, hippo and many hoofed mammals and birds), I would have liked to have had time to stay at least another day. The Serengeti Sopa was very nice. We also enjoyed staying in the tents at the Serengeti Wilderness Camp; it's nice to sit around the campfire and relax at the end of the day. The trail behind the visitor center was a nice walk and a good view out over the endless plains.



Ole Bach
Travel Dates: Frebruary 7-12 2008

Serengeti was huge! We had times when we were driving for an hour or two without seeing much, but every day we had encounters we wouldn't miss for anything.
We saw wildebeest, zebra, buffalo, hyena, lion, cerval cat, cheeta, leopard, hippo, hartebeest, impala, monkeys, dik-dik, topi, jackal, giraffe, elephant, mongoose, ostrich, owl, vulture, secretary and lots of other birds. We had very close encounters of most animals - the leopard being the most rare. It walked along the roadside, lay down in front of our car, crossed the road, jumped a nearby tree posing for photographs - wauw. The two cheetas, the mating lions, ... we can go on.
February 8-10, 2008. Anja Peter, Lone and Ole



balvantray
Travel Dates: January 15 - 22 2008

Very nice area, we so lots of wild life here in Park.



Mariann
Travel Dates: Dec.19 - Dec.29 2007

Lots of animals...and magnificent nature. We went up with the hot air ballon...you should try it...! Even though is was not a clear morning, it was a fantastic experience.
We stayed on a lodge in the central Serengeti, a litte overwelming with so many other tourists after 5 days almost 'alone' with the animals in Arusha, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Tarangire. Next time we would take more time in Serengeti and stay in not so crowded areas...we went north to Lobo, again the nature much different and very beautiful.



Beth
Travel Dates: December 7-16, 2007

The game is more spread out, but just as spectacular. We caught part of the wildebeest migration so saw tons of them, plus zebras, hippos, hyenas and lions too.

We stayed two nights at Olakira Camp and two nights at Migration Camp. Olakira might be the right camp for the right person, but it was definitely the wrong camp for us. Each tent has a shower, but the water comes out in a trickle, and the bugs in the dining tent were intolerable. So bad that I was unable to eat dinner because the bugs wer crawling around in my plate. The beds, however, were quite comfortable and the staff, as in all of the lodges in TZ, were very friendly.

Migration Camp is fabulous and I highly recommend it. This is truly luxury camping. It has all the pluses of camping — you get to sleep in a tent (although it had wood floors, a real bathroom with a working hair dryer, and 24-hour electricity) and you can hear the animals at night (I woke up on the second night to the sounds of a buffalo chewing the grass right in front of our tent)— without any of the minuses i.e., eco-toilets, bucket showers, and bugs in your plate.




Colin & Narelle
Travel Dates: Oct 4 to Oct 22

A vast and unique environment even without the migration. You never know what's around the corner given the vast array of animals that live there. A holiday full of surprises.



Sarah
Travel Dates: Oct. 2, 2007 - Oct. 19, 2007

This is the place to see lions - we hadn't seen any in the first two parks and so being in the Serengeti was fabulous. The scenery is beautiful - the most beautiful light you'll ever see. It was a great two days and I would do it again. We stayed at the Lobo Wildlife Lodge, which was excellent. The staff members were great. We also stayed one night at the Serengeti Tented Camp. The Serengeti Tented Camp was the place we liked the very least over the course of the trip. The staff at the front desk there were very difficult to deal with, and it did not feel very safe. The tents had gaps where the zippers met which let quite a few beetles and other insects in. The food was terrible. We did have a great bush walk guide there though.



Amy
Travel Dates: 8/22/07 - 9/9/07

We LOVED the Serengeti! It's just like how we pictured Africa to be.

We stayed in Migration Camp in the Northern Serengetifor 3 nights, which we thought might be too much, but it wasn't! Everything about this camp was unbelievable! The lobby/bar/lounge/pool area were very inviting & beautiful. The manager & all the staff that worked there were so nice. The wait staff was really great, too. Not to mention the yummy food! The tents were AMAZING - pure luxury. Each tent has a huge deck, overlooking the area where the hippos hang out. Even the sound of the hippos all night was mezmerizing and soothing to sleep to. AMAZING! Highly recommended.

In terms of animal sightings, it wasn't that easy to spot animals during this season (the dry season), so Said ended up driving almost to the Central Serengeti each day in order for us to get good sightings. And he succeeded. You just need to get used to the rough roads!

We also stayed in the far Northern Serengeti, at a tented mobile camp called Sayari. While this experience was way different than Migration, we loved it just as much. It was the only camp in that area, so we felt like we were one with the wilderness. In fact, at times, we thought the wildebeest would come & visit us in our tents. There were tons of wildebeest, since we were so close to the Masai Mara. Also, we were right next to the river, so wildebeest river crossings were inevitable near Sayari. This camp only had a small amount of tents, so there were many guests at one time staying there. The tents were simple, but nice. The food was delicious and again, the staff was just amazing. We wish we could have stayed there one more night, since we only had one night there. We did try in advance, but it was all booked up.



Sue
Travel Dates: jan 2007

as above! the view of the migrating animals on the plains during the drive will never leave my mind, its a sight to make you speechless, like being in a david attenborough documentary



ILARIA
Travel Dates: 12TH - 28TH AUGUST 2007

This is the Africa we expected to see: a huge plan of dried grass, magnificent acacias spread all around and a huge quantity of animals of any species around us.
we stayed there 3 days but I could have kept travelling through the park for other 5 days!
Just be patient and you'll see everithing you expected to see and much more: like a beautiful giraffe drinking in front of us of a tired leopard on the tree next to us resting after the hunt.



Lisa
Travel Dates: 8/23/07 - 8/30/07

The views at Serengeti were more dramatic and vast than other places. You are very aware of being in the animals' territory, so it feels like a true adventure. This was the best place to see animals we had not yet seen -- big cats, hippos, crocs, Topi, gazelle, and a vast array of birds big and small. We felt like we had gone back in time, riding across the bumpy roads of the vast plains in search of wildlife! The only part that snapped us back to reality were the other safari cars, who all seem to be in a mad race to see big cats. At times we found it helpful to see a cluster of cars in the distance (we knew they were probably looking at something interesting) but at other times we just wanted to go off into a less traveled area and enjoy the solitary scenery.



Norma
Travel Dates: June 2007

The animal sighting was spectacular; I recommend at least 2 days, and if possible 3 in the Serengeti. We camped and the accomodations were just adequate; we would have had a much greater appreciation for the Ikoma Bush Camp had we been aware of the fact that our stay helped to fund services for the villagers and income to prevent poaching.

But I think what made us most unhappy about Ikoma was the night game drive. I was appalled at the idea of disturbing the animals in that nefarious way - I wonder that the government and environmentalist organizations allow this type of thing to take place. In response to my complaint, Bryan responded: "As a result of your review, we are going to re-evaluate this offering of night game drive and perhaps change it completely (maybe do our own night game drive without a light) or eliminate it altogether."



Jannik
Travel Dates: feb. 2007

No. 1. that place got everything and it is wildlife



Marylou and Len
Travel Dates: July 2007

A wonderful experience. Animal spotting was exciting and rewarding. Stayed 2 nights at Serengeti Tented Camp - fine



Lisa
Travel Dates: late November 2007

Serengeti is a marvel in any weather (ours was mostly wet in Nov of 07), on any road, any time of day. We witnessed the advance troups of that year's wildebeest migration.



Tanja
Travel Dates: july 2007

Sooo big! We spent 3 days here, it's fantastic! Stayed in Mbusimawe and Serengeti Tented Camp, both very nice.



Michelle
Travel Dates: 21 Sept 06 to 12 Oct 06

The Serengeti is an amazing place. Don't miss it. We saw all of the big cats up close and were amazed by them. The Serengeti has many different landscapes and an abundance of wildlife. We opted to camp and found it a pleasant experience, the wild sounds of the African night were something to experience. We stayed for 3 nights and enjoyed every minute of it.



Karen
Travel Dates: 18th August 2005

What can you say about the Serengeti that hasn't already been said. It is such a beautiful place nothing captures nature the way the Serengeti does. We spent 2 days and 2 nights which was long enough to see an amazing array of animals,but I could have stayed longer just soaking up the amazing atmosphere. We stayed at the Serengeti Migration Camp which was faultless in every way. Can't wait to go back



Marilyn
Travel Dates: 1st week March 2006

We enjoyed
Serengeti the most



fulvio
Travel Dates: august 2006

the most exciting...an unbelivable ocean of grass we stay 2 days but it is worth all the time that you can dedicate - nice lodge at lobo wildlife - very nice camp at ikoma (it let you feel inside the wilderness)



Ruth & George
Travel Dates: 10-20 Oct 2006

Was amazing but I wouldn't waste time going all the way up to Lobo - it was a very long drive back.



DIANNA
Travel Dates: JUNE 22-29

THE MOST INTERESTING AS TO THE VARIETY OF ANIMALS.



Sharon
Travel Dates: 01/16/07 - 01/08/07

We were lucky to visit here when the grass was lush and wildlife plentiful. There were herds of wildebeeste and zebras as far as the eye could see in every direction. It was difficult to comprehend the numbers. Time of year is important here as the migration pattern effects what you might see. Sunrise is definitely worth getting up for.



Diane
Travel Dates: June 2007

Beautiful. In June the migration was really great. Weather perfect, saw so much every day we hated to leave.



Peter
Travel Dates: June 13 - June 27

Fantastic but 2-3 days is plenty