Kenya’s finest reserve, packed with Big Five, and the staging point for the remarkable wildebeest migration.
Recommended place to stay:
Lamai Serengeti
Built on one of the most magnificent sites in the northern Serengeti, the Kogakuria Kopje, Lamai overlooks the area’s rolling grasslands – through which the great migration pours from July to October.
The Big Five are regularly spotted on game drives, and leopards and lions often roam the camp (hence the presence of Maasai guards with huge spears).
Rooms have been moulded around the giant rocks on the kopje, cleverly hidden in the bush to be as unobtrusive as possible. Each has a different view and shape. They feel capacious, with inviting, mosquito-netted beds – and have enough distance between them to feel cut-off and romantic, even though it’s only a five-minute walk from the furthest room to the lodge centre.
There are 12 rooms – eight set on one side of the camp, four on another for small groups who want privacy. Private ‘family’ lodges have their own pool, living space and dining areas. Interiors are simple, natural Tanzanian textures, colours and fibres: creams and tans with dazzling Masai colours in accessories, local art and tribal designs.
The rooms sit on wooden platforms – each with its own deck to enjoy views in private. Views from all rooms are stonking: over thousands of miles of bush, with windows perfectly placed to take in the sunrise from bed.
Game & game viewing
All the Big Five are present, plus cheetah, hippo and croc. Game drives and walks are available, but night drives are not permitted.
Summer to autumn, you can watch the migration rolling over the hills from your room’s private deck; while year-round, you’ll find leopards lazing on enormous boulders, rhinos grazing the plains and gloriously-coloured sunbirds while out on game drives.
Taking the kids
They welcome children of 8 and over, but only children of 12 and over can participate in walking activities.
Getting there
Take a small plane from Arusha or Dar es Salaam to Kogatende airstrip, then it’s an hour by vehicle.
Price
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Destination guides
Destination guides including or relevant to this place to stay
Serengeti National Park
Mara Region, Tanzania
A vast reserve of game-filled savannah, home to the Big Five and the famous Great Wildebeest Migration.
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