Serengeti Migration – Where to Stay in October
Where to Stay to See the Serengeti’s Great Migration in October
Firstly, where are the herds? Throughout October the Migration is still located in the far north of the Serengeti and Kenya’s Maasai Mara. There is no rain in the southern Serengeti but reliable rainfall in the northern plains due to the macro climate dictated by Lake Victoria and the Oloololo Escarpment. However Tanzania’s light rains will usually start at some point in October which triggers the herds push south…but designing your trip to anticipate this push south is asking for trouble; the northern Serengeti is still the place to be throughout October.
October is still a good month for river crossings, one of the major reasons that travellers come to the park. The Tanzanian side of the border is significantly quieter than the Kenyan side – the Mara Conservancies excluded but they don’t offer good river crossings – and for that reason I focus the vast majority of trips in the northern Serengeti.
The exact location for the river crossings on the Tanzanian side is an area called Kogatende and the Lamai Wedge. Both sides are excellent with Lamai being a quieter location that’s truly away from the crowds. Further away from the river is an area called Lobo to the east of the Mara River – a place that offers great value with a few excellent camps. It’s easy to access the river area from Lobo and some camps prefer to locate themselves between the two areas to find a quiet part of the Serengeti all to themselves.
The Serengeti Migration’s Best Camps and Safari Lodges in October
There are two different styles of property to choose from. The first is the famous ‘Serengeti mobiles’ that follow the herds, and the second is the ‘permanent lodges’ (or camps). The Serengeti mobiles tend to cater for the more adventurous traveller, however I would always encourage people to consider the idea of the mobile camps; they are much more comfortable than people expect and are often the highlight of a safari.
To help you understand what you get for your money, we split the Serengeti’s properties into three different price brackets – Value, Classic, and Luxury. It’s worth mentioning that the prices below do NOT include any long stay deals etc. Therefore our safaris can often be less expensive than this nightly rate.
‘Value’ Serengeti Camps
- Mobile Camps – The pick of the mobile camps in our most economical bracket are Nasikia Migration Mobile in Lobo and Chaka in Kogatende. Nasikia Migration Mobile is slightly larger than most mobiles we use but this is a great value little camp and a product that offers reliably good service and very good guiding for its price. Chaka is located in Kogatende near the river and, although good faces extreme competition from Lemala Mara, which albeit more expensive is on the river and is overall more comfortable and personal than Nasikia. All three are superb options, and we find it very difficult to pick a ‘winner’. Ultimately price makes most clients decisions for them.
- Permanent Lodges – At this time of year it is very difficult to get a good permanent lodge in the far north for anything less than $650pppn. Kaskaz is the best option and although slightly more expensive than the two mobiles in this price bracket their special offers can bring the price down. It’s a wonderful camp with a superb location away from the crowds.
- My suggestion for the ‘Value’ price bracket – Nasikia Migration Mobile in Lobo still gets you into the thick of the action for the river crossings and is a camp that gets absurdly good feedback from clients. Stepping up a level slightly however and Lemala Mara is the camp I’d splash out on.
‘Classic’ Serengeti Camps
- Mobile Camps – Lemala Mara is without doubt worth a look. I usually include this property as he splash out option for the ‘Value’ bracket but realistically this camp sits between the two price brackets. At the top end of our ‘Classsic’ bracket there is fierce competition between a couple of big ‘safari names’ – Nomad Tanzania’s Serengeti Safari Camp and Asilia’s Ubuntu, Kimondo and Olakira. The two companies are fierce enemies! Out of these, I have always been a fan of Serengeti Safari Camp due to the authentic approach of the company that runs it, and the fact that they offer great value when combined with their sister properties elsewhere – in Tarangire or the Ngorongoro, for example. Ubuntu and Olakira are good properties (Olakira especially due to its amazing riverfront location), so can never be dismissed.
- Permanent Lodges – Kaskaz is the first property to mention. This luxury camp can often release great deals, making it very affordable compared with its competition. With a quite location away from the river many clients choose Kaskaz to avoid the somewhat busy river area of the north. Fierce competition to Kaskaz is Lemala’s Kuria Hills – a well-priced and genuinely luxurious property with private plunge pools on the decks of all the rooms.
- My suggestion for the ‘Classic’ price bracket – I have always believed that Nomad’s Serengeti Safari Camp as the best mobile camp option, however the fact they do not offer a long stay deal in July makes the camp more expensive than at other time of year. You have to include their other camps to make Serengeti Safari Camp a good value property in July. For lodges the best value is either Lemala’s Kuria Hills or Serengeti Kaskaz…and I’m sorry to say I’m going to sit on the fence here…both camps are superb.
‘Luxury’ Serengeti Camps
- Mobile Camps – At the top end of the mobile camp market sit Alex Walker’s two Serian properties (Serian Serengeti and Serian Lamai) and the new Wilderness Usawa, which fits immediately into the Luxury bracket with its great locations and walking safari. Wilderness is renowned for being one of the finest operators in Africa, creating some of the most famous camps in Botswana. This is the company’s first foray into the Serengeti – and Usawa is everything you’d expect from a Wilderness camp! The Serian camps on either side of the Mara river are both excellent, with Lamai being significantly quieter and often home to Alex himself. &Beyond’s Serengeti Under Canvas is another mobile option here, but it’s slightly more focused on luxury. Usawa offers the best of both worlds, including walking and that Wilderness touch that makes the properties so special.
- Permanent Lodges – Lamai Serengeti is nothing short of exceptional. With the best views of the entire area and a well-tuned team, this permanent lodge is usually my go-to place for top-end safaris. Its sister property Mkombe’s House is also sublime – a private family house option for small groups and families. Competition to Lamai is Asilia’s Sayari, but the location and sheer character of Serengeti Lamai wins for me.
- Across the river from Lamai is Singita’s Mara River. This is an exceptionally finely tuned property where luxury levels skyrocket, albeit in a fairly ‘light’ camp. I find the price quite eye-watering considering the camp has no pool, for example, but the sheer quality of Singita Mara is undeniable. It’s the place to go if incredibly high service levels are important to you.
- The final place to mention is the Singita Reserve in the western Serengeti – a great option to end for a few nights of sheer luxury but not an area to get the river crossings even if they do still have good migration herds. The best of these is Faru Faru whilst Sasakwa deserves its own special mention for being a genuinely 5* luxury hotel option in the bush, the likes of which I have not seen elsewhere in Africa.
- My suggestion for the ‘Luxury’ price bracket – If you are looking for a mobile camp and want a genuine ‘bush’ experience then go and stay with Alex Walker at Serian, as there are very few companies that epitomise safari itself in this way. For something a little more luxurious, Wilderness Usawa is the fantastic new arrival, with great locations and activities including walking. For a more permanent-type lodge, I can’t get enough of Lamai Serengeti – there is a character about this property that few camps can match. However, if truly 5-star luxury is your focus then start with either Usawa or Serengeti Lamai and move down to Singita Faru Faru (one of my Top 3 camps anywhere) or Singita Sasakwa, a destination in itself.
