Where to Stay · 19 July 2026

Luxury Camps and Lodges in the Serengeti

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The Serengeti is not one destination. It is roughly the size of Northern Ireland, and where you stay matters more here than anywhere else in Africa.

Get the region right for your dates and you wake in the middle of the migration. Get it wrong and you spend your days driving toward it. Below are the camps and lodges we book most, arranged so you can match region to season.

The Serengeti at a glance

  • Where Northern Tanzania, continuous with Kenya's Masai Mara across the border
  • Size About 14,750 square kilometres, a UNESCO World Heritage site
  • Getting there Light aircraft from Arusha or Kilimanjaro, or direct from the Masai Mara
  • Regions North for river crossings, south and Ndutu for calving, central Seronera for predators, west for the corridor, Grumeti for privacy
  • Known for The Great Migration, big cats, and the largest lion population in Africa
  • Best time June to October for the dry season and crossings, January to March for calving
  • How long Four to six nights, ideally split between two regions

Which region, and when

The camps and lodges

All of these we have visited. Here is how they differ.

Singita Sasakwa Lodge, an Edwardian manor on a ridge in the Grumeti Reserve, Tanzania
Grumeti Reserve

Singita Sasakwa Lodge

An Edwardian manor house on a ridge above the western plains, with a wine cellar widely held to be the finest in Africa. Cottages each have their own pool, and the view runs uninterrupted for forty kilometres.

Best for
The grandest stay in the Serengeti, and celebrations

Singita Sabora Tented Camp on the open plains of the Grumeti Reserve, Tanzania
Grumeti Reserve

Singita Sabora

Tented, but only in name. Nine suites on the open plains, reimagined in a lighter, more contemporary style, with horse riding and hot air ballooning on the doorstep.

Best for
Couples and honeymooners who want the plains to themselves

&Beyond Grumeti Serengeti River Lodge, Tanzania
Grumeti Reserve

&Beyond Grumeti

Set along a hippo filled bend of the Grumeti river, bold and colourful in design, and superbly placed for the western corridor crossings between May and July.

Best for
Design led safari and the western corridor

Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, Tanzania
Central Serengeti

Four Seasons Serengeti

A pool deck suspended above a busy elephant watering hole in the heart of the park. The most family friendly address in the Serengeti, with the facilities to match.

Best for
Families and first time safari goers

Lemala Nanyukie tented camp in the Seronera Valley, central Serengeti
Seronera, Central Serengeti

Lemala Nanyukie

Contemporary tented suites in the Seronera Valley, the beating heart of Serengeti big cat country, where lion, leopard and cheetah are resident year round.

Best for
Predators and reliable year round game viewing

Nimali Mara tented camp in the northern Serengeti, Tanzania
Northern Serengeti

Nimali Mara

A small camp in the far north, close to the Mara river where the crossings happen. Between July and October there is no better address in Tanzania.

Best for
River crossings, July to October

&Beyond Klein's Camp in the northern Serengeti hills, Tanzania
Northern Serengeti

&Beyond Klein’s Camp

Stone cottages on a private concession of ten thousand acres between the Serengeti and the Masai Mara, where night drives and walking are permitted, unlike inside the park.

Best for
Exclusivity, walking and night drives

Nimali Serengeti, a seasonally positioned tented camp in Tanzania
Serengeti

Nimali Serengeti

A permanent tented camp in the central Serengeti, well placed for year round game viewing rather than chasing the herds. Spacious suites, a warm team, and the reliability that comes with a fixed site.

Best for
Year round game viewing and dependable comfort

Warangi Ridge, a hilltop tented camp in the Serengeti, Tanzania
Serengeti

Warangi Ridge

A hilltop retreat with cinematic views over the plains, well placed for migration season and quieter than the valley floor camps.

Best for
Views, and value in migration season

Sisini Serengeti, an intimate tented camp on the Serengeti plains
Serengeti

Sisini Serengeti

Small, intimate and deep in the plains, with the unhurried feel of a camp that takes very few guests.

Best for
Quiet, intimate tented safari

Mapito Camp in the western Serengeti, Tanzania
Western Serengeti

Mapito Camp

A classic tented camp in the western corridor, unfussy and well run, in a part of the park that most visitors never reach.

Best for
The western corridor, away from the crowds

In the Serengeti, the address matters as much as the camp.

How to choose

The migration, month by month

Roughly two million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle move through this ecosystem in a continuous loop. It is not an event but a circuit, and it never entirely stops.

Camps position themselves accordingly, which is why the same dates can mean very different journeys.

Park or private reserve

Inside the national park, off road driving, walking safaris and night drives are not permitted, and popular sightings can draw a crowd.

Private concessions such as Grumeti and Klein's allow all three, with far fewer vehicles. If exclusivity matters to you, that difference is worth paying for.

How to reach the Serengeti

Most guests fly by light aircraft from Arusha or Kilimanjaro to the airstrip nearest their camp. Flights also run directly from the Masai Mara, which makes a Kenya and Tanzania journey simple to arrange.

Onward flights reach Zanzibar the same day, which is the classic way to finish. Read our guide to luxury resorts in Zanzibar, or browse the full collection of camps and lodges.

Plan your Serengeti safari

Below are the journeys we would build around the Serengeti, each private and tailormade.

Our Recommendations

Journeys through the Serengeti.

Timed to the herds. All private, all shaped around you.

8 Day Great Migration Safari, Kenya and Tanzania
Kenya & Tanzania

8 Day Great Migration Safari

Both sides of the border, timed to where the herds are.
8 Days · 7 Nights   From USD 10,560 per person

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The Ultimate East Africa Luxury Safari, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania
Rwanda · Kenya · Tanzania

The Ultimate East Africa Luxury Safari

Our grandest journey, with the Serengeti at its centre.
12 Days · 11 Nights   From USD 46,200 per person sharing

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Tailormade luxury safaris with Ongeri Expeditions
Built around you

Tailormade Journeys

Any region, any season, any length, designed from a blank page.
Private · Any dates   Shaped entirely around you

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Questions

Common questions

It depends on when you travel, because the Serengeti is vast and the migration moves. The north is best from July to October for the Mara river crossings, the south and Ndutu from December to March for calving, the central Seronera Valley is strong year round for predators, and the western corridor suits May to July.

June to October is the dry season and the classic time, with the river crossings in the north from July. January to March brings the calving season in the southern plains, which is superb for predators. April and May are wettest and quietest, with the lowest rates.

In the northern Serengeti along the Mara river, typically between July and October. Camps such as Nimali Mara and Klein's Camp are positioned for this. The crossings are unpredictable, so allow three or four nights to give yourself the best chance.

They are one ecosystem divided by a border. The Serengeti is far larger and offers more varied regions and a longer migration season, while the Masai Mara is more concentrated and easier to reach from Nairobi. Many guests combine both.

Grumeti is a private reserve on the western edge of the Serengeti ecosystem. Because it is private, guest numbers are strictly limited and activities such as walking and night drives are allowed, which the national park does not permit.

Four nights at minimum, and ideally five or six, often split between two regions. The park is large and the distances significant, so short stays tend to be spent driving rather than watching.

Most guests fly by light aircraft from Arusha or Kilimanjaro to one of the park's many airstrips, choosing the one closest to their camp. Flights also connect directly from the Masai Mara in Kenya.

Yes, and it is the classic Tanzanian bush and beach journey. Flights run from the Serengeti airstrips to Zanzibar, usually with a short stop, so guests can move from the plains to the Indian Ocean on the same day.

Timed to the herds.

Tell us your dates and we will place you in the right region of the Serengeti, then build the journey around it. Your Safari Advisor replies within 24 hours.

Plan Your Safari → Schedule a Call