The Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
See the famous migration of the wildebeest in ultimate luxury
Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp is set in the remote reaches of the park, on a tributary of the Grumeti River, which is famed for its wildebeest crossings and enormous Nile crocodiles. Concealed within a strip of riverine forest, the Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp hosts spectacular pied colobus monkeys (found nowhere else in the Serengeti), owls and bushbabies.
Every year between June and July, Africa's annual Great Migration passes through Grumeti, and hundreds upon thousands of wildebeest, zebra and other herbivores cross the Grumeti River, risking the jaws of some of Africa's largest crocodiles
Situated beneath tall evergreen trees, the luxurious safari tents of the Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp offer lavish interiors, en-suite bathrooms and outdoor showers, open to the skies. The central dining area offers traditional campfire suppers, bar and library.
About the Serengeti National Park... a great safari location!
Venue of the world famous migration of the wildebeest
The Serengeti, whose Maasai name ‘Siringet' translates as ‘the endless plains', offers unparalleled ornithological opportunities and an unrivalled natural arena wherein the glory and harmony of nature can be appreciated as nowhere else on earth. The vast and rolling Serengeti is also the venue for ‘the greatest wildlife show on earth' the annual migration of over one million wildebeest and their attendant cast of herbivores and predators.
The Serengeti is 200 km west of Arusha, Tanzania: the park's northern boundary abuts with the Kenya border; its western boundary reaches Lake Victoria, Tanzania.
Luxury tented safari camps in Tanzania
When on safari in Tanzania, the traditional luxury safari camps offers a selection of canvas-sided safari tents, usually with thatched roofs, often raised on a timber platform with private veranda. Usually, the safari tents feature comfortable double or single beds with mosquito netting, electric lighting (generator or solar powered) and luxury en-suite safari bathrooms (flushed WC, hot and cold running water, shower and vanity unit).
The Background to your Tanzania luxury camp safari
The vast and sensational Serengeti, covering 14,763 sq km of endlessly rolling savannah plains, is Tanzania's first-established, largest and most famous park wherein tens of thousands of wildebeest and other hoofed animals roam in a constant and unremitting search for the fresh grasslands upon which their survival depends.
The million-plus wildebeest are the predominant herbivore and also the main prey of a huge cast of large carnivores, principally lion and hyena. Whilst the annual wildebeest migration is the Serengeti's most famous attraction, the Park is also renowned for its lion, many of which have been fitted with radio-transmitter collars so that their movements may be tracked, and additionally for its wealth of cheetah, zebra, giraffe, Thomson's and Grant's gazelle, eland, impala, klipspringer, hippo and warthog.
Safari wildlife highlights: wildebeest, zebra, Thomson's gazelle, lion, spotted hyena, hunting dog, cheetah, black rhino, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, topi, eland, jackal and otter. Birds: over 350 recorded species including 34 raptors.
Your Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp Safari
Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp is in the western corridor of the magnificent Serengeti National Park in a corner dominated by acacia woodlands, grassy plains and riverine forest. The camp lies on the edge of a permanent oxbow pan formed by an overflow of the Grumeti River. Supporting lush riverine forest, the Grumeti River provides a sharp contrast to the surrounding plains.
The Grumeti River begins in the eastern Serengeti near CC Africa's Klein's Camp and heads west, finally spilling into the great expanse of Lake Victoria. The river is broadest in the western corridor, where Grumeti River Camp is located. The riverine forest lining the banks is most dense in this corridor.
Grumeti Game
Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp lies in the path of the famous annual great migration of zebra and wildebeest on their migratory route to Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. The migration passes by the camp during the months of May to July every year.
Animals in the Grumeti area include lion, elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, baboon, cheetah and Maasai giraffe. The pan on the edge of the camp is home to pods of grunting hippo. These amphibians float lazily on the surface by day and after dark move onto the grassy plains to feed. Some of the largest hippos in the world are found in these waters. The area also boasts one of the highest densities of cheetah in Africa
Mammals such as the black-and-white colobus monkey are confined to the forested sliver of the Serengeti lining the Grumeti River.
Grumeti Birds
Birds are abundant around the camp, drawn to the multiple attractions of tall trees, prolific insects and drinking water. Interesting birds to look out for are Black-headed Gonolek, Rufous Chatterer, African Mourning Dove, Paradise Flycatcher, White-browed Coucal, African Golden Oriole, Spotted Morning Thrush, Slate-coloured Boubou and the dazzling Fischer's Lovebird.
The riverine forest lining the Grumeti River banks are most dense in the western corridor. Innumerable birds gather here to feed and nest. Birds including the Eastern Grey Plantain-eater and Swamp Flycatcher - typical of the shores of Lake Victoria - are confined to this forested sliver of the Serengeti
Accommodation: A Luxury safari camp
Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp offers ten spacious luxury safari tents with banana-leaf and thatch roofs all with en-suite bathrooms and showers open to the sun and stars. Each flamboyant tent perches on a raised platform and has its own private terrace with views of the Serengeti plains and the annual migration of the wildebeest.
Grumeti safari camp dining and bars
The main living areas of the Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp, including the pool, overlook the water-lettuce-edged river. There is also a lounge, domed bar, curio shop and spacious viewing decks. Evening meals are served within an open-air ‘boma' (enclosure) or on the river banks. The Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp offers a broad range of Pan-African cuisine and all meals are prepared on traditional "jikos" (fires) and in natural stone ovens.
What to see and do on your Tanzania luxury camp safari
The annual wildebeest migration in the Serengeti
The migration of the wildebeest is perhaps one of Tanzania's most famous natural events. Twice a year, propelled by the rains, 1.3 million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle gather to undertake an 800 km migration trek to new grazing lands. The precise timing of the wildebeest migration varies but generally the Serengeti herbivores congregate and move out at the end of May, sometimes over a period of weeks, sometimes over a period of as little as three or four days. The wildebeest then head west on the first leg of a roughly triangular 800-km circuit that takes approximately 3-4 months ending in the Masai Mara National Reserve of Kenya. When the grazing here is exhausted the tide of wildebeest turns and reverses its progress returning to the short grass plains of the Serengeti in Tanzania.
Where and when to see the migration while at the Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp
The migration runs according to its own rules, but in general a large column of wildebeest passes west to Lake Victoria while another moves north past Lobo. While on the hoof (May to June) the rut commences and the wildebeests mate. The migration herds usually reach the north, and eventually cross into Kenya's Masai Mara NR, during July to October. In November the herds begin to reform for the return journey and by December the migration is complete and they are usually to be found grazing the southern grasslands; wildebeest calving starts in February.
Tanzania luxury camp safari experiences in the Serengeti
Typical Tanzania safari experiences at Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp include: safari game drives in especially adapted 4WD safari vehicles (with professionally trained Tanzania safari guides), safari bush breakfasts, lunches and dinners; cocktails around the camp safari campfire and guided safari walks through the bush. Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp also offers ornithological tours, cultural performances and visits to the local Maasai people of Tanzania.
In the Serengeti, a particular highlight is a hot air balloon ride, which typically ascends from its launch site at dawn and travels for around an hour across the plains before descending in a controlled landing to a cooked safari breakfast in the bush.
The feted annual migration of the wildebeest
Twice daily interpretive game drives in Land Rovers explore the Serengeti savannahs and woodlands, boasting the largest mass of free-ranging animals on earth. A stunning variety of wildlife may be approached at close range on these morning and afternoon wildlife excursions.
A dventure
Bird-watching is an ever-present delight around Grumeti - birders almost always exceed their sighting targets. Sundowners on the Kirawira Hills are a special treat after a day's safari. Excursions to Lake Victoria can be organised and are optional extras. Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake and the second largest lake in the world. The lake is 50km west of Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp. This fascinating outing includes a safari, a visit to a local village and a panoramic view of the lake from Speke Bay.
Camp Library
A carefully selected library of natural history books pertaining to the Serengeti and East Africa, wildlife videos, plus animal and bird field guides, are available for your quiet contemplation.
The local people are the Kuria and Sukuma. They are among several ethnic groups that populate the eastern shores of Lake Victoria. The nearest urban centre is Bunda town, 60km northwest of the camp. Most of the families of staff at Grumeti live in settlements there.
Although the immediate hinterland is arid, the town attracts various types of agricultural produce further afield. The local people's main economic activities include pastoralism, fishing (Lake Victoria), fish trade and limited subsistence farming.
Guest comments
"In the quiet seclusion of an idyllic valley in the western corridor of the Serengeti, this splendid camp overlooks a tributary of the Grumeti River which drains into Lake Victoria. Alive with hippo and crocodiles, the river is lined by tall riverine trees, home to countless birds and troops of colobus monkeys."
Earthyear magazine
"The beds are gigantic (there are no less than eight pillows) and the easy chairs are pretty welcoming after a day of bouncing around in the bush. The lounge and boma are done in bright orange and lime green - as are the bedrooms - with rustic chairs made from timber sourced from surrounding plains."
Getaway magazine
Grumeti Serengeti Tented Camp • Tanzania - Serengeti Safari Camps
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