Scenically located in a glade known as ‘the place of the klipspringer’ – buzi mawe – and guarded by three million year-old granite towers, this luxury tented camp is sited on one of the main annual migration corridors in the western corridor of the Serengeti National Park.

LOCATION

The camp is located in the western corridor of the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania.

Access:

8-10hours drive from Arusha in dry weather

60 mins flight from Arusha to Seronera Airstrip

45kms (90 mins drive) from Seronera Airstrip

30 kms (1hr drive) from Lobo Airstrip

CAMP

Mbuzi Mawe is located in the famous Western Corridor of the Serengeti National Park the camp nestles in a secluded acacia glade with sweeping views over the plains.

The sixteen large custom-made canvas tents are well spaced throughout the rocky glades and are reached by winding stone paths.  Each tent stands on a stone platform and has its own thatched roof. Opening off the spacious bedroom is a tented bathroom which features twin basins, shower and flushing WC. The main bedroom area features two queen-sized four-poster beds each having mosquito nets.  There is a seating area with stylish lamps and easy chairs. On the spacious private terrace there are safari chairs and sun loungers.

The central tented lounge features a stylish bar and a selection of wildwood seating. The dining room is presented in classic tented style with a panoramic terrace looking out over the plains. The camp also offers a circular barbeque and campfire area.

You can enjoy breakfasts, lunches, dinners and cocktails in the bush. There are a number of stunning sites where tables, safari chairs, ‘bush bar’ and a ‘bush kitchen’ will be laid out and where a broad range of meats, poultry, fish and vegetables are cooked on-site (supplemented by fresh soups, salads and puddings from the camp kitchens). In the evenings ‘sun- downer’ cocktails are traditionally served around a campfire and can be followed by a lamp-lit ‘bush dinner’.

ACTIVITIES

Game drives – the camp’s custom-built open-sided six-person safari vehicles offer comfort, panoramic viewing, dedicated safari guides, refreshments on-board and radio-links for fast location of game. Traditionally, game-drives take place early morning (you are woken with tea and arrive back in time for breakfast) or late afternoon. They can also be timed to coincide with sundowners in the bush. The vast Serengeti is Tanzania’s first-established, largest and most famous park wherein tens of thousands of hoofed animals roam in a constant search for the fresh grasslands.  Here, 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 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.

Nature walks / bird walks – slow in pace and wide-ranging in scenery, the Serengeti nature walk is designed to offer gentle exercise and a fascinating insight into the world of African trees, flowers, insects, reptiles, birds and animals. Tanzania offers more than 1,000 species of birds, half of which can be seen in the Serengeti. Most commonly spotted are the Masai ostrich and Kori bustard and, on the lakes, the lesser flamingo. Endemic to the park are the Fischer’s lovebird, the rufous-tailed weaver and the grey-breasted spurfowl. Migrant species are present between October and April and include white storks, rollers, cuckoos, swallows, Montague’s and pallid harriers and Caspian plovers. For the amateur and serious ornithologist alike, we offer a range of half- or full-day outings, which can be custom-tailored to the interests of your ornithological party. The services of a professional ornithologist and up-to-date bird checklists are included, and picnics, bush lunches, camp suppers and sundowners can be scheduled to suit your needs

Balloon Safaris – drift in silence above the Serengeti plains, dip down to visit the hippo pools of the Grumeti River and enjoy a bird’s eye view of the wildlife theatre as it is enacted below you. After a cup of tea around 5:30 am, you will be driven to the balloon take-off point, where a team inflates the vast rainbow-coloured balloon. A typical balloon carries around eight passengers and is equipped with seats and safety belts. At dawn, the sandbags are cast off, and the balloon rises majestically into the cool of the morning air, helmed by a fully qualified pilot. The balloon will fly for a period of around 45 minutes, trailed by a team of ground vehicles, before making a gentle controlled-landing on the plains. Enjoy a glass of chilled champagne before sitting down to a full English breakfast, which is traditionally cooked on the burners of the balloon. After breakfast, enjoy a leisurely game drive back to the camp.

Sundowners – timed to commence as the sun begins to set sundowners at Mbuzi Mawe Serena Camp begin with a leisurely drive to a scenic spot where chairs, lamps, campfire and a bush bar with cocktail snacks have been set up to enjoy views of the sun setting with your favourite drink.

Cooking Lessons – Under the expert guidance of the Chef, guests prepare selected dishes (mainly local dishes) as they learn about local cuisine.

Bush Breakfast – allow us to awaken you with an early morning cup of tea, and then set off on a game drive, which is timed to offer you the very best chance of spotting “The Big Five”. After your game drive, you’ll arrive at a chosen breakfast spot, where our hospitality team will be waiting for you with a glass of chilled sparkling wine and fresh-pressed orange juice. Savour a full English breakfast among stunning bush vistas before heading back to the camp on another game drive.

Bush Dinner – typically, the Serengeti bush dinner takes place at a scenic location on the plains. Or it can occur at our own dedicated bush dinner site, which stands high on a hill overlooking the migration corridor. Timed to coincide with the setting of the sun, which on the Equator is around 6:00 p.m., the bush dinner will commence either with a game drive or a short stroll to our hilltop site. Arriving at the chosen location with fabulous views across the plains, you will find that tables and chairs have already been set up. In addition, a campfire, lanterns and a bush kitchen await you. Beginning with sundowners around the campfire. The choice of meat, fish and poultry will be supplemented by vegetarian choices, salads, fruit and desserts from the main lodge. Also, a full safari bar will be provided.

MBUZI MAWE SERENA LODGE IS OPEN ALL YEAR ROUND 

THE CAMP WELCOMES CHILDREN OF ALL AGES – WE RECOMMEND FROM AGED 7 YEARS