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Lodge Overview
Mbuzi Mawe Tented Lodge, opened spring 2005, is a brand new luxury lodge located in the central woodlands of the Serengeti National Park. With just 16 spacious rooms under traditional canvas, Mbuzi Mawe provides for a very intimate and authentic safari experience. Each luxury tent is furnished with 2 queen size four-poster beds, ensuite bathrooms and a lovely veranda with an extra large zebra striped sun bed for two. The main lodge is equally charming and consists of a cozy tented lounge and bar, outdoor patio, both indoor and outdoor dining rooms, gift shop and a fire pit. The sleeping tents are situated in a circular formation around the base of the beautiful Kimasi Kopjes while the main lodge tent is set further up a hill allowing for good views. The surrounding topography is one of gentle rolling hills, open acacia tree woodlands and large granite outcrops called kopjes. Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp is uniquely located about halfway between the Central Serengeti and Northern Serengeti. Mbuzi Mawe is most commonly used as a base to game drive the Central Serengeti game circuits including the Seronera Valley but can also be used for exploring the Lobo Valley game circuits in the Northern Serengeti. Mbuzi Mawe will appeal to those people seeking luxury lodge based accommodations from which to explore the action packed Central Serengeti and Seronera. The Seronera River Valley in particular, with its abundance of resident animals including all the big carnivores, is a must see no matter what time of year. The one major draw back with Mbuzi Mawe Tented Lodge is that it is a minimum 1-hour drive to the game viewing areas of the Seronera River Valley. This is significant as with even an early 6am departure one would not arrive into Seronera until 7am. Considering that much of the predatory action happens in Seronera between 6am and 7am, Mbuzi Mawe’s location can be a significant disadvantage. For those seeking a stronger game viewing emphasis without sacrificing luxury, the even more exclusive and better-located Private Luxury Camp is a better choice. The Private Luxury Camp is located at the heart of the Seronera River Valley assuring top-notch game viewing. The choice of permanent lodging is relatively poor in the Central Serengeti considering that this area offers some of the best wildlife viewing in the park. Though with the addition of Mbuzi Mawe, there is finally a luxury lodge based choice in the surrounding area. However and as discussed, the lodge is not in the most optimal location for game viewing. The Central Serengeti does offer the best private camping options in all of Northern Tanzania and two nights at a private luxury or private medium camp may make the best choice here.
Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp (elevation of 5,133 feet) is located about halfway between the Central Serengeti and the North Serengeti. The lodge is situated around the handsome Kimasi Kopjes and is just a ½ mile east of the main road that joins the northern and central regions of the Serengeti National Park. The lodge is about 18 miles northeast of the Seronera Airstrip and about 20 miles southwest of the Lobo Airstrip. It is roughly a 1-hour drive from Mbuzi Mawe to either Lobo Valley or Seronera Valley. Longer game drives are also possible from Mbuzi Mawe to more remote areas of the park including the famous Serengeti eastern plains and the GOL Kopjes. The GOL Kopjes are an approximately 2.5 hour drive to the south. This drive is only recommended during the green season when the eastern plains are green and packed with game. The southern plains south of Naabi Hill are really not feasible given Mbuzi Mawe’s location. Accordingly, during the green season the lodge is best combined with a lodge or camp in the South Serengeti. During the dry season, the Mara River at the extreme north of the park may be reached on a long but incredibly adventurous 4-hour game drive.
A stay at Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp is usually incorporated into our signature fly-in and drive-back itineraries towards the beginning of your safari. You will most likely either be arriving directly from the nearby Seronera Air Strip during the green season or from the Northern or Western Serengeti during the dry season.
Accommodations at Mbuzi Mawe Tented Lodge consist of 16 luxury tents furnished with 2 queen size four-poster beds. The well-appointed tents are built on concrete foundations with tiled floors. Each tent is charmingly decorated with fine hard wood furnishings and zebra pattern cushions and pillows. Furnishings include a ceiling fan, writing desk and a small sitting area with a table and chairs. There are private ensuite bathrooms at the rear of each tent including a proper flushing toilet, double sink, shower and luggage rack. At the front of each tent is a lovely veranda with a double sun bed on one side and two safari deck chairs on the other side. The views from each tent are not noteworthy with the exception of tents 14b, 15 and 16, which are set a little higher and have fair views. The lodge property is relatively small and the tents do seem a bit bunched together. The benefit of a small property is that it is a short and convenient walk to the main lodge and dining area. However, there can be some foot traffic and noise at night. There is 24-hour electricity in each tent and a fruit basket is provided upon arrival. There are a couple of hairdryers available that may be checked out at the main lodge. Internet access is also available at the main lodge. Turndown service is conducted in the evenings and a coffee/tea and cookie tray is delivered to your tent each morning at a prearranged time upon request.
Breakfast is served mixed buffet style with a buffet breakfast consisting of cereal, fruit, yogurt, granola and muffins and a separate order taken for hot items including eggs, pancakes, sausage and bacon. Both lunch and dinner are a delicious 4-courses. They are both served fixed course (not buffet) though plenty of choices are offered. Breakfast boxes are available for early morning game drives and lunch boxes are also available so one can undertake full day adventure game drives. A typical lunch would consist of the following: 1st course - cucumber salad with mint dressing; 2nd course – spiced chicken soup with vegetables; 3rd course - choice of grilled steak with peppercorn sauce OR stir fried turkey pineapple OR freshly tossed spaghetti pomodoro sauce; 4th course – cocoa cake with custard sauce OR tropical fresh fruit OR cheese plate with crackers. Each main course would be accompanied by potatoes or rice and grilled vegetables. A typical dinner would consist of the following: 1st course – avocado salad with vinaigrette; 2nd course – cream of tomato soup; 3rd course - choice of sirloin steak with horseradish sauce OR ducking stew in coconut sauce OR aubergine and potato masala; 4th course – passion mousse OR tropical fresh fruit OR cheese plate with crackers. Each main course would be accompanied by potatoes or rice and grilled vegetables.
Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp is located in the central area of the Serengeti ecosystem and accordingly, it is this area that will be the topic of discussion below. See the Serengeti National Park guide for a complete analysis on the entire Serengeti ecosystem, including the famed migration and all the game viewing highlights. The Central Serengeti consists of the plains woodland border and transition zone. In this area the great Serengeti plains gradually diffuse into gentle rolling hills and woodland habitat, which dominates the western and northern regions of the park. The lions share of the lodges are located in this region as well as the park headquarters and the various research facilities. All these facilities are located here for good reason as not only is this area centrally located but it also supports an amazing abundance of resident wildlife. The Central Serengeti is home to the beautiful Seronera River Valley. Several perennial rivers run through this valley enabling many resident animals to thrive year round. The combination of location and resident prey attracts the largest populations of predators in Africa. It is this amazing abundance and diversity of easily seen large predators that attracts thousands of visitors and hundreds of researches to the Seronera River Valley each year. There is simply no better place in Africa to observe these large carnivores and since many are resident, excellent encounters are available year round regardless of the season or where the great migratory herds are located. It is not unusual to see all four large predators (lion, hyena, leopard and cheetah) during the course of a day in the central Serengeti. The only draw back with game viewing in the Central Serengeti is the fact that the majority of the lodging is located in this area. The immediate game circuits around the Seronera Valley are well traveled and, depending on the month, you will likely encounter several other vehicles. The months of July, August, late December and early January see the most visitors in the Central Serengeti and careful planning is important if you plan on traveling during these months.
Private game drives |
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